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Brownback supports rural incentives program amid skepticism

By Associated Press - | Mar 9, 2015

? Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he continues to support the state’s rural opportunity zone program after some lawmakers questioned whether it is luring new residents and businesses to areas with declining populations.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Brownback called it “a good concept.” He most recently talked about the program Thursday during a visit to St. Louis.

The Rural Opportunity Zones program spans 77 counties, covering wide swaths of western and southeastern Kansas. It seeks to lure people to rural areas with student loan forgiveness and income tax waivers.

At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in late February, senators were less than convinced of the initiative’s usefulness. The state lost about $800,000 in revenue in 2014 from income tax waivers issued through the program.