National Safe Boating Week is May 16-22

Safe Kids Kansas provides tips to keep your family safe out on the water

Topeka – National Safe Boating Week is May 16-22, and Safe Kids Kansas reminds families to follow safety recommendations before heading out on open water.

“We know during this time of COVID-19, many of us are eager to get out. First and foremost, we encourage everyone to be mindful of the pandemic and follow any state and local guidance in place to ensure your family’s safety,” Cherie Sage, Safe Kids Kansas Director, said.

U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in four out of every five recreational boating fatalities in 2018, and that approximately 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

“Any time you are around open water, you should wear a life jacket,” Sage said.  “It’s important for adults to set the right example – children notice and mirror our safety habits. Accidents on the water can happen too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket.”

Kansas law requires children ages 12 and under to wear life jackets while on board a boat or when being towed behind a boat on skis or a tube. In addition, children under 13 are required to wear life jackets on any recreational vessel in waters under Coast Guard jurisdiction. Life jackets must be approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. “Water wings” and other inflatable swimming aids such as inner tubes are just toys and do not prevent drowning.

Safe Kids Kansas also recommends the following tips to keep your family safe while boating:

Always wear a life jacket on all watercraft, including motorboats, kayaks and canoes. Make sure life jackets are Coast Guard approved and fit properly. A child can slip out of a jacket that is too big.

Be aware of Harmful Algal Blooms. Bodies of water can be impacted by blue-green algae, which can cause health risks for humans, particularly children, and pets. For more information please visit  www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm.

Actively supervise kids in and around water.  Supervision around water is crucial, as drowning can happen quickly and silently. Designate a grown up as a Water Watcher for a certain amount of time (such as 15-minute periods) and have adults take turns to prevent lapses in supervision.

Teach children about swimming safely. Every child is different, so enroll children in swimming lessons when you feel they are ready. Make sure kids swim only in areas designated for swimming. Teach children that swimming in open bodies of water is not the same as swimming in a pool. They need to be aware of uneven surfaces, currents and undertow.

Check the weather. Look at the forecast before you head out on the water. Have a weather radio or weather app handy to alert you of severe weather, which can move in quickly.

Keep a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector on your vessel. CO is an invisible, odorless gas that can be deadly. Traveling at slow speeds or idling in the water can allow CO to build up on the surface of the water and inside the vessel. Keep a detector on board and test it regularly.

Take the time to learn CPR. We know you have a million things to do but learning CPR should be on the top of the list. This life-saving skill can also give you some peace of mind.

Take a Safe Boating Course and always do a vessel safety check. Safe Kids Kansas encourages ALL boat operators to get safety training. Kansas law requires all unaccompanied boat operators between the ages of 12 and 20 to pass a boater safety course and carry a boater education card. Boating Safety courses can be found at www.uscgboating.org.

Safe Kids Kansas also reminds parents and caregivers:

• Don’t let kids under 16 operate or ride on personal watercraft (such as jet skis).
• Never drink alcoholic beverages while boating — a large portion of boating accidents that occur each year involve alcohol consumption by both boat operators and passengers.
• Nobody should swim near a dock or marina with electrical hookups or lighting — swimmers can be electrocuted in the water and drown.

For more information about water and boating safety visit www.safekidskansas.org and www.safeboatingcouncil.org.

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Kansas State Treasurer, Kansas Bankers Association propose plan to provide COVID-19 relief for Kansas businesses

Topeka— The Kansas Bankers Association today proposed the start of the Kansas Economic Recovery Linked Deposit Loan Program with the full support of Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and other stakeholders. This COVID-19 relief measure would utilize existing state idle funds to provide low-interest loans to businesses seeking relief from losses sustained due to COVID-19.

In order to fund the program, the legislature would need to allow for the reallocation of $60-million dollars currently set aside for the Kansas Housing Loan Deposit Program (KHLDP), which began in 2008 and is currently not being utilized. The funds are distributed to banks using what is called a linked deposit program model where the State of Kansas makes a certain amount of its idle funds available for banks to borrow at less than the daily market rate so that they can turn around and provide loans to their customers at a lower rate.

“Kansas businesses have taken some devastating losses during the drastic economic downturn we are facing due to COVID-19, and the time to act is now. We owe it to our businesses and ag producers to utilize the resources we have available to help them during this time,” said LaTurner. “This is not a government handout. It is a free market solution to assist our Kansas businesses and families. I urge the legislature and the governor to make this law as quickly as possible so that we can assist as Kansans rebuild from this pandemic.”

