Topeka ? Near a symbol of survival for Greensburg, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a $32 million relief package for rebuilding the town, all but wiped off the map by a massive tornado three weeks ago.

Lawmakers quickly approved the measure Tuesday, which had been set aside for the ceremonial closing of the Legislature but quickly turned into a day of work to help Greensburg, where a tornado ripped through the night of May 4.

More than 1.5 miles wide and packing winds of up to 205 mph, it leveled more than 90 percent of the town of 1,400 and killed 10 residents.

Sebelius signed the bill at the Southern Plains Co-op, where the towering white elevators still stood, though its offices were heavily damaged. House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, said it, along with the Kiowa County Courthouse, has become a symbol of survival.

“The courthouse and the elevator stood through it while everything else around suffered damage,” said McKinney, who is rebuilding his home, which was destroyed.

Also attending the bill-signing were legislative leaders, including House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, and Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, along with city and county officials.

“The future of Greensburg depends on whether people there will have places to work and earn a living,” Sebelius said in a written statement. “The message we’re delivering today is that we are determined to do whatever we can to help local businesses get up and running.”

It marked the fourth day Sebelius was in Greensburg since the disaster, and she met privately with city and county officials before the bill signing. The town she saw Friday looked a little different from her first visit, with nearly 190,000 cubic yards of debris hauled away.

“You can tell it’s getting better,” McKinney said. “You never think of digging two big holes in the ground and hauling your town off.”

The relief package was aimed at encouraging businesses to rebuild in Greensburg rather than moving away. It creates a $5 million grant program and provides businesses with grants equal to 10 percent of their investment in rebuilding, or $3,500 for each full-time employee hired back.

It also exempts Kiowa County businesses from paying sales tax on any services or materials purchased to rebuild, expected to cost the state $2 million, and sets aside $25 million to cover disaster expenses.

“The first challenge is getting businesses to reconstruct there,” McKinney said. “Once you have the businesses, that brings the jobs, which brings the families, which brings the kids for school.”

The relief package isn’t the only financial aid for the town.

When Congress sent President Bush a war spending bill Thursday night, it included

$40 million for Greensburg and Kiowa County, along with other parts of the state declared federal disaster areas after recent storms. The money will supplement funds already available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Meeting with reporters at the Statehouse earlier Friday, Sebelius said she was pleased with the assistance the state has been getting from FEMA.

Right after the tornado struck, she created a minor flap with the White House when she said the state’s response to the disaster was undermined by ongoing Kansas National Guard deployments to Iraq.

“Actually the federal response has been very good to date,” Sebelius said, adding she has talked to the FEMA director and secretary of homeland security.

“I think we’ve gotten their attention, which is helpful in the federal government because the bureaucracy is often pretty cumbersome, and so to be able to cut through some of that I think will be very advantageous,” she said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren announced a newly formed Greensburg Fraud Task Force that includes state and federal agencies to investigate and prosecute any thefts of federal disaster relief funds earmarked for the tornado victims.