Legislature Approves Rural Opportunity Zones

A bill aimed at helping rural Kansas counties in decline is on its way to the Governor’s desk. Approved last month by the Kansas Senate 34-5, the Kansas House of Representatives voted 102-18 today to give its final approve to Senate Bill 198, known as the Rural Opportunity Zone Bill.

“As part of our Road Map for Kansas to grow the economy, the Rural Opportunity Zone Bill is an aggressive policy move targeted to grow our shrinking rural counties. Like the Homestead Act, this offers opportunity instead of handpicking winners and losers,” Gov. Brownback said.

SB 198 designates 50 counties as “Rural Opportunity Zones” (ROZ), effectively providing an income tax exemption for certain out-of-state taxpayers who relocate to those counties; and authorizing the counties to participate in a state-matching program to repay student loans of up to $15,000 for Kansas students who move to ROZ counties.

The counties designated by SB 198 as ROZ are:

Barber, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Clark, Cloud, Comanche, Decatur, Edwards, Elk, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mitchell, Morton, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Trego, Thomas, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson and Woodson.