The Kansas linked deposit program was successfully utilized in 2000 when the Kansas Legislature allocated $50 million for the Kansas Agricultural Production Loan Deposit Program (APLDP) to assist struggling Kansas farmers with their day-to-day farming expenses at a low interest rate. Within 3 weeks of the KS Legislature approving the $50 million to be used for the program, 36 banks had requested and received nearly the full amount allocated for the benefit of over 400 borrowers. In 2001 the Kansas Legislature added an additional $5 million to the program.

In this new proposal for the Economic Recovery Linked Deposit Loan Program, loans would be authorized for a length up to 10 years with a maximum individual loan limit of $250,000. Participating financial institutions would be responsible for the underwriting of each loan and the state would be repaid on those deposits at a floating rate of 2% below market rate with a floor of 0.25%. The interest rate spread for participating institutions would be capped at 3%.

Doug Wareham, President and CEO of the Kansas Bankers Association has been working closely with legislative leaders to develop a robust state-level response addressing the need for low-cost credit for Kansas businesses and supports repurposing the KHLDP funds for COVID-19 relief.

“We support the Kansas State Treasurer and policymakers arming the business community with tools needed to restructure debt when feasible and to allow struggling businesses to manage their way through this crisis,” said Wareham. “The COVID-19 pandemic has severely harmed businesses, including farmers and ranchers, across Kansas. Shuttered storefronts, a crippled energy sector, low farm commodity prices and disruptions in the food processing sector are causing a ripple effect that will negatively impact the cash flows of agricultural operators and small businesses for the foreseeable future. The negative economic impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and Kansas businesses will need both short and long-term credit strategies to remain viable.”

Surrounding states, such as Missouri, Oklahoma and Iowa have similar programs that are currently infusing

hundreds of millions of working capital dollars into businesses in their respective states.

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Forty highway projects selected for IKE development pipeline

Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Secretary Julie Lorenz announced today that preliminary engineering work will begin on 40 highway modernization and expansion projects.

These are the first projects to move forward under the Eisenhower Transportation Legacy Program (IKE), which was created in March.

“These transportation investments come at a critical time for our state’s economy. A robust development pipeline will help jumpstart our economic recovery by creating jobs and allowing the state to take advantage of potential federal stimulus dollars,” said Governor Kelly. “I’m thankful to the Legislature for passing IKE, a critical employment tool that will help put more Kansans back to work.”

“A modern transportation system moves people, freight and technology and these 40 projects will allow us to do all those things better in every region of the state,” Secretary Lorenz said. “We’ve selected smaller projects, which can advance to construction quickly, and larger projects that will employ many people in all phases of development or construction.”

More than 2,000 Kansans participated in local consult discussions that shaped the IKE program and modernized how transportation should be delivered in Kansas. Here are a few notable features:

• IKE is a rolling program, which means major highway modernization and expansion projects will be selected every two years rather than once a decade as previous programs did. This ensures the State can address the most pressing needs and adjust to fluctuating revenues.

• Emphasis on right-sized, practical improvements.  For example, utilizing passing lanes rather than 4-lane expressways where applicable.

• New partnership programs (Cost Share, Local Bridge) between the State and local governments to address more needs.

• Investments in broadband and new technologies.

• Continued commitment to multimodal transportation with public transit, aviation, short-line rail and bike/pedestrian programs.

Previously, the only projects in KDOT’s development pipeline were the remaining T-WORKS projects.  The development pipeline includes all the phases of work prior to construction such as design, acquiring right-of-way or moving utilities. KDOT is not committing to constructing these 40 projects, but this will allow the necessary advance work to begin.

“I’ve directed KDOT to explore all options for accelerating project delivery for these 40 projects and for the delayed T-WORKS projects, which we remain committed to constructing,” the Governor said. “Transportation investments provide short-term and long-term economic benefits to communities and we’re committed to capturing as many of those opportunities as we can.”

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the last stimulus for transportation infrastructure, prioritized shovel-ready projects. Currently, discussions are underway for a new federal stimulus bill for infrastructure, which will likely have similar requirements. Today’s announcement will allow KDOT to get more projects shovel ready.

“Thanks to Governor Kelly, the Legislature and Kansans, IKE was tailor made for this moment,” Lorenz said.  “It provides us the flexibility we need now and in the future. Today’s announcement is only the beginning. We know we have much more work to do.”

More information about IKE, including the list of 40 projects selected, is available at http://www.ksdot.org/IKE.asp