2023 Guide Principles
- Represent the collective voice of KC Tech Council’s 180+ member companies and organizations, from entrepreneur to enterprise
- Educate our membership on the important role public policy plays in the sustainable growth of the tech industry in Kansas City
- Empower and mobilize our community to use its collective voice effectively in supporting or opposing policy matters that affect the growth of the tech industry
Federal Priorities
Policies that Develop, Attract and Retain a Broad, Diverse and Highly Qualified Tech Workforce
- Policy promoting immigration of highly skilled workers via STEM visas, comprehensive H1-b reform, removal of per country caps within the green card system and other reform initiatives
- Expansion and resourcing of K-20 STEM education
- Apprenticeship program funding and expansion to unlock tech talent
- Broaden the tech workforce by increasing the diversity and representation within the talent pipeline
- Technology retraining via reskilling and upskilling for jobs and industries displaced by new technology
Policies that Promote Innovation and Organic Growth or Attraction of Companies
- Strategic (R&D, Angel investment) tax credits while preserving the ability to deduct such expenses in the year incurred
- Funding for state and municipal-level programs in Kansas and Missouri that work to attract and grow tech companies
- Funding for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs, among many others
- Intellectual property protection and patent reform
Policies that Maintain Appropriate Infrastructure to Support an Ecosystem Where the Technology Industry Can Thrive
- North American broadband access and affordability
- Expansion of connectivity via 5G, smart cities initiatives and other emerging technologies to keep the Kansas City region competitive
- Uniformity of data privacy, data care and security laws to encourage innovation within companies of all sizes
Interested in getting involved in KCTC policy work? Please reach out here.
2022 Legislation
- This bill includes additional funding and grant opportunities for CS education
- A CS requirement is also included, and historically the KC Tech Council and our coalition have not supported education requirements.
Supporting | H.R. 4521 | America COMPETES Act
S. 225 | Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 | Revises antitrust laws applicable to mergers and anticompetitive conduct.
S. 2992 | American Innovation and Choice Online Act | Prohibits certain large online platforms from engaging in specified acts, including giving preference to their own products on the platform, unfairly limiting the availability on the platform of competing products from another business, or discriminating in the application or enforcement of the platform's terms of service among similarly situated users.
S. 2710 | Open App Markets Act | Establishes rules related to the operation of an app store by a covered company (i.e., the owner or controller of an app store with more than 50 million U.S. users).
Supporting | HB 2202 | Modifies provisions related to computer science courses offered in elementary and secondary schools.
Supporting | SB 659 | Companion bill to HB2202 | Modifies provisions related to computer science courses offered in elementary and secondary schools.
Click here to view other bills we are watching.
*Represented by Polsinelli