April 07, 2006
Sebelius signs bill promoting cable TV competition
New law governing cable television among 6 signed by Governor Sebelius
Kansans will have a greater variety of cable television options to choose from as a result of a new law signed today by Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
The Video Competition Act (SB 449) will allow cable companies and other video providers not already operating in Kansas to obtain statewide franchises, rather than obtaining franchises locality by locality.
“This law will make it easier for new cable TV and video providers to come to Kansas by making it so they don’t have to obtain franchises one community at a time,” said Sebelius. “The goal is to expand competition and lower prices for consumers.”
The statewide franchises will be issued by the Kansas Corporation Commission. The holder of a state-issued video service authorization will not be required to obtain a separate franchise from a municipality or other political subdivision.
The bill prohibits providers from denying access to any group of potential residential subscribers because of income of the residents in the local area in which the group resides. It also requires companies to offer concurrent rebroadcast of local television channels or to utilize another process for providing information about public safety emergencies.
Governor Sebelius also signed five other bills into law today. To this date, the Governor has signed a total of 92 bills and vetoed two during the 2006 Legislative Session.
Making technical & community colleges eligible for energy conservation measures
HB 2602 amends current law to authorize the board of any community or technical college that implements eligible energy conservation measures to enter into a contract or lease-purchase agreement for a period of time that may exceed ten years. This gives community colleges the same flexibility for financing energy conservation measures as is currently available to municipalities, school districts and state agencies. This bill will take effect after publication in the Kansas register.
Allowing searches and examinations of title insurance
HB 2659 has to do with examinations of title insurance. This bill amends requirements for determination of the insurability of a title to property, by allowing searches and examinations of title insurance. It also insures purchase money mortgages by a title insurance agent or employee of a title insurance company or an abstractor licensed to do business in Kansas. It provides more precise definitions of reasonable search, examination and sound underwriting practices, and will allow the Kansas Insurance Department to more effectively enforce the provisions of the statute. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Improving the way banks, trust companies operate, reducing regulatory burden
HB 2662 amends several reporting requirements in the banking code to allow information from banks and trust companies required to be filed with the Office of the State Bank Commissioner to be filed electronically. The OSBC is currently updating its information technology systems and will have the ability to receive information submitted over the internet and to transfer the information directly into the agency database. These amendments to the code are also anticipated to reduce regulatory burden on banks with trust departments, as it allows the use of FDIC call reports instead of a separate annual report filing requirement.
Changing rules regarding crime victims compensation
HB 2761 concerns compensation for victims of crime. This bill removes the time restriction on compensation and adds a provision that allows compensation payable to a claimant to be reduced or denied if the victim was likely engaging or attempting to engage in an illegal act at the time of the crime for which the claim is being made occurred. This provision would not be applied to victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault. This bill takes effect after publication in the statute book.
Ensuring the safety of eggs for consumers
HB 2836 modifies existing provisions of the Kansas Egg Law and adds several new provisions. It’s intended to make requirements more understandable and to ensure a greater degree of safety for the egg supply. This bill takes effect after publication in the statute book.
