Two chambers of commerce.
One in Topeka representing the state.
One in the KC metro area representing local interests.
Presumably, both supportive of business.
Yet, both seem to have distinctly different world views.
Nowhere is that more pronounced than the candidates their political action committees are endorsing this year, provding yet another prism for how you might decide to vote in the Aug. 7 Republican primary election.
The two chambers line up on different sides of every major candidate running in the GOP primary in a year when Gov. Sam Brownback is battling to assert control over a Senate that has repeatedly bucked his agenda the last two years.
The KC chamber's PAC -- known as KC BizPAC -- has endorsed state Rep. Pat Colloton over Leawood businessman Jeff Melcher in the the Senate District 21 race.
It has endorsed state Rep. Kay Wolf over Mission Hills businessman David Harvey in Senate District 7 and Rep. Ron Worley over Rep. Lance Kinzer in House District 30.
Meanwhile, the more conservative leaning Kansas Chamber PAC backed candidates more aligned with Brownback, going instead with Melcher, Harvey and Kinzer.
The story isn't much different in outstate Kansas where the KC chamber PAC endorsed Senate President Steve Morris and incumbent Republican Sens. Jean Schodorf and Carolyn McGinn.
Almost predictably, the state chamber backed each of the candidates running against those three senators, including Larry Powell (against Morris), Michael O'Donnell (against Schodorf) and Gary Mason (against McGinn).
So why the difference?
A look at the agendas and interviews with officials from both groups points to schools as an issue that seems to separate the two groups although transportation funding and health care are other differences as well.
The Kansas City chamber devotes almost a half page in its agenda to K-12 education. Among other things, the chamber's agenda calls for "adequate and equitable" funding for schools. It also opposes budget cuts that hurt the effectiveness of schools.
The KC chamber supports giving Kansas schools more ability to raise property taxes to fund their operations, but it opposes vouchers and other education programs that might drain money from the public school system.
From the KC chamber's view, high quality schools are a driving force for economic development and bringing more businesses to the area.
The KC chamber's agenda also focuses on higher education, supporting "adequate funding" and other "strategic measures aimed at keeping state universities competitive and keeping students and faculty from leaving the state.
Transportation also is part of the KC's chamber legislative agenda for Kansas, emphasizing the need for a solid transportation system that moves people and freight through the metro area.
The Kansas chamber, meanwhile, does not address education or transportation specifically in its agenda although that could be arguably addressed in its section on taxes where it talks about the need for reducing government spending "instead of increasing the cost of doing business through tax increases."
The Kansas Chamber talks about government efficiency, legal reform, human resources, health care as well as energy and the environment.
The state chamber supports a state law that would alow Kansas residents to opt out of Presidenty Barack Obama's health-care initiative.
Meanwhile, the KC chamber supports "fair and appropriate implementation" of the Affordable Care Act, including state exchanges and "sufficient" funding for Medicaid to make sure there's enough money to pay physicians who serve the poor.
Curiously enough, both seem to agree on immigration.
KC Chamber of immigration: Opposes state legislation increasing enforcement penalties on local govemments and businesses that unwittingly hire illegal immigrants. The Kansas chamber contains about the same language in its agenda as the KC chamber.
Bear in mind, these agendas are formed by the memberships of each chamber, so the platforms likely reflect the political inclinations of those members.
