{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"House\", state = \"MO\" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398665", "Looking Ahead to 2016", "2015-12-31", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "With 2015 officially in the books, we can now look ahead to 2016 and build on what the House was able to accomplish last year. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      With 2015 officially in the books, we can now look ahead to 2016 and build on what the House was able to accomplish last year. \r\nI am ready to get the ball rolling early. In the coming weeks, the House is expected to vote on my legislation, the Providing Accountability through Transparency Act. This legislation would require each government agency, in providing notice of a rule making, to include a link to a 100-word plain language summary of the proposed rule. Government agencies create long-winded rules each and every day and this bill requires a short summary and ensures the agency will provide a web link at regulations.gov to make the proposed rule accessible to all Americans. Of course, Ill keep fighting against the onerous new rules and regulations being issued by the Obama Administration, but it is very important that the American people have the opportunity to read, in plain language, what is being proposed.\r\nAlso this year, I will continue oversight of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, maintain a leading role in the debate over Missouri River management, and support legislation that helps our nations veterans.\r\nIn addition, it is my hope the House will start working on tax reform in 2016. Families and small businesses deserve a tax code that is simple and fair and it is long overdue for the House to start the process of overhauling the more than four million words that are in todays tax code.\r\nIn 2015, the House passed major bills addressing education, transportation, tax relief, and lifting the ban on crude oil. The House will continue to build on its plan to keep our nation secure and a plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more competitive.\r\nAs we enter 2016, please remember that my offices located in Jefferson City, Wentzville, Washington, Mo., and Washington, D.C. are here to listen to your concerns and suggestions. I serve as your liaison to the federal government, but I cannot do this job alone. Hearing your ideas, so that I can put them into action, is critical to me. By working together, we can build upon our common goal to ensure 2016 is a year of prosperity and progress for all hard-working Americans.\r\nI remain committed to battling the regulations that come down from the Administration and I will continue to fight for the priorities of Americans. Now it is time to get back to work and continue to build off of the last year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-jason-smith-organizes-open-town-hall-meeting-at-clara", "Congressman Jason Smith organizes open Town Hall Meeting at Clara Drinkwater Library to discuss Mississippi River Levels and surrounding Levees", "2015-12-30", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Cape Girardeau, MO On Thursday, December 31, 2015 at 4pm, Congressman Jason Smith invites residents and media to speak directly with the Army Corps on the recent record rainfall and current levels on the Mississippi River. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Army Corps and others to give a status update on current river levels, projected levels, and what the plan is for each levee. After the update, residents and the media will have a chance to ask questions.\nWHO:    U.S. Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08)\nMajor General Wehr, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division\nColonel Anderson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division\nSam E. Angel, Mississippi River Valley Commission\n         The Honorable Norma Jean Mattei, Mississippi River Valley Commission\nWHAT:Status update and discussion on recent record rainfall and Levee integrity\nWHERE:Clara Drinkwater Library, 105 E Marshall St, Charleston, MO\nWHEN:  Thursday, December 31, 4pm\n***Members of the media are invited to the meeting***", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398666", "Luetkemeyer Ranked Among Most Effective Lawmakers in House of Representatives", "2015-12-30", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Luetkemeyer Ranked Among Most Effective Lawmakers in House of Representatives  \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 30, 2015\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        In a recent study performed by the Legislative Effectiveness Project (LEP), U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) was ranked Missouris most effective lawmaker. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      In a recent study performed by the Legislative Effectiveness Project (LEP), U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) was ranked Missouris most effective lawmaker. \r\nThe Legislative Effectiveness Project is run by professors at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University and measures how successful a given representative is at getting things done. The average Legislative Effectiveness Score for any given member in the 113th Congress was 1.0. Luetkemeyer received a 2.344. In addition, Luetkemeyer was ranked 45th out of the 240 Republicans in the House of Representatives. The list can be found here.\r\nAs a Member of Congress, one of the most important parts of the job is to listen to your constituents and take what they have told you back to Washington to put their concerns and ideas into action. Thats what the legislation that I introduce each year is all about. I am very pleased to be recognized as an effective lawmaker but it does not happen alone. It takes collaboration with and support from my colleagues, along with assistance from my staff, for bills to pass through committees, the House, the Senate, and be enacted into law.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398664", "Luetkemeyer Offers Resources for Mo. Residents Due to Widespread Flooding", "2015-12-29", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following release in response to the high level of rainfall that has occurred over the last few days in areas of the 3rd District. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following release in response to the high level of rainfall that has occurred over the last few days in areas of the 3rd District. \r\nWith Missouri under a state of emergency due to the heavy rain and flooding throughout much of the state, I wanted to ensure that individuals have the access to information they may need. I have listed website links to various agencies or departments so individuals can find any necessary information they are looking for in dealing with the aftermath of the heavy rainfall. There are now clearer days in the forecast but roads are still flooded over so please stay safe on the roads over the next few days.\r\nResources\r\nGeneral Flood Readiness Information: http://www.ready.gov/floods\r\nRoad Closures from MoDot: http://traveler.modot.org/map/\r\nMissouri State Emergency Management: http://sema.dps.mo.gov/plan_and_prepare/flooding.php\r\nSt. Louis Corps of Army Engineers (Mississippi River): http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/\r\nNational Weather Service (Missouri Basin River Forecast Center): http://www.weather.gov/mbrfc/", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/most-have-a-positive-outlook-on-st-josephs-business-climate", "Most have a positive outlook on St. Joseph's business climate", "2015-12-29", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Most have a positive outlook on St. Joseph's business climate \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Tuesday, December 29, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Alan Van Zandt\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            As the year 2015 comes to an end, it's time to look back at the last 12 months at some of the stories that affected us most.\r\nThe KQ2 news staff have compiled a list of the five biggest stories of the year.\r\nHere's Number 4 on our list: An Optimistic Local Business Economic Outlook\r\nIt's a scene repeated dozens of times this past year: a ribbon cutting sponsored by the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce as another business puts its support behind the local economy.\r\n\"We're really looking forward to this opportunity. It seems to be a really good fit for Daily's Premium Meats,\" said David Eaheart earlier this year, as his company began groundbreaking on its new facility in south St. Joseph.\r\nIn 2015, St. Joseph was named as the 4th strongest farming and agribusiness region in the country. That level was reached in part thanks to companies like Boeringer-Ingleheim, which in the past year announced a major facility upgrade and expansion in the city.\r\nThat drew the attention of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, who recently toured the site.\r\n\"They have chosen St. Joe area for this major facility and expansion. I'm here to learn about the challenges they face in the global economy,\" she said.\r\nWith a stronger climate for business, it also helped out retail. The long dormant Tuscany Village project got back off the ground with the promise of more shops for the area.\r\n\"I couldn't believe it when they brought up that it was 2005 when Tuscuny Village first approached the city,\" said City Council Member Donna Jean Boyer after a city council meeting where project developers got the go-ahead to re-start their project.\r\nEast Hills Mall, under new ownership, showed increased sales as it celebrated it's 50th anniversary.\r\n\"To see over the years the growth and development to go along with the changing needs of the community has been amazing,\" said owner Erica Feingold.\r\nEven downtown St. Joseph showed signs of coming to life. A plan years in the making to shape downtown as an arts and entertainment district started to take shape, with visible signs of activity.\r\nSOT: Teresa Fankhauser, Allied Arts Association: \"We wanted to add to the renaissance that is happening in downtown with so many shops and businesses coming in,\" said Teresa Fankauser, executive director of the Allied Arts Association. \"We wanted to be a part of that and help with bringing new people into the area.\"\r\nDowntown revitalization efforts were further boosted when Mosaic Life Care also announced a $20 million plan to renovate the German-American building downtown and eventually move 200 employees to that location.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-statement-on-missouri-flooding-december-2015", "McCaskill Statement on Missouri Flooding", "2015-12-29", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Statement on Missouri Flooding \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 29, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement on the historic flooding affecting Missouri:\r\nI'm praying for the safety of all Missourians, and those in affected communities should please pay close attention to guidance from local officials and first responders. I stand ready to assist with any request for federal disaster resources to help get our families and businesses quickly back on their feet.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/this-parent-trap-involves-71-billion-of-federal-education-debt", "This parent trap involves $71 billion of federal education debt", "2015-12-28", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The U.S. government is sitting on a growing pile of debt backed by little more than parental love.\r\nThat's because parents can borrow tens of thousands of dollars a year for their kids' college education without showing they can pay it back. About 3 million parents have $71 billion in loans, contributing to more than $1.2 trillion in federal education debt. As of May 2014, half of the balance was in deferment, racking up interest at annual rates as high as 7.9 percent.\r\n\"It's deeply problematic that the federal government is making relatively high-interest loans without thinking about, much less checking, whether the people they're lending to will be crippled by this debt,\" said Toby Merrill, a Harvard Law School lecturer who has counseled defaulted parents through the school's Project on Predatory Student Lending. \"We're impoverishing the less-privileged population who are aging. That's a terrible policy.\"\r\nThe U.S. Education Department, which administers the parent PLUS loan program, doesn't regularly provide performance data, even though taxpayers will have to foot the bill for any unpaid debt. The last time the agency released default rates for parent loans, in 2014 for the group that deferred payment until their kids left school and began repaying in 2010, the rate was 5.1 percent, up from 1.8 percent four years earlier. It has projected that loans originated in 2014 will default over their lifetime at a rate of 10.2 percent.\r\nIn August and October, the department deniedFreedom of Information Actrequests by Bloomberg News seeking parent default and deferment numbers by college, saying it \"has yet to complete its analysis\" by institution. The agency provides default data annually, broken out by school, for most student borrowers. Those rates help determine which schools can continue to access the loan program.\r\n\"We can't fix problems in the student-loan programs if researchers, policymakers and consumers don't have access to the information they need,\" Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in an emailed response to questions.\r\nSen.Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, plans to look at ways to improve the disclosure of loan information in forthcoming legislation, according to a spokeswoman.\r\nDenise Horn, an Education Department spokeswoman, said the government is committed to keeping college accessible and affordable, while helping families make informed choices about borrowing, including parent loans.\r\n\"As part of those efforts, the department offers loan counseling to all PLUS loan applicants to empower parents with additional details on their loans,\" Horn said in an email. \"We believe this is an important component to ensuring borrowers are aware of and understand their repayment obligations.\"\r\nMaria Correa, a 63-year-old secretary and breast-cancer survivor, is one of those parents being crushed by debt. Correa, who moved to Chicago from Manila in 1982, began borrowing from the government in 2009 to help send her daughter toDePaul University, a private college in Chicago. She took out $120,000 in parent PLUS loans over four years, in addition to the $27,000 her daughter borrowed from the government.\r\nParents like Correa can borrow the entire cost of a child's college education -- in some cases more than $50,000 a year -- without having to provide income data. The government requires only that they don't have \"adverse credit\" for two years, a duration reduced from five years by the Education Department last year. Applicants can have loan balances of $2,100 that are delinquent 90 days or more, are in collection or charged off and still qualify for a PLUS loan.\r\n\"It was so easy to get the loan,\" Correa said over lunch at a Macy's store in downtown Chicago, near the office where she has worked for the past 27 years. \"I tried my best to help out with my daughter's needs.\"\r\nCorrea's family budget \"spiraled down,\" she said, after her husband, Marc, now 68, suffered a stroke in 2010 that left him paralyzed on his right side and permanently disabled. He previously was employed by a restaurant group at Chicago's O'Hare Airport repairing equipment. Now his Social Security checks mostly go to pay for medication, Correa said.\r\nCorrea deferred repayment while her daughter was in college, as a law passed by Congress in 2008 allowed her to do. Now she's in the second year of a maximum three-year hardship deferment. Meanwhile interest has been accruing on her 7.9 percent loans, swelling her debt to almost $170,000.\r\n\"Every day it's on my mind,\" said Correa, who lost her house in 2012 because she couldn't afford the monthly mortgage payments of more than $2,000. \"How am I going to pay it?\"\r\nCorrea, who moved with her husband to their daughter's home in Bolingbrook, a Chicago suburb, said she plans to use the third year of her hardship deferral and then enter a 25-year repayment plan that will lower her monthly bill to about $1,500 based on her current balance, instead of $2,000. If she makes every payment, she would be at least 90 when the debt is paid off.\r\n\"I don't know if I will default,\" said Correa. \"I don't know when I'll retire.\"\r\nCorrea's daughter, who requested that her first name not be used, majored in journalism and public relations at DePaul, graduating in 2013. She works for a nonprofit organization in Chicago and said she pays about $400 a month on her loan.\r\nDePaul, the largest Catholic university in the United States, cautions parents and students to borrow only what is prudent, Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president of enrollment and marketing, said in an email.\r\n\"We cannot control how much a parent borrows on a PLUS loan for an undergraduate,\" he said.\r\nParents can borrow to cover tuition, room, board and books, minus grants or loans the student receives. PLUS loans also carry an origination fee of 4.3 percent. The current interest rate is 6.8 percent, and it was almost 8 percent from July 2006 to June 2013.\r\n\"When money comes from the government, a trusted source, parents do have good reason to borrow,\" said Merrill, the Harvard lecturer. \"But the problem is their income is not going to change based on their kids' education.\"\r\nParents aren't eligible for most programs that offer reduced payments for struggling student borrowers based on income.\r\n\r\nFor older borrowers like Correa, the burden can be onerous. About 17 percent of parent loans held by borrowers 65 to 74 were in default in 2013, according to Education Department data provided for a 2014 Government Accountability Office report.\r\nOlder borrowers who default on education debt can have Social Security payments garnished. The practice is of such concern to Sens. Warren andClaire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, that they asked the GAO in April to study the impact.\r\nCongress doesn't require data on parent loans to be reported annually by school, the same way it is for student borrowers. While the Obama administration has pushed for transparency by publishing data about cumulative loans and repayment rates for student borrowers, it doesn't apply to parents. The Education Department, which said last year it would release performance measures for parent PLUS loans \"where appropriate,\" hasn't made such information available.\r\n\"It's dangerous that the program is opaque about its likely future losses,\" said Deborah Lucas, a former chief economist for theCongressional Budget Officeand now a professor of finance at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. \"That's a situation that really needs to change given the magnitude of the potential losses in this program.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=cf8021b5-1538-40ea-ba15-80bae616757a", "Senator Blunt Comments on Passing of Missouri Senator Emory Melton", "2015-12-26", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.)released the following statement today on the passing of former Missouri State Senator Emory Melton. Senator Melton was a lifelong resident of Barry County, Missouri and served in the Missouri Senate from 1972 until 1996.\r\n\"Senator Melton faithfully served Missouri in the statehouse for over 20 years and he is someone most everyone admired, including me. Emory's advice was valued, his friendship could be counted on, and his example was always good.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/river-letter-just-the-facts-", "River letter: Just the facts", "2015-12-26", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "River letter: Just the facts  \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Saturday, December 26, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Someone in the federal bureaucracy may take offense, but our regional congressional delegation simply spoke the truth in a letter delivered in recent days to an assistant secretary of the U.S. Army.\r\nTwenty lawmakers  including Northwest Missouri Rep. Sam Graves and Missouri Sens. Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill  took the occasion to remind Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy that her oversight of civil works must extend to protecting all Missouri River stakeholders, not just two species of birds.\r\nThe officials were restrained in their language but direct in stating the threat they see from a new initiative of the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designed to restore the habitats of the least tern and the piping plover.\r\nIt has come to our attention that the Corps and FWS have presented a list of proposed alternative recovery actions  (that) call for significant changes to the operation of the mainstem reservoir system (of the Missouri River) including alterations to the spring pulse, addition of a fall pulse, and addition of a low summer flow.\r\nThese actions could threaten water supply for municipal use and agricultural irrigation, create difficulties for controlling flood risks, eliminate the navigation season, and reduce recreational opportunities.\r\nIn short, revising the Master Manual (which governs management of the river) to adhere exclusively to a single purpose would be to the detriment of the other authorized purposes.\r\nThe representatives and senators speak with a voice of reason when they note the interest to explore alternatives to current strategies for boosting populations of the two bird species. But they add that such an agenda should be guided by the best available science, should seek to minimize risk to stakeholders, and should be constrained by the guidelines set out in the current Master Manual.\r\nThat document, by the way, last was subject to a full-scale revision following what the lawmakers said was a 17-year process that cost $30 million. Then, in 2006, it was revised to balance the eight congressionally authorized purposes for management of the river and in line with Fish and Wildlifes scientific findings about river wildlife.\r\nWe concur with our representatives in Washington that the Corps and FWS should be governed by existing polices and not be allowed to pursue a disruptive single-issue agenda that almost certainly would have negative impacts on downstream landowners, businesses and communities.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/weekly-capitol-report/capitol-report-protecting-farm-family", "Capitol Report: Protecting Farm & Family", "2015-12-24", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Jason Smith Capitol Report:Protecting Farm & Family\nThis past week Congress completed its legislative work for the calendar year. While much of what was jammed through Congress in the 11thhour represented more of the same in Washington; there was one piece of legislation which will provide large scale tax relief to American families, farmers and business owners, which I was proud to support, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act.