By Trish Svoboda

The Kansas Chamber has unveiled its 2024 Legislative and Policy Agenda, outlining priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The plan aims to reduce the cost of doing business, eliminate barriers to expansion and job growth, and grow the state’s economy.

Chamber President Alan Cobb highlighted competitive aspects of the Kansas business environment, yet acknowledged existing barriers hindering the state’s appeal to dynamic business leaders.

The agenda includes five key priorities that will help the state address challenges:

· Reduce the Tax Burden

· Adopt Legal Reform

· Implement Regulatory Reform

· Adopt Work Comp Reform

· Improve Energy Cost

The Chamber will also pursue about a dozen bills, including:

· Supporting legislation which phases in single-factor sales-based formula (Taxation)

· Supporting the implementation of a workforce pathway system to provide parents, students and agencies with data to better track program effectiveness and student outcomes through their education and career paths (Education & Workforce Development)

· Support legislation that requires disclosure of third-party financing of litigation (Legal Reform)

· Supporting legislation prohibiting local governments from banning consumer merchandise and plastic containers (Regulatory Affairs)

· Supporting stronger legislative oversight of executive branch rule and regulatory authority (Regulatory Affairs)

· Supporting policies that ensure reliable and available electric generation services from a diverse mix of energy fuel sources. (Energy & Environment)

· Supporting equitable allocation of transmission and energy costs among regional ratepayers. (Energy & Environment).

Input for the agenda is sourced from member task groups, meetings, and research reports.