2020Legislative Legislative

A G E N D A

Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Lon Pishny, Chair - Pishny Financial Services, Inc. Dr. Bill Clifford, Vice Chair, Fry Eye Associates Matt Allen, City of Garden City Maxine Atkinson, ARC Real Estate Lara Bors, Bors Law, PA Dr. Steve Karlin, USD 457 Randy Partington, Finney County Judy Nusser, Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Shoppe Shawna Deal, St. Catherine Hospital Brian Weber, Weber Refrigeration & Heating, Inc.

CHAMBERBOARD OF DIRECTORS

2020 Officers Deb Oyler, Chair, Finney County United Way Aaron Stewart, Chair-Elect, Garden City Recreation Commission Brandee Robles, Treasurer, Lee & Co Certified Public Accountants Jeana Anliker, Secretary, Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Shoppe Andy Fahrmeier, Vice Chair, Hutton Maxine Atkinson, Past Chair, ARC Real Estate 2020 Board of Directors Angela Bordewick, Liberty Mutual Lara Bors, Bors Law, PA Vickie Harshbarger, Mosaic Roger Ratliff, Pishny Financial Services, LC Liz Scheopner, Scheopner's Water Conditioning Lora Schneider, Edward Jones Radonna Smythe, Wheatland Electric Mark Whitley, SW Kansas Office Leasing Debbie Young, Golden Plains Credit Union Ex-Officio Members Matt Allen, Ex-officio, City of Garden City Dr. Steve Karlin, Ex-officio, USD 457 Randy Partington, Ex-officio, Finney County Dr. Ryan Ruda, Ex-officio, GCCC

FINNEY CO. EDUCATION BOARDS

Garden City USD 457Lara BorsJean CliffordDr. Tim HaniganDana NanningaJanene RadkeMark RudeJennifer StandleyDr. Steve Karlin, Superintendent Holcomb USD 363Jill GeorgeMattthew JonesCurtis PetersonCasey RobinsonRyan RudaRyan SchreibvogelSean SheetsDr. Scott Myers, Superintendent

Garden City CommunityCollegeMerilyn DouglassLeonard HitzDavid RuppShanda SmithBeth TedrowDr. Blake WasingerDr. Ryan Ruda, President

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Finney Co. CommissionDr. William CliffordDuane DreesDave JonesLarry C. JonesLon E. PishnyRandy Partington, County Administrator Garden City CommissionRoy CessnaShannon DickManny OrtizDeborah OylerTroy Unruh, MayorMatt Allen, City Manager

Holcomb City CouncilNicole FaulconerSam MesaCurt NemechekTyler PattersonRon SchreibvogelJannelle Robins-Gaede, MayorRobin Lujan, City Administrator

KANSAS STATEGOVERNMENT

SENATE

Bud Estes, District 28 - Dodge CityBud.Estes@senate.ks.gov

John Doll, District 39 - Garden CityJohn.Doll@senate.ks.gov

REPRESENTATIVES

Boyd Orr, District 115 - FowlerBoyd.Orr@house.ks.gov

Leonard Mastroni, District 117 - LaCrosseLeonard.Mastroni@houseks.gov

Don Hineman, District 118 - DightonDon.Hineman@house.ks.gov

Bradley Ralph, District 119 - Dodge CityBrad.Ralph@house.ks.gov

Russ Jennings, District 122 - LakinRuss.Jennings@house.ks.gov

John Wheeler, District 123 - Garden CityJohn.Wheeler@house.ks.gov

Martin Long, District 124 - UlyssesMartin.Long@house.ks.gov

Shannon Francis, District 125 - LiberalShannon.Francis@house.ks.gov

State funding must:Be fair for all school districts in the State andshould not shift this burden to the local propertytaxpayer.Be adjusted based on current economic and costof living conditions.

The Federal and State governments should providesufficient funding for any regulation and/orrequirement imposed upon the local school districtand board of education.All Kansas learners are entitled to high-qualityeducational opportunities regardless of theirlearning ability or geographic location.The constitutional power of the Kansas State Boardof Education should be recognized and respected. Students should complete school "college and/orcareer ready" and should have access to qualitytechnical education programs in secondary andpost -secondary schools.The State should support quality early childhoodeducation programs and provide appropriate andstable funding.Post-secondary education should be accessible andaffordable for all Kansans.

