Governor Laura Kelly made two announcements on the COVID-19 relief effort Wednesday.
One involves a new program to help businesses get personal protective equipment if prior orders have been delayed or unfilled. The Business PPE Stopgap program provides equipment like masks or face shields — and gowns or coveralls in the case of healthcare businesses or medical facilities — shipped from the state inventory within “a few days” at no cost to eligible businesses. Businesses have to be in good standing with the Kansas Department of Revenue and have to prove their PPE order is on backorder or delay.
The Division of Emergency Management is administering this program.
The other involves driver’s licenses. The governor signed Executive Order 20-66 which extends licenses expiring between March 12 of this year and Jan. 26, 2021. It also sets a staggered registration deadline for vehicles bought between New Year’s Day and May 31 of this year. This gives drivers eight months to register or renew registrations instead of two months.
Law enforcement officers are told to “use their discretion in choosing whether to enforce laws related to expired drivers’ licenses and vehicle registrations,” but they are also told to keep the current state of disaster declaration in mind when making those decisions.
This order is for passenger vehicles and trucks weighing less than 10,000 pounds. It does not affect commercial motor carriers.