\nAs a Member of the Ways & Means Committee, the Committee with jurisdiction over all federal taxation issues, I helped author one provision in particular  making permanentsection 179 expensing levels. Section 179 of the U.S. Tax Code allows small businesses, farmers, and small manufacturers to immediately expense the purchase of certain equipment. Had we not taken action, come January 1st, the tax rate on that equipment would have increased by almost 2000%!\nSince 2003, section 179 expensing levels have been extended on a temporary, uncertain, ad-hoc basis on ten different occasions  usually for one or two years at best. That type of tax code policy does nothing to allow farmers and business owners to plan for the future. Without certainty on what their tax rates, folks cant manage their farm or business properly nor know how much they will have to expand, invest and grow their operation. The more certainty congress can provide about long term tax rates, the more farmers and businesses can help our economy and create new jobs.\nThis is a major step to give farmers more peace of mind for the long term while also providing for a major reduction in taxes. Without this action, taxes would have gone up on the very farmers that keep our rural economy moving. Making this provision permanent finally ends the charade of temporary extensions and patches of U.S. tax code policy. Working on and advancing major wins like this for the farmers of Missouri was the exact reason I fought to get on the Ways & Means Committee. We are finally allowing farmers, manufactures and small business owners to plan financially for the long term so they can help grow their farm or business here in America.\nAdditionally, permanently extending section 179 helps provide the framework and path forward for large scale U.S. tax code overhaul in 2016 and 2017. As a Member of the House Ways & Means Committee, I have been focused on reducing the complex and cumbersome tax code facing families and employers. Simply put, we need to replace our current 75,000 page tax code with a simpler, fairer and flatter system, one which helps rural families and farmers, while getting the IRS out of their lives.\nWe should be looking for ways to help our farmers and families, not make running a farm or family more difficult. By providing this permanent tax relief we finally took a step in that direction. There is no better way to grow our economy than establishing a less burdensome and less costly tax code, which allows you to keep more of your hard earned money. As your voice in Washington I will continue to advocate for needed relief from unnecessary regulations, out of control spending, and a punitive tax code.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398663", "Blaine's Bulletin: Looking Back on 2015", "2015-12-24", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Looking back on 2015, I am reminded what an honor it is to serve as your voice in Congress. This year has proved to be another year of battles between Congress and the Administration but it has also been one in which several issues facing the 3rd District were tackled and I am proud of what has been accomplished. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Looking back on 2015, I am reminded what an honor it is to serve as your voice in Congress. This year has proved to be another year of battles between Congress and the Administration but it has also been one in which several issues facing the 3rd District were tackled and I am proud of what has been accomplished. \r\nThis year, Congress passed and the president signed into law, the first long-term transportation legislation in a decade. This fully-funded legislation will help sustain and improve our nations highways, bridges, and railroads. In addition, Congress passed and the president signed into law, legislation that repeals No Child Left Behind. What this means is that Common Core will be kept out of schools, it will reduce the federal role in K-12 education, and it will restore local control and empower parents. The Wall Street Journal wrote this legislation is a bipartisan compromise from the House and Senate represents the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter century.\r\nOn a more personal note, I was honored to assist in the naming of the Cedar Hill Post Office after one of our 3rd Districts very own heroes. In June, the president signed into law legislation to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service in Cedar Hill as the Sergeant First Class William B. Woods, Jr. Post Office. It was very moving at the dedication ceremony to be alongside Sergeant Woods friends and family. Another humbling moment for me was having the honor to go to the White House with former Labadie resident, Elsie Shemin Roth, to receive the Medal of Honor on behalf of her father. The official awards ceremony was a culmination of years of work and it was an honor to hear Elsie tell her story of how she worked so long to receive this honor for her fathers courageous and selfless acts of valor during World War I.\r\nAt the beginning of the year, I was named the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance on the House Financial Services Committee. And with that committee assignment, I knew I wanted to draft legislation that would bring reform and change to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). My comprehensive bill, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, lays the groundwork to institute reforms to the programs and processes at HUD. This legislation not only saves taxpayers dollars but it streamlines regulatory burdens and overhauls inefficient policies and regulations. My legislation has passed in the House Financial Services Committee and it is my hope it will be on the House floor early next year.\r\nThese examples only scratched at the surface of what took place in 2015. I look forward to getting back to work in 2016 so the House can continue to pass legislation that is important to Americans across the country.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-urges-fcc-chair-to-help-close-rural-digital-divide", "Congressman Cleaver Urges FCC Chair to Help Close Rural Digital Divide and Prioritize Broadband Access for Rural Residents", "2015-12-21", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, Congressman Cleaver sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, urging him to structure the upcoming Connect America Fund Phase II reverse auction for broadband access so that funding is made available on a priority basis for fiber to the home networks.Approximately $400 million infunding for broadband in the State of Missouri will be awarded to broadband providers in a reverse auction that is expected to take place in 2016.\r\n\r\nThere is a rural digital divide in our country and the gap should not be narrowed with satellite or unlicensed fixed-wireless networks, said Congressman Cleaver. This is a once in a decade opportunity for Missouri to bring ultra-fast fiber to rural residents, especially in areas where large private companies have declined their right of first refusal to accept model-based support. Satellite or fixed-wireless access will not meet the needs of our rural residents, either now or in the future.\r\n\r\nBroadband services that are available in rural areas are not reasonably comparable to those offered in urban areas. Roughly 10% of the rural population in the country has wireline upload speeds of 10 Mbps or greater, as compared with 53% in the urban areas. Many of Missouris Electric Cooperatives are ready to fill this digital divide with future-proof fiber optic networks that will increase rural download speeds so businesses can thrive and compete.\r\n\r\nFive Missouri Electric Cooperatives are actively deploying fiber to the home (FTTH) networks today, proving this is possible in rural areas. More cooperatives are expressing interest in deploying broadband, and accessing the CAF auction funds. Missouri Electric Cooperatives together own over 15,000 miles of fiber optic networks and have the technical and financial qualifications to bring broadband to all rural areas in Missouri. Giving Missouri a chance to lead the country with FTTH networks will ensure the viability of communities through education, access to government services, job opportunities, and business attraction.\r\n\r\nRural Missouris future economic growth potential depends on this auction being structured correctly.The FCC has a chance to be forward thinking and help to bridge the digital divide in rural areas of Missouri with fiber optic networks. Missouris rural fiber networks will be the example for how the rest of the country can narrow the digital divide fairly.\r\n\r\nFull text of the Congressmans letter is available here.\r\n\r\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere.\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact John Jones  john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-secures-225-million-for-body-cameras-in-omnibus", "Congressman Cleaver Secures $22.5 Million for Body Cameras in Omnibus", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Cleaver is pleased to announce that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, more commonly referred to as the omnibus spending bill, includes $22.5 million for police body cameras. In January, Congressman Cleaver wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to promote funding for body cameras as a result of the continual unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and alleged police misconduct across the country. Full text of that letter is available here.\r\n\r\nThis inclusion of funding comes on the heels of H. Res. 295, passed by the House in June, of which Congressman Cleaver was an original cosponsor. H. Res. 295 expresses the sense of Congress in support of local law enforcement agencies and their continued work to serve our communities, specifically supporting their use of body worn cameras. These body cameras serve to promote transparency to protect both citizens and officers.\r\n\r\nFrom the death of Michael Brown last year in Ferguson, to the tragic murder of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina, and the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore this spring, now more than ever, the public has called for reform and accountability, said Congressman Cleaver. Body cameras will serve to increase transparency. Both the police and the public benefit when the police have the best tools and training to fulfill their mission. Body cameras are one part of a much broader solution in police reform.\r\n\r\nCongressman Cleaver has made policing reform a core goal in the 114th Congress, and he is pleased that bipartisan leaders have realized the importance of encouraging police officers to utilize body cameras as they work to keep our communities safe and promote accountability.\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere.\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact John Jones  john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-fund-government-turns-gaze-2016", "Hartzler Votes to Fund the Government, Turns Gaze to 2016", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted to pass H.R. 2029, a bill to fund government activities through the end of the 2016 fiscal year.\nMissourians and Americans across the country want to focus on the holidays and spending time with their families, Hartzler started. They do not need to worry that the government isnt going to be available when they need it. This package provides the certainty Americans need that their social security checks will go out on time, the Department of Homeland Security will have the resources it needs to keep them safe as they travel to see loved ones, and Congress will be able to focus on other American priorities as it goes forward.\nI am pleased we were able to provide increased funding for our national defensea priority I fought hard for since the beginning of the year as we were writing the budget. As a result of this bill, Missourians will be building seven E/A-18G Growlers and five F-18 E/F Super Hornets that the Navy truly needs, the administration will not be allowed to transfer detainees at Guantanamo to our shores, and our troops will get the resources and equipment they need to combat the threats of the world. Additionally, we fully repeal the financially dangerous country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law which would hurt American industry with billions of dollars in export tariffs if not repealed and we repeal the ban on exporting American crude oil which will create an estimated 1 million jobs here at home and add $170 billion annually to our GDP.\nThere are many good things in this bill for all Americans. But this bill is not perfect, Hartzler stated, there are some aspects we like and some we dont. I am pleased we made some progress in reining in the IRS and the EPA, but more needs to be done. I am disappointed we didnt make more progress on issues I have fought for such as overturning the Waters of the U.S. rule, which is nothing more than an executive land grab; stopping the Department of Labors fiduciary rule, which prevents the most vulnerable in our society from getting solid investment advice; rolling back the EPAs unworkable clean air standards; and preventing Americans tax dollars from funding abortion providers. I look forward to 2016 and working for those things we couldnt get into this bill.\nFunding highlights of the bill include:\nProvides for the National Defense\n funds a new Consolidated Stealth Operations and Nuclear Alert Facility to be constructed at Whiteman Air Force Base to house B-2 operations\n calls for 7 E/A-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets to be built in Missouri;\n prohibits funding for transfers of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S.\n funds a 1.3 percent pay raise for our troops;\n provides for important research on traumatic brain injury and psychological health;\n ensures the military has the resources it needs to combat ISIS.\nKeeps the Homeland Secure\n tightens the security requirements under the Visa Waiver program to ensure dangerous terrorists dont slip into our country through this program. It also denies visa waiver status to any individual who has traveled to certain terrorist hotspots, including Syria and Iraq, in the last five years;\n provides $5.8 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to strengthen enforcement of immigration and customs laws and hire over 1,000 new ICE agents;\n does not fund the Presidents climate change initiatives within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National Protection Programs Directorate (NPPD) within DHS.\nRepeals the Decades-Old Crude Oil Export Ban\n creates an estimated 1 million American jobs in nearly all 50 states within a matter of years, and it would add $170 billion annually to our GDP;\n allows allies like Ukraine to buy oil from us instead of countries like Russia and Iran;\n will benefit consumers by lowering gas prices here at home as much as 13 cents per gallon so families can save more at the pump.\nPeels back Obamacare\n delays the tax on medical devices which destroys jobs, hampers investment and innovation, and threatens the development of and access to medical technology that seniors, American families, and our most vulnerable rely on;\n delays Obamacares 40 percent Cadillac Tax on quality employer health insurance plans;\n stops the taxpayer bailout of insurance companies through the Obamacare risk corridor program;\n puts a one year moratorium on the Health Insurance Tax that drives up health care premiums and acts as a tax on small businesses.\nProtecting our Robust Agriculture Industry\n repeals mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements, ensuring that our economy does not suffer more than $1 billion in trade penalties;\n cuts EPA funding by $452 million below the Presidents request, holding the agency to its lowest funding levels since 2008 and its lowest staffing levels since 1989;\n provides local schools increased relief from whole grain and sodium nutritional standards in school lunches.\nAddresses Frivolous Executive Overreach\n protects farmers from having to get a permit to dredge farm ponds and irrigation ditches as a result of the Clean Water Act;\n prohibits funding for the light bulb standard regulations, allowing Americans to continue buying affordable incandescent light bulbs.\nProtects Our Second Amendment Rights\n prohibits funds to implement the UN Arms Trade Treaty;\n prohibits the denial of permits for certain shotguns;\n prohibits the EPA from regulating lead content in ammunition and fishing tackle.\nPro-Life Provisions\n maintains existing protections that prohibit the use of federal funding for abortion;\n includes a ban on creating embryos for research purposes, or federal funding of research in which embryos are destroyed;\n increases funding for abstinence education.\nCares for our Nations Bravest\n increases funds for veterans by 9.8% above FY15 levels to support health care, job training, and reducing the claims backlog at the VA;\n includes funding for mental health care, suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury, ending homelessness, and rural health for our veterans;\n ensures quality housing for nearly 2 million military families.\nFor the full text of the year-long spending bill, click here.\nFor a section-by-section summary of the bill, click here.\nCongresswoman Hartzler represents Missouris Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She serves on the House Budget, Armed Services, and Agriculture Committees.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398661", "Blaine's Bulletin: The Spirit of the Season", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The spirit of the holiday season is truly magical. Twinkling lights are hung on houses throughout the neighborhood and trees are decorated with ornaments, joy fills the air as children anxiously await Christmas morning and friends and neighbors help the less fortunate in the spirit of charity. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      The spirit of the holiday season is truly magical. Twinkling lights are hung on houses throughout the neighborhood and trees are decorated with ornaments, joy fills the air as children anxiously await Christmas morning and friends and neighbors help the less fortunate in the spirit of charity. \r\nNo other time of the year is quite as special as the month of December. Growing up in a tight-knit community provided many wonderful memories that are especially powerful as families gather to celebrate the holiday season. Families would take the opportunity to reflect on our blessings and exchange cookies and warm wishes. Friends and neighbors will wish each other a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and children will surely toss snowballs and build snowmen this year if we get any snow.\r\nNow that my children have children of their own, it is a remarkable experience each year to spend Christmas with my grandchildren. How their eyes light up in wonder when we read The Night Before Christmas together and how they shock me with their own acts of kindness  especially to one another or their sibling!\r\nWe all have so much to be thankful for and I think it is especially important during this time of the year, with its presents and parties, to remember that Christmas is foremost the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is important to remember the teachings of the man born in Bethlehem that emphasize love, charity, and hope. While we might be more giving during this time of the year, that does not mean we shouldnt throughout the entire year. Random acts of kindness to one another are small blessings to some.\r\nLet us all remember the message of peace and goodwill and cherish the memories that are made with family and friends. And in the words of Charles Dickens, on behalf of myself, my family and my staff, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to everybody and a Happy New Year to all the world.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398662", "Luetkemeyer Statement on the Passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016: \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016: \r\nTodays passage of the legislation that will fund the government for the next fiscal year represents a bipartisan compromise that includes a number of priorities that are important to Americans. National security is arguably the biggest concern right now and this legislation fully funds our military and tightens security requirements for those entering our country under the nations Visa Waiver Program. It includes no new funding for Obamacare, and in fact, undermines Obamacares funding; reduces EPAs budget to its lowest level since 2008 and cuts its employees to the lowest number since 1989; blocks the anti-gun UN Arms Trade Treaty; repeals mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, which is hurting Americas farmers and ranchers; prohibits taxpayer funding for abortions and cuts the UNs Population Fund. This legislation will also repeal the decades old oil export ban which will help grow jobs and promote greater exploration of natural resources in our country. While this bill is not perfect, it ultimately is a step in the right direction. It is my hope the House of Representatives will get back to regular order and pass appropriations bills one-by-one so Congress can avoid governing by crisis.\r\nAdditional highlights of the legislation:\r\nFully funds defense, pays our troops, and provides the resources and equipment our military needs.  \r\nNo new funding for Obamacare.  \r\nIncludes 2nd Amendment rights protections.  \r\nLimits the EPA to the lowest funding levels since 2008 and prevents funds for new or expanded EPA regulatory programs.  \r\nFreezes IRS funding $1.7 billion below the presidents request.  \r\nProvides a two-year delay of the Obamacare excise tax on high cost health plans (Cadillac tax)  \r\nProvides a five-year extension of 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and extension of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act through 2090.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=515a65a1-2e19-4ba2-a35d-80a3dba9051e", "Senate Passes Blunt Tax Provisions Critical to Boosting Economic Growth and Strengthening Communities in Missouri and Across the Nation", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after voting in favor of a tax relief package that will help families, spur private-sector investment, boost small business growth, and support charitable giving in Missouri, and across the country. Several measures sponsored by Blunt were included in the package passed by the Senate today, and are now headed to the presidents desk.\r\nMissouris small business owners cannot plan for the future with all of the uncertainty they face in the tax code, Blunt said. This measure extends and makes permanent several tax provisions, like the R&D tax credit and Section 179 small business expensing, that will give job creators the peace of mind they need to access capital, expand their businesses, and put more Missourians to work. The bill also includes two measures I sponsored, including extending the New Markets Tax Credit and changing the Empowerment Zone hiring definition and extending the program, which will help steer private-sector investment to the areas that need it most.