Longtime Kansas lobbyist Bill Sneed passed away on Wednesday. He was 67.
Sneed’s death was confirmed by Riley Scott, who shared office space with Sneed along with lobbyist George Stafford.
Scott said the family plans to announce details about funeral arrangements and services for Sneed on Friday.
Sneed’s stable of clients included Delta Dental, Anthem, State Farm, H&R Block, State Farm Insurance and Kansas Speedway.
He had been involved in the effort to develop the NASCAR race track and neighboring development in Kansas City, Kansas.
He also played a role in efforts to draft and pass legislation that modified timelines and procedures for filing accident and health policies in Kansas.
And he also successfully defeated a legislative proposal banning state adoption of national Common Core standards.
“This was a genuine success considering the extremely conservative nature of the state legislature at the time,” Sneed posted on his website.
After graduating from law school at Washburn University in 1980, Sneed moved through the ranks at the Kansas Department of Insurance to become chief counsel.
He also had served as general counsel to the Kansas Turnpike Authority.
A 1977 graduate of Washburn with a bachelor’s degree, Sneed also had been been a member of the university’s Board Regents and also served on the board of the Auburn-Washburn Unified School District.
He also had been president and a member of the board for the Topeka Performing Arts Center.