By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — For the second time this month, a bipartisan business-development bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas cleared the U.S. House.
The latest on Monday was a bill put forward by Davids and Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri, to assist U.S. veterans with identification of challenges tied to starting a business and accessing programs created to expand companies and add jobs.
“Veterans have the skills and dedication to build successful small businesses, but they need better support when transitioning from service to entrepreneurship,” said Davids, a Democrat serving the 3rd District in the Kansas City metropolitan area. “As the daughter of a veteran, I’ve seen firsthand the commitment and resilience they bring to everything they do. I’m proud to work across party lines to ensure veterans can access the resources they deserve and overcome the challenges that stand in their way.”
The bill would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a new analysis of how military deployment and other service-connect responsibilities influenced financial credit for veterans and reservists. The measure sent to the U.S. Senate would also expand federal outreach on programs available to veterans interested in transitioning into the business world.
In the past, 50% of World War II veterans and 40% of Korean War veterans went on to operate a business. Since September 2001, 4.5% of 3.6 million U.S. veterans launched a company.
On Feb. 10, the U.S. House passed a bill introduced by Davids, two Republicans and a Democrat to make it easier for businesses to comply with federal reporting mandates.
Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act in 2020 to crack down on foreign-operated shell companies by requiring disclosure of ownership information. The U.S. Department of Treasury didn’t properly notify small businesses of rule changes connected to potential compliance costs of $8,000 per business in the first year. The bill forwarded to the Senate pushed the filing deadline to Jan. 1, 2026.
“This is a win for Kansas entrepreneurs and small businesses nationwide,” Davids said. “It’s a step toward creating a more supportive environment for Main Street.”
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, was among a bipartisan group of senators who sponsored legislation amending the Internal Revenue Service code to no longer consider as taxable income the federal grants awarded for expansion of access to broadband.
The bill would exclude grants to businesses building high-speed internet services as a part of the company’s income. The objective was to make certain more of federal dollars awarded to improve broadband across the country went to that purpose rather than cycling back to Washington, D.C., in the form of taxes.
On Monday, Moran said the development of reliable high-speed internet was crucial to Kansas businesses, educational institutions and medical facilities.
“This commonsense legislation would make certain federal grants provided for broadband deployment are not counted as taxable income to maximize the impact and success of these resources,” he said.
Moran signed onto the legislation with seven Republicans, three Democrats and Sen. Angus King, the Maine independent.