\r\nIm also glad we support working families by making the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit permanent, and strengthen communities by extending tax deductions for many types of charitable donations. While I continue to support a broader, more permanent overhaul of our tax code, this is an important step in the right direction.\r\nFollowing are Several of the Key Tax Provisions Included in the Package: \r\n \r\nChild Tax Credit  The bill makes permanent the child tax credit that has benefited thousands of Missouri households.\r\n \r\n \r\nEarned Income Tax Credit  The bill makes permanent the EITC tax credit, a refundable tax credit for low to moderate income working individuals and couples, particularly with children. A total of 519,000 Missourians benefited from the EITC tax credit last year, receiving an average of $2,377.\r\n \r\n \r\nAmerican Opportunity Tax Credit  The bill makes permanent the AOTC tax credit for education expenses paid for the first four years of higher education, making it easier for more Missourians to continue their education.\r\n \r\n \r\nEmpowering Jobs Act  The bill includes Blunts Empowering Jobs Act, which will benefit communities like St. Louis and others by extending the Empowerment Zone program and expanding the way job creators and local governments are able to use their allocations of tax-exempt bonds. Specifically, the provision will ease the requirements for how these bonds can be used and encourage more job creators to invest in the nations hardest-hit communities.\r\n \r\n \r\nNew Markets Tax Credit  The NMTC program encourages private investment in low-income rural and urban areas, and can be traced either directly or indirectly to the creation of nearly 18,000 Missouri jobs between 2003 and 2012. The bill includes a measure sponsored by Blunt that extends the NMTC, authorizing the allocation of $3.5 billion of new markets tax credits for each year from 2015 through 2019.\r\n \r\n \r\nIRA/Charitable Giving Tax Provision  The bill makes permanent a tax provision allowing seniors to use IRA funds to make up to a $100,000 tax-free charitable donation. Blunt previously sponsored the Charitable Giving Act, which was signed into law in 2006, allowing tax-free distributions from IRA accounts for charitable purposes.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Work Colleges Relief Act  The bill includes Blunts Work Colleges Relief Act, which will help work colleges, like the College of the Ozarks in Southwest Missouri, decrease student debt and reliance on loans, while providing students with real work experience. The provision clarifies and makes permanent a tax exemption for work college scholarships that help schools and their students avoid unnecessary legal and accounting costs.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Support Theaters in America Growth and Expansion Act  The bill includes the STAGE Act, which Blunt introduced, to allow commercial theater productions to benefit from the same tax treatment provided to film and television productions, benefiting the thriving live theater culture in Branson, Kansas City, St. Louis, and across the nation.\r\n \r\n \r\nSmall Business Expensing  The bill expands and makes permanent Section 179, a tax provisionenabling small businesses and farmers to deduct the cost of purchasing new equipment. The bill allows a business to expense up to $500,000 of investments in office equipment or machinery. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, increasing the limit for small business expensing could create up to 200,000 additional jobs and increase economic output by $18 billion.\r\nResearch & Development Tax Credit  The bill permanently extends and modifies the R&D tax credit to spur innovation and small business growth. Beginning in 2016, eligible small businesses will be able to utilize the tax credit to help offset other tax liabilities, freeing up more capital to expand and create jobs.\r\n \r\n \r\nBonus Depreciation  The bill includes legislation, co-sponsored by Blunt, that extends the bonus depreciation tax provision, allowing businesses to deduct up to half the cost of new equipment put into use between 2015 and 2017. The provision also allows businesses to claim unused Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax credits in lieu of bonus depreciation to put towards additional investments.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Charitable Agricultural Research Act  The bill includes the Charitable Agricultural Research Act, which Blunt co-sponsored, to facilitate the development of public-private partnerships and support increased investment in agricultural research.\r\n \r\n \r\nConservation Tax Deduction  The bill permanently extends the charitable deduction for farmers and ranchers who preserve land for conservation.\r\n \r\n \r\nFood Inventory Tax Deduction  The bill will help local pantries and food banks continue serving their communities by expanding and making permanent a tax incentive for businesses to donate excess food inventory to these organizations. The provision is similar to the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Extension Act that Blunt co-sponsored in the Senate.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=703ec8f6-c1b8-445e-96fa-1372f24df377", "Senate Passes Two Blunt-Backed Measures to Enhance Cybersecurity & Strengthen Visa Waiver Program", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement today after voting in favor of the omnibus bill that includes provisions from two measures he supported to enhance our cyber defense capabilities and strengthen the Visa Waiver Program:\r\nThe federal governments most sacred responsibility is to keep Americans safe, and Im glad the Senate passed two more measures today that will help us do so. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which I was proud to help usher through the Intelligence Committee, allows the public and private sectors to voluntarily share information about emerging cyber threats without running the risk of costly liability suits. If enacted, the measure will enhance our cybersecurity, while ensuring that we protect the privacy rights of individuals. The bill also includes provisions from a measure I co-sponsored, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, to support and strengthen the Visa Waiver Program and help prevent terrorists from entering the country and carrying out attacks within our borders.\r\nToday, we are facing more threats, coming from more places, than ever before. I will continue working to advance legislation that puts our national security and the safety of the American people first. To that end, I also urge the president to do his part, as Commander-in-Chief, to lay out a clear, comprehensive, and effective strategy to not just contain the terrorist threat, but to defeat it.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=ad698630-e307-474d-885f-6dd67f697f32", "Blunt Votes to Fund Key Missouri Priorities, Cut Dozens of Ineffective Government Programs", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after voting in favor of the FY2016 omnibus appropriations bill funding the government for the coming year. The bill prioritizes key investments that will help grow our economy, strengthen national security, and meet the needs of local communities in Missouri and across the nation. The measure also rescinds more than $5.5 billion in spending, does not fund more than 95 new programs or initiatives proposed by the president, and consolidates and terminates dozens of programs throughout the budget.\r\nIn a tight fiscal environment, it is imperative that every taxpayer dollar we spend reflects the priorities of the American people, and the bill we passed today does so in several ways, Blunt said. First, it includes a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, which I fought for as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and increases investments in mental health services. It provides funding for Missouri military installations and national defense priorities that will help keep America safe and fulfill our commitment to our service members and veterans. It funds programs that address challenges facing local communities, including support for areas facing civil unrest, and increased funding for substance abuse treatment and prevention. And, it includes measures I backed that will enhance our cybersecurity and help keep terrorists out of the United States.\r\nJust as important as what this bill does is what it does not do. It does not fund nearly 100 new or unauthorized programs proposed by the president. It does not allow the administration to use taxpayer funds to bailout health insurance companies, and it defunds ObamaCares Independent Payment Advisory Board. And, it eliminates dozens of duplicative or ineffective programs, including 18 programs in the Labor/HHS budget alone.\r\nThat said, this bill is far from perfect. I was disappointed that Senate Democrats blocked the majority of the 12 annual appropriations bills from coming to the floor this year, and hope that next year we can return to regular order in the appropriations process. Taking up these bills one by one will give us the opportunity to scrutinize every dollar we spend, and to spend it effectively or not at all.\r\nFollowing Are Some of the Key Missouri Priorities Funded in the Bill: \r\nAgriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nUnited States Department of Agriculture Disaster Funding  $271 million for USDAs three disaster programs: the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP), the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP).Missouri will receive $1.2 million under the EWP program, and the following funding under the ECP program:\r\n \r\n\r\n County Amount CountyAmount\r\n    Saline $650,000Pike  $50,000\r\n Lincoln $150,000Scotland $100,000\r\n Clay, Ray$5,500,000 Webster $250,000\r\n Lafayette $700,000 Wright $200,000\r\n\r\n \r\nPolicy Research Cooperative Agreements  $4 million for agreements with institutions that provide complex economic and policy analysis. The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri benefits from these agreements.\r\n \r\n \r\nNatural Resources Conservation Service Watersheds  $5.6 million for NRCS to continue work toward completion of Little Otter and East Locust watershed projects.\r\n \r\n \r\nNational Institute of Food and Agriculture, Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture  $5 million to assist Missouris five non-land grant Colleges of Agriculture:Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, and the University of Central Missouri.\r\n \r\n \r\nCountry-of-Origin Labeling  The bill includes language to repeal country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef and pork, an issue at the center of a World Trade Organization case successfully brought by Canada and Mexico. This repeal brings the US into compliance with our international trade obligations and avoids $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs being imposed on US exports to Canada and Mexico.\r\n \r\nCommerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nVictims of Child Abuse Program $20 million for the Victims of Child Abuse program, the level authorized by BluntsVictims of Child Abuse Reauthorization Act and a $9 million increase over the presidents budget request. In March 2015, Blunt sent a letter to the appropriations subcommittee requesting full funding for the Victims of Child Abuse program. VOCAA, which Bluntintroduced with Sen. Chris Coons (Del.), was signed into law in 2014.\r\n \r\n \r\nRegional Information Sharing System Program  The Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, which operates the RISS program in nine states, is based in Springfield, Missouri. The bill funds RISS at $35 million, $10 million above the presidents request and a $5 million increase over last years funding level. RISS allows law enforcement agencies across the country to successfully resolve criminal investigations, apprehend and prosecute offenders, and ensure officer and public safety.\r\n \r\n \r\nJustice and Mental Health Collaboration Program  Blunt is an original cosponsor of the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, legislation reauthorizing the JMHCP, which was approved by the Senate earlier this month. The omnibus bill provides $10 million for JMHCP, a program aimed at expanding access to mental health services for individuals in the criminal justice system and providing support for mental health courts and crisis intervention teams.\r\n \r\nDefense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: \r\n \r\nBlunt, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, secured funding for Missouri military installations and several national defense priorities in the omnibus. More information on the Blunt provisions included in the bill is available here.\r\n \r\nEnergy and Water Development:\r\n \r\nSmall Ports $48 million for operations and maintenance for small harbors and channels, and directs a new study on the cumulative economic impact of the all shallow draft ports on the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and Baton Rouge, LA. \r\n \r\nFinancial Services & General Government:\r\n \r\nHigh Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program  Midwest HIDTA is located in Kansas City, Mo. and supports HIDTA law enforcement initiatives in six states. The bill funds HIDTA at $250 million, more than $56 million above the presidents request, and a $5 million increase over last years funding level. Blunt supports the HIDTA program, which is an effective and innovative initiative that provides critical assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat major drug-trafficking organizations across the country.\r\n \r\n \r\nJoint Sales Agreements  The bill includes legislation Blunt introduced to protect local television broadcasters with Joint Sales Agreements that were approved by the FCC before its controversial rule was issued on March 31, 2014. The bill grandfathers existing JSAs for broadcasters in small- and medium-sized markets for the next 10 years. JSAs allow broadcasters to sell advertising for other stations, and have played an important role in giving TV broadcasters the tools they need to keep their TV stations running, increase program diversity, and enable local news programming for many stations in Missouri and nationwide.\r\n \r\nHomeland: \r\n \r\nStaffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Program and Assistance to Firefighters Grants  The bill provides $345 million each for the SAFER program, which provides funding to hire firefighters, and the AFG program, which provides equipment to firefighters. This represents a $5 million increase over last years funding levels for each program. Earlier this year, Blunt sent a letter to the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee expressing his strong support for the SAFER and AFG programs.\r\n \r\nInterior, Environment, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nPark Service Fees  The bill includes Blunts language to direct the Treasury Secretary to invest privately-donated dollars for Park Service projects in interest bearing accounts, and allows the Park Service to keep the interest generated to the benefit of the project. This will help promote public-private partnerships like CityArchRiver 2015 at the Gateway Arch.\r\n \r\nLabor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Blunt is Chairman):\r\n \r\nSupport for Ferguson and Other Communities Facing Civil Unrest  The bill includes new provisions and funding across the Departments of Labor, HHS, Education, and AmeriCorps to support flexible solutions for communities like Ferguson and others across the nation facing intense periods of civil unrest. This includes a combined $15 million at the Department of Education and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to address the comprehensive needs, including school-based services, of youth experiencing trauma related to significant periods of civil unrest in their communities.\r\n \r\n \r\nNational Institutes of Health  NIH has received $32 billion in the bill, representing a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which Blunt, who chairs the Labor/HHS appropriations subcommittee, successfully fought for in the Senate committee-passed appropriations measure earlier this year. Further information on NIH priorities that are included in the bill, such as funding for cancer and Alzheimers research, is available here.\r\n \r\n \r\nFighting Opioid Abuse  The bill provides $123 million for programs to combat opioid abuse at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and SAMHSA, a 284 percent increase over last years funding level.\r\n \r\n \r\nJob Training Grants to States  Last year, Missouri received over $41 million in job training grants, which are distributed to states and localities to meet job training and reemployment needs. The bill provides $2.7 billion in grant funding, an increase of $86 million over last years funding level.\r\n \r\n \r\nRural Health Care  $149.6 million for rural health programs, an increase of $2.1 million over last years funding level. In May, Blunt held a rural health care hearing with HHS officials and members of the rural health provider community, including Tim Wolters from Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, to discuss the unique challenges facing rural health patients and providers.\r\n \r\n \r\nMental Health Programs of Regional and National Significance $414.6 million, an increase of $36 million over last years funding level, for competitive grant programs that support mental health services.Specifically, the agreement provides a $25 million increase above last years level for Project Aware and the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grants.\r\n \r\n \r\nMental Health Block Grants  Missouri received approximately $7.8 million in mental health block grant funding last year. The bill provides $532.6 million for the program, an increase of $50 million over last years funding level.The bill increases the set-aside for serious mental illness activities to 10 percent and fully offsets this increase with the additional funds.Further, an additional $20 million will be provided to states through the formula grant, which represents the primary sources of mental health funding for state programs.\r\n \r\n \r\nSubstance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants  Missouri received approximately $26.4 million in substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant funding last year. These funds provide flexible dollars to grantees to support and expand substance abuse and prevention services based on local need. The bill provides $1.9 billion in total grant funding, an increase of $38.2 million over last years level.\r\n \r\n \r\nChild Care and Development Block Grant  Missouri currently receives $45 million in discretionary funding under the CCDBG program, and will receive an estimated $6 million funding increase next year under this bill. The measure provides a $326 increase in overall funding, which will help states implement key reforms in the CCDBG Act of 2014 to improve child care health and safety standards, and otherwise improve working families access to quality child care.\r\n \r\n \r\nTaxpayer Transparency  Includes Blunts Taxpayer Transparency Act requiring agencies funded under the Labor/HHS appropriations bill to disclose when advertising materials are paid for with federal funds.\r\n \r\n \r\nProgram Eliminations  Eliminates 18 overlapping or ineffective programs, equating to $256.8 million in spending reductions, and does not include funding for 23 new, unauthorized initiatives proposed by the administration, saving taxpayers $1.16 billion.\r\n \r\nState, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs:\r\n \r\nSpecial Advisor for Religious Minorities in Near East & South Central Asia  The bill includes Blunts request for $1 million in dedicated funding for the Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. Blunt was the lead Senate sponsor of the bill that created the position, which was signed into law last year.\r\n \r\nTransportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies:\r\n \r\nMarine Highway Grants  Blunt secured $5 million dollars for the Short Sea Shipping Program, also known as the Marine Highway Grant Program. MARAD recently designated the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers  the M-55 and M-35 Highways connecting Chicago and Minneapolis to New Orleans  to serve as the primary routes for a developing container-on-barge service.\r\n \r\n \r\nBus Service  The bill includes funding consistent with the newly reestablished buses and bus facilities competitive grants program in the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act. Blunt has long fought for the reestablishment of this program, which was changed in the 2012 highway bill. The program will help medium and smaller sized transit agencies with older bus fleets that have been negatively impacted by changes to the funding methodology.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/clay-backs-omnibus-spending-bill-keep-federal-government-open-thru", "Clay Backs Omnibus Spending Bill to Keep Federal Government Open Thru September 2016,", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "William Clay", "C001049", "lacyclay.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2015  MEDIA CONTACT: STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029  Clay Backs Bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill to  Keep Federal Government Open Thru September 2016 Funding Package Sustains Boeing Fighter Programs, Extends Earned Income Tax Credit for Lower-income Families, Increases NIH Funding for Lifesaving Research, Invests in Public Safety WASHINGTON, DC  Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri issued this first-person statement today after the U.S. House voted to approve a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending and tax credits bill, averting another Republican government shutdown and making key federal investments in jobs, healthcare, education, public safety, renewable energy and helping lower-income families. === This compromise bill advances many of my key priorities, including federal support for skilled manufacturing; lifesaving medical research; hiring more police officers and transforming how they protect our communities; advancing renewable energy and extending the earned income tax credit which helps lift 24 million lower-income working families out of poverty. The funding package also includes $1 billion to build seven EA-18G Growlers and five F-18E/F Super Hornets  preserving 2,000 skilled manufacturing jobs at Boeing's St. Louis County facility. I'm also pleased that the bill increases funding for the National Institutes of Health which annually provides hundreds of millions of dollars to support life-saving research at Washington University Medical Center and Saint Louis University Medical Center. That research not only creates hundreds of jobs, it is critical to advancing the fight against cancer, HIV/AIDs, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's and other serious illnesses. The package also includes grant funding via the Justice Department that could help the City of St. Louis and other local law enforcement agencies hire additional police officers and invest in body cameras which have been proven to reduce crime, curb the use of excessive force and reduce complaints against local police.Overall, the Omnibus bill is a major victory for working families.Other Highlights of the Omnibus Spending Agreement  Renewable Energy: Provides a major boost to renewable energy by extending the wind Production Tax Credit for five years (through 2019), and extending the solar Investment Tax Credit for five years (through 2021), while phasing both credits down somewhat over time. Extending the solar tax credit is estimated to create 61,000 jobs in 2017 alone. It is also estimated that the wind industry will grow to over 100,000 jobs over four years with the renewed wind tax credit.  Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy R&D: Provides an 8 percent increase over 2015 for R&D activities in the pursuit of new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.  Overall Education:The bill restores the $2.5 billion cut in education that the GOP had proposed and also makes critical additional investments of $1.4 billion above 2015, in such areas as Title I that serves 24 million at-risk students.  Early Learning: Investing in Head Start produces results  and this bill invests nearly $400 million more than the House GOP bill and nearly $600 million more than 2015 in this vital initiative. The bill also provides $250 million for Preschool Development Grants, assisting 18 states across the country.   Medical Research: Medical research at NIH has been underfunded for the last several years. This bill provides $900 million more than the House GOP bill and $2 billion more than 2015 for this life-saving research.  Infrastructure:The popular TIGER grants are being used across the country to repair infrastructure and contribute to economic growth. The House GOP bill had slashed TIGER grants by 80 percent, killing jobs, but this bill restores the funding to the 2015 level of $500 million.  Law Enforcement:The bill provides $187 million for COPS hiring grants, $7 million above the 2015 level and $187 million above the House GOP bill, which had eliminated the hiring grants. The bill also provides $80 million for the Community Policing Initiative, including $22.5 million for body-worn cameras and $15 million for Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grants, an increase over the House bill.  -30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-votes-against-package-of-spending-bills-and-tax-giveaways", "McCaskill Votes Against Package of Spending Bills & Tax Giveaways", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Votes Against Package of Spending Bills & Tax Giveaways \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator: Nearly $2 trillion package is a fiscally irresponsible step too far \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor, today voted against a nearly $2 trillion package of spending bills and tax giveaways, citing its extension of giveaways for the wealthy and special interests, and the fact that it is not fully paid formeaning it will add significantly to the national debt. McCaskill released the following statement:\r\nThis package is one fiscally irresponsible step too far. It includes important provisions for programs I support, like a boost to the E/A-18 Growler and F/A-18 Super Hornets production lines in St. Louis. But the bulk of this package is just a series of huge, expensive tax giveaways to the wealthy and special interestsnot paid forthat will add significantly to our national debt and hamper our ability to achieve my goal of a simpler, fairer tax code.\r\nOne year ago this week, McCaskill voted against a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill, after secretive, last-minute additions to the bill changed election rules to allow for huge financial donations from wealthy contributors to political parties and committees.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/accountability to learn more about McCaskill's fight to strengthen accountability.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/this-week-mccaskill-shines-missourispotlight-on-lees-summit", "This Week, McCaskill Shines #MissouriSpotlight on Lee’s Summit", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This Week, McCaskill Shines #MissouriSpotlight on Lees Summit \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator highlights Missouri town as part of her weekly Twitter series \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  This week, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is shining the #MissouriSpotlight on the city of Lees Summit as part of her weekly effort on Twitter to bring awareness to the many vibrant & eclectic towns and cities the Show Me State has to offer. \r\nUsing her @McCaskillOffice account and the hashtag #MissouriSpotlight, McCaskill sent out a series of tweets today highlighting the citys history, tourism and unique facts.\r\nThe #MissouriSpotlight tweets included:\r\n \r\nTodays #MissouriSpotlight is headed to another town known for holiday celebrations - @CityofLS (photo: LS Facebook)\r\nA suburb of Kansas City, @CityofLS is home to over 93k ppl, making it #MOs 6th largest city. http://www.lstourism.com/ #MissouriSpotlight\r\nOriginally named Town of Strother, @CityofLS changed its name to honor Dr. Pleasant Lea, misspelling Lea w/ two es. #MissouriSpotlight\r\n.@CityofLS has a vast railroad history & summit comes from LS being the highest point on the railroad b/w KC & STL. #MissouriSpotlight\r\nFounded in the 1840s, the @CityofLS honors its rich history w/ an award-winning @downtownls. http://downtownls.org/ #MissouriSpotlight\r\nW/ 40 shops & restaurants, @downtownls is full of holiday spirit - even Santa will stop there tomorrow (12/19) at 3pm! #MissouriSpotlight\r\nNear @downtownls, visit Christmas in the Park  an enchanting drive-thru winter wonderland. http://www.jacksongov.org/parkscalendar/ #MissouriSpotlight\r\n300,000 lights & 175 animated figures, Christmas in the Park is a gift from Jackson County thru Dec. 31 #MissouriSpotlight #VisitMO\r\n20 mi east of @CityofLS on highway 50, @PowellGardens has a host of holiday activities: http://www.powellgardens.org/holidays#.VnQ8T_krKUk  #MissouriSpotlight #VisitMO\r\nAnd b/c the fun doesnt stop there in @CityofLS, take a trip back in time to Missouri Town 1855: http://www.jacksongov.org/missouritown/ #MissouriSpotlight\r\n.@CityofLS has much to offer residents & visitors yr round - consistently ranked a top city. Thanks for joining #MissouriSpotlight! #VisitMO\r\n \r\nVisit twitter.com/McCaskillOffice to retweet or favorite todays #MissouriSpotlight tweets.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-make-tax-cuts-permanent", "Hartzler Votes to Make Tax Cuts Permanent", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted for the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act to make permanent or extend a number of tax cuts that allow Americans to keep more of their own money and grow the economy. In addition, the legislation includes a number of tax policy changes and reforms to how the IRS treats taxpayers.\n\t\t\t\tAmericans everywhere need to know what to expect from their governmenteven more so when it comes to taxes, Hartzler said. Having the certainty from this bill that certain tax provisions are now permanent allows American families and job creators plan for the future and use their hard-earned dollars to invest in our economy and workforce. In addition to protecting millions of Americans from a significant immediate tax hike, this package lays the ground work for much needed broader tax reform in the future. Instead of spending valuable time extending these provisions each year, Congress can focus on advancing a bold tax reform agenda in 2016 to bring more certainty, simplicity, and growth for all.\n\t\t\t\tFifty-five separate provisions of the Internal Revenue Code expired on December 31, 2014, and this legislation prevents tax increases on millions of families and businesses as the tax year 2015 filing season begins early next year. The legislation makes permanent several important tax provisions and extends additional policies for five years, and extends for two years a number of other tax relief provisions that expired at the end of calendar year 2014.\n\t\t\t\tSome highlights of the bill include:\n\t\t\t\t Individual Tax Provisions: \n\t\t\t\to American Opportunity Tax Credit (qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student for the first four years of higher education) is made permanent\n\t\t\t\to Child Tax Credit Expansions (expanding refundability for low-wage workers) are made permanent\n\t\t\t\t Letting businesses and the economy grow: \n\t\t\t\to Immediate code 179 expensing helps cyclical businesses, especially farms, to invest in new property and equipment\n\t\t\t\to The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (promotes the hiring of those facing employment barriers) extended for five years\n\t\t\t\t Charitable Tax Policies: Makes permanent the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act, The Permanent IRA Charitable Contribution Act, and The Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2015\n\t\t\t\t Lowering Health Care Costs: A two year moratorium on the medical device tax (2016 and 2017)\n\t\t\t\t Reins in the power of the IRS and better protects taxpayers:\n\t\t\t\to Firing IRS employees who take politically motivated actions against taxpayers;\n\t\t\t\to Requiring IRS employees to respect the taxpayer bill of rights; and\n\t\t\t\to Prohibiting IRS employees from using personal e-mail accounts for official business.\n\t\t\t\t Prevents Fraud and abuse: includes a number of changes to existing law intended to improve the integrity of the administration of certain tax credits, especially the EITC, CTC, and AOTC. These reforms would prohibit an individual from making retroactive claims for any of these credits for any year in which the individual, the child, did not have a social security number or an IRS taxpayer identification number.\n\t\t\t\tCongresswoman Hartzler represents Missouris Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She serves on the House Budget, Armed Services, and Agriculture Committees.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-jason-smith-s-initiative-for-students-passes-house", "Congressman Jason Smiths Initiative for Students Passes House", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.Today Congressman Smith voted to keep a $622 billion tax increase from hitting American families. One of the provisions in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act is Congressman Smiths initiative, H.R. 3409 the Tax Relief for Working Students Act, to make college more affordable for students.\nThe language authored and introduced by Smith treats income as a scholarship rather than as a wage if it is earned at a comprehensive student work-learning-service program at a certified Work College.\nIt only makes sense that we encourage the hard work of responsible students, said Smith, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles all federal tax issues. Work Colleges, including College of the Ozarks in southern Missouri, start students on the right track. I am glad that my language was included to reduce the tax burden students are facing and makes it easier for them to earn the scholarships they need to pay for college.\nCurrently, compensation students earn at Work Colleges is taxed as income, rather than a tax-free scholarship. Smiths provision clarifies the tax treatment of these scholarships and restores the specific tax protection that was erroneously eliminated by Congress in 1986.\nAmericas seven Work Colleges are unique, four-year liberal arts institutions. In addition to graduating with little or no student loan debt, Work College students finish school with four years of work experience. Typical entry level jobs in the program include landscaping and administration, and students average about eight to 15 hours of work per week in addition to their education and service requirements.\nCongressman Smith has been leading the fight to make college more affordable for students, said Jerry C. Davis, President of College of the Ozarks. This is a big win for the students who see Work Colleges as a way to get a college education without student loan debt.\nThe Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act also included language making permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) which provides a $2,500 tax credit to students for four years of post-secondary education. Additionally the legislation also made permanent a provision of the tax code facing expiration which allowed teachers to deduct up to $250 from their income expenses they paid for out of pocket to improve their classrooms.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-smith-protects-farmers-from-tax-increase", "Congressman Smith Protects Farmers from Tax Increase", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.Today Congressman Smith voted to keep a $622 billion tax increase from hitting American families. One of the most important provisions for farmers and small business owners in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act is providing tax relief for equipment and property purchases through Section 179 of the tax code. The PATH Act would make permanent Section 179 expensing, allowing for an immediate deduction on equipment purchases for farmers and small business owners. Without action today the tax rate on that equipment would have increased by roughly 2000% at the end of the year. As a Member of the House Ways & Means Committee with jurisdiction over all federal taxation issues, Rep. Smith worked to help author and finally make permanent this important provision for those in equipment heavy businesses like farming.\nThis is a major step to give farmers more certainty and peace of mind, said Congressman Smith. Without this action, taxes would have gone up on the very farmers that keep our rural economy moving. Making this provision permanent finally ends the charade of temporary extensions and patches of U.S. tax code policy. Working on and advancing major wins like this for the farmers of Missouri was the exact reason I fought to get on the Ways & Means Committee. We are finally allowing farmers, manufactures and small business owners to plan financially for the long term so that they can help grow their farm or business here in America.\nThe issues of Section 179 and bonus depreciation are important for soybean farmers because they give us the certainty as we grow through investments in new equipment and infrastructure, said Missouri Soybean Association President Tom Raffety.\nThe bill is also good news for farmers who often dont know their tax burden until the end of the year due to constant tax code changes. Additionally, permanently extending section 179 helps provide the framework and path forward for large scale U.S. tax code overhaul in 2016 and 2017. As a Member of the House Ways & Means Committee, Rep. Smith has been focused on reducing the complex and cumbersome tax code facing families and employers. Rep. Smith believes we need to replace the current code with a simpler, fairer and flatter system.\n  \n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=746", "Long votes to make major tax cuts permanent, hold IRS accountable", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Billy Long", "L000576", "long.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) voted today for the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, which prevents tax increases on Missouri families and small businesses. By stopping tax increases from implementation and extending other tax cuts, the bill allows for more certainty and income to bolster the economy. Overall, the bill provides $629 billion of tax relief.  This bill prevents a significant immediate tax increase on millions of Americans and makes dozens of temporary tax cuts permanent, including the research and development tax credit to incentivize innovation and provisions to provide small business tax relief, said Rep. Long. Small businesses will now be able to plan and adjust their budgets and new investments accordingly due to finally having the certainty that these tax extensions will now be in place for several years to come.  The PATH Act also continues to rein in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by allowing for the firing of employees that make politically motivated actions similar to ones taken under former IRS Director Lois Lerner.  It is simply unthinkable that workers in a government agency would use their positions to impact the outcome of elections,said Rep. Long. It is crucial that the IRS regain public trust, and this bill includes important measures to hold its employees accountable for wrongdoings.    -30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398660", "Luetkemeyer Supports Legislation That Provides Tax Relief for Missouri Families and Businesses", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after voting to support the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act:\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after voting to support the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act:\r\nTodays passage of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act will not only help our economy grow but it will also help American taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned dollars. This legislation provides certainty to our nations small businesses by making a number of temporary provisions - such as the Research & Development credit and the section 179 expensing credit  permanent. Now, businesses can plan appropriately for more than one year at a time, hire new workers, and invest in their communities. In addition, there are a number of reforms designed to better protect taxpayers from abuse by the Internal Revenue Service. With the passage of this legislation, it sets the stage for comprehensive tax reform to finally happen. Americans deserve a simpler and fairer tax code that is built for growth  and this bill will help to make that possible.\r\nMore highlights of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act:\r\nR&D credit (permanent)  \r\nCode section 179 expensing (permanent)  \r\nState and local sales tax deduction (permanent)  \r\nCharitable Tax Policies (permanent)  \r\nBonus depreciation (five year extension)  \r\nReduces the marriage penalty for certain credits (permanent)  \r\nProvisions to crack down on fraud and abuse  \r\nIRS employees prohibited from using personal email accounts for business  \r\nIRS must inform taxpayers on status of investigations related to unauthorized use of private tax information  \r\nRight to appeal adverse ruling of tax-exempt status  \r\nIRS employees terminated taking official actions for political purposes", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=3177e136-9bc8-44cc-a4fe-f5820972b57d", "KFVS: Senator Roy Blunt Secures Funding for Missouri Military", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Don Frazier \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tMISSOURI (KFVS) - Missouri is one of 29 states selected to take on additional cyber units. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, made the announcement onWednesday, December 16, 2015,that this is one of the several defense prioritiesincluded in the recently passed appropriations bill.\r\nThe provisionincludes $7.5 million to support Army National Guard Cyber Protection Teams.\r\nIn Missouri, the money will be used to take on additional cyber units tasked to identify and reduce emerging cyber threats to the United States.\r\nThe National Guard Bureau has recognized the Missouri Cyber Team as an exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable team.\r\nThe Missouri Cyber Team also serves as a resource to the National Guard Bureau in planning its annual national Cyber Shield exercise.\r\nClick here to read more.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/collins-mccaskill-statement-on-arrest-of-martin-shkreli-on-securities-fraud-charges", "Collins, McCaskill Statement on Arrest of Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, McCaskill Statement on Arrest of Martin Shkreli on Securities Fraud Charges \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 17, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) today issued the following statement after the arrest of Martin Shkreli this morning by federal agents on securities fraud charges.\r\nTodays development with Martin Shkreli will not affect the Senate Aging Committees bipartisan investigation into the sudden, aggressive price spikes of some decades-old drugs, which is not limited to one person or one company. As we have said from the beginning, these price spikes have raised questions that are critically important to the American publicand we will continue our investigation until weve found answers to those questions.\r\nLast month, Senators Collins and McCaskill announced a bipartisan Senate investigation into pharmaceutical drug pricing requesting documents and information from four pharmaceutical companies, including Shkrelis Turing Pharmaceuticals.\r\nWe are proceeding with our investigation into the practices of the four pharmaceutical companies: Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Turing Pharmaceuticals, Retrophin Inc, and Rodelis Therapeutics.\r\nThat announcement was followed last week by the first in a series of hearing on this issue. That hearing provided insight into the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on decades old drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication.\r\nThe Special Committee on Aging, led by Chairman Collins and Ranking Member McCaskill, promotes discussions and conducts investigations on areas of special interest to older Americans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-calls-on-dol-and-fda-to-investigate-reports-of", "Congressman Cleaver Calls on DOL and FDA to Investigate Reports of Retailers Selling Shrimp Peeled by Slaves in Thailand", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, Congressman Cleaver (MO-05) sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Stephen Ostroff, calling on them to investigate slave-peeled shrimp in Thailand, which is entering the United States food supply. Recent reports from the United Nations, the European Union, the US State Department, and international labor organizations have all detailed the repugnant use of slave labor in the Thai shrimp processing industry. A detailed report released by the Associated Press this week revealed particularly illustrative and gruesome testimony of former slave workers: human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondages, filthy sub-human working conditions, child endangerment, unlivable wages, and even death.\r\n\r\nI am deeply concerned for the welfare of adult and children shrimp peelers in Thailand, who are forced to work in one of the most abhorrent slavery schemes of the 21st century, said Congressman Cleaver, The list of human rights violations is both extensive and foul. While human trafficking and forced labor are not unique to Thailand, the reports concerning the shrimp peeling industry in Thailand are impossible to ignore. And what is perhaps most troubling is the alleged involvement of United States corporations in the operation.\r\n\r\nUnited States Customs records show that Thai shrimp imported from slavery tainted supply lines has made its way into United States restaurants, universities, hospitals, pet stores, and some of the United States largest retailers. While some American companies such as Nestle have cut ties with Thai processors associated with slavery, others have admitted to a lack of awareness.