Gov. Kelly signs bill to provide greater flexibility for schools to determine state aid

Governor Laura Kelly today signed Senate Bill 73, amending the process for determining school district enrollment under the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act (KSEEA).

Senate Bill 73 aims to assist districts dealing with declining enrollment by providing three enrollment count options for the 2024-2025 school year: the current year, the preceding year, or the average of the preceding and second-preceding years. From the 2025-2026 school year onward, districts will be required to choose between the current year and preceding year enrollment counts, ensuring fairness and accuracy in education funding allocation across Kansas.

In addition to Senate Bill 73, Gov. Kelly also signed the following bills:

*House Bill 2547: Allows schools to keep emergency medication kits for life-threatening conditions and updates drug regulations, including adding and removing certain substances from controlled substance schedules.

*House Bill 2560: Allows youth in foster care aged 16 and older to open bank accounts without cosigners, removing barriers to success and enhancing financial literacy skills prior to exiting foster care services. The bill also updates statutes related to money transmission, puts in place regulations for earned wage access services, clarifies rules for abandoned banking applications, allows trustees outside Kansas, expands safe deposit box access, and simplifies bank deposit withdrawals.

*House Bill 2562: Creates protections against financial exploitation for vulnerable adults and establishes a consumer protection framework for contracts for deed transactions. The bill also makes any restrictive covenant on property in violation of the Kansas Acts Against Discrimination void.