Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran says he is not satisfied with a bill meant to alleviate the financial impact of the new coronavirus.
The senator joined doctors at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, Monday to provide updates about the federal response to the pandemic.
As of Monday afternoon, Kansas had 11 cases of COVID-19, and is getting $5.9 million dollars from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moran expects the Senate to take up the bill that the House voted on late Friday. The bill requires employers to pay employees sick leave.
But Moran wants some things amended.
“The paid leave aspect of this bill I think is very onerous for those small businesses,” he said. “And we need to figure out a different way of meeting the needs of laid-off workers than, uh, than what this bill provides.”
All of Kansas’ representatives voted for the bill. Representative Ron Estes called it “not perfect but that it would help Kansas families now and in the near future.”
Corinne Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @Corinne_Boyer or email cboyer (at) hppr (dot) org.
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