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Disaster relief on the way for GreensburgTax breaks, grants approved by Kansas House Kansas On the final day of the 2007 legislative session, members of the Kansas house united in unanimous support of a bill that will extend disaster relief efforts for the town of Greensburg, Kan., which was destroyed by an EF-5 tornado earlier this month. "The legislature's response has been swift and sure," House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, whose home was destroyed by the tornado said. "Members on both sides of the aisle worked together to pass a bill that will help Greensburg return to the vibrant community it once was." HB 2540 will permit Kiowa County business owners to qualify for investment grants, which can be used to pay up to 10 percent of the cost to rebuild and to replace equipment . Additional grants will provide up to $3,500 for each full-time employee that a business decides to re-hire. Local businesses will also be exempt from paying sales tax on the purchase of any materials needed in the restoration or reconstruction of buildings damaged by the storm, which will save Kiowa County residents nearly $2 million. "These incentives will help local businesses rebuild in Kiowa County and will create new, good-paying jobs for residents to return to," McKinney said. "Rebuilding our business district is vital to the future economic stability of our community." The bill also gives authority to the State Finance Council to approve the transfer of up to $25 million from the State General Fund and to extend disaster declaration if another natural disaster should hit Kiowa County. "This provision will enable state agencies to continue to cut through red tape to meet the needs of the disaster response," McKinney said. McKinney continued, "Words cannot express how much the care and concern we have received means to the people of Greensburg. I look forward to working with the members of the legislature and the residents of our great state as we begin to rebuild our city." Date: 5/31/07
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