Kevin Yoder is a fifth-generation Kansan who grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Yoder, Kansas. He attended public school in Hutchinson, Kansas before attending college. Kevin received his degrees in Political Science and English from the University of Kansas, graduating in 1999 with Honors.

While at KU, he was active in campus leadership serving as KU Student Body President. He also served as president of both the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law society and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was a member of the Order of Omega and Pi Sigma Alpha honor societies. Kevin also served as President of the Kansas Union Memorial Corporation Board of Directors and as member of the KU Athletics Corporation Board of Directors.

Upon graduation, Kevin entered the University of Kansas School of Law in the fall of 1999. While at KU Law, he served an unprecedented two years as the Student Bar Association President and was also a member of the Board of Governors and the Honor Code Committee. Upon graduation, he received the “Class of 1949 Award” recognizing service and leadership. He received his Juris Doctor in the spring of 2002.

Kevin is a Kansas State Representative, serving the people of the 20th District, which includes Overland Park and Leawood. Currently in his fourth term, Kevin serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee where he is responsible for allocating over $13 Billion in state revenue to public schools, universities, law enforcement, prisons, social services and highways.

As Chairman of the powerful 23-member House Appropriations Committee, Kevin has received recognition for leading the state through one of the greatest fiscal challenges in modern history. He is now serving his eighth year on the Judiciary Committee. He has previously served for two years as Chairman of the House General Government Budget Committee.

Kevin is a noted leader in fiscal responsibility, cutting more spending than any other Appropriations Chair in Kansas history. He was the lead sponsor of a bill to place a debt ceiling on Kansas borrowing, which passed the House with an overwhelming majority. He has successfully advocated for public education local spending authority, increasing local control for Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley School Districts by over 44%. He is a champion for the disabled, pushing for support of lower cost and more beneficial home-based care. He was a supporter of Kelsey’s law to crack down on child sexual abuse.

In 2009, Kevin was given the “Intergovernmental Leadership Award” by the Kansas League of Municipalities for his leadership in resolving the state’s fiscal crisis. He currently has a 100% voting record with the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and has a “pro-jobs” rating with the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

In 2008, he was endorsed for re-election to the Kansas House by the Kansas Association of School Boards E-PAC, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Kansans for Life and received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. In 2003, he was recognized by the Kansas Disability Caucus with an award for “courageous leadership to address the need to fund programs for people with disabilities.”

Kevin is active in several community organizations including the Overland Park Chamber, the Kansas City Kansas Chamber’s Congressional Forum, the Overland Park Rotary Club and the Johnson County Bar Association. Kevin has been elected twice to the Johnson County Bar Association Board of Directors and is currently an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas City University of Kansas Alumni Association.

Kevin lives in Overland Park with his wife, Brooke. In the greater metro area he is also blessed with his two sisters and three nieces and one nephew. His mother and father both continue to reside in Hutchinson along with his 98 year-old grandmother. Kevin is currently an attorney at one of the oldest law firms in Johnson County, representing a variety of clients in business, banking and real estate.