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22 Mar

Posted at 08:09h in Advocacy
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Week Ten of the Kansas Legislative Session There was a sense of urgency within the Kansas Legislature this week as the House and Senate continued hearing bills received from the opposite chamber in addition to introducing or taking action on controversial legislation. The House introduced two big-ticket items, including: a House Concurrent Resolution intended to protect Kansans from COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and House Bill 2434 which prohibits the employment of unauthorized aliens and requires employers to use the E-Verify program. In addition, Governor Laura Kelly announced that on March 22 the state will move forward into both phase three and four of the COVID-19 vaccine prioritization plan. Finally, the...

15 Mar

Posted at 10:46h in Advocacy
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Week Nine of the Kansas Legislative Session This was a short week in the Kansas Legislature, with the House and Senate returning to committee work on Wednesday. Highlights for this week include the swearing in of a new Senator Ron Ryckman Sr., from Southwest Kansas (father of House Speaker Ron Ryckman, Jr.), additional committee work on the state budget, and passage on final action of a property tax transparency bill that will now be sent to Governor Laura Kelly. Next week will bring hearings on many bills passed by the opposite chamber....

12 Mar

Posted at 11:18h in Industry News, Regulatory
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The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Advisory Board will meet at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19, 2021, via teleconference. The advisory board will discuss changes and modifications for the Kansas Commercial Industrial Hemp Program rules and regulations based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s final rule on the establishment of a Domestic Hemp Production Program. The meeting is open to the public. Individuals who want to call in to the meeting should contact Braden Hoch, industrial hemp supervisor of the plant protection and weed control program, at Braden.Hoch@ks.gov. Persons who...

12 Mar

Posted at 11:10h in Industry News, Regulatory
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Following historic increases in natural gas prices during the February polar vortex, many Kansas municipalities faced gas bills that unpayable. The municipalities risked losing access to natural gas within days if they did not pay their bills. In response, the legislature quickly passed a bill this week to provide $100 million in low-interest loans to Kansas municipalities to help spread out the cost of their natural gas bills over time. House Sub for Senate Bill 88 establishes a low-interest loan program which allows cities to apply to the State Treasurer for...

08 Mar

Posted at 08:11h in Advocacy
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Week Eight of the Kansas Legislative Session This week was Turnaround - the initial deadline for each chamber to pass its own bills. Any bill not passed by the full House or Senate this week is now dead for the year, unless it was introduced in one of a few select committees. This means that the House and Senate spent much of the week on the floor debating bills that had advanced favorably from committees, including expanded sports gambling, and emergency passage of a bill to provide municipalities with financial assistance...

02 Mar

Posted at 12:59h in Advocacy, Industry News, Regulatory
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During the recent polar vortex over the Midwest, natural gas prices increased dramatically. Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) has been in contact with the Kansas Congressional Delegation, Kansas Dept. of Agriculture and the state's legislative leadership on this looming issue. Available via the buttons to the left are a few documents KARA has received from Governor Laura Kelly's staff through Kansas Dept. of Agriculture, to include a letter the Governor and the Kansas Corporation Commission sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on February 19, 2021. Although the exact extent of...

01 Mar

Posted at 10:37h in Advocacy
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Week Seven of the Kansas Legislative Session This week marked the close of hearings on most bills in their chamber of origin. Next week is the Turnaround Day for bills, which means that the House and Senate will be busy most of the week with floor debate on bills that were advanced favorably from Committees. Any bill that is not passed by the full House or Senate will be dead for the year, unless it was introduced in one of a few select committees. This week was filled with high-profile issues,...

27 Feb

Posted at 08:14h in Industry News
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The Topeka Capital Journal is reporting, "The town of Denison in Jackson County could become unincorporated if it doesn’t receive some type of assistance paying its gas bill." The newspaper published that Denison is a town of about 180 people that now owes about $241,400 in gas bills, which is double the $125,000 it paid for gas in all of 2020. Earlier last week, KARA sent notice Governor Laura Kelly has submitted a letter urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take all necessary and possible steps to investigate the causes of the...

23 Feb

Posted at 09:47h in Industry News, Regulatory
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Governor Laura Kelly submitted a letter urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take all necessary and possible steps to investigate the causes of the system failures during the recent extreme-weather event in Kansas and protect Kansans from natural gas and electricity price surges resulting from increased demand. Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) Chair Andrew French, Commissioner Dwight D. Keen, and Commissioner Susan K. Duffy also signed onto the letter urging a federal investigation. “I have directed my administration to use every tool at our disposal to ensure Kansans are protected from...

22 Feb

Posted at 08:06h in Advocacy
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Week Six of the Kansas Legislative Session This week brought further committee hearings, and debate and action on numerous bills by both the House and Senate Chambers. Find more details on this week’s legislative action, below. Hazardous Chemical Spill Notification Bill Advanced On Thursday, February 18 the House Chamber passed House Bill 2155 on emergency final action with an 85-36 vote. The bill would authorize the Kansas Dept. Health and Environment (KDHE) to establish reportable minimum quantities of hazardous chemical spills in agency regulations. Currently, all spills of hazardous chemicals must be reported to KDHE, regardless of the amount. This bill would also...

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