\r\n\r\nAlthough international actors have begun to take steps to address the injustices, Congressman Cleaver believes that there is much more that the United States can do. I respectfully request that the FDA and DOL launch full investigations into US companies doing business with Thai shrimp processors known to be associated with slavery, continued Congressman Cleaver, and implement the administrative actions that are available to punish companies that associate themselves with slave labor.\r\n\r\nIn order to compensate for the State Departments inability to institute an outright ban on importing shrimp processed by forced labor, other agencies can and must increase transparency and accountability in the Thai Shrimp distribution chain.\r\n\r\nThis year our country celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment; an amendment formally abolishing slavery in the United States, stated Congressman Cleaver.Although the horrors of slavery in our country are generations prior, there are those in Thailand who will wake up tomorrow to experience this nightmare for themselves. We cannot abolish slavery from our own front yard only to see similar crimes against humanity supported in the yard of our neighbors.\r\n\r\nFull text of the Congressmans letter is available here.\r\n\r\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere.\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact John Jones  john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/event/telephone-town-hall", "Telephone Town Hall", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Join Congresswoman Hartzler Wednesday, December 16th, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. CT for a live, interactive telephone town hall meeting. Vicky will be taking questions from constituents about the latest updates and news from Washington and Missouri.\nIf you would like to pre-register for this event, you can do so by clicking here. If you would prefer to simply listen in on the call, it will be livestreamed here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/jason-smith-introduces-bill-to-protect-taxpayers-stop-epa-propaganda", "Congressman Smith Introduces Bill to Protect Taxpayers, Stop EPA Propaganda Machine", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC  Today, Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) introduced the End EPA Advertising Act, a bill to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using taxpayer money to hire public relations contractors.\nBetween 2000 and 2014, the EPA spent $26 million on outside public relations contracts. These are contractors hired with taxpayer dollars used to create media campaigns aimed at selling the latest EPA rule or regulation to the American public. These are rules and regulations which often have an adverse impact on economic growth and job creation in this country. According to a 2012 study, regulations from the EPA cost the economy roughly $350 billion a year or half of the total economic cost of complying with all federal regulations.\nIts unbelievable the EPA would think it is appropriate to use taxpayer dollars to hire public relations teams to sell their economically disastrous proposals, said Congressman Smith. Millions of dollars spent on the best public affairs firms cant fool the American people into believing that the EPA should be regulating their farm, small business, wood stoves, ponds, or backyard barbeques.\nThe federal government has spent $4.34 billion on public relations firms since 2007. Outside public relations consulting expenses has increased by 47 percent under the Obama administration, including more than $2 billion in outside contracts with firms performing polling, public relations, and marketing consulting.\nPublic relations contractors do not provide any essential function for the EPA. They are used to advertise poorly crafted rules and regulations to the American people.\nOn Monday, it came to light that the EPA broke federal law promoting its Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS) on social media. The news came in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report spurred by Congressman Smiths letter to the Inspector General of the EPA demanding an investigation into these violations earlier this year.\nWeve seen the lengths the EPA will go to in order to push their agenda. Maybe they should rely on the substance of their regulations and not push insincere soundbites said Congressman Smith.\nCongressman Smith has been leading the charge to keep expensive and unnecessary rules from bankrupting families and businesses. Earlier this year he introduced the SCRUB Act to end intrusive and ineffective regulations and keep bureaucrats from leveling damaging new regulations in rural America.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-dol-fiduciary-rule", "Rep. Wagner Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on absence of a DOL-Fiduciary legislative rider in the Omnibus Spending bill: I am disappointed that the White House chose politics over protecting low and middle-income investors during this time of economic uncertainty. The President continues to ignore over 100 Democrats in Congress who have expressed concerns with the Department of Labors proposed rule. Instead, this President has decided to stand with big government liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. As a result, the ability of low and middle-income Americans to receive affordable financial advice for their retirement is now in jeopardy. The House has already passed the Retail Investor Protection Act twice, in bi-partisan fashion. It is now more important than ever that the Senate act immediately and take up this important piece of legislation. I will continue this fight until the rule is delayed, dismantled and defeated.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-omnibus-bill", "Rep. Wagner Statement on Omnibus Bill", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on the inclusion of 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets in the Omnibus Spending bill: This is a big win for St. Louis, national security, and most importantly, our warfighters. By securing 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets, we are helping to fill an acute Navy shortfall and a crucial national security need. These planes are a workhorse of naval combat operations and play a critical role in the fight against the Islamic State. By keeping this important production line operating, we are protecting thousands of St. Louis jobs and putting our local stamp on national defense.\n# # #\nBackground on Rep. Wagner support of Growler and Super Hornet:\nFiscal Year 2014\n Worked with House Armed Services Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to obtain advanced procurement funding for future additional Super Hornets\n\tFought to protect full funding allocations for Growlers amid sequestration cuts to defense spending\n Fiscal Year 2015\n 15 Growlers included in spending bill\n\tLed Congressional letter to appropriations and armed services committee signed by over 100 Members of Congress\n\tTestified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers to the warfighter\n Fiscal Year 2016\n 7 Growlers and 5 Super Hornets included in spending bill\n\tLed Missouri and Illinois delegation letter to appropriations and armed services committee requesting more fighter jets\n\tTestified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers and Super Hornets in the fight against the Islamic State", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=1598ccde-765f-4e25-8cb9-dc8c8043bfa6", "Senators Blunt & Brown Announce Breast Cancer Awareness & Education Bill Included in Omnibus", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) today announced that the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act they introduced earlier this year has been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. The measure, which is co-sponsored by Senators Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), will help ensure breast cancer patients have access to information about their post-operative care options.\r\nWomen who face a breast cancer diagnosis are too often left with more questions than answers about their recovery options, Blunt said. This year alone, an estimated 4,600 women in Missouri and 235,000 nationwide will be diagnosed with the disease. This bill will help them chart a course that best fits their needs after surgery. I am proud to see this measure advance, and will continue working to increase breast cancer awareness and education, and accelerate research efforts to find a cure for this disease.\r\nWe should do all we can to ensure that women battling breast cancer have the opportunity and information to make the best decision before they begin treatment, said Brown. An overwhelming majority of women  especially women of racial and ethnic minority groups  are not informed of their breast cancer reconstructive options prior to surgery, even though by law any insurance plan that covers breast cancer treatment must also cover reconstruction or prosthetic care. This lack of information is preventing some women from accessing the care plan that is best for their individual needs. Including our bill in the omnibus spending package will help improve education around the availability and coverage of different options so that all women battling breast cancer have access to information about all of their care options  including reconstruction  prior to breast cancer surgery.\r\nThe omnibus appropriations bill also includes more than $5.2 billion in funding for the National Cancer Institute, a five percent increase over last years funding level.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=21d23696-8df8-4893-a909-4938fdb57892", "Senator Blunt Secures Funding for Missouri Military Installations & National Defense Priorities", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, today announced that several defense priorities he championed have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill.\r\nThe federal governments first responsibility is to protect the nation, Blunt said. To that end, this legislation funds key defense priorities at Whiteman, Rosecrans, Fort Leonard Wood, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Missouri National Guard installations across the state. These investments will ensure that we maintain the most well-trained, well-equipped fighting force in the world. It is incumbent upon the president, however, to outline a clear, comprehensive strategy that will enable our military and intelligence personnel to take on the terrorist threat we face, and to keep America safe.\r\nBlunt Provisions Included in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill:\r\n \r\nSuper Hornets  The bill provides an additional $1 billion for seven EA-18G Growlers and five F-18E/F Super Hornets manufactured in St. Louis, Mo. After hearing testimony from Admiral Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, during an annual defense appropriations hearing, Blunt made the case that the additional aircraft will meet the US Navys tactical aviation shortfalls and larger joint requirements for additional airborne electronic attack capability.  \r\nConsolidated Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility  The bill includes $29.5 million for the construction of a 79,000 square-foot Consolidated Stealth and Nuclear Alert Facility at Whiteman Air Force Base.Sponsored by Blunt, these funds will enhance the Air Forces strategic stealth bomber capability and preserve our deterrence capability at home and abroad.\r\n \r\n \r\nC-130 Aircraft  Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Mo. is the nations premier Air Guard training center for Advanced Airlift Tactical Training. The bill provides an additional $128.2 million for C-130 aircraft upgrades that meet Air National Guard intra-theater airlift mobility requirements.\r\n \r\n \r\nTomahawk Missile Systems  The bill provides an additional $30 million for Tomahawk missile systems to meet our nations minimum sustainment rate needs for long-range, all-weather subsonic cruise missile capabilities.\r\n \r\n \r\nArmy National Guard Cyber Protection Teams  Last week, the Defense Department announced that Missouri was selected as one of 29 states to take on additional cyber units tasked to identify and mitigate emerging cyber threats to the homeland.The bill provides an additional $7.5 million to support Army National Guard Cyber Protection Teams. The National Guard Bureau has recognized the Missouri Cyber Team as an exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable team. In 2014 and 2015, NGB requested the Cyber Team to assist other National Guard participating teams as mentors at the annual national Cyber Shield exercise. The Missouri Cyber Team also serves as a resource to NGB in planning its annual national Cyber Shield exercise.\r\n \r\n \r\nNational Trauma Clinical Research Network  The University of Missouris Department of Surgery continues to make impressive strides in trauma clinical research through the study of relevant military fields of care and next generation research priorities. These efforts continue to save lives, reduce disability, and decrease the economic burden of traumatic injury. The bill urges the Department of Defense to advance the National Trauma Clinical Research Network and encourages the Department to allocate sufficient resources for the program in future budget submission.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=3c5c3d12-df24-41ae-a45f-e5041e803dfa", "Omnibus Bill Includes Blunts $2 Billion Increase for NIH, Eliminates 18 Ineffective Programs in Labor/HHS", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, announced that the National Institutes of Health has received $32 billion in the omnibus appropriations bill. This represents a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which Blunt successfully fought for in the Senate committee-passed appropriations bill earlier this year. This is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade.\r\nIn a tight fiscal environment, we have to ensure that every dollar we spend reflects the priorities of the American people, Blunt said. In my view, there is no greater priority than to help every American live a longer, healthier life. This bill does that by increasing funding for NIH, and prioritizing funding for key investments while eliminating more than a dozen ineffective or duplicative programs throughout the bill.\r\nOver the past decade, NIHs purchasing power has decreased by more than 20 percent, slowing research efforts and advances toward treatments for more than 6,000 incurable diseases. I have been proud to lead efforts to increase funding for NIH, and am glad that the omnibus maintains the $2 billion increase we passed in the committee earlier this year. I will continue working to ensure NIH has the resources necessary to address our nations health challenges, spur medical innovation, increase U.S. competitiveness, and lower healthcare costs, while ensuring that every taxpayer dollar we spend goes toward advancing these priorities.\r\nIn addition to the NIH increase, the Labor/HHS bill focused on increasing the efficiency and cost effectiveness of government.The Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 programs and reduces waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars, including preventing the administration from using discretionary funds to bail out the ObamaCare Risk Corridor program as well as defunding the unaccountable ObamaCare Independent Payment Advisory Board.\r\nFollowing Are Several of the Key NIH Investments Included in the Omnibus Bill: \r\n \r\nA $350 Million Increase for Alzheimers Disease Research: The bill provides a $350 million increase for Alzheimers research at the National Institute on Aging, a 60 percent increase over last years level. Every 68 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimers. There are currently more than five million Americans living with the disease and that number is expected to reach 16 million by 2050. Yet for every $261 Medicare and Medicaid spend on caring for individuals with Alzheimers disease, the federal government spends only $1 on Alzheimers research. Over the past year, cutting-edge NIH-supported research identified a set of 10 compounds in blood that might be used to distinguish the risk for developing memory deficits or Alzheimers disease. The bill dedicates funding to help advance those efforts.\r\n \r\n \r\n$5.2 Billion for the National Cancer Institute: The measure includes more than $5 billion for the National Cancer Institute, a five percent increase over last years level. Research is underway at NCI to develop therapies that target gene mutations present in 30 percent of cancers. It is one of several key initiatives the Institute is pursuing to advance cancer research and treatment.\r\n \r\n \r\n$200 Million for the New Precision Medicine Initiative: Precision Medicine will allow physicians to individualize treatments based on patients unique genetic makeup. Precision Medicine will give a physician the potential to specifically target a cure rather than move forward with a one-size-fits all treatment.\r\n \r\n \r\n$150 Million for the BRAIN Initiative: The bill provides an $85 million increase for the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, bringing the total investment to $150 million for the coming year. The BRAIN Initiative will map the human brain to help researchers better understand and treat brain disorders such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and depression.\r\n \r\n \r\n$461 Million to Combat Antibiotic Resistance: Antibiotics have been used to successfully treat patients for more than 70 years, but over time the drugs have become less effective, as organisms adapt to the drugs designed to kill them. The bill provides a total of $461 million, a $100 million increase over last years level, to expand efforts to develop new antibiotics, create rapid diagnostic tests, and build a national genome sequence database on all reported resistant human infections.\r\n \r\n \r\n$12.6 Million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act: The Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, which was signed into law last year, created a dedicated fund for pediatric medical research. The bill provides the resources authorized under the law, and prioritizes funding for pediatric cancer research.\r\n \r\nIn addition to these investments, the measure increases funding for every Institute and Center to support innovative research that will advance fundamental knowledge and accelerate the development of new therapies, diagnostics, and preventive measures to improve the health of all Americans. Last year, universities and research organizations in Missouri received more than $457.9 million in NIH funding.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=85c14242-220f-4ac2-9a07-f15942f0b830", "VIDEO: Senator Blunt Touts NIH Priorities in Omnibus Appropriations Bill", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, spoke on the Senate floor today to highlight several National Institutes of Health priorities he championed that have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Blunt announced that NIH has received a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade. Blunt also noted that the Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 ineffective or duplicative programs, defunds ObamaCares unaccountable Independent Payment Advisory Board, and protects taxpayers from bailing out ObamaCares risk corridor program.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=b9661bf0-01ad-45e8-b776-1744dac17e3f", "VIDEO: Senator Blunt Touts NIH Priorities in Omnibus Appropriations Bill", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, spoke on the Senate floor today to highlight several National Institutes of Health priorities he championed that have been included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Blunt announced that NIH has received a $2 billion increase over last years funding level, which is the largest increase NIH has received in the Labor/HHS bill in more than a decade. Blunt also noted that the Labor/HHS bill eliminates 18 ineffective or duplicative programs, defunds ObamaCares unaccountable Independent Payment Advisory Board, and protects taxpayers from bailing out ObamaCares risk corridor program.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-dol-fiduciary-rule", "Rep. Wagner Statement on DOL Fiduciary Rule", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on absence of a DOL-Fiduciary legislative rider in the Omnibus Spending bill:\n\n\"I am disappointed that the White House chose politics over protecting low and middle-income investors during this time of economic uncertainty. The President continues to ignore over 100 Democrats in Congress who have expressed concerns with the Department of Labor's proposed rule. Instead, this President has decided to stand with big government liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren. As a result, the ability of low and middle-income Americans to receive affordable financial advice for their retirement is now in jeopardy. The House has already passed the Retail Investor Protection Act twice, in bi-partisan fashion. It is now more important than ever that the Senate act immediately and take up this important piece of legislation. I will continue this fight until the rule is delayed, dismantled and defeated.\"\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T20:33:33Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-omnibus-bill", "Rep. Wagner Statement on Omnibus Bill", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement on the inclusion of 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets in the Omnibus Spending bill:\n\n\"This is a big win for St. Louis, national security, and most importantly, our warfighters. By securing 7 EA-18G Growlers and 5 F-18E/F Super Hornets, we are helping to fill an acute Navy shortfall and a crucial national security need. These planes are a workhorse of naval combat operations and play a critical role in the fight against the Islamic State. By keeping this important production line operating, we are protecting thousands of St. Louis jobs and putting our local stamp on national defense.\"\n\n# # #\n\nBackground on Rep. Wagner support of Growler and Super Hornet:\n\nFiscal Year 2014\n\nWorked with House Armed Services Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense to obtain advanced procurement funding for future additional Super Hornets\n\nFought to protect full funding allocations for Growlers amid sequestration cuts to defense spending\n\nFiscal Year 2015\n\n15 Growlers included in spending bill\n\nLed Congressional letter to appropriations and armed services committee signed by over 100 Members of Congress\n\nTestified before House Armed Services and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on importance of Growlers to the warfighter\n\nFiscal Year 2016", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T20:33:33Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/fast-designed-to-speed-permit-process-for-businesses", "FAST designed to speed permit process for businesses", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FAST designed to speed permit process for businesses \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Tuesday, December 15, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Jack Miles\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Washington  Sen.Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, worked in bipartisan accord with Sen.Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to pass a law that cuts red tape responsible for stifling major developments in Missouri and nationally, state and national leaders said.\r\n\r\nThe new Federal Permitting Improvement Act fixes a broken permitting process,Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president for government affairs, said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe new streamlining law  (will) speed up the review and the approval of permitting for significant infrastructure, and manufacturing products, across the country, Josten said. All of which has the potential for investment, development and growth for our economy.\r\n\r\n\r\nThere really is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country, and it has gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move in a timely basis, which means they cost more money, and we all pay for that  ultimately that price tag is passed along, McCaskill said.\r\n\r\n\r\nBill Kovacs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs, explained the value of passing FAST, the first major amendment of the 1969 environmental review process.\r\n\r\n\r\nIts literally brilliant in its simplicity  putting time frames  in a management structure around an extraordinarily complex environmental review process, he said. This is the first time its applied to both public and private infrastructure projects  costing over $200 million.\r\n\r\n\r\nProjects include energy pipelines, aviation, manufacturing and broadband.\r\n\r\n\r\nThis is literally across the entire economy, Kovacs said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe past permit process that could take a decade or more hampered interest in development, he said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe mechanics are simple, Kovacs said: A director coordinates the process, a projects inventory is created, a schedule is set for each project, the executive assures time frames are met, the dispute resolution process is quick, the public will know what occurs at every step and those who want to sue regarding a project have two years versus the present six. Reducing the lawsuit time frame is important, he said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThat is a huge, huge improvement, because right now you can go four, five, six, 10, 15 years on a project and then, if someones going to sue you, they have an additional six years, putting tremendous uncertainty on the project, Kovacs said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe World Bank ranks the United States a low 41st worldwide in Dealing with Construction Permits.\r\n\r\n\r\nDaniel Mehan, president and chief executive officer of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the bill marks progress.\r\n\r\n\r\nThis means a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country, Mehan said, adding Missouri is known for having infrastructure that is key to the nation. Weve got a cross-section of pipelines, roads, rails with the second-, third-largest rail hubs in the country and sixth-longest highway system.\r\n\r\n\r\nMcCaskill added the states river system to infrastructure mix because waterways are used to move goods through locks and dams to markets  a vital point important on the east side of the state where the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico. The west side of the state also stands to benefit from easing federal permitting regulations.\r\n\r\n\r\nIf you look at anything big that has to be built, whether its at Whiteman or whether its in Kansas City, anything that would reach that initial investment of $200 million, this is going to apply, she said.\r\n\r\n\r\nBruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president for government affairs, said a few years ago a chamber study and found 351 permit-delayed infrastructure projects had a combined investment value of about $750 billion.\r\n\r\n\r\nThey were being held up by environmental organizations suing, he said.\r\n\r\n\r\nJosten said McCaskill worked tirelessly to move the bill through the committee process to reach the point of passage.\r\n\r\n\r\nTo win approval, the bill had to get through questions raised by the environmental, labor and business communities, and the White House. The bill received support from groups including the U.S. and Missouri chambers of commerce, Associated General Contractors of Missouri, American Soybean Association and Obama, who signed the measure into law.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Sierra Club is among groups that opposed FAST, stating in March, The legislation would also undercut public participation and environmental review, making it far more difficult for the public to raise legitimate concerns about thousands of federal projects that could potentially have significant environmental, public health, economic and other impacts. It would also greatly restrict the publics access to the courts to block unwise, wasteful, or environmentally damaging projects.\r\n\r\n\r\nSenator McCaskills personal leadership and her efforts to shepherd this through in a bipartisan way made it all possible, to be blunt, Josten said. She and her staff have been there and involved on this issue from the beginning with us. She led the legislation in the last Congress and she led it in this Congress.\r\n\r\n\r\nBipartisanship helps the nation, McCaskill said.\r\n\r\n\r\nIts possible that we could do more of this in Washington if everyone would stop standing on opposite sides of the room yelling at each other and try to figure out more ways that we can embrace common sense and do something like this, she said. I believe this will save everyone a lot of money and a lot of hassle.\r\n\r\n\r\nJosten said the U.S. Chamber supports people who work together for the common good.\r\n\r\n\r\nWe have been leading an effort to try and identify/recruit candidates  (who) want to come to Washington to govern responsibly, not come to Washington to simply blow everything up, he said. The challenge for the American public that I think at times is attracted to rhetoric that is fury We need to stop and move away from divisive rhetoric.\r\n\r\n\r\nBy definition, this town operates when you have bipartisan approaches and compromise. Compromise is baked into the entire system, and when you have divided government, which is what we have right now  youre going to have to have people like Senator McCaskill and like Senator Portman that reach across the aisle.\r\n\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/taliban-5-transfer-%E2%80%93-administration-broke-law", "The Taliban 5 Transfer  the Administration Broke the Law", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "You may recall the May, 2014, White House press conference when President Obama celebrated the secret release of five senior Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. That deal was immediately met with criticism from Americans fearful of the repercussions of releasing dangerous terrorists.\n\t\t\t\tAs Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committees (HASC) Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I headed the probe into the details of this transfer, joining HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry in releasing a report that concludes the Obama Administration violated the law.\n\t\t\t\tThe law requires the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress not later than 30 days before the transfer or release of detainees from Guantanamo. This was not done, despite the fact we now know that prisoner swap negotiations between the United States and the Taliban had begun 102 days before the transfer. Congress and Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, increasing the chances of dangerous consequences.\n\t\t\t\tWhat is even more disturbing are the decisions and plans to deliberately mislead Congress and the American people. After assuring Congress in late February of 2014 that press reports about a Taliban 5 detainee swap were not accurate, and despite promises to keep Congress informed, Department of Defense officials traveled to Doha to meet with Qatari officials about a swap, sought Department of Justice assistance to avoid legally-required Congressional notification, and prepared legal paperwork to facilitate the transfer.\n\t\t\t\tThis ploy put our country at risk. The simple truth is that a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, concluded the Taliban 5 were among a group of 48 detainees considered too dangerous to transfer. Despite what should have been a red flag, the transfer went forward.\n\t\t\t\tThis report, while it involved extensive research, does not provide all the answers. There is still much about this transfer that the Obama Administration has withheld. What we know for sure is that federal law was broken and that the Administration will do what it believes is necessary to achieve its political goals. Putting the American people in jeopardy for any reason, especially political gain, is unacceptable.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/event/audrain-county-listening-post-3", "Audrain County Listening Post", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Staff Listening Post has been scheduled for Audrain County in Mexico.\n\t\t\t\tEach Listening Post held throughout the 4th District is hosted by a member of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff member Austin Kramer will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman.\n\t\t\t\tAll citizens are invited to attend.\n\t\t\t\tWhat: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Staff Listening Post\n\t\t\t\tWhere: Audrain County Courthouse  Community Room, 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265\n\t\t\t\tWhen: Thursday, December 17, 2015 from 10:00 am  11:00 am\n\t\t\t\tFor further information contact Congresswoman Hartzlers Columbia office at (573) 442-9311.\n\t\t\t\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/event/columbia-office-open-house-1", "Columbia Office Open House", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Open House has been scheduled in Columbia.\n\t\t\t\tEach Open House is hosted by members of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff members will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman.\n\t\t\t\tAll citizens are invited to attend.\n\t\t\t\tWhat: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Open House\n\t\t\t\tWhere: Columbia District Office, 2415 Carter Ln., Ste. 4, Columbia, MO 65201\n\t\t\t\tWhen: Monday, December 21, 2015 from 9:00 am  10:30 am\n\t\t\t\tFor further information, contact Congresswoman Hartzlers Columbia office at (573) 442-9311.\n\t\t\t\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398659", "Luetkemeyer Calls U.N. Climate Agreement a Bad Deal for Americans", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Luetkemeyer Calls U.N. Climate Agreement a Bad Deal for Americans \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington,\r\n        December 14, 2015\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement following the release of the global climate agreement in Paris: \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement following the release of the global climate agreement in Paris: \r\nAfter reviewing the details of the climate agreement that was reached over the weekend in Paris, it is clear that the Administration decided to put posturing and wishful thinking ahead of our nations economy. Not only will this climate agreement raise energy prices on American families, it is based on the presidents climate plan that doesnt even have the support of the American people and will likely be proven illegal in court. This agreement is just one more example of how out of touch the Administration is with the priorities of the country. I will continue to push my legislation in Congress which would prevent taxpayers dollars from being used to fund the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change, Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Green Climate Fund so that American taxpayers are not footing the bill for an unelected organization that is tasked with advancing the UNs global warming agenda.\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-secures-bronze-star-medal-for-st-louis-world-war-ii-veteran", "McCaskill Secures Bronze Star Medal for St. Louis World War II Veteran", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Secures Bronze Star Medal for St. Louis World War II Veteran \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator advocated for veteran to receive award 60 years after combat \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, December 14, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tST. LOUIS U.S. Senator Claire McCaskills office today hosted a Bronze Star Medal ceremony honoring World War II veteran Vernon C. Crecelius, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for his military service.\r\nOur veterans past and present have done the critical work of safeguarding our nations freedoms, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran. Each and every veteran deserves proper recognition for their brave and honorable service. One of the best parts of my job is to ensure we recognize and spotlighthowever long it takes the contributions of brave individuals like Mr. Crecelius.\r\nVernon C. Crecelius, a veteran of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, served in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in Normandy and Northern France. For his service in World War II, he was authorized a Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster  signifying an additional Bronze Star Medal  before his honorable discharge in 1945. Unfortunately, Mr. Crecelius never received the additional award of the Oak Leaf Cluster device. After McCaskills office submitted the necessary documentation, the U.S. Army confirmed Mr. Crecelius entitlement to the long-delayed award.\r\nThe medal was presented by Brigadier General Gregory Champagne, Assistant Adjutant General for Air, Missouri National Guard. Senator McCaskill has previously helped Missouri veterans and their families secure overdue combat awards, including Vietnam veteranPatrick Howe, Korean war veteranDencil Francis, Vietnam veteranWalter Sitzwohl, and Korean war veteran Reverend Leo Hardin.\r\nVisitwww.mccaskill.senate.gov/veteransto learn more about McCaskills fight for military veterans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/editorial-women-in-the-military-break-the-penultimate-barrier", "Editorial: Women in the military break the penultimate barrier", "2015-12-13", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Editorial: Women in the military break the penultimate barrier \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Sunday, December 13, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Editorial Board\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            The U.S. militaryis now an equal opportunity employer. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced thatall military jobswill be open to women, even dangerous combat roles from which they were previously blocked.\r\nTheyll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat, Mr. Carter said at a Pentagon news conference announcing the decision Dec. 2. Theyll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men.\r\nThis change  which comes nearly 70 years after the U.S. military racially integrated  is long overdue. For too long, women have been kept from many combat roles and other duties simply because they were women, not because they couldnt do the job.\r\nThe limitations never kept women out of harms way, of course. More than 160 women have died and more than 1,000 have been injured serving in the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.\r\nBut the policy did hold women back when it came to climbing the ranks. Combat experience is an important factor in career advancement in the military.\r\nThe policyheld the military back, as well, as Mr. Carter made clear.\r\nTo succeed in our mission of national defense, we cannot afford to cut ourselves off from half the countrys talents and skills, he said. We have to take full advantage of every individual who can meet our standards.\r\nThe emphasis on meeting standards by Mr. Carter was intentional. President Barack Obama also stressed military standards.\r\nAs commander-in-chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will make our military even stronger, he said. Our armed forces will draw on an even wider pool of talent. Women who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to serve.\r\nMake no mistake: Women can meet those standards. The three women who graduated from the Armys grueling Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., are proof of that.\r\nU.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Army helicopter pilot injured in Iraq in 2004, was pleased with Mr. Carters announcement. I didnt lose my legs in a bar fight, she said. Of course women can serve in combat.\r\nThe decision followed a lengthy assessment by the military ordered by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2013 when he overturned a 1994 Pentagon rule barring women from combat units. After that assessment, only the Marine Corps sought exemptions to keep women from serving in some roles. Mr. Carter denied that request.\r\nChairman of the JointChiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford, a Marine who argued for keeping women out of some combat roles, was noticeably absent during Mr. Carters announcement.\r\nThere have always been those who object when barriers fall, yet those barriers do, and must, continue to fall. The military will adapt. And, as Mr. Obama said, it will be stronger for it.\r\nBut this decision opens up another issue that Americans need to consider: selective service. Though no American has been drafted into military service since the end of the Vietnam War, young men in the United States continue to be required by law to register for selective service when they turn 18 while young women are not.\r\nWhen that requirement was challenged as discriminatory decades ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a male-only draft, based substantially on the fact that women were excluded from combat roles by statute and military policy. APentagon analysispublished recently without comment noted that Mr. Carters decision further alters the factual backdrop of that ruling.\r\nSen. Claire McCaskill,D-Mo., agrees. Theres all kinds of ways women can serve, and theres all kinds of ways men can serve, she said. And if, in fact, we were at a point where we were having a draft again, I would think both would and should serve.\r\nThe Selective Service Act is being challenged again. On Dec. 8, the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard a case brought by the National Coalition for Men.\r\nThe policy may change before any lawsuit is settled, though. Shortly after Mr. Carters announcement, aWhite House spokesmansaid a policy shift was under discussion, though Mr. Obama has not made his own views known.\r\nIts long past time for the United States to rethink forcing its citizens to register for a potential draft. Considerable evidence suggests that the nation is better served by an all-volunteer military  though had there been an active draft, it might have focused more national attention on the long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.\r\nIf selective service registration is going to remain a requirement, then it should not be a discriminatory one. The existing rationale for excluding women from this requirement no longer holds up. It would require an act of Congress to add women to the draft. Congress should act.\r\nThis editorial was commissioned from freelance editorialists and edited by the Post-Dispatch editorial board\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/survey/poll-week-december-7-2015-results", "Poll of the Week, December 7, 2015 **RESULTS**", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "After the tragic events of Paris, and most recently San Bernardino, California, many have questioned whether or not the current strategy to defeat ISIS is working, and whether or not President Obama has set forth a clear strategy to defeat ISIS.\nLast Sunday, the President addressed the Nation from the Oval Office, only his third time ever doing so. In his address, he repeated the current strategy, saying it is designed and supported by our military commanders and counterterrorism experts, together with 65 countries that have joined an American-led coalition. At a recent G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, hedefended the current U.S. strategy against ISISat a press conference, saying, \"There will be an intensification of the strategy that we've put forward but the strategy that we are putting forward is the strategy that ultimately is going to work,\" It's going to take time.\"\nThe response to the Presidents handling of the situation would show that many are still not convinced this strategy is working. A recent CNN/ORC poll, taken before the attack in San Bernardino, but after the attacks in Paris shows a majority of Americans (53%) say the U.S. should send ground troops to Iraq or Syria to fight ISIS. At the same time, 6-in-10 disapproves of the President's handling of terrorism and 68% say America's military response to the terrorist group thus far has not been aggressive enough.\nCongress, in an overwhelming bipartisan fashion, recently sent a national defense bill to the Presidents desk, which he signed into law, mandating the Commander-in-Chief issue a concerted strategy to financially and militarily destroy the Islamic State.\nQuestion of the Week: Is the President Obamas current strategy on terrorism strong enough to fully defeat ISIS?\n( ) Yes  ( ) No  ( ) I am unsure", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/jason-smith-named-to-powerful-house-leadership-group", "Jason Smith named to powerful House leadership group", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, has been chosen to serve on a powerful leadership committee in the House, the first Missourian appointed since U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was a House representative years ago.\n\nRepublican colleagues Thursday elected the 8th District congressman to serve on the Republican Steering Committee, a group of House leaders tasked with choosing committee chairmen and who will serve on the various legislative committees.\nThe 35-year-old Smith is the second-youngest lawmaker to serve on the committee. Smith is dramatically younger than most House members. The average age of all 246 GOP House members is 57, he noted.\nThe steering committee has 30 members, including the six chosen Thursday. Key House leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, serve on the committee.\nSmith said he was among 11 GOP lawmakers seeking election to the committee. Under new rules implemented by Ryan, committee chairmen were removed from the group to add six at-large members.\nSmith said many of his colleagues encouraged him to run for the committee post.\n\"It's humbling to have your colleagues cast a ballot with your name,\" Smith said after the secret-ballot election.