Views
Opinion column
by Murrel Bland
It appears that the Kansas Legislature will be even more conservative next year.
That was the opinion of John Federico, a lobbyist who spoke Friday, Oct. 21, at a meeting of the Congressional Forum at Children’s Mercy Park in Village West. About 50 persons attended. The forum is a division of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce. Federico represents the chamber in Topeka.
Federico said his organization will have as many 12 persons monitoring the efforts of the Legislature once it begins its 2023 session next January.
The chamber is developing its 2023 Legislative Agenda. As it does, it celebrates its victories from the 2022 session.
Those victories include food sales tax reduction, tax credits for the restoration and preservation of commercial abandoned structures, tax credits for child care, sportsbook gaming, property tax reduction for the elderly and storefront property tax relief because of COVID-19.
One of the major issues which did not pass was Medicaid expansion. Federico said a couple a weeks ago, he would not have predicted the expansion would not pass; however recently he said there may be hope of it in 2023.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the recording secretary of Business West.