TOPEKA — Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance, is urging Kansans trying to find lost insurance policies to use the free Life Insurance Policy Locator Service offered by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
“More than 8,000 beneficiaries nationwide found lost life insurance benefits entitled to them during the service’s first year,” Commissioner Selzer said. “That allowed them to secure money that had been designated to them by friends and loved ones, but somehow had been lost and unclaimed.”
The NAIC’s service is available by going to the organization’s website, www.naic.org. When a request is received, the NAIC will:
Ask participating companies to search their records to determine whether they have a life insurance policy or annuity contract in the name of the deceased.
Ask participating companies that have policy information to respond to the requester if the requester is the designated beneficiary or is authorized to receive information.
The locator service found $92.5 million for consumers in its first year of operation. The Kansas Insurance Department (KID) participates in the national service; however, KID had launched its own locator service in 2015, more than a year before the NAIC service was available.
“Our department was a leader in establishing this kind of free service in 2015,” Commissioner Selzer said, “and we were happy to integrate our service into the national application for an innovative, technological search. We encourage all Kansans who need this assistance to use the NAIC tool.”
TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court Wednesday released its rollout plan for the judicial branch’s new centralized case management system that will allow all district and appellate case data to reside on a single web-based platform, transforming the way the state court system serves the people of Kansas.
“Implementing statewide case management is a defining achievement for the judicial branch, which processes more than 380,000 cases each year,” said Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. “We look forward to bringing the first district courts onto the platform in about 18 months and to having all courts on it within four years.”
The judicial branch entered into an $11.5 million contract with Tyler Technologies of Plano, Texas, to customize and use its Odyssey Case Manager™ system. It will be paid for with docket fees earmarked by the Kansas Legislature for the project.
Odyssey was recommended by the eCourt Steering Committee, formed in 2015 to identify key requirements for a centralized case management system. Justice Dan Biles serves as chair of the steering committee and its members include representatives of the appellate and district courts, including justices, judges, court administrators, clerks, and information technology staff. eCourt subcommittees with wider ranging representation of court personnel and members of the legal community focused on specific areas such as infrastructure, requirements, and rules, and their findings were reported to the steering committee.
“Odyssey will integrate well with our existing electronic document filing system already in use across the state,” Biles said. “Our rollout focuses on higher volume courts first, so we move the biggest share of case processing to this web-based environment early in the project. In the end, we expect to see improved court efficiency through access to real-time case information.”
The order in which district courts will be brought onto the new system is shown in the chart below. Year one will entail customizing Odyssey to align with Kansas laws and court rules. Appellate courts – Court of Appeals and Supreme Court – are a separate track that will take place in years three and four of the project.
Installation of the centralized case management system is a key component in the Kansas Supreme Court’s eCourt plan. It will complete the conversion from local, paper-driven processes to a statewide electronic one. It will provide attorneys, judges, and court personnel using an internet connection immediate access to authorized case information, details, and records from across the state. It will also require the statewide standardization of many local court practices.
The primary goals of the centralized case management system implementation are to:
Improve case processing in the district and appellate courts.
Increase the efficiency of information delivery to district and appellate court judges.
Increase operational efficiency and effectiveness through automating certain activities and streamlining other operations.
Improve data quality and integrity.
Improve performance measurement, analysis, and reporting through enhanced information collection, storage, retrieval, and analysis.
Enable work sharing between district courts, primarily among clerks and court services officers.
Maintain and improve data sharing between various governmental and public entities.
Maintain and improve the ability to process electronic payments.
Enable web-based sharing of public information.
The 2014 Legislature established the Electronic Filing and Case Management Fund with deposits from docket fees dedicated to finalizing the efiling project and implementing centralized case management under the Supreme Court’s eCourt plan. By statute, each year through fiscal year 2019, the first $3.1 million received in docket fee revenue will be deposited into that fund. In fiscal year 2020 and later years, the first $1 million in docket fee revenue is directed into the fund for things such as maintaining eCourt components.
MANHATTAN — From the Land of Kansas, the state’s agricultural trademark program, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018. The program will kick off its celebration at the Kansas State Capitol on Tuesday, January 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members of the From the Land of Kansas program will be offering samples of their products and showcasing their businesses. In addition, Governor Sam Brownback has proclaimed January as From the Land of Kansas month.