\n\"Since taking the oath of office, I have continuously focused on opportunities to better serve Missouri by developing relationships with conservative leaders,\" he said.\n\"The trust they have placed in me today to help pick our next generation of committee leaders is a true honor.\"\nSmith insisted it's beneficial for lawmakers to serve on the committee.\n\"It helps empower your district,\" he said. \"It used to be referred to as the committee of all committees.\"\nSmith said no Missouri lawmaker serves on the Appropriations Committee, making it even more important for him to serve on the committee that will determine the members of that committee.\nThat could pay dividends in securing needed funding for projects in Southeast Missouri, such as dredging of ports, he explained.\nHe added committee chairmen play key roles in moving bills through the legislative process.\nThe congressman said he wants to see all committee chairmen in the GOP-controlled House have \"the same core values that I represent.\"\nAs a congressman, Smith said it's important to work with all lawmakers.\n\"I have been building relationships with all of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats. You have to know who you are working with before you can find common ground,\" he said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-smith-stands-up-for-local-manufacturers-fights-unfair-trade", "Congressman Smith Stands Up for Local Manufacturers,  Fights Unfair Trade Practices in ENFORCE Act", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.  With todays bipartisan passage of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, Congressman Jason Smith stood up for local manufacturers.\nThe Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act fosters economic growth to allow businesses to thrive in the 21st Century global economy by stepping up enforcement of trade agreements, reducing barriers to legitimate trade, making American exports more competitive, and facilitating small business competition in the global marketplace.\nHouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady explained, \"It gives Customs and Border Protection new tools and holds it accountable to effectively act against evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties, including by targeting risky imports and establishing a new investigation process with strict deadlines and judicial review. He noted, \"Representatives Boustany and Jason Smith deserve credit for working together to make sure these provisions were included.\nRep. Smith worked tirelessly to have a provision known as the ENFORCE Act Included in this bill. Recently, a Missouri manufacturer found itself unfairly competing against an illegal product originating from China, but using a fake address in another country. The ENFORCE Act allows this company in Missouri to take real and meaningful action against these type of foreign perpetrators. As a member of the Ways & Means Committee with jurisdiction over all international trade laws, Rep. Smith has been working for over a year to include the ENFORCE Act in this final legislation.\nAmerican workers and American products can compete with anybody in the world. But when countries cheat, our manufacturers are significantly harmed, said Smith. This bill with the inclusion of the ENFORCE Act helps end those unfair practices.\nThe ENFORCE Act included in the final conference report of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act would strengthen Americas ability to identify and go after those who break international trade law which is a serious problem for Missouri manufacturers.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=745", "House passes trade legislation, Long's 'ENFORCE' provisions", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Billy Long", "L000576", "long.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) supported the Houses passage of H.R. 644, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act Conference Report. This legislation streamlines trade facilitation procedures, modernizes Custom and Border Protections (CBP) automated systems, and fights currency manipulation.  Additionally, this bill includes language from Rep. Longs Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion (ENFORCE) Act, which he has championed since first coming to Washington. This bill protects U.S. manufacturers from negative impacts from rampant evasion of antidumping and tariffs by improving CBP mechanisms that ensure the proper duties are applied to products subject to corporate evasion techniques.  This bill is critical to making sure products coming into our borders abide by our tariff laws,said Rep. Long. Duty evasion has a very real impact that harms American workers, including hundreds right here in Missouris 7th Congressional District. We must ensure that our border trade law enforcement officials have the modern tools to combat the threat of deliberately misclassified and fraudulently documented imported goods.     -30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398656", "Blaine's Bulletin: Keeping America Secure", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Providing for the common defense of our nation is one of the explicit duties given to the federal government by the United States Constitution. Now more than ever, as terrorists fueled by Islamic extremism attack America and her allies at home and abroad, it is critical that our government exercise this constitutional duty to keep America safe and secure. While the administration has not proposed a clear strategy to defeat our enemies yet, Congress has passed important measures to keep the American people and our homeland safe in recent weeks.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Providing for the common defense of our nation is one of the explicit duties given to the federal government by the United States Constitution. Now more than ever, as terrorists fueled by Islamic extremism attack America and her allies at home and abroad, it is critical that our government exercise this constitutional duty to keep America safe and secure. While the administration has not proposed a clear strategy to defeat our enemies yet, Congress has passed important measures to keep the American people and our homeland safe in recent weeks.\r\nFollowing the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris, the House of Representatives acted quickly to pass legislation that I co-sponsored to require homeland security and law enforcement officials, including the FBI Director, to certify that refugees entering our country from Syria or Iraq do not pose a threat to the United States. In the absence of the ability to make such a certification, the legislation would halt the admission of refugees from Syria and Iraq.\r\nDespite a primetime speech, the president has yet to signify any concrete efforts the White House will take to ease the concerns of Americans and protect our security on this issue. Following the speech, the Wall Street Journal wrote, Mr. Obama didnt announce an overhaul of his counterterrorism strategy or any sweeping changes in the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State. Instead, the speech left Americans wondering what exactly the Presidents plan is moving forward. The fact is the Obama Administration has not shown any leadership in combatting ISIS.\r\nMy colleagues in the House and I will continue to take action. One commonsense measure we are taking is to strengthen and reform our visa system. Right now under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, passport holders from many friendly countries may enter the United States without having to secure a visa for up to 90 days. A number of the Paris terrorists held French and Belgian citizenship and had traveled to Syria and Iraq before returning to Europe.\r\nAccordingly, this week the House passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation which would help the United States identify and stop foreign fighters with Western passports from entering the United States. It is simply commonsense that we should not admit people to our country, even if they hold passports from Western nations, if they have traveled to Syria and Iraq without a very high level of scrutiny and security checks. This legislation would also address existing security gaps in our program by allowing the Department of Homeland Security to suspend visa waivers for countries that do not comply with heightened security screening set in place by the United States and also allow for the suspension of visa waiver agreements for countries that do not share relevant information with the U.S. intelligence community.\r\nDespite the fact the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by the President not too long ago, states the President must lay out a plan on how to defeat ISIS  he has thus far not delivered on this commitment. As a result, the House will continue to show leadership in keeping American secure and exercising the constitutional duty to provide for the common defense.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10k-for-sexual-harassment-resources", "McCaskill donates $10K for sexual harassment resources", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill donates $10K for sexual harassment resources \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Friday, December 11, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Summer Ballentine\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Missouris U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday that she donated $10,000 to an advocacy group to help interns facing sexual harassment, an issue that drew national attention to the state Legislature after the resignations this year of two lawmakers accused of inappropriate behavior with interns.\r\nThe donation provides seed money for a panel of Missouri college and university representatives collaborating on how to best assist interns, said Matthew Huffman, program development specialist with the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. He said the panel will consider interns at the Capitol and in other roles.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFormer state Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, stepped down in August following allegations that he sexually harassed interns, which he deniedOne interns claims launched a Senate investigation and led another to come forward with similar claims. McCaskill and other top state Democrats such as Gov. Jay Nixon publicly questioned LeVotas ability to serve in response.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFormer Republican House Speaker John Diehl also left the chamber in disarray on the last day of session in May after admitting to exchanging sexually charged text messages with a Capitol intern.\r\nMcCaskill, who said she dealt with sexual harassment when she interned at the state Legislature, applauded lawmakers recent efforts to address the culture in Jefferson City. Changes include newly mandated annual sexual harassment training for House members and staff.\r\nBut McCaskill for months also has called for ways for interns to find help outside the Capitol, such as a hotline.\r\nThe biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is, Where can I go to find out what I should do? McCaskill said.\r\nHuffman said representatives from nine public and private colleges and universities - including the University of Central Missouri, which the intern who reported being harassed by LeVota attended - are part of the new panel. Members include intern coordinators, counseling directors and college investigators of possible violations of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sexual discrimination in education.\r\nHuffman said members will look for services that are already available and identify ways to best connect interns with help and information about sexual harassment. Ongoing prevention education, Huffman said, is necessary because students face different challenges when they get ready to join the workforce.\r\nThe information you get as a freshman is going to be very different from when youre a junior and a senior, Huffman said.\r\nHuffman said the hope is to come up with a plan by April 2016.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/missouri-and-us-chambers-of-commerce-join-mccaskill-to-tout-her-bipartisan-plan-recently-signed-into-law-to-boost-job-opportunities-streamline-permitting", "Missouri and U.S. Chambers of Commerce Join McCaskill to Tout Her Bipartisan Plan Recently Signed Into Law to Boost Job Opportunities, Streamline Permitting", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Missouri and U.S. Chambers of Commerce Join McCaskill to Tout Her Bipartisan Plan Recently Signed Into Law to Boost Job Opportunities, Streamline Permitting \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senators bipartisan plan to reform federal permitting was included in long-term Highway bill \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 11, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  Representatives from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today joined U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to discuss bipartisan legislation by McCaskillrecently signed into lawthat will boost job and business opportunities by reforming federal permitting.\r\nSenator McCaskill, thanks so much for your leadership on this issueit means a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country, said Daniel Mehan, President and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on a media conference call. Missouri is keen on infrastructure with our location in the center of the countryweve got a cross-section of pipelines, roads, railswith the second, third largest rail hubs in the country and sixth largest highway system. But this means that infrastructure development will be simplified, itll be expedited, and with the focused management itll help in a great way employ a lot of Missourians congratulations on a unique display of bipartisanship in the federal government.\r\nIts important for us to recognize and appreciate the efforts led by Senator McCaskill and Senator Portman, and for the audience on the phone to know that Senator McCaskills effort and her personal leadership to shepherd this through in a bipartisan way made it all possible, to be blunt, said Bruce Josten, Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Senator McCaskill in fact worked tirelessly to keep this legislation on point and moving forward, through committees, and eventually as part of the highway bill which was just signed into law by the President the new streamlining law passed last week will coordinate and speed up the review and approval of permitting for significant infrastructure and manufacturing products across the country, all of which are essential for investment, development, and growth of our economy.\r\nJosten added: This town operates when you have bipartisan approaches and compromise when you have divided government by definition, youre going to have to have people like Senator McCaskill and like Senator Portman that reach across the aisle and work an issue together and ultimately jump together to move it forward. No question about it.\r\nIm really thrilled to be able to thank Senator McCaskill for years for continuous leadership to get the Federal Permitting Improvement Act passed, said Bill Kovacs, Senior Vice President for Environment, Technology & Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Whats significant about the legislation is that its literally brilliant in its simplicity.\r\nThis is something I think we like to major in, in my state, and thats common sense, said McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor. There really is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country. And it has gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move in a timely basis, which means they cost more money, and we all pay for that I think its possible that we could do more [like this legislation] in Washington if everyone would stop standing on opposite sides of the room yelling at each other and try to figure out more ways that we can embrace common sense.\r\nThe long-term highway bill signed into law last week, includes provisions of the Federal Permitting Improvement Act, which McCaskill introduced more than two years ago along with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, that would streamline and speed up the federal permitting process for the largest and most complex projects, right now laden with an uncoordinated federal review process. Businesses looking to undertake large infrastructure projects are currently subject to a massive bureaucratic process involving up to a dozen agencies and approvals, and even after approval, litigation can stall projects for years.\r\nThe World Bank has ranked the United States 41st in the world in Dealing with Construction Permits, a metric that measures how easy it is to actually build something.\r\nMcCaskills bipartisan plan was backed by a number of groups including :\r\n \r\nMissouri Chamber of Commerce\r\nU.S. Chamber of Commerce\r\nAmerican Soybean Association\r\nMissouri Realtors\r\nAssociated General Contractors of Missouri\r\nNorth American Equipment Dealers Association\r\nColumbia Chamber of Commerce\r\nHome Builders Association of Greater Springfield\r\nSt. Louis Regional Chamber\r\nSpringfield Area Chamber of Commerce\r\n \r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/jobs to learn more about McCaskills fight to boost job opportunities for Missouri.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/mccaskill-facts-underlying-this-hearing-are-so-egregious-its-hard-not-to-get-emotional-about-it", "McCaskill: ‘Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, It’s Hard Not to Get Emotional About It’", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today helped lead the first in a series of hearings on dramatic drug price increasesoften on older, off-patent drugsafter the acquisition or merger of pharmaceutical companies. The hearing, entitled Sudden Price Spikes in Off-Patent Drugs: Perspectives from the Front Lines explored the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on off-patent drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/thornberryhartzler-release-taliban-5-report", "Thornberry/Hartzler On Release Of Taliban 5 Report", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, released the Committees report on the illegal transfer of 5 Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). The entire report can be readhere. The Chairman made the following remarks upon its release: \"In May 2014, President Obama transferred five senior Taliban terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar. Since this transfer, the House Armed Services Committee has been conducting an investigation into the actions of Secretary Hagel and senior DOD officials involved in the transfer, including the legality of their conduct. Our report finds that the Administration clearly broke the law in not notifying Congress of the transfer. Leading up to the transfer, DOD officials misled Congress as to the status of negotiations. Pentagon officials best positioned to assess the national security risks were left out of the process, which increases the chances of dangerous consequences from the transfer. It is irresponsible to put these terrorists that much closer to the battlefield to settle a campaign promise and unconscionable to mislead Congress in the process. Chairwoman Hartzler said the following: The findings of this report should give each of us pause. Most disturbing to me are the calculated decisions and plans to mislead Congress and the American people as to the details and necessity of this transfer. After a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, the Taliban 5 were included in a group of 48 detainees deemed too dangerous to transfer. Despite this, they were transferred.  Getting all the facts and all the information necessary to complete this report was no simple task, but it is our responsibility to get the facts and present them to the public. After rigorous investigation, there are still some unknowns. We still do not know if we negotiated for less than five detainees. We do not know how five was determined to be the right number in this exchange. However, we now know to what extent this Administration is willing to go to achieve political goals.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/blunt-a-no-on-education-reform-mccaskill-gets-chamber-praise-for-construction-bill", "Blunt a 'no' on education reform; McCaskill gets Chamber praise for construction bill", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Blunt a 'no' on education reform; McCaskill gets Chamber praise for construction bill \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Chuck Raasch\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON Sen. Roy Blunt was one of 12 Senate Republicans to oppose an overhaul of federal elementary and secondary education programs that President Barack Obama signed into law Thursday.\r\nObama hailed it as a necessary repeal of the No Child Left Behind act that gives states more flexibility in testing and boosts efforts in crucial areas, such as pre-school. But Blunt, R-Mo., said he opposed the bill because it still left \"too much Washington-down impact on elementary and secondary education.\"\r\nThe vote continued a trendin which Blunt has voted with a minority of Republicans against Obama-supported measures. The senator told the Post-Dispatch it was in keeping with his conservative philosophy, but his votes in 2015 have thrust him from the middle of the GOP pack to one of the most likely Republican senators to oppose Obama.\r\nThe passage of the education bill was part of a year-end flurry of action involving St. Louis-area or Missouri members of Congress. Congress still must approve a budget which, among other things, will determine future construction of EA-18 aircraft at a Boeing facility in St. Louis, one of the most-watched federal spending items for the region. St. Louis-area members' staffs are confident that the budget will continue funding for the aircraft.\r\nOther items of note as Congress prepares for a holiday recess:\r\nOn Thursday, Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, chair of the House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chair of the overall committee, released areport alleging that there were political considerationsbehind the 2014 release of five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who disappeared from his Army post and was captured by the Taliban. Committee Republicans also say the exchange was illegal.\r\nThe findings of this report should give each of us pause,\" Hartzler said. \"Most disturbing to me are the calculated decisions and plans to mislead Congress and the American people as to the details and necessity of this transfer. After a review of the detainees at Guantanamo, ordered by President Obama, the Taliban 5 were included in a group of 48 detainees deemed too dangerous to transfer. Despite this, they were transferred.\r\nCommittee Democrats described the report as \"an unbalanced, partisan, and needless attempt to justify a pre-determined position.\"\r\nNational and Missouri Chamber of Commerce officials held a press conference Thursday to praise Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., for co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation that was signed into law last week that they say will greatly reduce the time it takes to build major construction and repair projects, like that necessary for the I-70 corridor.