UPDATE: Kansas legislative leaders have voted to revoke Governor Kelly’s new mask mandate for the state. The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council voted 5 to 2 to revoke the order. Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman of Olathe, Majority Leader Dan Hawkins of Wichita, and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch of Ottawa issued a joint statement:
“Public health mandates should be short-term, data-driven and reserved only for pressing emergency situations. They should not be used to dictate Kansans’ daily lives year after year. If data is the real driver behind the Governor’s approach, then let’s rely on the numbers. In November, the Governor issued her last statewide mask mandate saying there was a “worrying spike” in cases. At that time, Kansas had 5,217 new cases and a 7-day average of 2,430 new cases. Now, Kansas has only 36 new cases and a 7-day average of 216 cases.
Kansans have banded together for over a year to successfully reduce the spread of COVID – and they’ve done so during a time when most counties had opted out of the Governor’s mask mandate. With cases dropping and no data to support the need for another statewide mandate, the best approach has proven to be local control. We support the continued ability of communities to tailor solutions that work for them, and we urge all Kansans to continue to practice recommended measures of infection control for their health and the health of those around them.”
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After all executive orders from Governor Kelly were revoked by Senate Bill 40, she’s working on reissuing them.
13 executive orders were issued Thursday morning, all of which appear to be a continuation of previous orders. The main point of focus with these orders is likely to be Executive Order 21-14. This is a new statewide mask order, which state lawmakers have already promised to overturn. That move is expected to come later today.
Below is a breakdown of the orders that went into effect on April 1:
- 21-09 – Extending professional and occupational licenses during state of disaster emergency
- 21-10 – Temporarily allowing notaries and witnesses to act via audio-video communication technology during state of disaster emergency
- 21-11 – Temporarily suspending certain rules relating to sale alcoholic beverages
- 21-12 – Licensure, Certification, and Registration for persons and Licensure of “Adult Care Homes” during state of disaster emergency
- 21-13 – Temporarily prohibiting certain foreclosures and evictions
- 21-14 – Establishing a face coverings protocol (exempts local jurisdictions with their own mask orders in place)
- 21-15 – Requiring COVID-19 testing in certain adult care homes
- 21-16 – Provisions related to drivers’ license and identification cards during the state of disaster emergency
- 21-17 – Temporary relief from certain unemployment insurance requirements during state of disaster emergency
- 21-18 – Temporary provisions for employer payment of income tax withholding for work performed in another state
- 21-19 – Temporary relief from certain tuberculin testing requirements during state of disaster emergency
- 21-20 – Extending time for Kansas rural water districts to hold annual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic
- 21-21 – Temporary authorization for additional vaccinators during state of disaster emergency
Specifics on each order can be found by following the link below.
