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8 | Page A pril 2 5 I ssueThe Office of Early Childhood will be staffed by current state employees who will be retained in their existing roles and funded through existing state resources, as the office%u2019s functions already exist across state government. The governor will appoint a transition director and interagency transition team to oversee the process of consolidating programs into the office. %u201cKansas has a very urgent need for more, affordable child care and this legislation hits directly at bottlenecks in the system that, quite frankly, suppress availability and drive up cost,%u201d said Speaker of the House of Representatives Dan Hawkins. %u201cThese are real solutions that will immediately increase slots by reducing overly burdensome regulations, streamlining support services for providers and families, and addressing underserved and rural shortages by increasing flexibility for home-based providers. I especially want to thank House Commerce Chair Sean Tarwater, Vice Chair Adam Turk, and Representative Laura Williams for their tireless work to solve these issues without growing government in the process.%u201dHouse Bill 2045 also streamlines early childhood licensure processes and regulatory structures to eliminate barriers to becoming a licensed child care provider and support the early childhood workforce. The bill sets standards for various career pathways and qualification requirements for various early childhood educator positions. The bill also authorizes the creation of pilot programs for developing new licensure categories and eliminates certain licensure fees currently charged to providers, allowing for more child care businesses to open and slots to be created. %u201cWith over half of Kansas families struggling to find affordable child care, the child care crisis impacts children, stresses parents, and slows our economy,%u201d said Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes.%u201cEstablishing the Kansas Office of Early Childhood will help parents and children by eliminating the red tape that makes it difficult for families to access services.%u201d This legislation implements the recommendations of the Early Childhood Transition Task Force, which Governor Kelly established in January 2023 via Executive Order 23-01, the first of her second term. The task force, comprised of bipartisan leaders and experts, spent a year reviewing Kansas%u2019 current early childhood system and developed this consolidation structure. Through collaboration between the Governor%u2019s Office and legislative leaders, similar legislation was consideration during the 2024 Legislative Session but was not enacted.Through partnership with the Legislature, Governor Kelly has previously signed legislation to cut child care costs for working families through $18 million in expanded tax credits, allow for more businesses to access tax credits for providing child care to their employees, and expand the Imagination Library of Kansas to all children between 0-5 years of age. Today, Kansas has more licensed child care slots than ever before, including 7,700 new licensed child care slots since Governor Kelly took office.Commerce Awards CDBG Grants to Support Commercial Revitalization ProjectsTOPEKA (4.22.2025)%u2013 Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $758,250 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to three Kansas communities: Burlingame, Lyon County and Overbrook. This year, the program allocated a total of $2.5 million in funding to support the revitalization of commercial properties throughout the state.%u201cBy providing funding to rehabilitate commercial properties, we are directly improving the viability of essential businesses and the vibrancy of communities,%u201d Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of