Legislative Platform
2004 State Legislative Platform
Produced by the Government Affairs Task
Force
of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce
As adopted
by the Olathe Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
November 14, 2003
See this 2004 State Legislative Platform
in PDF
format.
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce works with its member
businesses, the City of Olathe and the Olathe School
District in pursuit of a common vision for the Olathe
community. The Chamber and its partners support a full
service community with a diversified tax base, full
employment and exceptional quality of life.
The Chamber and its partners believe that this vision
is best achieved by effectively funding targeted economic
development activities, efficient municipal services and
infrastructure and quality schools. Although the Chamber
sets legislative priorities on an annual basis, prior to
each session of the Legislature, it relies on this vision
as a basis both for its own activities and advocacy of
governmental action.
Each year the Chamber of Commerce prepares a platform
of its priority issues for consideration by legislators
representing the Olathe community. The proposed
legislative platform was reviewed by the Executive
Committee and proposed to the Board of Directors for its
approval. We believe that the resulting platform is the
platform of the Chamber’s members acting through their
elected Board of Directors.
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce has also reviewed the
legislative positions of the City of Olathe, the Olathe
School District and the platform of the Public Policy
Council of the Johnson County Chambers Presidents Council.
The Olathe Board of Directors will support those positions
that will improve the community’s economic well being
and quality of life.
Top legislative objectives the Olathe
Chamber of Commerce will actively promote during the 2004 Kansas
Legislative session.
1. Funding for Public Education
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce has historically
recognized that quality public education is the single
most important economic development tool for our
community and even that is in jeopardy. We support
funding at the levels adequate to provide optimum
educational opportunities to each child in the Olathe
School District. We support legislation to provide
funding for unfunded or underfunded government mandates,
including compliance with No Child Left Behind and state
and federal special education requirements. We support
legislation that will encourage "best
practices" in administration and district
management. We support increased taxation to the extent
necessary to keep pace with enrollment growth and cost
of living increases, to replace funding that has become
unavailable as a result of tax and budget cuts and to
provide appropriate enhanced opportunities to allow
children educated in the public school system to compete
for quality jobs in twenty-first century society.
Furthermore, the Olathe Chamber of Commerce strongly
urges the legislature to move ahead with changes to the
school finance formula, regardless of the outcome of
pending litigation. School districts that want to should
be able to choose and provide their own level of
excellence in education, with the appropriate taxpayer
support, and without State government control.
The Chamber opposes vouchers and tuition tax credits at
the K-12 level.
2A. Streamlined Sales Tax
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce supports in concept
legislation implementing a streamlined sales tax for the
purpose of inducing Congress to authorize the collection
of sales tax at the point of destination or delivery on
goods sold in interstate commerce but not currently
subject to sales tax in any state jurisdiction. We
recognize two significant issues in the implementation of
the streamlined sales tax prior to the enactment of
federal enabling legislation.
- The taxation of goods at the point of delivery
imposes a significant burden on small businesses
that are required to compute and remit sales taxes
to multiple jurisdictions.
- The taxation of goods at the point of delivery has
the potential to cause a substantial shift in sales
tax revenue from Olathe to other jurisdictions to
which goods are delivered without a commensurate
increase in revenue generated by goods delivered in
Olathe from other jurisdictions.
For these reasons, we support a delay in the
implementation of streamlined sales tax until compensating
federal legislation is passed. In addition, we encourage
the legislature to investigate the concept of a blended
sales tax rate for the collection of streamlined sales
tax. We further support a formula for the allocation of
streamlined sales tax revenues designed to preserve
revenue to local governments that provide supporting
infrastructure to businesses that collect streamlined
sales tax from customers who shop on site.
2B. The impact of Streamlined Sales Tax on new and
existing Sales Tax And Revenue Bonds (STAR) and Tax
Incremental Financing (TIF) projects
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce strongly supports
further definition and clarification of the terms of STAR
Bond and TIF usage in Kansas and urges the Legislature to
exempt both TIF and STAR Bond projects from the provisions
of the Streamlined Sales Tax.
Legislative objectives, which may or may
not be considered during the 2004 Legislative session.
1. Worker’s Compensation Reform
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce supports the provisions
of SB 181 including the removal of the statuary
requirement that the Director of Workers Compensation
compile and maintain a database of information on claims
characteristics and costs related to open claims for
workers compensation. (SB 181 passed the Senate in 2003
but failed in the House.)
We also support the House version of this legislation
that would, in part, prevent some employees with past
worker's compensation claims from collecting those
benefits if they are laid off from their jobs. If an
employee were working near full capacity at the time of
the layoff, he or she wouldn't receive worker's
compensation benefits on top of unemployment pay. These
changes would lower the cost of premiums for businesses.
With the exception of these changes, the Chamber
continues to support the integrity of existing work comp
legislation.
2. Support review of state highway funding to include
support for crucial Olathe projects
The Chamber supports implementation of the 1999
Comprehensive Transportation Plan. It also seeks a
review of funding for current projects so that excess
allocations can be used for Olathe projects.
Furthermore, the Chamber supports legislation to honor
the commitments it made by protecting the funding for
the 1999 Comprehensive Transportation Plan and prevent
further erosion of revenue transfers.
3. Economic Development Initiative Fund (EDIF) and
our State’s commitment to Economic Development
The Chamber continues to recognize economic development
as a top priority and strongly urges aggressive economic
development funding including the continued dedication of
lottery revenues to the Economic Development Initiatives
Fund (EDIF) for the purpose of supporting measurable
statewide economic development projects and programs.
The Chamber recognizes that growing our state’s
economy is paramount, and it is vitally important to make
all economic development tools available to areas of the
state where these tools could generate growth in tax
revenue.
4. Concealed Carry
With Missouri’s passage of concealed-carry
legislation in September, only five states — Kansas,
Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio — still ban
hidden guns. Petty and street criminals are generally not
aware of new laws passed in the state legislature, and
therefore will not be deterred from crime simply because a
relaxed concealed carry law is passed. For safety reasons,
the business community has always been in strong
opposition of concealed carry legislation in Kansas.
Widespread, immediate access to loaded handguns, which is
encouraged by concealed carry, increases the risk that an
argument will escalate to firearm violence or that a
personal crisis will trigger an impulsive suicide.
In keeping with our long-standing position on this
issue, the Olathe Chamber of Commerce strongly opposes
legislation authorizing the concealed carry of weapons.
5. Bi-State II Tax Consideration
Acknowledging the possibility of bi-state II tax
campaign initiated by Jackson County, Missouri, the
Chamber will monitor the development of a proposal for an
additional ¼ cent sales tax and will consider a more
specific position when details are known.
6. Affordable Health Care
The Chamber recognizes the importance of accessible and
affordable health care for Kansas’s employers and
residents and supports such initiatives that result in an
enhanced health care delivery system. Such initiatives
shall include but not limited to:
- Repeal of the Collateral Source Rule.
- Careful scrutiny of any additional legislated
mandates that would expand benefits or limits a health
plan's choice of providers.
- Encourage legislators to examine the regulatory
climate and promote policies that attract and maintain
insurance companies’ presence.
- Encourage creative alternatives to the traditional
health care delivery system that will result in
greater accessibility and affordability to Kansas’s
employers and residents, further reducing the number
of uninsured.
- Expansion of Electronic Gaming and Gambling
The Chamber will continue to monitor the development of
a proposal for the expansion of gambling or the addition
of electronic gaming (slots) and will consider a more
specific position when more information and the fiscal
benefit to the State of Kansas is available.
Ongoing legislative priorities the
Chamber will continue to monitor.
The Olathe
Chamber of Commerce continues to support:
- Import/export assistance
- Retention and strengthening of local control and
home rule authority including home rule for schools
- Current sales tax situs law on motor vehicles
- Economic development initiatives
- Reduction of individual and corporate income taxes
at the highest brackets
- Tax increment financing (TIF)
- Formulation of statewide energy policy
- Funding for the historic Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop
and Farm
The Olathe Chamber of Commerce continues to oppose:
- The implementation of new sales tax on services not
currently taxed.
- Tax policies that shift the tax burden to other
areas of state government or to other levels of
government, including municipal government.
- Unfunded or underfunded state mandates
- Restrictions on tax abatements
- Spending lids for state and local government
- Repeal of state sales tax on food
- Sales tax on services
- Any increase in individual and corporate income tax
rates without a corresponding adjustment
- Initiative and referendum
For up-to-date information about the
Legislature's actions, click
here.
Copyright © 2004 Olathe Chamber of Commerce
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