KEY QUOTE: "We’re just doing everything we possibly can to get our people to stay and take the jobs that are available, and make Kansas an attractive place for others to come in and take a position."

Kelly sees continued economic success, growth on horizon

- In three years, Kansas has seen the development of 658 new private investment projects that created or retained more than 45,000 jobs across the state. But, even as opportunities for some of the state’s workforce expands, Kelly acknowledged challenges in housing availability. Expanding the Rural Housing Incentive District tax incentive program to allow for second floor development was meant to meet that need.

- “When I was elected to the state Senate, we had a budget of $2 million for the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation, and that money was to be used to encourage developers to building housing,” Kelly said. “We just increased that to $290 million. So, we’re investing big time to be able to make it doable for developers.”

- But Kelly said that economic development is difficult to sustain without investment in other areas, such as education, child care and workforce development. Kelly’s administration recently announced a $53 million benefit for the state’s child care providers, which goes directly to the workers themselves.

- “That will grow our child care industry, in terms of the quantity of slots, but also the quality of it as well,” she said. “We’re also working very hard with our post-secondary institutions. We’re getting our young people and navigating them into a career path, whether that’s through four-year institutions or through our career and technical education programs, and working closely with our business partners.”