Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed a bill to limit the power of state health officials to mandate measures for contagious diseases, including face masks and vaccine passports. Kelly said the bill went beyond COVID-19 and would considerably limit government response to any infectious disease outbreak. Senate Bill 34, brought by the Republican-controlled Legislature, sought to curb the power of government agencies as well as state and local health officials in response to COVID-19 mandates imposed during the pandemic. Amendments to the Kansas Emergency Management Act would prohibit the mandating of protective mask requirements (pdf), except for hospitals...