Governor Laura Kelly Signs Bill Providing Low-Cost Loans to Families, Businesses Experiencing High Utility Bills
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today signed Senate Bill 86, establishing the Kansas Extraordinary Utility Costs Loan Deposit Program to provide low-cost loans to Kansans experiencing increased utility bills due to the extreme cold temperatures in February 2021.
“Since extremely cold temperatures hit our state in February, my administration has worked with local and national partners to find solutions to provide relief to Kansas families and businesses experiencing surging utility costs,” Governor Kelly said. “This legislation is a critical step in our continued response – and I thank the Legislature and State Treasurer Lynn Rogers for their collaborative effort to get this bill to my desk.”
The loan program will be administered by the Kansas State Treasurer.
“I want to thank Governor Kelly for signing this bipartisan legislation into law today. This is critical and necessary for Kansas communities and businesses to fully recover from the extraordinary weather event in February as well as the pandemic we continue to endure,” State Treasurer Lynn Rogers said. “My staff and I are ready to move forward with rolling out the low-cost loan programs the first week of May.”
Governor Kelly also signed the following pieces of bipartisan legislation into law:
House Bill 2208 enacts the Rural Emergency Hospital Act (Act) and creates a category of licensure to enable certain Kansas hospitals to receive federal health care reimbursement as rural emergency hospitals; establishes certification for certified community behavioral health clinics; authorizes licensed out-of-state physicians with telemedicine waivers to practice telemedicine in Kansas; and modifies licensure, temporary permit, and regulatory requirements on the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board and its licensees.
House Bill 2401 authorizes the Secretary of Corrections (Secretary) to enter into agreements for public-private partnerships for projects for new or renovated buildings at correctional institutions.