New law loosens residency tuition requirements

Here are today’s headlines from Kansas government:(AP) Sebelius lobbies for more National Guard equipment: She’s been talking about the shortage of National Guard equipment for at least two years. She’s written letters, answered reporters’ questions, even chatted up the president on a trip through the Flint Hills. But it took a devastating tornado May 4 that leveled Greensburg for people to notice what Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was trying to say.(Topeka Capital-Journal) New law extends residency for tuition: With the swish of a pen last week, the governor lopped at least $15,000 off Kelly Summers’ student loans. The bill, signed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, will extend the window from one year to five years in which Kansans can return to the state and still receive in-state tuition.(Harris News Service) `Frankenstein’ room due repairs under new bill: A well-publicized symbol of disrepair at state universities could be among the first projects tackled through a five-year, $380 million plan approved by lawmakers last month. Upgrades to the so-called “Frankenstein Room” at Kansas State University rank as the highest campus repair priority, officials there said recently.(Kansas Health Institute News Service) Compromise exemption for health care industry signed: The governor signed more than a dozen bills into law Friday, including one that was a compromise reached after her earlier veto of legislation sought by the health care industry to exempt its professional services from the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.