28 March 2006
Governor signs bill designating Kansas 9/11 Memorial
Bill among five signed by Sebelius today
The 9/11 Memorial in Anthony is Kansas’ official memorial to the victims of September 11 thanks to a bill signed into law today by Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
“The people of Anthony came together to create this memorial. It’s a great example of the spirit of community that brought us together after the 9/11 attacks, and it’s appropriate we honor that spirit by designating this as Kansas’ official 9/11 memorial,” said Sebelius.
The Anthony 9/11 Commission was organized to fund the memorial through private donations. The memorial was designed to include steel from the World Trade Center, limestone from the Pentagon and soil from the United Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania.
HB 2595 designates the Anthony 9/11 Memorial as the Kansas 9/11 Memorial. Senate Resolution No. 1842 was passed in 2005 to honor and commend the Anthony 9/11 Memorial as the official Kansas 9/11 Memorial for 2005 and 2006. This bill makes the designation permanent and will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Governor Sebelius also signed four other bills which take effect upon publication in the statute book. These bring the total number of bills signed during the 2006 Legislative Session to 50. She has vetoed two.
Promoting clean storage of petroleum and supporting rural tank owners
HB 2756 amends the Kansas Storage Tank Act to provide reimbursement to eligible owners of above ground petroleum storage tanks or bulk plants for the cost of certain upgrades or permanent closure. This is in response to new Environmental Protection Agency rules requiring upgrades to storage tanks – upgrades which could be costly and could threaten the viability of small owners, such as in rural areas. Reimbursement will come from the existing Environmental Assurance Fee. Oversight will be provided by the Kansas Essential Fuels Supply Trust Fund Compensation Advisory Board, created by the bill.
Requiring vehicle title service agents to be licensed
HB 2645 enacts the Vehicle Title Service Agent Licensing Act. It requires vehicle title service agents to be licensed, pay a license fee of $75 and maintain a bond of $25,000 deposited with the State Treasurer. The bill allows the Director of Vehicles to suspend or revoke licenses and impose civil penalties between $100 and $2,000 for each violation of the Act, and provides that a vehicle title service agent not include any person who is licensed under the provisions of the Licensure Vehicle Sales and Manufacture Act, or any person who engages as a vehicle title service agent only for commercial vehicles. Additionally, the bill requires a licensee to maintain for three years, a log containing a record entry of the date of each application, the name of the person for whom the title services were performed, the name of the owner and the vehicle identification number of each vehicle and, if the service is performed for an individual, photo identification of the owner.
Amending the Kansas Uniform Securities Act
HB 2663 makes amendments to the Kansas Uniform Securities Act which are necessary to remedy flaws discovered during the implementation of the Act since July 1, 2005. Amendments include new language to create an exemption from the requirements for transactions involving an interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights that are conducted in compliance with a rule adopted or an order issued under the Act. The bill also eliminates the requirement that the Office of the Securities Commissioner send written notice when post-effective amendments have been accepted, allowing that post-effective amendments become effective when filed with the administrator. Finally, it establishes new grounds for the discipline provision to allow the Securities Commissioner to deny or revoke licenses to individuals who lack sufficient character or reputation to warrant the public trust.
Changes to laws regarding jurisdiction
HB 2610 changes the Civil Procedure Code regarding service of process outside the state, known as the long arm statute, by providing a person will be considered to have submitted to the jurisdiction of Kansas courts if substantial, continuous, and systematic contact is established with Kansas that would support jurisdiction consistent with the United States Constitution as well as the Kansas Constitution.
