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Lynn Jenkins
RTo be claimed
Member, Community Pharmacy Caucus
Member, Congressional Diabetes Caucus
Member, Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus
Member, Congressional Wounded to Work Caucus
Member, Cystic Fibrosis Caucus
Member, General Aviation Caucus
Member, House Army Caucus
Member, Impact Aid Caucus
Member, Israel Allies Caucus
Member, Military Families Caucus
Member, Military Veterans Caucus
Member, National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
Member, Nuclear Issues Working Group
Member, Pediatric Cancer Caucus
Member, Republican New Media Caucus
Former Member, Subcommittee on Health (Ways and Means), United States House of Representatives
Former Chair, Subcommittee on Oversight (Ways and Means), United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Trade, United States House of Representatives
Member, Tea Party Caucus
Former Member, Ways and Means Committee, United States House of Representatives
Favorite Book:
political, history or anything by John Grisham
Favorite Musician:
all kinds, but James Taylor is my favorite
Favorite Quote:
"The harder I work, the luckier I get."
"There is no such word as can't."
Favorite TV Shows:
Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond
1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
1. Do you support mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
1. Do you generally support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No
1. Do you support building the Keystone XL pipeline?
- Yes
2. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes
Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No
Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes
Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Yes
Do you support same-sex marriage?
- No
Do you support increased American intervention in Iraq and Syria beyond air support?
- Unknown Position
Do you support allowing individuals to divert a portion of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts?
- No
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
5. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- X
6. Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- X
7. Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain a certain distance from doorways and driveways.
- X
8. Prohibit public funding for abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- X
9. Prohibit abortion clinics from profiting from the sale of fetal tissue.
- X
10. Other
- No Answer
1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding
2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase Funding
3. Environment
- Maintain Funding Status
4. Health care
- Maintain Funding Status
5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase Funding
6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Maintain Funding Status
7. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status
8. Other
- No Answer
9. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Decrease
11. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
12. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Decrease
13. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
14. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease
15. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease
16. Inheritance taxes
- Maintain Status
17. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease
18. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status
19. Vehicle taxes
- Greatly Decrease
20. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes
21. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
- No
22. Would you support returning any operating surplus to Kansas taxpayers?
- Yes
23. Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
- Undecided
24. Do you support allocating a portion of the tobacco settlement to fund annual budget shortfalls?
- No
25. Do you support allocating a portion of the tobacco settlement to create a school preparatory program for young children?
- Undecided
26. Do you support expanding the motor fuel tax to include gas and diesel fuel sold on Kansas Indian reservations?
- Yes
1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- X
2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- X
3. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X
4. Support the use of the death penalty in Kansas.
- X
5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer
6. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X
7. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
8. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
9. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- No Answer
10. Support .08 blood alcohol content limit defining drunk driving.
- X
11. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- X
12. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- No Answer
13. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- No Answer
14. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X
15. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X
16. Support reducing the number of prisoners in overcrowded state prisons by granting early release to non-violent offenders.
- No Answer
17. Allow law enforcement officers to stop automobile drivers for not wearing seat belts.
- No Answer
18. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- X
2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- X
3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer
4. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X
5. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X
6. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- No Answer
7. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer
8. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- No Answer
9. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer
10. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X
11. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- No Answer
12. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer
13. Increase state university tuition to fund financial aid programs.
- No Answer
14. Provide state funds to offer all-day kindergarten.
- No Answer
15. Other
- No Answer
16. Do you support requiring that evolution be taught in Kansas public school science classes?
- No Answer
1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- No Answer
2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- X
4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
5. Increase the state minimum wage.
- No Answer
6. Provide tax credits to individuals investing in small businesses unable to obtain conventional loans.
- No Answer
7. Other
- No Answer
8. College and university admissions
- No
9. Public employment
- No
10. State contracting
- No
1. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X
2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X
3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- X
4. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- X
5. Support funding for recycling programs in Kansas.
- No Answer
6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- X
7. Suspend participation in un-funded, federally-mandated environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer
8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power companies.