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce realizesthat a quality education from early childhood throughpost-secondary for every student in Kansas is criticalfor the success of business and for a strong economy.To that end, the Chamber believes that the KansasLegislature should embrace its constitutional duty tomake adequate provision for finance of the educationalinterest of the State. The Chamber supports thefollowing principles:

Enhance and expand high-speed broadbandconnectivity throughout western Kansas.Promote practical modifications to regulations toallow for business growth (i.e. childcare facilityrequirements, start-up businesses.)Create incentives that enable/entice businesses tolocate in Finney County. Allow locally elected officials to govern anddeliver services to our community by protectinglocal control.

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commerceadvocates for a culture of fiscal responsibility,equitable taxation, and sound budgeting that will makeFinney County a smart place to do business.  

BUSINESS FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

State support of locally-created solutions such asthe Finney County Workforce Connection thatprovides an available and ready workforce throughefforts including area youth retention, job skillstraining, workforce recruitment, and existingemployee retention. State and Federal support of technical training     initiatives that ensure our workforce is skilled inthe trades necessary to support a growing economyand the expansion of technical and career trainingin community colleges. State and Federal support of childcare initiatives toprovide for a stronger workforce today and in thefuture.Utilization of State resources for projects in thewestern portion of the State, as needed.State and Federal job creation incentives that arenot fully reliant upon tax credits. State support of allowing counties the size ofFinney County to qualify as a Rural OpportunityZone, to grow the professional workforce pool.

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commercesupports programs that encourage people to relocateto, or remain in, western Kansas through the followingmethods: 

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Additional resources to integrate immigrants.Legislation tempered with an understanding of itseconomic impact on companies employing legalimmigrants.Consultation and inclusion in major immigrationpolicy discussion and legislation.Placement of a regional Immigration andNaturalization office in southwest Kansas.A reduction in time and distance barriers in theimmigrant's pursuit of legal residency.Continuation of programs supporting refugees whocontribute to the fabric of our community.

Southwest Kansas is strengthened by the economicimpact and cultural influences of legal immigration.Furthermore, the Garden City area is growing and inconstant need of an expanding workforce. The Garden City Area Chamber of Commercesupports a practical approach to immigrationincluding: 

Widening of Kansas Highway 156, includingpassing lanes, from Garden City to Larned.Widening of US Highway 83, to include passinglanes with the prospect of four-lane enhancement,from the southern border of Kansas northward to   I-70.Continual and stable funding for the Garden CityRegional Airport, as it has become the regionalairport within western Kansas.Transforming US Highway 50/400, from GardenCity to Mullinville, into a four-lane highway.Upgrades to rail infrastructure for both freight andpassenger service.Appropriate funding, by the State of Kansas andlocal partnerships, for expanded public transitservices.

To address travel, freight delivery, safety needs and   economic growth for western Kansas, the Garden CityArea Chamber of Commerce, in addition to necessary maintenance of roads, supports the followingprioritized transportation initiatives:

TRANSPORTATION

Diverse, safe and cost-efficient energy sourcesincluding, but not limited to coal, oil, gas, nuclear,and renewable energy like wind, ethanol, andbiogas. Governmental and environmental regulations thatare supportive of agriculture, industry, and energyproduction.      Policies that support the preservation of theOgallala Aquifer and surface water resources, andresearch into water conservation best practices.

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commercerecognizes the importance of the energy industry insouthwest Kansas. The Chamber supports State andFederal policies that enable the production anddistribution of the energy required to power theKansas economy, now and in the future:

EDUCATION

ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES

The maximization of Federal resources to makehealthcare more affordable and accessible for allwage earners and their families.Increased funding of mental health services andsubstance abuse treatment to ensure safer

Rebuilding the State’s social services infrastructureto appropriately support our most vulnerable

Improvements to the Affordable Care Act.

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commercesupports continued healthcare reform designed toencourage personal responsibility for one’s ownhealth.  Increasing the number of covered individuals,and improving healthcare access, should beaccompanied by an effort to decrease overall cost. On the State level, the Chamber advocates for:

communities and improve worker productivity.

citizens, especially children, and relieve the burden on local agencies.

 On the Federal level, the Chamber advocates for:

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

IMMIGRATION

The Rural Housing Incentive District (RHID)programThe Moderate Income Housing District (MIH)programThe Neighborhood Revitalization programThe Low Income Housing Tax Credit program(LIHTC)The Rural Development Loan program

The Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce fullysupports a consistent local, State, and Federalregulatory environment which promotes safe andincome appropriate housing construction.  Thisincludes programs for first time home buyers andwould encourage the development and implementationof all available tools and tax credits where gapsbetween construction rates and market rates inhibitdevelopment without incentives. The Chamber encourages the retention of thefollowing programs:

 

HOUSING

ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES