Recent legislation passed by Kansas lawmakers will make it a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act to sell a gift card or gift certificate containing an expiration date less than five years from the date of purchase and also prevents merchants from charging a fee within 12 months of issuing the card or certificate. The law does not impact gift cards and certificates purchased for this holiday season as it will not go into affect until Jan. 1, 2007.

"Kansans need to make sure they understand the policies that govern gift cards," said State Treasurer Jenkins. "Also take notice of the various transaction, service, inactivity and convenience fees that may be imposed on the cards that could result in decreased monetary value."

"Kansans need to be cautious and read the fine print," she continued.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that gift card sales across the country for the 2006 holiday season will total about $24.81 billion this holiday season. This is an increase of $6 billion over last year.

State Treasurer Jenkins urges citizens to use gift cards as soon as possible to reduce the chances of the cards being lost, stolen, or becoming expired. She also said that Kansans should carefully read the policies of each business from whom they purchase gift cards because many gift cards have restrictions or service fees that reduce their value over time.

Jenkins, a former State Representative and Senator from Topeka, was re-elected to her second term as Kansas State Treasurer on Nov. 7, 2006. During her time as Treasurer, Jenkins has expanded investment options in Learning Quest and oversaw the re-bidding of the nearly $1.5 billion program, returned an average of $9 million a year in unclaimed property to Kansans, initiated multiple financial literacy programs, and eliminated the reliance on state general fund dollars to operate the office. She is a Certified Public Accountant and former small business owner.