10 Jan Kansas Chamber Outlines 2020 Legislative Agenda to Foster Economic Growth

(Topeka, KAN.) The Kansas Chamber has announced its 2020 legislative agenda, a comprehensive plan designed to kindle a vibrant economy and propel the state’s competitiveness on the global stage.

“The business community–from its entry-level workers to its top executives– are the engine that keeps Kansas running economically,” said Kansas Chamber President Alan Cobb. “The system of free enterprise our state was founded upon is still the best way to keep that engine going to everyone’s benefit. We believe as more Kansas businesses prosper, so do their employees, our communities and great state”

The Chamber’s session priorities are grounded in free enterprise and removal of barriers to job creation and economic growth. Proposals designed to achieve these ends fall under nine policy areas, including taxation, government efficiency, and legal reform, among others.

Particular areas of priority for the Chamber this session include:

• Repealing the unlegislated tax increase on families and businesses by supporting the decoupling of state tax law from the federal tax code made necessary by the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. (Taxation)
• Making permanent the ability for businesses to expense capital investments. (Taxation)
• Supporting criminal justice reform through programs that offer individuals with criminal records new opportunity to reenter the workforce. (Legal Reform/Human Resources)
• Opposing expansion of Medicaid eligibility to able-bodied adults without dependents. (Health Care)
• Maintaining a set of clear requirements in the regulatory process that instills confidence for businesses that follow the rules when seeking to do business in the state. (Regulatory affairs)
• Supporting policies that promote coordination of resources and curriculum between K-12 and higher education to ensure the state’s workforce needs and student education are aligned. (Education)
• Opening Work Based Learning opportunities for high school students ages 16 and older through legislation limiting liability to the businesses participating in school sponsored programs. (Education)
• Promoting and expanding small business development loans for Kansas start-ups through private institutions rather than state government. (Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

Input for the Chamber’s legislative agenda is gathered from the Chamber Board of Directors, Cornerstone members, Chamber member task groups, and in-person meetings throughout the state as well as from research from its Annual Business Leaders Poll and Annual Competitiveness Index.

“2020 brings excitement and opportunity for our wonderful state to accomplish great things, together, for a better Kansas. The Kansas Chamber and its members look forward to working with Governor Kelly and the legislature as we embark to increase our state’s attractiveness for business investment and job growth this new decade,” Cobb said.

Click here to read more about the Chamber’s 2020 legislative agenda, including the full list of priorities.

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