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Minutes for SB19 - 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 Wed, Mar 10, 2021
Staff briefed the Committee on the bill's contents. (Attachment 1) There were no questions.
The Chairman recognized Senator Elaine Bowers as the first proponent. (Attachment 2) According to Senator Bowers both she and a previous representative had received requests from Commanders of the American Legions from Blue Rapids and Waterville proposing naming a portion of a highway connecting the two towns. The portion of the highway would be named after Cpl. Allen E. Oatney and SP4 Gene A. Myers Memorial Highway. Both were killed in action in Vietnam.
Representative Lisa Moser was the next proponent. (Attachment 3) She said two of the 627 Kansas military lives lost in the Vietnam War were those of U.S. Army Corporal Allen E. Oatney and U.S. Army Specialist 4th Class, Gene Allen Myers, both from Waterville, KS. She concluded by saying we must not forget the sacrifice of all the heroes of that war and specifically these two young men from rural Kansas.
Chairman Proehl recognized Jerry Zayas. (Attachment 4) Mr. Zayas said Corporal Oatney and SP4 Myers exemplified the unique characteristics of courage and devotion to country so common in small towns and their communities want to make sure they are not forgotten. He said naming this highway will go a long way into cementing the special relationship existing between the two towns and honoring two American heroes.
Janet Zayas was the last conferee on SB19. (Attachment 5) Mrs. Zayas said most of their Legion members are Vietnam Era Veterans. She said as happened to most of these veterans they did not receive the support or gratitude from people at home as those veterans returning from previous wars. She said naming this highway creates an opportunity for their communities to inform and remind the current generation of the true cost of freedom. She said it was no coincidence that this highway passes in front of their unified high school.
The Chairman drew the Committee's attention to written testimony submitted by Dave Blatt in support of SB19. (Attachment 6)
There were no other proponents, opponents or neutrals so the Chairman closed the hearing on SB19 and opened the hearing on SB26.
