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Minutes for SB288 - Committee on Transportation
Short Title
Designating a portion of United States highway 77 as the Cpl. Allen E. Oatney and SP4 Gene A. Myers memorial highway.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 4, 2020
The Chairperson opened the hearing on SB288.
Staff Adam Siebers briefed the Committee on the focus of the bill. He stated that the bill designates the section of U.S. 77 highway from the eastern edge of the city limits of Blue Rapids to the intersection with K9 highway in Waterville as The Cpl. Allen E. Oatney and the SP4 Gene A. Myers Memorial Highway.
Senator Elaine Bowers, District 36, recounted how the American Legion posts of Blue Rapids and Waterville collaborated to propose the highway between their two towns as a memorial highway honoring two of their citizens who served in the Viet Nam War and were killed in battle (Attachment1).
Senator Bowers then introduced the commanders of the two American Legion Posts; they provided additional testimony to show how fitting it is to honor these two soldiers.
Jerry Zayas, Mayor of Blue Rapids, Kansas, introduced other guests and conferees; he noted that Corporal Oatney's brothers and sisters were in attendance, and he gave a brief history of both honorees. He stated that both soldiers reflected the values of courage and devotion that characterize both towns (Attachment 2).
Jim Oatney, brother of Corporal Oatney, read a selection from a book that described the battle where his brother was killed to show that Corporal Oatney was worthy of the honor being bestowed on him (Attachment 3).
John Arganbright, Commander of the American Legion Post 332 in Waterville, reviewed events in the lives of Corporal Oatney and Specialist Myers and offered personal reflections of his relationship with Specialist Myers (Attachment 4).
Roger Edwards, Commander of the American Legion Post 169 in Blue Rapids, noting his own experience as a marine in Viet Nam, emphasized the importance of honoring those who gave their lives for their country(Attachment 5) .
The Kansas Department of Transportation presented written neutral testimony for the bill (Attachment 6).
Members offered condolences to family and community members for the deaths of the two soldiers and expressed gratitude to the American Legion Posts for their initiative in honoring these two men. Responding to a question, Senator Bowers said abbreviating the title Corporal to Cpl not only makes the sign easier for drivers to read, but also will save money.
The Chair closed the hearing on SB288.
The Chair noted follow-up information regarding the number of drivers in Kansas with suspended licenses: 2,040,334 licensed drivers; 215,143 suspended drivers, figures which translate to 11% of Kansas drivers whose licenses are suspended.
The Chair announced that the Committee will be meeting on Monday, February 10, 2020.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:58 a.m. The next scheduled meeting will be on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
