TIAK Talk Newsletter

Volume 18, Issue 2 | February 2022

TIAK TALK NEWSLETTER

TIAK Talk is published monthly for members of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

By Julie Roller Weeks

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau

It's a great day in Kansas! As warmer weather and sunshine approach, so do more phone calls, emails, visitor information requests and, inevitably, more extended workdays. As our Vitamin D intake increases, our desire to vacation increases. I don't know about you, but I could not be more excited for the spring and summer travel season! I love seeing new faces in our community, busy parking lots, and more overnight stays.

DMOs are the front door of their communities, businesses, and attractions. The last two years have been rough - really rough. But we remained cheerful community cheerleaders. In the coming weeks, I remind you to continue being positive and answer the phone with a smile. Please put yourself in the visitor's shoes and be as excited about sharing all the great things your community offers as the visitor is to learn and plan. A warm welcome makes dollars and sense. To the Stars...

2022 Destination Statehouse

More than 75 TIAK members came to Topeka for Destination Statehouse 2022 on February 9. Over 100 Legislators attended and learned more about the value of tourism on the Kansas economy; and TIAK members had a day to network with their industry colleagues. Thanks to all who participated and sponsored this fun event!

#DCH22 Registration is OPEN

Registration for Destination Capitol Hill (DCH) is now open. Join the U.S. Travel Association in Washington, D.C., April 5-6, to meet face-to-face with your local lawmakers and drive home our most pressing legislative asks as we continue to fight for a full recovery of all sectors of the travel economy.

When you register for #DCH22, you’ll gain access to an exclusive reception on the evening of Tuesday, April 5 followed by breakfast, a general session and a day of Hill appointments on Wednesday, April 6. In addition, we’ll arm you with a suite of prep documents, talking points and training webinars to get you fully up-to-speed so you can hit the ground running with your advocacy when you touch down in D.C.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Natalie Bright at natalie@brightcarpenter.com or Kevin Fern at kevin.fern@visitshawneeks.com, who will be helping plan the trip for TIAK members.

REMINDER: Marketing Award Applications Open June 1!

Only three months until submissions go live for the 2022 TIAK Marketing Awards. You can enter one submission per category in your budget group: Community Awareness, Event, Print, Online Media, and Visitor Guide. Submissions go live on June 1, so plan now!

Legislative Report: Turnaround

The Kansas Legislature adjourned for Turnaround break on Wednesday and will return to Topeka on Tuesday, March 1. Committees only met on Monday, leaving the next two days for debating and passing legislation on the floor. Any non-exempt bills that didn’t pass their house of origin or get “blessed” by leadership by Wednesday are dead for this year.

When lawmakers return next week, they only have one month to finish all business for the year. First adjournment is scheduled for April 1, followed by three-week spring break before Veto Session begins on April 25.

Regulatory Reform

The House passed House Concurrent Resolution 5014 with 85 votes on Monday, one vote over the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment. The resolution provides for legislative authority to revoke or suspend rules and regulations adopted by executive branch agencies and officials. It passed the House Judiciary Committee last year and is supported by Attorney General Derek Schmidt and various business and agricultural organizations. The initial vote taken last Friday was 80-33, so House Republicans were successful in flipping five votes over the weekend. HCR 5014 is moving through the process quickly with a hearing already scheduled in the Senate Judiciary Committee next Wednesday.

The Senate passed another regulatory reform bill on Thursday, Substitute for Senate Bill 34, by a vote of 32-7. This bill was introduced last year as an automatic sunset of all rules and regulations after five years. Stakeholders worked with lawmakers over the past few months in making the bill more palatable for the majority. Instead of an automatic sunset, all regulations will be subject to review by the agency every five years. Language was also added to speed up the process if a rule or regulation needs to be revoked. The Attorney General and the joint legislative committee on rules and regulations will also have oversight. SB 34 now heads to the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, but no hearing has been scheduled.

Water

The House Water Committee met again on Monday to begin discussing amendments to the mega water bill, House Bill 2686. Legislators plan to remove provisions regarding ground water management districts (GMDs) as well as keeping environmental divisions within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and only moving water programs to the new agency. The committee plans to take official action on the bill when they return on Tuesday next week.

HB 2686 as currently written deals with three main subjects: agency consolidation, funding sources, and ground water management districts (GMDs). The bill creates a new state agency of Water and Environment. Currently, water law touches 16 different agencies, and this bill would transfer all duties to the new department. It would also establish new fee funds and boards, modify election procedures for GMDs, and set new fees on water right owners. See bill brief. The Committee will refer the GMD portion of the bill to a summer interim for further study.

Full Legislative Report

TIAK Bill Tracker

Would you take free land in rural America?

Source: The Hustle, January 29, 2022

In the midst of a national housing shortage, towns on the Kansas plains are giving away free land and ultra-cheap houses. Is the offer worth it?

Sitting in the basement of a historic courthouse in Lincoln — a wind-swept town in north central Kansas — Bradley Roberts laughs while comparing his current situation to his previous life in San Francisco.

Roberts was like many people in the Bay Area: Savvy, successful, and drowning in housing expenses. When he bought a house ~15 years ago, he and his partner went $300k over their budget. Rent at his last place in San Francisco was nearly $4k a month.

“It was awful,” Roberts, 50, told The Hustle.

Roberts, whose grandparents were from Lincoln, bought a converted barn home in the middle of town last year for $22k. His annual housing costs in Lincoln are about the same as what his monthly housing costs were in San Francisco.

“When I moved to Kansas,” Roberts said, “I was like, ‘holy shit, they’re giving stuff away.’”

Roberts is exaggerating, but only slightly.

In Kansas small towns, the houses are cheap, with quality homes going for $100k and fixer-uppers costing far less. Land, a commodity over which NIMBY battles rage throughout the country, can actually be obtained for free in several counties. Read more.

January Lodging Report

TIAK has an agreement with Smith Travel Research (STR) to provide members with statewide reports on hotel occupancy each month. The following data is provided directly from STR:

Monthly and YTD Comparisons

Kansas had 62% property participation and 76% hotel room participation in January.