The trademark program began in 1978 within the state’s agriculture agency, now the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and was designed to promote and celebrate agriculture experiences and products grown, raised or produced in Kansas. Since its inception, the program has grown to include 374 businesses across the state, as well as 85 retail partners where Kansas products can be purchased. These businesses span the breadth of the agriculture industry, from restaurants, agriculture equipment manufacturers, farmers and ranchers, to food processors, agritourism, wineries, breweries and distilleries.
Chef Alli of Alli’s Farm Fresh Kitchen in Mayetta is the program’s brand ambassador. Over the years, the trademark program has also worked with Kansas natives Jordy Nelson, renowned wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, and the Peterson Farm Brothers to promote Kansas products and businesses.
“Throughout the life of Kansas’ trademark program, it has transformed to meet the needs of Kansas businesses,” said Janelle Dobbins, marketing manager for From the Land of Kansas. “We strive to provide support and assistance to help Kansas businesses grow, which keeps money in Kansas communities, building stronger businesses and local economies.”
The From the Land of Kansas program supports the KDA mission to serve Kansas farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and consumers by providing agribusiness marketing opportunities to participating local businesses, and allowing consumers to identify and choose to support products that contain Kansas ingredients or items processed in Kansas.
The program’s logo makes it easier for consumers to find Kansas-made products and Kansas-based businesses. From the Land of Kansas also hosts an e-commerce website, shop.fromthelandofkansas.com, where trademark program members can sell their products online, reaching more customers across the state of Kansas and the U.S.
For more information about the program and its members, visit fromthelandofkansas.com or engage with the program through social media by following From the Land of Kansas on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
TOPEKA – Jan. 26 is the final day to submit nominations to the Kansas Department of Commerce for the 2018 Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award. The award is presented to a single Kansas business each year for excellence in international trade and marketing. The winner of the 30th annual installment of the award will be announced during a special ceremony on June 5, 2018.
Nominated companies will be evaluated on the totality of their international efforts. Qualifications include:
Number and/or percentage increase in jobs due to international activities.
Innovations in global marketing.
Number of countries exported to.
Effective use of international distributors.
Long-range international strategies and prospects for future growth.
Commitment to the state and local community.
Foreign language promotional materials and general promotional activities.
Trade shows and/or international expositions.
The Governor’s Exporter of the Year receives:
An invitation to attend the Team Kansas awards banquet on June 5, 2018, where top businesses from across the state are recognized
A site visit from the Governor to honor the company’s management team and employees
Statewide recognition of your business excellence
Use of the award to market your products
Membership in the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council (KITCC)
Increased networking opportunities
Businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by any other organization or individual. Visit KansasCommerce.gov/Exporter to learn more about the Governor’s Exporter of the Year Award and to download nomination forms. The nomination deadline is 5:00 p.m. on January 26, 2018.
Nominations can be emailed to April Chiang at [email protected] or mailed or faxed to:
TOPEKA—Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss will deliver his 2018 State of the Kansas Judiciary address to a joint session of the Legislature at 3 p.m. Wednesday, January 17, in the House chamber of the Statehouse.
Nuss will update members of the House and Senate — as well as the public — on the current state of Kansas’ court system and its role providing important services to individuals and businesses in communities statewide.
Kansans who want to listen to the address may access a live audio stream on the Kansas Legislature website at https://kslegislature.org/li/. The link to the live audio stream is through the Audio/Video heading at the top of the Kansas Legislature home page. Listeners need to select House Proceedings Audio Stream to listen to live audio.
The written version of the 2018 State of the Kansas Judiciary address will be available after January 17 on the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org under What’s New.
Kansas courts – including district courts in all 105 counties, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court – provide the people of Kansas a venue to resolve disputes through a legal process by interpreting and applying the law and by determining when laws are unconstitutional. Under the people’s Constitution, the Kansas Supreme Court has general administrative authority over all courts in the state.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the appointment of Tom Salisbury as the Regional Administrator for SBA’s Region VII states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.
Until his appointment, Salisbury worked in Kansas City, Missouri for seven years as the small business liaison for U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO.) He spent the majority of his career since 1983 in the lending industry, most recently as a Vice President and Manager of Correspondent Banking with UMB Bank, N.A.
“Tom Salisbury has been a tremendous asset to my office and the people we serve,” Blunt said. “Tom’s firsthand experience working at the nexus of government and Main Street, coupled with his business background, will greatly benefit the Small Business Administration. I appreciate all of Tom’s hard work and dedication to public service, and wish him the very best in his new role.”
