“Due to the hazardous road conditions and increasingly heavy winter weather, we are closing state office buildings in Shawnee County early today and allowing state employees to work remotely tomorrow,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Please stay safe, exercise extreme caution if you must drive, and give road crews enough space to do their jobs safely.” 

The declaration takes effect at 3:00 p.m. today, January 8, and lasts until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9. Weather conditions are expected to continue to deteriorate through tomorrow, making road conditions hazardous. A reassessment of weather conditions will be made tomorrow in order to determine whether the Declaration will be extended any further, but based on the current forecast, normal operations are expected to resume on Wednesday. 

This declaration applies to all non-essential state employees in Executive Branch agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction who work in offices located in Shawnee County. During the period of Inclement Weather, essential employees are required to report to work as normal, and all non-essential employees who are able to work remotely should do so. All other benefits-eligible non-essential employees should record Inclement Weather Leave during the period of Inclement Weather. 

Governor Kelly’s declaration only applies to those Executive Branch offices within Shawnee County. Appointing authorities in offices located outside Shawnee County have the option to declare Inclement Weather for those counties, as conditions dictate. For those outside of Shawnee County, due to the size of this storm and varying degrees of impact, the public is strongly encouraged to check with local state offices to see if they are open prior to venturing out in the storm – especially in those areas that are seeing blizzard-like conditions.  

This declaration does not include employees in the Board of Regents, Regents Institutions, the Judicial Branch, nor the Legislative Branch of government. Their designated representative will make a separate declaration for those employees if appropriate. 

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