The Advocate - A Weekly Newsletter during the legislative session.Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce Logo
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
February 14, 2014

The Chamber is your voice for business in
Wichita, Topeka and Washington, DC
 

 

The 2014 Kansas legislative session saw its busiest and undoubtedly most controversial week so far. While all committees were packed with hearings on a variety of issues, ranging from taxation to school finance and everything in-between, it was the House debating and passing 72-49 HB 2453, also known as the "Religious Freedom Bill", that provided the most debate.

 

The bill aims to prevent same-sex couples from suing vendors for not providing services to them or from suing government employees who assert "sincerely held religious beliefs" which prevent them from providing services to them. The measure also prohibits management penalties for government employees who won't serve same-sex couples.

 

Debate on the bill was emotional and fiery. House Members, many of whom have only one year's worth of public service under their belts, found that the floor debate, while 90 minutes long and contentious, failed to compare to the heat being presented by the general public including business interests. The public response was swift, strong and loud. By the end of the week, even Members that voted for the measure were privately expressing this distaste for the position they have now found themselves.

 

In fact, it now appears that after communicating with stakeholders and business concerns, the Senate has little interest in wading into the fire. Senate President Susan Wagle, Vice President Jeff King and Majority Leader Terry Bruce held a press conference Friday morning with President Wagle saying, "After an initial review, I've grown concerned about the practical impact of the bill. A strong majority of my members support laws that define traditional marriage, protect religious institutions, and protect individuals from being forced to violate their personal moral values. However, my members also don't condone discrimination. If we cannot find ample common ground to ease legitimate concerns, I believe a majority of my caucus will not support the bill."

 

The political drama and implications surrounding the bill are far and wide. First, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback cannot be excited to see a bill like this arrive on his desk in an election year. It is highly likely that of the "stakeholders" Senate leaders have heard from, Sam Brownback is one. The House is also up for election in November and due to redistricting, many of the House Freshmen were elected facing no opposition at the ballot box. They are not battle tested, have very little campaign experience, and several have limited campaign war chests. Voting for this legislation will probably inspire challengers, and it may not be the type of publicity those Freshman are seeking.

 


 

Real vs. Personal Property Tax 

The House Tax Committee on Thursday sent to the full House HB 2456. That legislation would classify virtually all the equipment in cement plants as personal property. The bill is narrowly focused on the cement and lime industries and makes that equipment subject to depreciable valuation. Appraisers in Allen and Neosho counties had classified those plants as real property-not subject to the reduced tax rates for machinery and equipment. The bill, if it becomes law, fixes the M&E/County appraiser issue for just one of many industries negatively impacted by current state of affairs.

  


Kanas Open Records Bill Targets Eco-Devo and Tourism 

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday, February 19 on HB 2567. The bill would subject any not-for-profit that receives funding in whole or in part from the state or any taxing authority to the Kansas Open Records Act. The bill is a follow-up to a bill that was introduced and not worked in committee that would have subjected at not-for profits to KOMA. The Wichita Metro Chamber opposes this bill.

 


Associated Health Plans Legislation  

The House Commerce Committee is considering legislation that would allow more professional associations to form groups and offer partially self-funded health insurance programs. Several associations and business interests have seen their health insurance cancelled due to the Affordable Care Act. This legislation is just one of many bills aimed at addressing concerns caused by the ACA.    

  


Chamber's Topeka Legislative Reception a Success!

More than 75 members of the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce travelled to Topeka on Tuesday to attend a reception for state policymakers. Almost the entire legislature attended the event and it was a wonderful opportunity for Wichita business leaders to connect with state legislators.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback even surprised attendees with an unannounced visit. The Governor told the audience that things have greatly improved in Kansas. Unemployment statewide has fallen below 5% and the state is ahead of revenue collection projections. The Governor reaffirmed his appreciation for the Wichita Metro Chamber and the south-central Kansas business community. See photos here.

Government Relations Investors

Cox Communications
Koch Industries, Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems
Bombardier Learjet
Emprise Bank
BKD, LLP
Professional Engineering Consultants
Meritrust Credit Union

Government Relations Staff

Barby Jobe, Vice President, Government Relations, [email protected]

Jason Watkins, Director, Government Relations, [email protected]

Pat Gallagher, Manager, Government Relations, [email protected]

 The Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce is the private sector's focal point for actively enrolling and empowering leaders dedicated to increasing the wealth and well-being of all South Central Kansas. The Chamber's bold and ambitious purpose is to position each business member for optimal growth in today's dynamic and competitive global economy. www.wichitachamber.org

 





Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter    View our profile on LinkedIn    View our videos on YouTube    View our photos on flickr      
 

 
 
Visioneering Wichita
Follow us on Twitter 
 

Like us on Facebook   View our profile on LinkedIn   Follow us on Twitter 
 
Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce | 316-265-7771 | [email protected] | http://www.wichitachamber.org
350 West Douglas Avenue
Wichita, KS 67202




Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Unsubscribing from this email will remove you from all electronic Wichita Metro Chamber communications.
If you wish to only unsubscribe from a certain mailing list, please contact [email protected].