In his new role, Salisbury will administer the delivery of SBA federal programs and services by Region VII’s five district offices. Region VII SBA offices provide program training and support to hundreds of SBA participating program lender institutions and SBA-financed microlenders, who loan federally guaranteed capital to small businesses. Additionally, SBA oversees more than 85 grantee resource partner sites within the region, which provide free or low cost small business counseling, training and mentoring services. These include the services of Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, a Veterans Business Resource Center and SCORE Mentor chapters. In addition, SBA district offices teach small businesses how to participate in federal contracting opportunities and administer the 8(a) federal contracting program.
Salisbury received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1974 and attended the American Banking Association School of Bankcard Management.
U.S. Army Capt. Mark Bedrin, assigned to 2d Cavalry Regiment, assembles the M240B machine gun during the Expert Infantryman Badge qualification at the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Oct. 21, 2014. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Gerhard Seuffert/released)
OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently welcomed U.S. Army Captain Mark Bedrin to serve as part of the United States Army Congressional Fellowship Program in his Washington, D.C. office.
“I am honored to have Captain Bedrin working with my staff to improve the lives of our servicemembers, both past and present,” said Sen. Moran. “Mark’s nearly nine years of service in the United States Army have developed his leadership capabilities and shaped his perspective on defense issues of national significance – making him a unique asset to my team as we work to serve the members of our armed forces and their families, as well as Kansas veterans.”
The United States Army Congressional Fellowship Program is a highly selective three-and-a-half year program open to just 25 U.S. Army officers or senior non-commissioned officers nationwide each year. The program includes a one-year fellowship in a congressional office to be completed while pursuing a master’s degree in legislative affairs at George Washington University (GWU). CPT Bedrin will complete his master’s in May 2018.
CPT Bedrin has served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army for eight years in positions from the platoon to brigade level. His assignments took him across the world to posts including Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Drum, New York; and Rose Barracks, Germany. He completed two combat deployments, encompassing more than 22 months in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan as both a rifle platoon leader during the Afghanistan surge, and as regimental battle captain overseeing most of Regional Command South. He also completed one peacekeeping deployment to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, where he commanded a rifle company supporting the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) maintaining the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel. Mark planned and completed multiple small missions supporting Operation Atlantic Resolve in central and eastern Europe.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Pennsylvania State University. His military education includes the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course and Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Additionally, Mark earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Parachutist Badge. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
PRATT – Know the name of the reservoir you want to fish, but can’t remember the daily creel limit for channel catfish? Having a hard time remembering the difference between a bluegill and a green sunfish? Thanks to improvements made to the 2018 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary – online now at ksoutdoors.com and at license vendor locations soon – you can access the answers to these questions faster than ever before. When flipping through this year’s summary, you’ll notice three big improvements: a larger, bolder table of contents; color-coded sections for quick reference; and alphabetized fishing locations (as opposed locations organized by region).
To download a free copy of the newly-improved summary, visit ksoutdoors.com/Fishing or view the easy-to-use, full-color pamphlet right there online.
When you get your copy of the 2018 Kansas Fishing Regulations Summary, be sure to pay special attention to the “New For 2018” section, as well as the individual listings for your favorite spots, as length and creel changes may have occurred.
PRATT – The 2018 Kansas Birding Big Year, hosted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), is underway and you’re invited to participate in the fun. Unlike other big year competitions that span the U.S. in a calendar year, participants in the 2018 Kansas Birding Big Year try to observe as many species of birds as they can within the borders of Kansas from Jan. 1 – Dec. 31.
Participants of all skill levels may compete in one of three age groups: youth (17 and under), adult (18-64), and senior (65 and up). The winners from each category will receive prizes to be awarded next January. See guidelines below.
Participation Guidelines
1. Participants must register via email with the event coordinator Mike Rader at KDWPT: [email protected] on or before April 1 to be part of the program for 2018.
2. Participants must read and abide by the set of rules governing the competition (available at ksoutdoors.com/Services/Wildlife-Diversity/2018-Kansas-Birding-Big-Year). These rules are adapted from the American Birding Association Recording Rules and Interpretations and include the Code of Birding Ethics. Breaking or disregard for these rules will disqualify the participant from the competition.
3. Participants are required to log their data into the online service, eBird, available on the Cornell University website, www.ebird.org. Each participant will need to create an individual profile, with sign-in and password to begin the submission of sightings.
