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This afternoon, Governor Kelly announced that she is using her constitutional authority to call the Kansas Legislature back in to a Special Session next week, beginning Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The Governor stated that she intends to veto CCR on Sen Sub for HB 2054, outlined below, which would have restricted the Governor’s authority to issue emergency disaster orders under the Kansas Emergency Management Act. She is directing the legislature to return to Topeka and asking that they pass a bill to extend her current emergency orders under the Act. The...

On Thursday, May 21st, the Kansas legislature returned for one final day of business in 2020. Through 24 straight hours of debate and deliberation, conference committees met and assembled multiple bill packages. The Legislature was initially scheduled to return for a full veto session in April. That date was postponed, however, in response to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the truncated timeframe with which the legislature had to conduct its final business, Leadership limited action to only those bills which were arguably related to the pandemic. The weighty issue of Medicaid expansion...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association's postponed elevator safety and maintenance workshops have been rescheduled for August 12 - 14, 2020. Information for each training is as follows: Aug. 12 | Salina, Kan.Visit Salina Annex120 W Ash8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.REGISTER Aug. 13 | Garden City, Kan.Garden City Coop106 N 6th Street8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.REGISTER Aug. 14 | Wichita, Kan.Sedgwick County Extension Center 7001 W. 21st Street North 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.REGISTER For more information on the schedule and speakers, click the button below. Elevator Safety & Maintenance ...

Governor Laura Kelly's Executive Order 20-33, maintaining the 10 percent weight waiver up to 90,000 lbs for trucks hauling essential goods and supplies expires on June 14, 2020. For our members’ clarification of the Executive Order, we requested clarification from the Kansas Highway Patrol if the waiver applies to the following: transport of agricultural crop inputs (seed/pesticide/fertilizer/diesel) from import/manufacturer to the end user/farmertransport of grain from farm to elevatortransport of grain from commercial elevator to end user (i.e., feed yards, feed mills, biofuel plants, export market, etc.)transport of ethanol and biodiesel from processing plant to market Your association stated to the Kansas...

The Kansas legislature will return for one final day of business on Thursday, May 21st. Multiple committee met this week to consider various bills – all of which will all compete for limited action next Thursday. Large items, such as Medicaid expansion, might still be open for discussion, as will certain tax bills and COVID-related items. The Legislature was initially scheduled to return a few weeks ago in April for a full veto session. That date was postponed, however, in response to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to adjourning...

Recently, the USDA has announced their new Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive (HBIIP) program to increase higher ethanol blend availability. Projects may include costs related to upgrading fuel dispensers, retrofitting equipment, underground storage tank system components, and other installation costs required to offer ethanol blends greater than 10 percent or fuel containing biodiesel blends greater than 5 percent. HBIIP covers up to 50% of the eligible project costs, for a maximum of $5 million per applicant each. Along with USDA dollars, the Kansas Corn Commission will be contributing additional matching funds for up to $50,000 per station location with the applicant’s cost...

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today published a final rule modernizing hours of service (HOS) rules to improve safety and flexibility for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and the American public. The final rule brings a key reform to the short-haul exemption by extending it to 150 air miles and increasing the maximum on-duty period from 12 to 14 hours. ARA sent comments to FMCSA on Oct. 21, 2019, requesting regulatory reform to HOS rules including an expansion of the short-haul exception and maximum on-duty period. Read more about these modernized regulations in this news...

This afternoon, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-31, which establishes a new phase to the “Ad Astra: Plan to Reopen Kansas.” The new “1.5” Phase, effective May 18, 2020, continues reopening efforts while preserving some data-driven restrictions necessary to prevent community transmission of COVID-19. “The good news is that hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths continue to decline, enabling us to move forward with our efforts to safely reopen Kansas,” said Kelly. “Unfortunately, the daily rate of disease spread has not shown the downward trajectory necessary to move fully into Phase 2. I said from the beginning that public safety...

Featuring Eric J. Conn, OSHA Practice Group Chair at Conn Maciel Carey, this webinar will break down the workplace safety implications of OSHA’s recently issued “Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19,” which defines risk categories and provides recommendations on how to protect employees. Topics include: OSHA, CDC, and other guidance for managing infection control in the workplace generallyRegulatory issues and best practices associated with voluntary and mandatory use of respirators or other face coveringsIllness recording/reporting issuesHow to respond to employee or OSHA complaints.  OSHA’s definition of “workplace” covers everything from office buildings to country elevators; if you are operating in either a grain handling...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association’s (KGFA) scholarship committee met over conference call at the association’s 124th Annual Meeting in early April and awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships to Kansas high school graduating seniors for the 2020-21 academic year.  The scholarship committee, comprised of KGFA’s membership, received more than 180 applications and awarded 19 students scholarships to assist in advancing their academic endeavors. “We are very proud of the KGFA scholarship program that has helped so many people throughout the state for so many years,” KGFA’s president and CEO Ron Seeber said. “The association, its board and members take tremendous pride each spring...

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