Tuesday was an eventful day in the Kansas Statehouse.
Before noon, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced an executive order to create a special task force. The Early Childhood Transition Task Force will review the state’s early childhood programs and develop plans to create a cabinet-level agency for supporting children. The process will include research on funding, including gaps, inefficiencies and redundancies. It will also include stakeholder “engagement” opportunities before working on a transition plan for the new agency.
Shortly after noon, however, it was announced Governor Kelly has COVID-19 after she began showing symptoms earlier in the day. Kelly is fully vaccinated and is self-isolating as she continues her duties.
The State of the State Address, initially planned for Wednesday, has now been delayed to 6:30 pm Jan. 24. The governor’s budget will still be released to the Legislature on Thursday as initially planned. Attendees of Sunday’s Inaugural Ball, participants in Monday’s inauguration ceremony and attendees of the task force executive order ceremony are encouraged to test as soon as possible.