4. Participants will need to submit a running total list of observed species quarterly to the coordinator of the program. This is to help track progress and provide quality control. The program coordinator and competition committee have final say on list totals. Dates for 2018 submission will be: June 30, September 30 and December 31.
5. Winners of the competition in each category will be determined by a committee selected by the program coordinator. Winners will be recognized and prizes will be awarded in mid-January of the following calendar year. Categories are defined as:
Youth – 16 and under
Adult – 17-64 (3 skill levels: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced)
Senior – 65 and up
6. Prizes will be awarded based on availability and appropriateness per division, as determined by program coordinator and competition committee.
PRATT – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) Marc Murrell has been appointed to director of the Great Plains Nature Center (GPNC) in Wichita. The GPNC Steering Committee selected Murrell to take over after former director Jim Mason retired in December.
Murrell has served as the GPNC building manager since the facility opened in 1996. He has worked for KDWPT since 1989, when he served as a public information officer out of the southcentral regional office in Valley Center. Murrell, who is from Topeka, has a bachelor’s degree in fisheries from Kansas State University and worked as a biologist in North Carolina before moving back to Kansas.
The GPNC, located on the southeast corner of Chisholm Creek Park, 6232 E 29th St. N, is the successful result of a unique collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the City of Wichita’s Park and Recreation Department, and KDWPT. This one-of-a-kind facility provides free access to nature education and outdoor experiences in an urban setting. In addition to City, USFWS, and KDWPT staff on the nature center side, the facility also houses KDWPT’s Region 3 office, providing offices for Law Enforcement, Wildlife and Parks division administrative staff and public access to information and license sales.
Another unique aspect of the GPNC – and one reason it has been so successful – is its friends group. The Friends of GPNC is now a consignatory in the memorandum of agreement and administers the employment of three full-time naturalists. Friends group members also operate the gift shop and assist with reception and programs at the nature center, making the facility a truly collaborative effort.
Murrell is just the fourth director of the GPNC since it opened in 1996. City naturalist and renowned wildlife photographer Bob Gress was the first and served until retiring in 2012. The USFWS’s Lorrie Beck took over until she retired in 2015 and the City’s Mason manned the helm until this year.
“I know I have big shoes to fill and have nothing but admiration for what Jim, Lorrie and Bob accomplished here,” Murrell said. “My goals are to carry on this great tradition of providing quality nature education by working with our amazing partners and staff.”
Throughout his career, Murrell has been dedicated to passing on Kansas’ outdoor heritage to generations of young Kansans. This passion, along with his education, experience and love of the outdoors will serve him well as he carries on the nature education tradition of the GPNC.
TOPEKA – On Friday and Saturday, March 2-3, 2018, the Kansas Democratic Party will hold its annual Washington Days event, the largest gathering of Democrats in the state.
The convention, held at the Ramada Topeka Downtown Hotel and Convention Center, 420 SE 6th Ave., will include a Saturday evening keynote address by Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, former candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee, and one of the Democratic party’s brightest young stars. This year’s event will also feature the first-ever Washington Days gubernatorial candidate forum, held over the Saturday luncheon, with all Democratic candidates participating.
“We’re really excited to have Mayor Pete Buttigieg at Washington Days this year,” Kansas Democratic Party Executive Director Ethan Corson said. “Mayor Pete has gained national recognition for his work in South Bend and his positive, optimistic vision for the Democratic Party. We’re looking forward to him sharing his message with our members.”
Additional events include a series of training sessions on Friday afternoon and early evening, caucus meetings on Saturday morning, and a meeting of the State Committee on Saturday afternoon. All events other than the luncheon and banquet are free to attend. More information can be found at kansasdems.org/washingtondays2018.
“Kansas Democrats are working to get our state back on track after the disastrous effects of the radical agenda pushed by Gov. Sam Brownback and ultra-conservatives in the Kansas Legislature,” said Corson. “Energizing Democrats and reaching out to unaffiliated voters and moderate Republicans across Kansas, the Kansas Democratic Party is building off of its success at the state legislative level in the 2016 elections and in the 2017 local elections. Our competitive primary contests and surge in voter engagement show that the blue wave building in elections across the country in 2017 is coming Kansas’ way.”
