By the Associated Press and KFDI News:
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a Republican proposal to set aside hundreds of millions of the federal coronavirus relief dollars received by Kansas to compensate small businesses.
The plan Kelly rejected Friday was meant to help businesses that faced restrictions earlier in the pandemic. Kelly said she is not opposed to compensating businesses after the state, cities or counties forced them to shut down or limited their operations. But she said the GOP plan’s process for paying claims wasn’t open enough and the measure might violate federal law. Her action was certain to spark criticism from the Republican-controlled Legislature.
The governor said in a statement that “I am committed to working with the SPARK Taskforce to develop relief programs that comply with federal requirements to ensure that our economy emerges from this pandemic stronger and more agile than ever.
