KID

TOPEKA – Kansas organizations interested in informing the public about financial education are invited to apply for 2018 grants offered by the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner (KSC).

John Wine, Kansas Securities Commissioner, has announced the opening of the 2018 Investor Education Grant Cycle through the securities office.  Those receiving grants can use awarded funds for purposes related to investor education, financial literacy or securities fraud prevention.

The latest round of applications must be received by the KSC office by August 25, 2018.

“In 2017 we issued more than $40,000 in grants to community and state-wide partners to promote financial education around the state,” said Commissioner Wine, “and we look forward to providing similar support again this year.”

For questions about grants, contact Shannon Santschi, Director of Investor Education, at [email protected] or go to the KSC website, www.ksc.ks.gov/Grants .

KID

TOPEKA—The Kansas Insurance Department Thursday filed a motion for a temporary injunction in Shawnee County District Court to stop the State of Kansas from sweeping more than $16 million from the department’s Service Regulation Fee Fund.

The motion follows the department’s petition filed July 13 asking the district court to declare the sweeps in violation of Kansas law. That action limited the use of certain fee funds for the purposes set forth in the Kansas Statutes concerning the funds, and for no other governmental purpose.

According to the filing, “A Temporary Injunction is in the public interest because consumers will be harmed if (insurance) companies are forced to pass additional assessments on to them in increased premiums.”

The petition and temporary injunction stem from legislation — 2017 Senate Substitute for House Bill 2002 — that authorized the sweep of $8 million in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and $8 million in FY 2019, all from the Service Regulation Fee Fund.  The 2018 Kansas Legislature took appropriate action to reverse the FY2019 sweep. However, Governor Jeff Colyer vetoed the reversal of the FY2019 sweep.  

The fee fund is a major portion of the department’s operating budget.

In a May 2018 insurance department news release concerning the governor’s budget decision, the action was labeled as a violation of state law.

Both the petition and the injunction pleadings are on the department’s website, www.ksinsurance.org, under “Help with Finding laws, regulations, orders, bulletins.”

KDHE

TOPEKA –The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA), the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE), public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multi-state outbreak ofSalmonella Sandiego infections. Spring Pasta Salad purchased at Hy-Vee grocery stores is a likely source of the outbreak.

As of July 17, the CDC reported 21 people infected with the outbreak strain ofSalmonella Sandiego from five states. On July 20, KDHE and JCDHE identified one infected person, an adult resident of Johnson County.

“Any individuals who have this in their refrigerator should return the recalled Spring Pasta Salad to the store for a refund or throw it away,” said KDHE Chief Medical Officer Dr. Greg Lakin. “Even if some of it was eaten and no one got sick, do not eat it. If you stored recalled pasta salad in another container, throw the pasta salad away. Thoroughly wash the container with warm, soapy water before using it again, to remove harmful germs that could contaminate other food,” Lakin said.

The Spring Pasta Salad was sold in Kansas Hy-Vee stores before Hy-Vee removed it from all its locations on July 16. Kansans should check their refrigerators to ensure they do not eat the recalled pasta salad. The Spring Pasta Salad includes shell pasta, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green pepper, onion and mayonnaise. It was sold in one-pound (16 oz.) and three-pound (48 oz.) plastic containers or may have been scooped at the deli counter into clear plastic containers. The recalled pasta salad was sold in all Hy-Vee grocery stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The expiration dates for the recalled pasta salad range from June 22, 2018 to Aug. 3, 2018.

Contact a health care provider if you think you got sick from eating recalled Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad. Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 96 hours after being exposed to the bacteria. The illness usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. In some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the bloodstream and then to other places in the body. Children younger than five years, adults older than 65 years, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.