New COVID county rankings report available in Kansas

A Kansas COVID County Ranking report began this week from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The report will help local leaders, including county commissioners, track the metrics in their communities and help stop the spread of COVID-19, according to a KDHE spokesman. Testing, case and vaccination rates are included by community.

“I believe that data is a powerful tool we can use to guide our response to COVID-19,” Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas secretary of health, said. “I am hopeful this report empowers action in communities and encourages sharing and implementation of best practices across Local Health Departments. Local leaders and communities are working tirelessly to keep us safe; to help them, helps all of us.”

This report is not a report-card, as multiple factors impact COVID-19 testing, case and vaccination rates in communities, according to KDHE. It brings together the most critical COVID-19 metrics at a local level to help state, county, and local leaders work together to stop the spread of the dangerous COVID-19 Delta variant and keep Kansans safe and keep the economy open, the spokesman stated.

“Over the past 18 months, Kansas counties have worked tirelessly to provide ongoing response and vital resources for county residents to keep them safe and informed on the evolving COVID-19 virus,” stated Bruce Chladny, executive director, Kansas Association of Counties. “And, the county response efforts, including vaccinations and essential messaging, continue as Kansas now experiences yet another surge from the deadly virus.”

Three metrics are reported and ranked across each county:

• Full series vaccination rate of eligible population (12+ year olds)
• 7- day daily average number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas
• 7- day daily average number of COVID-19 tests administered per 100,000 people

Each county’s rankings are added together to generate a total score for the county. The total scores for counties are then ranked from 1-105.

The report will be refreshed three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It can be found on KDHE’s website at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas. Data for the report is provided by the CDC and KDHE.

Couples requested to apply for marriage licenses early

Couples are being encouraged to apply for marriage licenses early because of a database issue in Kansas.

According to a news release, those couples who need a marriage license in September should apply for them now.

Usually, the courts ask couples to allow two weeks from the time the application is filed for the license to be delivered.

A database the courts use to process licenses will be offline for a week in September, causing delays, according to a spokesman.

Courts use a database managed by the Office of Vital Statistics to record marriage license application data. The database will be offline from Sept. 8 through 13, and no data can be entered then.

Officials hope those who apply for a marriage license by Aug. 31 will have a license in hand by Sept. 7.

Applications that are submitted after Aug. 31 will be processed after Sept. 14, when the database comes back online, according to the spokesman. There is a three-day waiting period required by law, and courts begin processing the application after the waiting period ends.

Couples may apply for a marriage license throughout this period, but the applications cannot be processed while the Office of Vital Statistics database is offline, according to the spokesman.

The online marriage license application is accessible through the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org/marriage.

Kansas Supreme Court issues stay of lower court’s rejection of emergency management law

Attorney general seeks pause after judge ruled statute unconstitutional

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The chief of the Kansas Supreme Court issued a stay Tuesday of a district court ruling that declared unconstitutional portions of an emergency management law adopted to recalibrate government authority during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Justice Marla Luckert released the one-page order in response to a request from Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who planned to appeal the July 15 ruling by a Johnson County District Court judge that Senate Bill 40 was unenforceable. The law was approved this year by the Republican-led Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

District Court Judge David Hauber had rejected Schmidt’s request to suspend the district court action. The attorney general’s plea suggested to do otherwise would create “legal anarchy.” The judge, however, said the attorney general raised “fantastical” arguments.

Hauber waded into the controversy after parents in the Shawnee Mission School District filed a lawsuit in opposition to a policy requiring students to wear a face covering as a shield against COVID-19.

The judge found the new version of the Kansas Emergency Management Act conflicted with principles of separation of power among branches of government. In part, the statute moved authority to issue or extend disaster declarations from the governor to a council of state legislators.

Issues raised by the lawsuit and the judge’s decision have taken on new relevance as the delta variant of COVID-19 spread throughout communities in Kansas at the same time K-12 classes resumed.

In the original lawsuit, parents Scott Bozarth and Kristin Butler asserted implementation of a mask mandate could cause “psychological harm.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/24/kansas-supreme-court-issues-stay-of-lower-courts-rejection-of-emergency-management-law/