Pub. 2 2013 Issue 2

6 l e a d i n g a d v o c a t e f o r t h e b a n k i n g i n d u s t r y i n k a n s a s ADVOCACY IS ALIVE AT THE 2013 KBA HAROLD A. STONES PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONFERENCE I T IS CLEAR THAT ADVOCACY IS FRONT AND CENTER for the Kansas Bankers Association with the packed room of bankers attending the 2013 KBAHarold A. Stones Public Affairs Conference. Opening the meeting with his graceful manner, KBA Chairman Frank Carson noted the aggressive legislative agenda promoted by the State Affairs Committee this year in the midst of many key issues being debated in the statehouse. With a description of GDP trends and other key financial market analysis, ABA’s Chief Economist James Chessen delivered the first presentation of the day. He described how the market is returning to its potential with nearly 3% growth forecasted by some but with significant drag due to uncapped government spending and grow- ing debt. Chessen broke down spending at the federal level and pointed out that the sequester we keep hearing about will make a dent in the growing deficit but it will take another $2 trillion in cuts to get the expenditures in line with GDP and a sustainable path. He went on to explain how entitlements, job markets, labor participation rates and housing are also contributing to the slow economic improvement. Doug Wareham and Frank Carson congratulated the 2012 graduat- ing Bank Leaders of Kansas (BLOK) class that was made up of 15 distinguished individuals as they were recognized for completing the program. Many of them are now serving on various KBA committees alongside many preceding BLOK graduates. Following a State Legislative Issues Update by DougWareham, KBA SVP of Government Relations, the conference moved fromThe Topeka Country Club to the newly renovated State Capital. The Kansas bankers were honored to gather in the House chambers for a special leadership forum. Featured speakers included House Speaker Ray Merrick, Senate President Susan Wagle, and Governor Sam Brownback. Speaker Merrick (R-Stillwater) welcomed the KBA to the Statehouse and gave a brief history of the House chambers and renovation project that was recently completed. He also described his goal to shorten the session from 90 days to 80 days or less as he wants to focus on getting the work of the people done. Senate President SusanWagle (R-Wichita) is the first woman in Kansas history to be elected to her position. She described the “Constitutional crisis” that she believes the state to be in, as spending issues for health- care and education come into play. She believes the legislature will need to ask state voters to decide whether spending of tax dollars should be determined by appointed court positions or elected officials. She also listed several other challenging issues facing the Legislature this session. Governor Sam Brownback described the dichotomy of the red states versus the blue states in the country today and howKansas needs to be posi- tioned to compete for residents and industry in the future. Further explaining his vision to shift from a production or income tax base to a consumption tax base the Governor stated the transition will require some changes in deduc- tions and an aggressive approach to fill the gap. With the goal of a zero base income tax and a strong sales tax program, the state can better compete for job creating industry and an in-migration trend. He ended his talk with a simple statement about his reflection on thatAshWednesday afternoon. “To whom Kansas bankers gathered in the chambers of the Kansas House of Representatives for a special leadership forum featuring Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Senate President Susan Wagle and House Speaker Ray Merrick.