Government Relations

This year, 2008, is a banner year for our state with regard to the amount of job and  investment growth generated, as well as the amount of national recognition given to Kansas as the state continues to invest resources in the key industry sectors of bioscience and technology.  A large part of Kansas’ success  has culminated from the diligence that our legislature has exhibited.

During the last twenty years Kansas has placed a focus on economic development in high technology fields through the formation of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation working in partnership with the Kansas Department of Commerce to grow, attract, and retain high technology jobs and companies through entrepreneurship, commercialization, industrial attraction, and industrial expansion.

Our legislature further accelerated that investment during the last 4 years, supporting even more targeted investments in growth and diversification of the Kansas economy within the bioscience industry, with formation of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. 

To view our success stories, including our Top 10 Biotechnology State Ranking, click here.

Legislative BIO BUZZ:  Weekly Update
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Week of March 22 - 26th, 2010

Note: Bioscience Caucus meeting scheduled for April 1 is cancelled and will be rescheduled to another date during wrap-up. This is due to the likelihood that regular session will end this week.

Angel investor Tax Credit and Transferability Bill Updates
 SB 430, the tax credit bill that includes Kansas Bio’s provision allowing for the carry forward of angel investor tax credits now resides in a conference committee of House and Senate members to negotiate difference between House and Senate versions of the bill. It should be finalized early this week.  Conferees for the Senate are Senators Les Donovan, Derek Schmidt and Tom Holland.  House Conferees are Representatives Richard Carlson, Jeff King and Julie Menghini.  Kansas Bio staff is communicating with conferees to remind them of the importance of the angel investor credit.

Also eligible for a conference committee is HB 2621, the bill that allows for the electronic transfer of angel investor tax credits.  The bill originally eliminated the transferability of the credit, but Kansas Bio and KTEC were able to work with the Kansas Department of Revue to find acceptable language to amend the bill.  Kansas Bio staff will keep you informed of the latest developments.

Ethanol Blending Bill
The Kansas Association of Ethanol Processors and the Petroleum Marketers were successful in obtaining Senate approval Sen Sub HB 2058, the ethanol blending bill language that was inserted into a House bill by the Senate Agriculture Committee.  This bill will allow for gas retailers to continue to blend ethanol. The bill now becomes eligible for being debated in a joint House Senate Conference Committee should the Speaker of the House not rule it materially altered (this is a power that he has should the substance of the bill differ substantially from the original bill the provisions were inserted into).  Should the bill be eligible for conference, this is the best chance of obtaining a fair debate on the merits of the bill in the House.  SB 425 was stricken from General Orders on the House Calendar by the Speaker.  SB 425 was the first blending fuels bill that was gutted by House Commerce Committee and replaced with unemployment insurance language. By striking it from the calendar, House leadership effectively eliminated any chance of the bill being brought up for debate through parliamentary tactics.  The question is whether the Speaker will allow the bill to be debated on its merits or squelch debate at the request of well funded special interests.

Regular Session Nearing End – Heavy Lifting Pending
The Kansas Legislature is nearing the end of the regular session with still much to be accomplished.  Committees have wrapped up most work on bills and Monday through Wednesday was spent in each chamber debating and amending an abundance of bills. The remainder of the week was spent with conference committees meeting and negotiating differences between House and Senate versions of the bill.  Next week will entail conference committees continuing to meet and House and Senate bills voting on conference committee agreements.  The House and Senate leadership plan to resolve as many legislative issues as possible before tackling budget items at the beginning of the wrap up session.  With an estimated half billion dollar budget shortfall, legislators are waiting for the April revenue numbers to come in order to have the most accurate snapshots of the state’s financial situation.  The wrap up session will begin April 28 and usually lasts a week to ten days.  However, this year’s may go much longer.

Tax Bills Referred to Ways and Means  Committee
Using the “there are more than one way to skin a cat” brand of legislating, Senate leadership referred the tax bills rejected last week by the Senate Tax Committee to the Senate Ways and Means Committee.  The Ways and Means Committee deals with all spending matters and has a makeup that is more open to tax increases and to follow the direction of Senate leadership.  In order to find revenue to fund the estimated half billion dollar revenue shortfall, these bills raise the state sales and cigarette tax  (SB 516), raise the tax on sweetened beverages or concentrate (SB 567), and raise the tax on alcohol (SB 569).  It is feasible to predict that Ways and Means will approve these tax increases in some shape or form in the future allowing for full debate in the Senate.

2010 BIO BUZZ Weekly Updates
Week of January 18th - 22nd, 2010

Week of February 1st - 5th, 2010

Week of February 22nd - 26th, 2010

Week of March 8th - 12th, 2010

Week of March 15th - 19th, 2010

Week of March 22 - 26th, 2010

2009 BIO BUZZ Weekly Updates
Week of February 9th - 13th, 2009
Week of February 16th - 20th, 2009
Week of February 23rd - 27th, 2009
Week of March 2nd - 6th, 2009
Week of March 9th - 13th, 2009
Week of March 23rd - 27th, 2009
Week of March 30th - April 3rd, 2009
Week of April 6th - 10th, 2009
Week of April 27th - May 1st, 2009