- No Answer
9. Prohibit grazing of agricultural animals within Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
- No Answer
10. Require that privately owned lakes and rivers meet EPA Clean Water standards.
- No Answer
11. Other
- No Answer
12. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- No
1. Do you support the current limit on terms for Kansas Governors?
- No
2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Kansas State Senators and Representatives?
- No
3. Individual
- Yes
4. PAC
- Yes
5. Corporate
- Yes
6. Political Parties
- No
7. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
8. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes
9. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No
10. Do you support voting on-line?
- No
11. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- Undecided
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- X
2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer
6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer
7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- X
8. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer
9. Allow retired law enforcement officers with more than twenty years of service to carry concealed guns without a license.
- No Answer
10. Require motorists to lock up handguns within the vehicle while driving on streets.
- No Answer
11. Require guns seized by the state to be destroyed instead of re-sold.
- No Answer
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X
2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- X
3. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer
4. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- X
5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
6. Support a patient's right to sue his or her HMO.
- X
7. Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X
8. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- X
9. Allow parents to leave unwanted newborn infants at Kansas hospitals, fire stations, and health departments without facing criminal charges.
- X
10. Provide tax incentives to blood and organ donors.
- No Answer
11. Require health insurance to cover mental health treatment as they do other health issues.
- X
12. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X
2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X
3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- X
4. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X
5. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- No Answer
6. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- No Answer
7. Require single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes built or renovated with public money to be "handicap-accessible."
- No Answer
8. Allow adult care facilities access to job applicants' non-conviction and juvenile records.
- No Answer
9. Other
- No Answer
10. Should physician-assisted suicide be legally available in Kansas?
- No
11. Should Kansas include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes
12. Should Kansas recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No
13. Should Kansas restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- Yes
1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X
2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- X
3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X
4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- No Answer
5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer
6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer
7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer
8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer
9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer
10. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer
11. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- No Answer
12. Other
- No Answer
Latest Action: House - 12/17/2018 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Tracker:Latest Action: Senate - 12/20/2018 Received in the Senate.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 10/22/2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
Tracker:By Lynn Jenkins Thanks to the Internal Revenue Service, many dread the month of April. In fact, if given the option between (a) dealing with the IRS or (b) undergoing a root canal, most would probably go to the dentist. That's because the IRS is anything but user-friendly. Trust me, as a certified public accountant, I've heard all the horror stories and have helped taxpayers through a good number myself. At a time when most Americans are able to spend entire days working with just their iPhones, the IRS still relies on fax machines for many official communications. This means tax-preparers spend countless hours sending faxes to the IRS. Imagine the racket in that building. According to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the agency has two of the oldest legacy information technology (IT) systems in the federal government, which given the broader state of our government's IT infrastructure, is quite an achievement. The IRS still has 1960s systems from the Kennedy Administration used to administer our nation's tax code, one of the most critical functions in government. Last December, Republicans passed historic tax reform legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law. With a reformed tax code, it's now time to fix the tax collection agency.Our committee's bipartisan plan, released Monday, looks to fix critical areas of the agency and refocus its mission toward helping taxpayers. The legislation will overhaul the IRS for the first time since 1998 and improve IRS customer service by replacing outdated IT systems. It will also upgrade the IRS's cybersecurity and identity theft protection abilities -- both of which are badly needed. The goal for the IRS is to provide first class service to American taxpayers, rather than the dysfunctional service too many have come to expect. Through this legislation, taxpayers will be able to easily access their information, day or night, readily have their questions answered and quickly resolve issues. The IRS should educate and provide guidance to taxpayers on what is required to comply with the tax code -- making the process of paying taxes as painless as possible. Our plan will also protect low-income taxpayers by extending the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grant Program (VITA), which will provide tax preparation assistance to low-income taxpayers and those in underserved populations. The IRS must work for, not against, the taxpayer. That is why our IRS plan also establishes an independent office of appeals to ensure that taxpayers pay exactly what they owe and receive a fair and impartial review of disputes they may have with the IRS. It provides many important clarifications regarding IRS enforcement powers. This includes reining in civil asset forfeiture authority and also creating new safeguards for taxpayers' private information. It is important to remember that the IRS does not wield ultimate authority in America -- taxpayers do.As we work toward the first revamp of the IRS in 20 years, these reforms must be built upon IT systems that are modern and up-to-date (sorry, fax machine repairmen). The bill also ensures that the IRS is held accountable if modernization efforts fall short by stipulating that funds spent must produce measurable results. Americans must be able to trust that their private information is secure. Although the number of reported identity thefts has recently dropped, the IRS still received a startling 242,000 reports of theft from taxpayers in 2017. It is essential for the IRS to have the capacity to remain ahead of evolving threats posed by bad actors and to be able to proactively combat identity theft refund fraud. Most importantly, the IRS must be able to readily assist taxpayers when they are victims of fraud.We are thinking boldly about the IRS's future -- in order to return the IRS to its service-first mission. Whether it is online, in-person or by phone, taxpayers deserve a tax collection agency that is focused on them.
