Aug 11, 2020

Kan. to spend $60M in COVID-19 aid on broadband expansion

Posted Aug 11, 2020 12:00 AM
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, right, a Republican from Wichita, voted against three COVID-19 funding proposals Monday to protest information he considered flawed that was distributed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. (Kansas Reflector)
House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, right, a Republican from Wichita, voted against three COVID-19 funding proposals Monday to protest information he considered flawed that was distributed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. (Kansas Reflector)

By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly and a bipartisan majority of the State Finance Council voted Monday to allocate $60 million in federal COVID-19 aid to expansion of broadband in underserved areas of Kansas for benefit of business, telemedicine and education services.

Kansas Department of Commerce secretary David Toland said high-speed internet had to be viewed as an essential expenditure rather than a luxury investment due to inadequacies exposed during the pandemic. He urged the council to authorize the spending by arguing action at this time on rural broadband was akin to rural electrification programs in the 1930s.

“It’s critical if we are to grow as a state,” Toland said. “It’s simply a matter of practicality and common sense.”

The plan adopted by the council earmarked $50 million to create more communication infrastructure and applied $10 million to support of connectivity in low-income homes. The money must be spent by the end of 2020 with priority given to shovel-ready projects and an emphasis on telehealth services. The broadband initiative had been temporarily blocked after several Republicans said they didn’t believe the Kelly administration had yet developed a workable plan.

“The $60 million we’re looking at today is not going to be enough,” said Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican. “Obviously, to have this implemented through the entire state of Kansas is going to cost more.”

Kelly said she agreed available funding wouldn’t address requirements for linking students to schools, sick people to medical clinics and business owners to customers worldwide. She said a third phase of spending from federal CARES Act appropriations could provide an supplemental layer of aid for broadband.

“Plus we’re still waiting with baited breath to see what the feds do. Hopefully, we will be able to increase this amount significantly going forward,” the governor said.

Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she supported allocation of $60 million in federal funding for expansion of broadband services in Kansas and would endorse additional spending to help with education, business and health care services tied to the internet. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she supported allocation of $60 million in federal funding for expansion of broadband services in Kansas and would endorse additional spending to help with education, business and health care services tied to the internet. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

A majority of Republicans and Democrats on the council approved a proposal from the Kelly administration to spend up to $5 million to hire an accounting firm capable of tracking $1 billion in CARES Act funding distributed by the state amid the pandemic. Kelly said it would have been difficult for the state to promptly hire a sufficient number of highly skilled personnel for an accounting and compliance job ending in less than five months.

Senate President Susan Wagle, a Republican from Wichita, said she wasn’t convinced $5 million was required to provide transparency and accountability of COVID-19 expenditures.

“This seems an excessive amount of money,” Wagle said. “Did we look at trying to do this within our own Department of Administration? Five million dollars to dot the Is and cross the Ts?”

House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, was the lone vote against the broadband initiative, the accounting contract and a separate $4 million expenditure of COVID-19 funding. He did so to protest recent distribution of information about the pandemic by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He accused KDHE secretary Lee Norman of putting out a confusing chart about spread of disease in counties that adopted a mask mandate and counties that chose not to take that step.

“The chart was incredibly misleading,” said Hawkins, as he launched into a speech about about KDHE leadership.

“Representative Hawkins,” the governor said, “we are talking about agency reimbursements from the CARES Act.”

“I agree,” Hawkins replied.

“If you would like to ask a question or make a statement related to that, you are welcome to do so,” said Kelly, who chairs the State Finance Council.

Hawkins chose not to pose a question at that juncture in the meeting. During voting on the broadband aid, Hawkins said: “Due to the fact that your administration has a problem with transparency, that you have agencies that are giving out not-so-good information, and the fact that you don’t want to allow me to speak, I vote no.”

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.