Governor Kelly and the State Finance Council agreed to extend the Disaster Declaration in Kansas, that was set to expire tomorrow. The extension will be in place until October 15th. Specific language was added to make it clear the Governor does not plan another mass shutdown of businesses across the State. Kansas House Speaker, Ron Rykman, says doing so would have created a situation many could not recover from:
The vote came after a very heated meeting, working out the new Declaration. The new language says the Governor has the authority to close businesses under the Kansas Emergency Management Act, but she has no intention to use her authority to do that.
The Declaration allows departments to provide needed assistance to Kansans during the pandemic. She gave examples like funding for community based testing, provide shelters with food and first responders with personal protective equipment.
