TOPEKA — If you or a family member received a recreational drone—a small unmanned aircraft—as a holiday present, Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance, has words of caution for you: Check your insurance policy and register the drone with the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).

“Estimates show that between 700,000 and 1.6 million drones were purchased during 2015,” Commissioner Selzer said in a news release.  “That means the possibility of insurance claims concerning them is likely to increase. I urge Kansans who have them to check with your insurance agents or companies. See whether your homeowners or renters policies will cover losses or damages done by the drones to buildings and vehicles, as well as bodily injuries to people.”

The FAA also began requiring registration of new drones before their initial flight use as of Dec. 21, 2015. The registration is free until Feb. 19, 2016, after which a $5 fee will be charged. Only the smallest toy drones—weighing 250 grams or less (a little more than half a pound)—are exempted from the registry.

Go to https://www.faa.gov/uas/ for registration information.

“Using a private drone as a hobby is generally covered under a homeowners insurance policy, which usually covers radio-controlled model aircraft,” Commissioner Selzer said. “Look at your policy, or talk to your agent to see if your drone will be covered if it is lost, stolen or damaged. The policy will also typically be subject to a deductible.”

The FAA urges all drone users to follow these guidelines:
• Fly below an altitude of 400 feet (that is 1 1/3 times the length of a football field).
• Always keep your unmanned aircraft in sight.
• Never fly near manned aircraft, especially near airports.
• Never fly over groups of people, stadiums or sporting events.
• Never fly near emergency response efforts.

KDCF

TOPEKA—Governor Sam Brownback and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) unveiled a new mentoring initiative today, that will help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients and youth preparing to age out of foster care to become more self-reliant.

Using the occasion presented by the second meeting of the Governor’s Social Services Policy Council (SSPC), the Governor announced that, in accordance with his vision for mentoring programs across all aspects of government, DCF will begin recruiting volunteers to provide guidance and encouragement to struggling families, as well as youth as they exit the foster care system.

“Many Kansans face serious struggles in their lives, and they need the support and guidance of someone who can walk with them as they pursue a better life,” said Governor Brownback. “Simply having that strong support system can make the difference.”

The program will use federal TANF funds to create five positions within DCF. Jim Echols will serve as Program Director of HOPE Mentoring. HOPE stands for Hope, Prosperity for Everyone. Four regionally-based coordinators will field applications from potential mentors and match them with DCF clients who request to participate in the program.

“We are honored to be assigned the task of administering the HOPE Mentoring program,” said DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore. Gilmore said DCF’s immediate goal is to begin the process of pairing 1,100 volunteer mentors with 1,100 existing TANF clients.

DCF enlisted its first volunteer for the program at the policy council gathering –First Lady Mary Brownback. She signed a document officially making her the initiative’s “First Volunteer.”

DCF’s new HOPE Mentoring initiative is modeled after the Mentoring 4 Success program conducted by the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), which was one of the Governor’s first initiatives in 2011. Mentoring 4 Success, which supports the reentry of offenders to Kansas communities, has helped reduce recidivism over the past four years.

Since its inception, Mentoring 4 Success has recruited and trained more than 4,500 volunteer mentors and made more than 6,500 pairings with returning citizens in transition to reentry.

“I’m excited to see how Mentoring 4 Success will serve as a model for HOPE Mentoring, so that we have more people achieving their dreams, creating a better life for themselves and their families,” said Brownback.

Learn more about HOPE Mentoring and how to apply to become a mentor at HOPEMentoring.dcf.ks.gov.

DE SOTO (AP) — The U.S. Army is preparing to resume work removing pollutants on a 15-square-mile tract that’s considered the largest potentially developable chunk of land in the Kansas City metropolitan area, but the project is expected to take far longer than officials had envisioned.

LAWRENCE (AP) — A new University of Kansas program that begins next fall will give a handful of students with intellectual disabilities a chance to take classes at the school for the first time.

Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner

TOPEKA–Kansas high school seniors have the opportunity to win one of fifteen scholarships, with the grand prize amount totaling $2500, to help cover the cost of tuition at a Kansas school of higher education by entering the Kansas Financial Scholars Essay Scholarship Contest. The contest is jointly sponsored by the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner (KSC) and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC). Scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of $2500, $2000, $1500, $1000, $500, and ten $100 honorable mention awards to eligible seniors.

Students who choose to participate in the competition will be asked to write a two-part essay. The first section will be a 1-2 page profile about someone whose personal financial decisions have positively impacted the student’s or others’ lives. Then in a 3-6 page analysis, students should apply the lessons learned from that individual to their own financial plans.

To be eligible, students must be a Kansas public, private, or home-schooled high school senior planning to attend a Kansas technical school, college or university. They also must have enrolled in and completed at least one KSC or OSBC sponsored program (EverFi Financial Literacy, The Stock Market Game, or Life$marts) during their high school career. Successful completion of a sponsored course by May 3rd is required.

“Commissioner Schuster and I are very pleased to offer this opportunity for Kansas graduating seniors again this year,” said Securities Commissioner Josh Ney. “As was evident in the excellent essays we received last year, developing wise financial habits is influenced more than anything else by positive role models in our families or other close personal relationships. I look forward to reading this year’s entries.”

“We want to see our Kansas high school students enter the next stage of life with a strong financial foundation,” said Bank Commissioner Deryl Schuster. “The programs we support help students develop lifelong financial skills, and the scholarship contest provides the opportunity to share that knowledge and earn money for their higher education.”

Teachers, parents, or students may contact the KSC to sign up today for one of the free prerequisite programs by calling (913) 652-9164 to speak with Shannon Stone, the Director of Investor Education for the KSC.

Essays will be accepted from Dec. 1, 2015 through April 1, 2016. To learn more about participating in the contest, visit ksc.ks.gov/scholarship, www.osbckansas.org, or send an email to [email protected].

Office of the State Fire Marshal

TOPEKA–Randy Hill has joined the staff of OSFM’s Emergency Response Division as Search & Rescue Coordinator.

In May of this year, the Office of the State Fire Marshal officially became the coordinating agency in charge of the Kansas Search and Rescue response program. Hill will be the point person for this program, working closely with Division Chief Hank DuPont to ensure the state is adequately prepared to respond to any kind of disaster in which search and rescue efforts are required.

Hill retired from the Leawood Fire Department in 2012 after 32 years of service. He retired with the rank of Deputy Chief. In 2012, he launched a non-profit organization called Midwest Search & Rescue, which provides disaster response training and exercises for local fire departments and first responders.

A resident of Lenexa, Randy and his wife Marlynda have three adult children and four grandchildren. Together, the Hills have owned a childcare center in Shawnee for the past 20 years.

Hill enjoys being active and staying fit through weight lifting and running. His hobbies include water sports, rappelling and caving.

He is looking forward to the challenges ahead, saying there is “much work to be done to lay the groundwork for an efficient Search and Rescue program in Kansas.”

“I have been working with search and rescue resources in the state for several years, and the one thing we’ve lacked is the leadership from the top,” Hill says. “Now that the Office of the State Fire Marshal is coordinating the Search and Rescue program in the state, we have that leadership and I’m looking forward to working with agencies and Fire Departments across the state to provide the training and credentialing necessary to be prepared for when disaster strikes.”

Kansas Department for Children and Families

TOPEKA–This can be a difficult time of year for children in foster care and the young adults who have aged out of the State’s system. The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is teaming up with its foster care contractors, KVC Kansas and Saint Francis Community Services, to bring holiday cheer, by ensuring that each child and young person it serves in the child welfare system has a gift for the holidays.

“Christmas is a time when families often celebrate each other’s company, so it can be hard for children in foster care to feel festive,” DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said. “It’s important that as a community, we do what we can to let them know they are important and deserve a merry Christmas.”

Many of the more than 600 young adults, ages 18 to 23, who have recently aged out foster care may be without a place to call home or a family with which to celebrate the holidays. DCF launched Project Hope for the Holidays last year, on a limited basis, and has this year expanded statewide. The campaign ensures that each young adult it serves through the DCF Independent Living program receives a gift.

Project Hope for the Holidays identified aged-out youth who are isolated, lacking support, have children of their own or are pregnant to provide them practical gifts this year. The agency has invited individuals, businesses and organizations to sponsor gifts for the youth and also provide a holiday card and personal message of encouragement. DCF social workers will deliver these items to the youth.

“Our goal is that through Project Hope for the Holidays, the youth form connections with their communities and can feel that there are people around them who care,” said DCF Independent Living Program Manager Stacy Tidwell.

This year, First Lady Mary Brownback is helping the agency to promote the campaign, by appearing in a public service announcement to share with Kansans how they can help.

“Many young people who age out of the system have no family to celebrate the holidays with or to bless with gifts,” the First Lady said. “Every child deserves to know he or she is important and loved. This is a simple way for each of us to help these special young people feel that support.”

Along with Project Hope for the Holidays, foster care contractors, KVC Kansas and Saint Francis Community Services have been busy collecting donations for children in foster care. KVC Kansas is collecting gifts through its Holiday Heroes program to brighten the holidays for more than 3,000 children in foster care. KVC serves the East and Kansas City DCF regions.

Saint Francis Community Services also provides gifts for all of the children in its care through its Christmas for the Kids campaign. Serving 75 percent of the counties in Kansas (DCF’s West and Wichita regions), the organization provides Christmas gifts to approximately 10,000 children in several states—nearly 1,500 in the Wichita region alone.

