President’s Message

An Open Letter to Kansas Businesses:

Partnering for Success at the Statehouse

I am honored to serve as the Kansas Chamber’s President and CEO. At the Chamber, we are committed to reducing employer costs to move Kansas towards becoming the best state in which to do business. Working with other pro-business advocates in the Capitol, we have tremendous potential to improve the business climate and the Kansas economy. I am committed to traveling across the state to meet with members and other business affiliates to learn more about Kansas job providers. I think it is incredibly important to hear what employers have to say about government, the economy and the business and regulatory climate.

Leveraging Our Attributes

Kansas has a lot going for it and we can leverage these attributes into a more powerful state economic engine. With some of the best schools in America, a well-prepared workforce, an excellent transportation system, an improved legal climate, a positive regulatory environment, and available natural resources, Kansas is well positioned to move to the next level.

Highlights of our recent advocacy to lower business costs:

No increases in business taxes in 2011 while balancing a difficult budget.
Kansas became the only state in the nation to allow expensing of capital investments in 2011, something the Chamber has advocated for several years.
Several tools were created or enhanced to drive economic development within the state.
Major worker’s compensation reform was passed for the first time in over 18 years in 2011, and legislation was passed to repay the unemployment insurance federal loan and get employers back to their true experience rating.

Past advocacy wins are:

Fighting off a lengthy list of tax increases in prior session.
Passing the Promoting Employment Across Kansas Act (PEAK).
Phasing down the corporate income tax rate from 7.35 to 7.0% over three years.
Phasing out the franchise tax over three years.

Articulating a Pro-Business Message at the Statehouse

The Kansas Chamber listens closely to our members who employee thousands of Kansans – companies of all sizes ranging from the largest to, importantly, many of the smallest in the state. The Chamber compares our state with other progressive states, benchmarking the performance of the Kansas economy.

The Kansas Chamber’s lobbying force is skilled and effective in articulating the employer message in the corridors and committee rooms at the Capitol. Further increasing our influence, the Chamber effectively partners with many groups that share our objective of lowering the costs of doing business in Kansas. The Kansas Chamber develops data to drive an aggressive pro-business legislative agenda. We take a progressive business message to the decision-makers in the statehouse. Further, we back up our pro-business positions with electoral activism.

The Force for Business

The Kansas Chamber is clearly the force for business in Topeka. The Board of Directors and I encourage every employer in Kansas to join our statewide business organization. Help us improve the Kansas economy while we protect our system of free enterprise.

United for Business -

Kent D. Beisner
President & CEO
Kansas Chamber of Commerce