Tag: Area Chamber of Commerce

Congresswoman sponsors legislation to focus on supply issue

by Murrel Bland

Congress is working on legislation that addresses the national supply chain issue.

That was the message from U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., who was the keynote speaker Friday, April 15, at the Congressional Forum.

The forum is a function of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce. About 60 persons attended the luncheon meeting at Children’s Mercy Park.

Rep. Davids said Republicans and Democrats have come together to help solve the supply issue. She said that shortage is particularly acute when it comes to microchips.

The legislation has passed the House; a conference committee is working on the differences in the U.S. Senate bill. She said that the shortage has caused manufacturers such as General Motors with an assembly plant in Fairfax to shut down production for certain periods. She and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, are among those sponsoring this legislation.

Rep. Davids also addressed the workforce issue. She commended Johnson County Community College for its commercial truck driving school and Kansas City, Kansas, Community College for its technical education courses providing hands-on training for such jobs as machinist.

Rep. Davids said that the economy is getting back to “near normal.” Last year, 6 million new jobs, a record, were created, she said. During the height of the Covid pandemic, many small businesses were helped with the federal Paycheck Protection Program, she said.

Rep. Davids is serving her second term in Congress. She is expected to seek a third term.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is an advisory director of Business West.

District attorney calls for public defender

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Opinion

by Murrel Bland

Wyandotte County needs a public defender.

That was the message that District Attorney Mark Dupree delivered to members of the Congressional Forum Friday, Oct. 15, at Children’s Mercy Park. The Forum is a division of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber Commerce.

Dupree said three other more populous Kansas counties—Johnson, Shawnee and Douglas– have public defenders. He said it is important to have such an office because there can be a delay—sometimes up to two months–before a Wyandotte County defendant is assigned legal counsel by a district judge. That can be expensive as it costs $95 a day to keep a prisoner in jail.

In addition, Dupree said not having legal representative quickly could lead to wrongful prosecution; this could lead to compensation from taxpayer funds.

Dupree, who has been District Attorney since early 2017, said his office is focused on a four-point plan for making Wyandotte County safer:

  • Smart prosecution
  • Community prosecution unit
  • Fiscal responsibility
  • Youth investment

Dupree heads a staff of more than 60 persons. He said his office is in the process of digitizing files in his office going back some 70 years.

Dupree received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kansas at Lawrence. His law degree is from Washburn University, Topeka. He and his wife Shanelle are the parents of two sons and two daughters. Shanelle, who is also a lawyer, is the regional director of the Kansas Department of Children and Families.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.