By Lynn Jenkins Fixing our broken tax code is a foundational step to building a healthy economy, creating more jobs and ensuring more take home pay for hardworking Americans. To that end, Congressional Republicans are working to reform our tax code -- which today includes more than 70,000 pages of laws and regulations -- to make it fairer and simpler. We recently released our tax reform framework, which will be an outline for Congress in the months ahead and can be viewed here. As a member of the Kansas House Delegation and the Ways and Means Committee, I am often asked to explain the differences between Kansas' tax reform and Washington's tax reform. Before I begin to dispel the myths, I would ask that you read the eight page framework -- simply glancing over it will not work. As for the myths, folks like to hastily equate our tax reform effort to the 2012 Kansas tax cut package. I've seen several headlines with variations of this exact statement. This is either lazy analysis, or analysis based on assumptions that lack substance. The only real similarity is that they are both called "tax reform." It's no secret that Kansas made a few mistakes with their tax reform plan. For instance, they zeroed out the tax rate for pass-through businesses, which is the tax status used for most small businesses, and failed to erect any guardrails to discourage tax avoidance. This created a loophole that allowed some existing businesses and wealthy individuals to avoid paying income taxes altogether by simply reclassifying as a pass-through and thus create a new "business" without adding any employees. As for our federal tax framework, Congress wants to lower rates for ALL taxpayers: individual, corporate, and pass-through. As the top corporate rate drops from 35% to 20%, the pass-through rate drops similarly from 39.6% to 25%. Kansas went to a zero rate, not 25%. Let me say this again: we are not zeroing out the pass-through rate as Kansas did. This means that instead of paying one of the highest tax rates of any first-world country, American businesses, both small and large will be firmly in line with our other global competitors. Further, the pass-through rate and the corporate rate will remain relatively similar to each other, incentive for businesses to reclassify for tax avoidance purposes. Instead, business owners can just focus on creating jobs. Also, much has been made of individuals in Kansas who set up pass-through businesses in order to avoid paying tax on their personal wage income. Congress is well aware of this loophole and has worked hard at crafting safeguards to ensure that the federal pass through rate is not exploited in similar ways. That is why we specifically included this statement in our eight page framework that committees will, "adopt measures to prevent the recharacterization of personal income into business income to prevent wealthy individuals from avoiding the top personal tax rate." Finally, in addition to lowering rates, the federal tax reform plan calls for broadening the base. This is shorthand for closing tax loopholes. When tax loopholes are closed, more business and personal income is subject to taxation, so we are able to raise the similar revenue at lower tax rates. This allows us to cut tax rate for individuals and businesses without blowing a hole in the budget, since revenue neutral reform is our goal. As a CPA, I am fully aware of how confusing and complex taxes can be. Unfortunately, that's why Americans waste so much time and money filing their taxes and exactly why we are working to make our tax code fairer and simpler -- so that you can do your taxes on a postcard. In the coming weeks, as Congress continues to reform our broken tax code, I encourage everyone to read our framework -- in its entirety -- to better understand our policies and agenda. Simply stating that Washington's tax reform is the exact same thing as Kansas' tax reform is incorrect, and you deserve better.
