One of the major concerns of Wyandotte County employers is having a qualified workforce.
Likewise, one of the major issues in having such a workforce is having affordable quality
daycare.

That was quite apparent in discussion Friday, March 10 at a meeting of the Public Policy
Committee of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce.
State Sen. Pat Pettey (D-Sixth Dist.) was concerned because of legislation introduced to help the
childcare issue would actually harm the situation. It would lower the qualifications for daycare
personnel. Sen. Pettey said the issue is money— that childcare personnel need to be paid
adequate wages.

As part of its Legislative Agenda for 2023, the Chamber supports “…policies and funding to
improve working families’ access to affordable childcare …” Dan Silva, the Chamber President,
said Chamber leadership will look further into the issue.
In another issue, Sen. Pettey commented in a column in The Record newspaper that a proposed
flat income tax of 4.75 percent reminded her of the tax experiment that cost the state millions
during the reign of Gov. Sam Brownback. Tax cuts in 2017 hurt the state’s economy and public
schools. Sen. Pettey said the proposal would mean the wealthy would pay the same rate as a
person earning $15,000.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is a member
of the Board of Directors of Business West.