Kansas Leadership Updates
Attorney General – Derek Schmidt - The AG stated how important he believed it was to have the Governor’s commitment that she did not intend to close Kansas Businesses again included, in writing, in the Emergency Order extension. He indicated having this in writing was important legally and really strengthened the stand to not close again and this gives a real measure of certainty to Kansas Businesses.
Senator Robert’s Office – They feel that Congress will likely adjourn next week, until after the election, without a new Covid package. It is very likely Kansas, and the other states, will be on their own to deal with the financial issues. Until the legislature returns in January the Governor has allotment authority to make cuts, if she believes Federal payments will likely not be available. On a positive note, this Thursday the new Eisenhower Memorial will be dedicated in DC.
Kansas Hospital Association – The Association continues to monitor Covid hot spots in order to try to insure that adequate supplies of PPE’s are available in those areas. The Association is also planning to make an effort to encourage individuals to receive flu vaccinations in this year of Covid, especially those individuals that don’t normally receive one. They believe this is extremely important.
Kansas Medical Society – Physicians are happy to be back in their offices and currently they estimate those offices are operating at about 70% of capacity, and growing. They still see certain patients tentative about coming into the office. One other concerning issue is the lack of re-insurance products available to medical practices due to Covid.
Mental Health – They will be testifying in front of the legislature’s Economic Recovery Committee this week to give their view of the new issues surfacing in mental health. A recent poll shows there has been a 10% increase in the response to the question, “Do you know someone with mental health issues”. It was also reported that nationally, 41% of respondents now indicate they have anxiety issues, and 46% of respondents now indicate alcohol and substance abuse are now an issue for them, or in their family. It was also noted that suicide is a growing issue … and there needs to be an increased focus on schools moving forward on this and other mental health issues.
AG Sector – It was reported that several AG sectors are now rebounding, which is positive. They reported they are worried about the likely revenue shortfall in Kansas and very concerned on how this could impact their least favorite tax, property taxes.
Financial Sector – A new concern was expressed regarding a recent IRS ruling regarding the money a company has forgiven from the PPP loan they received is not taxable but, the expenses they paid utilizing these funds will not be tax deductible. Therefore, this could increase the tax burden on many businesses, especially small businesses. It was indicated this was not the legislative intent, but appears to be the IRS intent. This may well take legislative action from Congress, which likely will not happen in 2020.
Board of Regents – So far, other than football, fraternities and sororities, the year is going fairly well. Overall their testing is returning a 2 ½ positive rate. They continue toward their goal of a full in-person class schedule. Emporia State is currently at the 76% mark … many of the others are around the 33% mark. The goal is to stay open and continue to protect students, faculty & staff.
Community Colleges - Optimistic they will stay open for the 20-21 year. One item noted is there are 19 Community Colleges, with 19 different kinds of Covid testing, so there is some concern about the testing and reporting being completely uniform. It was noted that those Colleges with Allied Health students are finding those student are welcomed by Nursing Homes and Hospitals, as there is a lot of stress currently in their healthcare work force.
Small Business & Insurance – They appreciate very much the certainty provided by the inserting of the no intention to close wording in the Emergence Order extension. They also reported they are very disappointed in the decision to identify the Covid clusters around the state, they do not see any value in this. They are also disappointed of the renegade action taken by the IRS on the PPP funding, they are pushing for Federal legislative action. Finally, they too reported insurance agents are finding it difficult to obtain liability insurance coverage for nursing homes and schools, they hope a solution will emerge to deal with this issue.