For more information on how you can help youth who have aged out of foster care, contact Tracy Crockett at (785) 296-6846 or by email at [email protected]. To give a gift as an individual or organization through KVC’s Holiday Heroes, visit www.kvckansas.org/holidayhero or contact Jackie Harwig at 913-499-8100 or by email at [email protected]. To participate in the Saint Francis Christmas for the Kids effort, online donations can be made through www.ChristmasforKids.com and www.st-francis.org.

KDWPT

PRATT–Current Kansas regulations require hunters to tag their deer before being moved from the site of the kill. Unless a hunter has an either-sex permit, the head must remain attached to the carcass while in transit to a residence, place of commercial processing or place of preservation. For hunters who want to bone out deer onsite prior to transport, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) offers a voluntary electronic deer check-in system. To access the electronic deer check-in, visit www.ksoutdoors.com, and click “Hunting/Hunting Regulations/Deer/Electronic Registration.”

Electronic registration is completely voluntary, but it’s a convenient option that allows hunters to register their deer through the Internet, using photos taken at the harvest site. If Internet access is unavailable at the kill site, the hunter can retain the photographs while in transit and a registration number can be obtained later.

This registration process requires a hunter to submit two digital photographs — one close-up clearly showing the completed tag attached to the deer and a second showing the entire body of the deer with the head still attached. Once logged on to ksoutdoors.com, a hunter must submit the photos and enter the KDWPT number from their permit, time and date of the kill and the county where the deer was taken. A confirmation number will be issued by email when the photos and data are successfully received. This confirmation number must be retained during transportation.

The system allows KDWPT staff to see the deer and the hunter’s completed tag without the time and expense of maintaining physical check stations. This flexibility is a benefit to both the hunter and KDWPT.

For more information on big game regulations, consult the 2015 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, or visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting/Hunting Regulations.”

KDWPT

PRATT–As 2015 winds to a close, there are several important things Kansas hunters and anglers need to know: 2015 licenses expire December 31. All 2016 licenses will go on sale December 15, and if you purchase a 2016 license before January 1, it is valid through the rest of 2015 and all of 2016.

You should also know that fees will increase for 2016. However, new license options provide significant savings. Remember, too, that lifetime licenses can be purchased through December 31, 2015 at the current price – $440. The new fee will be $500 for a lifetime fishing, hunting or furharvesting license, beginning January 1, 2016. A combination fishing/hunting combination license will cost $960.

The new fee for an annual fishing or hunting license will be $25. However, if you purchase an annual combination hunting/fishing license before February 1, the price is $40. After February 1, an annual combination hunting/fishing license will cost $45.

Another way to save is to purchase the 5-year hunting and fishing licenses. A five-year hunting or fishing license is $100, a $25 savings over purchasing the license every year. And a 5-year hunt/fish combination license is $180, a $70 savings over purchasing each license individually every year.

Hunting and fishing licenses make great stocking stuffers and a lifetime license is truly a gift that keeps on giving. You will find the application for a lifetime hunting, fishing or furharvesting license and see all new fees for 2016 at www.ksoutdoors.com.

KDWPT

PRATT–Property boundaries aren’t always clear-cut, but the rules for hunting private land are. Because Kansas is 97 percent privately owned, landowners still provide access for most of our hunting opportunities. Know and follow some of these key private land hunting rules to prevent an early end to your season, and more importantly, to ensure good relationships are maintained between hunters and landowners.

-Kansas law requires all hunters to have landowner permission before hunting on private land whether the land is posted with “No Hunting” signs or not. If the land is posted with “Hunting With Written Permission Only” signs or marked with purple paint, hunters must have written permission from the landowner.

-Make a point to notify the landowner of when you plan to hunt and how many will be in your party. This is a common courtesy that will help keep the lines of communication open, and also can aid landowners in determining whether illegal hunters are trespassing on their property.

-Leave the land how you found it, or better. This can include things as simple as closing gates after you leave, sticking to maintained roads, and removing any trash you find.

-All deer hunters and persons assisting them must wear orange during an open firearm or muzzleloader season. An orange hat and at least 200 square inches of orange is required. Of this, 100 square inches must be visible from the front and 100 square inches must be visible from the back on the upper half of the body. Camouflage orange providing the required orange is legal.

-Know the property boundaries and know them well. Hunting from roads or railways without permission is a form of trespassing called criminal hunting; since the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) is one of 44 states in the Wildlife Violator Compact, conviction of trespass or criminal hunting may prevent the convicted person from enjoying hunting privileges in other states, as well.

Hunting private land in Kansas is a privilege and should be treated as such. Take advantage of private land access and chances are, you may be looking for a new spot next season. Treat landowners and their property with the same respect you would expect from someone on your land, and great things can come of it.

If you witness trespassing or illegal hunting, please call the Operation Game Thief toll-free hotline at 1-877-426-3843.

KDWPT

PRATT–The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) Fishing Impoundments and Stream Habitats Program (F.I.S.H.) pays landowners to allow fishing access to their private ponds and streams. F.I.S.H. is patterned after the hugely popular Walk-In Hunting Access program (WIHA), and both programs were designed to increase access to quality hunting and fishing opportunities across Kansas. Because more than 97 percent of Kansas land is privately owned, providing hunting and fishing access to private land is a KDWPT priority.

The F.I.S.H program leases private waters from landowners and opens them to public fishing. Landowners participating in F.I.S.H. receive payments for the use of their land, and anglers are in turn provided with a place to fish that might not have been available otherwise. The enrollment deadline for 2016 is December 15, 2015.

Special regulations are in place for F.I.S.H. properties, and KDWPT officials periodically patrol the areas. Violators will be ticketed or arrested for vandalism, littering or failing to comply with fishing regulations. Access is limited to foot traffic, except on roads designated by the landowner in the case of very large tracts of land. Additionally, under this program some landowners are eligible for fish stocking, habitat management, fence crossers, cattle guards, rock boat ramps, or rocked parking areas.

Each year, KDWPT publishes a fishing atlas, featuring maps that show each body of water enrolled in the program, boating allowance, and fish species available. Most F.I.S.H. sites are open for public access from March 1 to October 31, but some contracts pay landowners more to allow year-round access.

Pond Leasing
Privately-owned ponds are leased by the acre with base lease rates ranging from $75 to $125 /acre/year, depending on where the pond is located. Boating allowance bonuses are available, as well. Ponds allowing carry-in boats are eligible for an additional $10/acre/year, and properties allowing all boats access (adequate launching site must be present) are eligible for an additional $25/acre/year.

Stream Leasing
Annual lease rates for stream fishing access range from $500 to $1,500/mile/year, depending on the quality of the fisheries.

River Access Leasing
The Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri rivers are considered navigable waters and are open to public use between the ordinary high-water marks. However, adjacent land is often privately owned, and public access points are limited. To increase public access to these rivers, the F.I.S.H. program leases access sites from willing landowners. Landowners with adequate launch facilities receive $1,500/site/year. If the site is within 10 river miles of any other public access site, a landowner can receive $2,000/site/year.

For more information on enrolling your water in the F.I.S.H. program, contact your nearest KDWPT office, or the Pratt Operations office at (620) 672-5911. You can also learn more about F.I.S.H. at www.ksoutdoors.com.

KDCF

TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore is pleased to announce paying your child support is now easier than ever. By visiting the PayNearMe website, you can request a payment code that allows you to submit your child support payment with cash at more than 85 locations in the state at any time of the day.

Locations include Family Dollar and participating 7-Eleven stores. Payments can also be made at locations outside of Kansas. There are 17,000 stores nationwide that can process payments.

“In an ongoing effort to ensure that custodial parents are receiving court-ordered support to care for their children, we are excited to launch this additional effort to increase child support collections,” Gilmore said.

The process is simple:

1. Visit the PayNearMe website, and enter your court order information.
2. Select whether you want the payment code sent to your phone or to print.
3. Choose from the list of payment locations closest to you
4. Visit the store and provide both the payment code and cash to the cashier.

“There are many parents who don’t have a bank account, and we are not withholding anything from their income,” said DCF Child Support Services (CCS) Director Trisha Thomas. “This new program gives them an easy and convenient way to get into the routine of making payments.”

Thomas says approximately 1 in 13 (or 8 percent) of Americans don’t have a bank account.

Payments made at any of the participating retail locations are transferred electronically to the Kansas Payment Center (KPC) to be credited to child support court orders within a few business days. The payer receives a proof of payment in the form of a receipt. Payments can be completed in less than a minute in the store, and will allow payers to avoid purchasing and sending money orders.

Thomas said the State will benefit from having more clients use the new system because money orders sometimes lack the necessary information needed for the KPC to credit the right cases. Money orders also require more work for the State, while the payments made through this new effort are processed through an automated system.

Once a payment code is obtained through the website, you also have the option to download the free PayNearMe app, which allows you to keep track of payments and set reminders.

Thomas says approximately 40,000 Kansans have failed to make their child support payment within the last 45 days. The effects of missed child support are felt by children and families. DCF Secretary Gilmore emphasizes the positive result of parental involvement when payments are made.

“We know that when non-custodial parents pay their child support, they are more invested in the lives of their children financially and emotionally,” Secretary Gilmore said. “It is our goal to promote healthy families by encouraging that investment.”

Learn more about PayNearMe in Kansas https://www.paynearme.com/kansas.