The first state commission to promote industrial development was formed in 1939. In 1986, this commission was reorganized into the Kansas Department of Commerce, and in 1992 it became the Department of Commerce and Housing. The department now consists of five divisions: Small Business Development, Community Development, Travel, Tourism, and Film Services, Business Development, and Trade Development. In 2000, the KDOC&H recommended investments in the fields of: aviation, plastics, value-added agriculture, call centers, administrative service centers, and wholesale, packaging, and distribution. Events sponsored by KDOC&H in 2003 included training in downtown revitalization, conferences on finding new markets though international trade and, for leaders, facilitating international business, and workshops on applying for Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs).
Kansas has a duty-free foreign trade zone and provides tax-exempt bonds to help finance business and industry. Specific tax incentives include job expansion and investment tax credits; tax exemptions or moratoriums on land, capital improvements, and specific machinery; and certain corporate income tax exemptions.