Week 10 Kansas Statehouse: 🚨 Actions on COVID-19 🛡️ Resident Protections 💵 Business Relief, and more
Video Script
Intro
Hey I’m Davis Hammet with Loud Light. Here’s what happened the 10th and maybe final week in the Kansas Statehouse.
Executive Action
The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has been spreading across the nation. In Kansas at least 16 counties have confirmed a case. Over the last week, Gov. Laura Kelly took several strong executive actions to slow the spread of COVID-19. This included executive orders giving flexibility to local governments in a state of emergency, prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people, stopping all foreclosures and evictions, stopping utility disconnections including water, electricity, and internet until May 1st, expanding access to telemedicine including allowing physicians to prescribe medications without an in-person examination, and waiving some rules for motor vehicles involved in COVID-19 relief efforts to expedite the transportation of medical supplies and groceries.
School Closure
On Tuesday, Gov. Kelly was the first governor in the nation to shut down school buildings for the remainder of the school year. Gov. Kelly set up a task force of school teachers and administrators that created continuous learning guidelines. The guidelines are a blueprint for everything from getting meals to students in the free lunch program to addressing various education challenges. They cover technology adaptations and options for districts with little internet access including allowing small groups to meet in-person under certain circumstances. While some criticized the move as premature, the pandemic has now closed virtually all schools in the United States and many states have left parents and students in a state of uncertainty as they extend closures week by week. Kansas appears to be the only state in the nation with a clear plan to ensure students complete their education during the pandemic.
Senate Backlash
Several Senators such as Thompson, Olson, Masterson, Rucker, and other members of the far-right Truth Caucus downplayed the threat of the pandemic and said the Governor was overreacting. Sen. Suellentrop, who chairs the Senate Public Health Committee called the Governor’s actions “asinine” and urged the public to go out for dinner and mingle which directly contradicts the CDC and all public health officials recommendations.
Laws (Courts SB102, Schools SB142, Unemployment SB27)
A slate of legislation was passed to deal with COVID-19 including a law allowing the court system to adjust deadlines and authorize video-conferencing for court proceedings. A law allowing the Dept of Education to waive the normal minimum school duration requirements for the year. And a law removing the 1 week waiting period to receive unemployment benefits and extending the length of time someone may receive unemployment from 16 to 26 weeks. If you need to apply for unemployment the Kansas Sec. of Labor Delía García recommends using getkansasbenefits.gov instead of calling since unemployment applications have risen dramatically.
Business Relief (HIRE)(SBA)
Gov. Kelly’s administration rolled out a Hospitality Industry Relief Emergency Fund which provides one-time loans of up to $20,000 with 0% interest to restaurants, bars, and other small hospitality businesses impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, the Gov’s Sec. of Commerce David Toland finalized approval for Kansas small businesses to be able to apply for federal disaster loans of up to $2 million.
The Budget (SB66)
A budget was passed to keep the government functioning throughout the crisis. The legislature specifically allocated $65 million to help address COVID-19, but left out a variety of other spending proposals in order to leave a large ending balance. This gives the state financial flexibility in addressing COVID-19 and the ongoing economic decline.
Emergency Powers (HCR 5025)
A State of Emergency expires 2 weeks after a Governor declares it unless the Legislature extends it. A bipartisan unified House moved to extend the emergency through the year, but was undermined by far-right Senators who doubted the threat of COVID-19 and sought to limit Gov. Kelly’s authority to respond to the pandemic. Sen. Pyle amended the resolution to say the Governor can’t take your guns. Then Sen. Tyson amended the resolution to remove several of the Governor's key powers including her power to “utilize all available resources... as reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster.” These amendments would not have actually changed the emergency powers laws; they would have just stripped this specific Governor of powers during this specific crisis. The House rejected the Senate’s resolution. After extensive negotiations a resolution passed that extends the emergency declaration until May 1st then allows the Legislative Coordinating Council which is made up of legislative leadership to extend it in 30-day increments. It also requires leaders in the Legislative Coordinating Council to meet within 3 days of any emergency action taken by the Governor and gives the Council the power to undo the Governor’s action.
Adjourned (SCR 1615)
After a week of delays caused by the Senate, the Legislature finally adjourned on Thursday evening. The adjournment resolution calls for the Legislature to return on April 27th, but allows legislative leaders to postpone that until May 21st. In a practical sense, the legislative session may be over for this year meaning big debates on Medicaid expansion, abortion, medical marijuana, and so on are over. There’s a chance the Legislature will return in a month or two or call a special session later in the summer.
Outro
Thanks for liking, sharing, and donating to make these videos possible. Please take care of yourself and check in with friends and family during this difficult time. Stay tuned, stay engaged, and until next time thank you so much Kansas!