Kansas House votes 119-3 to create rural attorney pipeline program
Bill would offer law students stipends and loan forgiveness in exchange for practicing in underserved communities.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas House on March 24 voted 119-3 to concur in Senate amendments to a bill creating a new program aimed at easing the shortage of attorneys in rural Kansas.
The bill (HB 2595), which originated in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, would provide stipends to law students who agree to practice in rural areas after graduation and offer loan forgiveness to attorneys who fulfill commitments to work in underserved communities. The program would be funded through a newly established rural Kansas attorney training program fund.
Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Phillips County, moved concurrence. Only three House members voted against it: Reps. Brian Bergkamp, R-Sedgwick County, Brett Fairchild, R-Stafford County, and Samantha Poetter Parshall, R-Miami County, voted against.
Rural Kansas communities have struggled for years to attract and retain legal professionals, leaving residents in some counties without local access to attorneys for basic needs such as estate planning, real estate transactions and court representation.
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