Short Week
Lawmakers returned to Topeka last Wednesday following their mid-session Turnaround. Given that each chamber had worked through a great many bills the week before, relatively little action took place last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Both parties in the Senate met to review the preliminary February 23 report by the school finance consultant. Her final report will come on March 15 and will inform the legislature’s proposed resolution to the K-12 school finance litigation.
Legislation Brewing
The Topeka Chamber is working side-by-side with Top Tank winners, Brew Bank, and their investors to advocate a quick and simple change to the law which currently allows for the self-service of wine but not of beer. Senator Vicki Schmidt and Rep. Vic Miller have introduced bills in the House and Senate, respectively, to accomplish this. On March 6, a team consisting of Brew Bank representatives, Downtown Topeka, the Topeka Chamber and some of Brew Bank’s Top Tank investors testified before the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. The Chamber urged the Senators to consider the positive impact modernizing Kansas’ liquor laws could have on all their communities which are, like Topeka, working hard to provide the sorts of amenities which will attract the workforce of the future.
Tax Credits
The Chamber also weighed-in in support of a bill drafted by Rep. Jim Gartner which calls for the periodic review of the state’s myriad tax credits. The Chamber noted that tax credit programs like HPIP and PEAK are valuable economic development tools. A periodic review will prove these are among the best investments the State of Kansas is making in its economic future. Likewise, in order for lawmakers to decide how best to structure the tax code so as to truly encourage small businesses to grow into larger employers, a key objective of the Chamber’s Small Business Council, the type of review called for under this bill will be a necessary and helpful first step.
METL
The METL coalition held its mid-session luncheon on March 6. Legislators representing Manhattan, Emporia, Topeka and Lawrence, along with business leaders from each of those communities, listened to updates on each of the 5 METL legislative priorities: Preserve Economic Development Incentives; Fund Transportation Projects in NE Kansas; Support Programs that Get Kansas Students Ready to Work; and Take Advantage of Federal Funding by Expanding Medicaid. Working together, the four METL communities are developing a voice which is stronger than any of them would have mustered on their own.