This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Listen Live
Donate
MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

March 1, 2021Topeka, Kan. |  By: AP

Governor's aide: GOP plan may slow Kansas emergency response


TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A top aide to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly warned Republican legislators Thursday that a proposal to curb the power of the governor and other Kansas officials could seriously hamper the state's response to future public health emergencies.

Kelly chief of staff Will Lawrence also urged legislators to extend a state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawrence objected to key portions of a bill from the state Senate's top Republicans that would rewrite the state's emergency management laws.

He said the oversight by the attorney general and the Legislature required by the bill could delay a response to an emergency. Republicans were skeptical of that argument.