Kansas legislators are considering separate efforts to extend and revamp a rural development tool that has not reversed population decline as intended. The Rural Opportunity Zones program is currently offered to 77 counties in rural areas suffering from years or sometimes decades of population decline. Designated counties can offer income tax credits and student loan repayments for up to five years as a means to recruit full-time residents. However, a 2020 study by the Kansas Department of Commerce showed 70 counties participating in the program continued to show population loss. Only two counties showed above 1% population growth.