Top Republicans are ending Kansas' state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic. They refused Tuesday to consider Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's arguments that an extension is still necessary for vaccinations and some testing for COVID-19. Senate President Ty Masterson announced the cancellation of a meeting of eight legislative leaders set for Tuesday afternoon. A law enacted in late March required the legislative leaders to sign off on an extension. Masterson's announcement means that the state of emergency would expire by day's end after being in place since March 2020. The Andover Republican other Senate GOP leaders said in a statement that, "It is time for Kansas to return to normal."
Speaker Ron Ryckman (R-Olathe), Majority Leader Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita), and Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch (R-Ottawa) issued the following statement regarding the state of disaster emergency declaration:
"Today marks 460 days since the Governor's declaration of a disaster related to Covid-19. It is time for the declared disaster to end and recovery to begin. We asked the Governor for a detailed plan to justify the need for a further extension and the winding down of our state's emergency response. What we received was an acknowledgment that nearly all executive orders could end immediately, and nearly all mission assignments could be closed by today. The Governor has failed to make a case for continuing the extraordinary measures that come with a declared disaster.
"The remaining goal to make vaccines available to all Kansans who want them is one that our state can achieve without emergency measures and executive orders. There are adequate medical personnel to meet the current demand for vaccines and the regular authority available to the Governor under the laws of our state is sufficient to meet these needs.
"The emergency part of this disaster has thankfully passed. Now is the time to help Kansans recover, rally, and return to normal."
The following statement is attributable to Governor Laura Kelly:
"I asked Republican leaders to extend the disaster declaration until August to boost efforts to vaccinate our children before school starts, support our local governments, and help get our state back to normal. A state disaster response has never been, and should not be, political. The actions by a select few Republicans in the Legislature will make our response more difficult.
"We will move forward in spite of this political obstruction and continue to work with our partners and communities to support our schools, businesses, and all Kansans through this pandemic."
