Kelly, Kansas Legislators Earmark Up To $95 Million For COVID-19 Testing

From the Kansas Reflector:

By
Tim Carpenter - October 29, 2020

TOPEKA — The bipartisan council comprised of Kansas legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly voted Thursday to reallocate $30 million from a federal CARES Act reserve account to improve COVID-19 testing capacity throughout Kansas.

The allocation adopted by the State Finance Council elevated to $80 million investment in testing of Kansans during the pandemic. In addition, the council unanimously agreed to allow the governor’s coronavirus relief task force to dedicate $15 million more for testing if warranted by evolution of the virus.

The vote by Republican and Democratic political leaders recognized escalation in the number of people contracting the virus, especially in some rural areas of Kansas, and the challenge posed by higher rates of hospitalization and fatalities. There is consensus Kansas needs a comprehensive testing program that covers more of the population and produces results within 48 hours.

Kansas Department of Transportation secretary Julie Lorenz, who is serving as the Kelly administration’s coordinator of CARES Act funding, asked the council to release $30 million for the new unified testing initiative. The money will be added to previous $50 million allocation for testing, she said.

“I don’t want to ask for more money than we need to or could use,” she said. “Today, we want to get the $80 million underway. If we need more money, we will ask for it.”

However, Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican, convinced the State Finance Council to go ahead with a plan to hold in reserve $15 million more for coronavirus testing. The governor’s task force, known as SPARK or Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas, would have authority to draw down the supplemental testing funding.

“Allow them to have access to $15 million,” Denning said. “If they need it, fine. I’d rather do it now than later.”

House Speaker Ron Ryckman, Olathe Republican, said he supported the $15 million earmark for testing as long as the maneuver didn’t undermine aid for frontline hospital and health workers struggling with child care expenses.

If SPARK took the $15 million out of the state’s COVID-19 child supervision fund, Denning said, the account would still have $18 million available to assist essential employees with expenditures for child care.

Lorenz said financial flexibility would be necessary to complete full delivery of the $1 billion in federal COVID-19 assistance by the Jan. 1 deadline.

“Balance is so important,” she said. “We’re trying to get the most benefit that we can out of these dollars and provide flexibility and minimize any risk of being noncompliant. I want to emphasize that we have a strong oversight process in place.”

The Kansas Reflector seeks to increase people's awareness of how decisions made by elected representatives and other public servants affect our day-to-day lives. We hope to empower and inspire greater participation in democracy throughout Kansas.