Pete Buttigieg
PETE BUTTIGIEG BIO:
Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the City of South Bend’s thirty-second mayor. He was sworn into office on January 1, 2012. In 2011, he was elected at age 29 with 74 percent of the vote to become the youngest mayor of a city with over 100,000 residents in the United States. He was re-elected in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote.
Under his leadership, South Bend has addressed its toughest challenges- seeing positive economic and population growth for the first time in decades and reimagining its role in the global economy with the development of key corridors.
In addition to his work as Mayor, Mayor Pete serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2014, he was actively deployed to Afghanistan for a seven-month tour of duty, returning in September. For his counterterrorism work, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
In 2017, he ran for Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair, earning national praise for his “rhetorical gift, thanks to his red-state upbringing” and ability to “[sell] Democratic policy through a less partisan lens.”
Before public service, Mayor Pete worked for McKinsey & Company, a top consulting firm, where he was responsible for advising senior business and government leaders on major decisions related to economic development, energy policy, strategic business initiatives, and logistics.
A Rhodes Scholar, Mayor Pete studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford and holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Literature from Harvard. The son of educators, he was born in South Bend and grew up in the Northwest Side and North Shore Triangle. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in South Bend.
An active musician, Mayor Pete plays piano and guitar, and has performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. He lives in the same South Bend neighborhood where he grew up and is restoring a once-vacant home there.
TOPEKA – This week the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) began promoting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Rx Awareness media campaign. The goal of Rx Awareness is to raise awareness of the risks of prescription opioids, as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ five priorities to address the national opioid crisis.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, drug poisonings are the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. In 2016, the number of drug poisoning deaths reached an all-time high of more than 63,600 deaths – reducing life expectancy in the U.S. for the second consecutive year. This increase in drug poisoning deaths also placed unintentional injuries as the third leading cause of death in 2016, as compared to the fourth leading cause in 2015.
The majority of drug poisoning deaths involve either a prescription or an illicit opioid. Every day in the U.S., over 1,000 people receive treatment in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids, and 40 individuals die from prescription opioid overdose. From 1999 to 2016, the total number of U.S. poisoning deaths related to all non-heroin opioids exceeded 340,000.
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The opioid epidemic is affecting Kansas. In 2016, there were more than 300 drug-poisoning deaths, and approximately one-third involved a prescription opioid. In addition to other efforts to address this public health crisis, KDHE is promoting Rx Awareness.
The campaign will utilize the tagline, “It Only Takes a Little to Lose a Lot” in videos, digital and social media, and out-of-home advertisements to highlight the physical, emotional, and economic toll opioid use disorder and overdose can take on individuals, families, and communities. Rx Awareness will target high-risk regions in Kansas based on the Kansas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (K-TRACS) opioid prescription dispensing data.
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This project is supported by the CDC’s Prescription Drug Overdose: Data-Driven Prevention Initiative program. For more information on Rx Awareness, visit CDC.gov/RxAwareness. For more information on Kansas’ efforts to prevent prescription opioid overdose, please visit preventoverdoseks.org.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration will present a six-part, free webinar series to help small businesses navigate its Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone Program that will run from February to mid-March.
The hour-long webinars will cover the following topics:
Feb. 7 from 1-2 p.m. Central
HUBZone Contracting: Make the Federal Government Your Customer
Small businesses will learn about HUBZone contracting vehicles and regulations.
Click on this link 10 minutes before the Feb. 7 webinar begins:
HUBZone Joint Ventures: How to Partner with Other Companies for HUBZone Contracts
Small businesses will learn how to enter into a HUBZone joint venture and the importance of having a well-defined joint venture agreement whether or not the agreement falls under the All Small Mentor-Protégé Program.
How Does HUBZone Consider Employees and Affiliation?
Small businesses will learn who to count as an employee for the purpose of the HUBZone Program. The webinar will also help small business owners understand when to combine the employees from their other businesses to evaluate the principal and employee residency compliance of the HUBZone firm.
Small businesses will learn how areas become designated as HUBZones.
Link to the webinar will be announced by mid-February.
March 14 from 1-2 p.m. Central
HUBZone Protests and Appeals
Small businesses will learn the process for filing HUBZone protests and appeals; and for responding to protest notices.
Link to the webinar will be announced by mid-February.
All of the webinars will be archived on SBA’s YouTube page. For more details about the HUBZone program, please visit www.sba.gov/hubzone.
About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and since January 13, 2012, has served as a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. To learn more about the SBA, visit www.sba.gov.
KID