\r\nMcCaskill and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, co-sponsored a transportation bill provision that will now streamline environmental and other permitting processes for major projects. Chamber officials said it would have a major, positive effect on construction of big projects in the U.S.\r\nBruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said American infrastructure projects \"simply cannot be built because of a broken permitting process. New streamlining law passed last week will coordinate and it will speed up the review and the approval or permitting for significant infrastructure and manufacturing products across the country.\"\r\nHe said that McCaskill \"led the legislation in the last Congress and she led it in this Congress.\"\r\nJosten and Daniel Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that projects that take 18-24 months to get permitted in other industrialized nations now routinely take a dozen years in the U.S. They predicted that the McCaskill-Portman law will now allow a much faster construction permitting period, saving money and and attracting investors that have been putting their money into faster-built mega-projects overseas.\r\nBoth the Chamber officials and McCaskill said they hoped the legislation would be a blueprint for more bipartisan economic growth work between moderate Democrats and Republicans.\r\n\"Sometimes it is not about what team you play in but what work you are trying to do,\"McCaskill said.\r\nAnother streamlining effort, this one sponsored by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, passed the House Financial Services Committee this week and now is up for consideration by the full House.\r\nLuetkemeyer said his legislation is the first attempt in a long time to reform Housing and Urban Development and Department of Agriculture Housing programs. The bill would give state and local housing agencies and private owners more flexibility in complying with federal housing objectives, limit the time people with too much income to qualify for a program can stay in public-financed housing, and give special attention to homeless veterans and children who become too old for foster care.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-backs-missouri-sex-harassment-initiative", "McCaskill backs Missouri sex harassment initiative", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill backs Missouri sex harassment initiative \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Deirdre Shesgreen\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON  Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday she has donated $10,000 to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence to fund a new initiativefor interns who have been sexually harassed in their jobs.\r\nMcCaskill made the contribution after two interns working at the State Capitol this year reported unwanted advances from legislators  allegations that McCaskill said reminded her of her own run-ins when she was an intern in Jefferson City.McCaskill, D-Mo., said she hopes the Missouri coalition will set up ahotline and other resources for young peoplein Missouri who face such situations.\r\nThe biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is figuring out where to turn, McCaskill said. The hotline would allow any intern anywhere in the state to call and get good information about what options they have (and) what the laws are.\r\nMatthew Huffman, a program development specialist at the Missouri coalition, said few universities have procedures for helping students who face sexual harassment while serving in college-related internships.\r\nIts a gap that no one had thought to cover yet, he said. The coalition is using the McCaskill donation to figure out how to fill that gap.\r\nHuffmansaid they are consideringcreating a hotline or a web portal, which would have information about students' rights and links to crisis counseling and other support services. \"We'relooking at a comprehensive way to develop a resource that students can access easily,\" he said.\r\nMcCaskill said she made the contribution last week from her personal funds. She had promised to get more involved in the sexual harassment issue after speaking this summer withAlissa Hembree, the University of Central Missouri student who accused then-state Sen. Paul LeVota of sexually harassing her while she was interning in Jefferson City.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMcCaskill and intern to team up against sexual harassment\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLeVota denied the allegations but resigned, saying he did not want his family to deal with the false accusations and character assignation.\r\nLeVota's resignation came in the wake of another scandal involving former Republican state House Speaker John Diehl, who resigned after admitting he exchanged sexually suggestive text messages with a different Capitol intern.\r\nThe twin allegations have sparked reforms in Jefferson City, with Missouri House members and staff now required to undergo annual sexual harassment training, among other changes.\r\nMcCaskill applauded those steps. But she said its vital that interns have access to counseling and other resources.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-business-leaders-laud-permit-streamlining", "McCaskill, business leaders laud permit streamlining", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill, business leaders laud permit streamlining \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Ken Newton\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            \r\nBig infrastructure projects can suffer big delays in the federal permitting process, and bigger costs follow.\r\n\r\n\r\nHigher-ups of some of the nations top business groups joined a Missouri senator on Thursday to celebrate a cutting of red tape for getting permits on major construction work.\r\n\r\n\r\nProvisions of the Federal Permitting Improvement Act got included in the long-term Highway Bill signed into law last week. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, and Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, worked for years to move the measure to passage.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMcCaskill and the business leaders agreed that the permitting environment for projects larger than $200 million  work involving pipelines, aviation, energy and broadband Internet, among others  had become too unwieldy and time-consuming.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThere is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country, the senator said during a conference call.\r\n\r\n\r\nIt had gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move in a timely basis, which means it costs more money. We all pay for that, even the private projects.\r\n\r\n\r\nBill Kovacs, a senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called the measure the first major reform to the environmental review process since it was created in 1969. In addition, he said, Its a really simple solution to an extraordinarily complex problem.\r\n\r\n\r\nKovacs said the law puts somebody in charge of projects, creates an inventory of the work and sets a schedule for review completion. The lead agency in permitting coordinates with other agencies, and a requirement calls for concurrent review of project steps rather than sequential reviews.\r\n\r\n\r\nFurther, he said, the law allows for equivalent state documents to be used in the review process, avoiding duplication and wasted time, and establishes a hastened procedure for resolving disputes.\r\n\r\n\r\nMcCaskill said her favorite feature in the bill was creation of a project dashboard, which allows the public to keep track of the status of work and makes it difficult for people to duck responsibility for delays.\r\n\r\n\r\nThis is something I think we like to major in, in my state, and thats common sense, she said.\r\n\r\n\r\nDan Mehan, president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called the streamlined permitting process a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure and said it would lead to more jobs for Americans.\r\n\r\n\r\nThis means that infrastructure development will be simplified, it will be expedited and with the focused management of it ... it will help in a great way employ a lot of Missourians, he said on the conference call.\r\n\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10000-to-set-up-legislative-intern-hotline", "McCaskill donates $10,000 to set up legislative intern hotline", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill donates $10,000 to set up legislative intern hotline \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Chuck Raasch\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON  Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday she has donated $10,000 of her own money to establish a hotline for Missouri legislative interns who may have been harassed.\r\nMcCaskill said she made the donation last week to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.\r\nFormer House Speaker John Diehl, R-Town and Country, resigned in May when sexually charged text messages he exchanged with a 19-year-old intern from Missouri Southern State University became public. Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, later resigned after a sexual harassment claim by a University of Central Missouri intern was partly substantiated in a university investigation. LeVota denied the allegations.\r\nIn response, Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, proposed an intern policy putting outside counsel in charge of investigating sexual harassment claims and require House members to participate in ethics and conduct training.\r\nMcCaskill said the hotline \"would allow any intern anywhere in the state to get good information about what options they have and what the laws are.\r\n\"Really, it would be just an additional resource. I applaud the actions the general assembly is taking to address the problems they have there. But I do think (after) speaking to the young women that bravely came forward this past year, and drawing from my own experience when I was an intern many, many years ago, is that the biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is, 'where can I go to find out what I should do?' That is what this hotline would be for.\"\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-donates-10000-to-start-missouri-capitol-intern-hotline", "McCaskill donates $10,000 to start Missouri capitol intern hotline", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill donates $10,000 to start Missouri capitol intern hotline \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Alisa Nelson\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) has made a personal donation of $10,000 to help set up a hotline for state capitol interns to report harassment and misconduct issues. McCaskill said she made the donation last week to the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.\r\nThe hotline would allow any intern anywhere in the state to call and get good information about what options they have, what the laws are, said McCaskill.\r\nMcCaskill speaks openly about being sexually harassed while interning at the capitol in the 1970s.\r\nThe biggest issue facing someone who is being harassed in a situation where someone has a lot more power than you have is, where can I go to find out what I should do? That is what this hotline would be for, said McCaskill.\r\nA group of Missouri lawmakers began work in May to form recommendations for an intern policy and an updated sexual harassment policy amid scandals involving interns. McCaskill reviewed the proposals, saying a hotline for capitol interns to call for help should be added.\r\nThe House of Representatives adopted in November the policies which include making more people in the House mandated reporters  people who have to report any instance of harassment or violations of the policy they know of. The protocol also involves training of staff, interns, and lawmakers regarding sexual harassment and inappropriate relationships.\r\nFormer House Speaker John Diehl, Jr. (R-Town and Country) admitted to swapping sexually suggestive texts with a college intern and resigned in May. Former Senator Paul LeVota (D-Independence) resigned this year after he was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct involving interns.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/mccaskill-teams-up-with-business-to-ease-regulatory-hurdles", "McCaskill teams up with business to ease regulatory hurdles", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill teams up with business to ease regulatory hurdles \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Deirdre Shesgreen\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            WASHINGTON  Sen. Claire McCaskill has been working hand-in-glove with lobbyists at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on legislation to streamline the federal permitting system.\r\nIts an unusual alliance on a sleepy issue. But McCaskill and chamber officials said Thursday the measure  now signed into law  will pave the way for major new infrastructure investments in Missouri and across the country.\r\nIt means a real breath of fresh air for infrastructure around the country, Daniel Mehan, president of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said during a conference call Thursday with McCaskill and U.S. chamber officials in Washington. And Missouri is keen on infrastructure, with our location in the center of the country  weve got a cross-section of pipelines, roads, rails.\r\nUnder the current system, private businesses and local governments undertaking major capital projects  whether erecting a wind farm, building broadband networks or installing a pipeline  often face a gauntlet of bureaucratic hurdles in Washington to securing the necessary permits.\r\nMultiple federal agencies will conduct duplicative reviews, requiring reams of paperwork and allowing for myriad objections. The process can often drag on as long as 10 years, with the outcome uncertain until the very end.\r\nIts gotten to the point that it was impossible for large projects to move on a timely basis, which costs money  and we all pay for that, McCaskill said. There really is no excuse for a bureaucratic nightmare when we are trying to invest in infrastructure in this country.\r\nAstudy commissioned bythe U.S. Chamber of Commerce identified 351 energy-related projects, including several in Missouri, which suffered lengthy delays because of snags in the federal permitting process.\r\nMcCaskills proposal, which applies to projects with an initial investment of at least $200 million, was included in the five-year highway bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama last week. The measure will:\r\n\r\n \r\ncreate a public, online dashboard where citizens and business executives alike can track progress on required approvals by various federal agencies;\r\ndesignate a single lead agency to set a permitting timetable for each major project, in coordination with other agencies;\r\nreduce the statute of limitations on certain environmental lawsuits from six years to two years.\r\n \r\n\r\nIt puts time frames and a management structure around an extraordinarily complex process, said Bill Kovacs, an energy and technology lobbyist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Its brilliant in its simplicity.\r\nDuring Thursdays call, Kovacs and the chambers top lobbyist, Bruce Josten, gushed over McCaskills work on the proposal. She co-authored the bill with Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio.\r\nMcCaskills personal leadership and her efforts to shepherd this through made it all possible, to be blunt, Josten told reporters, going on to praise McCaskill for working tirelessly to keep this legislation on point and moving forward.\r\nThose were remarkable comments from a powerful business lobby that usually bankrolls GOP candidates and blasts Democrats  including McCaskill in her 2012 re-election campaign.\r\nClaire McCaskills Washington agenda of a more government-centered society will kill jobs, declared one chamber-funded ad that aired in the 2012 contest.\r\nMcCaskills close work with chamber lobbyists on the permitting bill was a turnabout for her as well. She has long portrayed herself as the rare politician willing to take on big business and special interests.\r\nBoth Josten and McCaskill said their partnership was a breakthrough in an era when firebrand conservatives have blocked one bipartisan compromise after another. Josten said the chamber has revamped its electoral focus to boosting candidates who want to come to Washington to govern responsibly, not come to Washington to simply blow everything up.\r\nMcCaskill said Congress could accomplish many other common sense compromisesif everyone would stop standing on opposite sides of the room yelling at each other.\"\r\nBut with the 2016 elections around the corner, that seems unlikely.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/the-senate-just-got-closer-to-figuring-out-how-to-stop-people-like-martin-shkreli-aka-mr-wu-tang-from-hiking-drug-prices", "The Senate just got closer to figuring out how to stop people like Martin Shkreli, aka 'Mr. Wu-Tang,' from hiking drug prices", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Senate just got closer to figuring out how to stop people like Martin Shkreli, aka 'Mr. Wu-Tang,' from hiking drug prices \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Thursday, December 10, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Lydia Ramsey\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            The drug-pricing debate has officially kicked off in the Senate's hearing rooms.\r\nOn Wednesday, members of the Special Committee on Aging heard health experts speak out sharply against price gouging in which companies acquire older drugs with no generic competition and suddenly raise their price.\r\nNotably missing from the panel of witnesses  which focused mainly on actions by Valeant and Turing Pharmaceuticals  were the companies that have done so. Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing, said in atweet Wednesdaythat while he had not been called on, he \"would have loved to insult Congress.\"\r\nEven without his presence, inside jokes weren't hard to come by. For her part, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) referred to Shkreli as \"Mr. Wu-Tang\"; other senators referred to CEOs who've price gouged as \"hedge fund folks.\"\r\n Hearing from those affected by Shkreli's price hikes \r\nAt the hearing, Dr. David Kimberlin, who specializes in pediatric infectious disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, spoke of a situation in September, around the time Daraprim's price went up after Turing bought the rights to the drug, in which he found barriers to getting the drug because the monthly cost for four tablets suddenly spiked to $3,000 from $54.\r\nBecause babies infected with toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be deadly in infants and in adults with weakened immune systems, have to take Daraprim for a full year, increasing dosage along the way, that cost was suddenly prohibitive for some of his patients.\r\nKimberlin also told the committee that he had heard of at least 30 cases in 21 states in which doctors and patients had trouble accessing Daraprim, though he didn't specify whether these cases had occurred after Turingslightly revised its pricing strategy.\r\nThe hearing boiled down to two solutions to the market failure that happens when there's no generic competition for off-patent drugs that are used by relatively few patients.\r\n  \r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-backed-plan-to-address-va-workforce-shortages-clears-key-committee", "McCaskill-backed Plan to Address VA Workforce Shortages Clears Key Committee", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill-backed Plan to Address VA Workforce Shortages Clears Key Committee \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Provision follows bipartisan efforts to have permanent director installed at St. Louis VA \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  A provision backed by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to address personnel challenges in the Veterans Administrationissues that have particularly plagued the St. Louis region where the VA has struggled to install a permanent medical directorthis week cleared a key hurdle as it advanced through the Veterans Affairs Committee.\r\nThe VA has to do a better job of attracting and retaining well-qualified leaders to serve as medical center directors, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee and the daughter of a World War II veteran This commonsense legislation will help us do that in St. Louis and across the country, and Im glad this proposal thatll better address the VAs personnel challenges continues to advance.\r\nThe provision was originally part of the bipartisan Delivering Opportunities for Care and Services for Veterans Act, which builds on the reforms enacted into law last year through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, and would address some of the critical personnel issues and workforce shortages at the VA by building a pipeline of qualified medical professionals into the VA health system, eliminating red tape that hinders reform and impacts care, and creating initiatives to better leverage the VA workforce. The bill garnered the support of groups including: the American Legion, American Mental Health Counselors Association, AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Military Officers Association of America, National Guard Association of the United States, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Veterans Affairs Physician Assistant Association, among others.\r\nMcCaskill, along with fellow Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, earlier this year wrote to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, urging the installation of a permanent medical director at the St. Louis VA, which has been vacant for years. The VAs response to the Senators detailed numerous personnel challenges at the agencyincluding six times the VA failed to secure a permanent director, including two of those six instances in which no qualified applicant even applied for the position.\r\nMcCaskill has repeatedly called on the Administration to fill vacant watchdog positions, and called on President Obama earlier this year to specifically fill the vacant VA Inspector General position. The Administrations nominee Michael Missal remains unconfirmed. \r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/veterans to learn more about McCaskills fight for military veterans.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/rep-smith-tries-to-end-epa-rules-on-wood-stoves", "Rep. Smith tries to end EPA rules on wood stoves", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- There's nothing quite like the warmth generated by a cozy old wood stove during winter.\nBut Environmental Protection Agency regulations issued in January to snuff the crackling fire in the potbelly -- in the name of air quality and better breathing -- now are the law of the land and causing some headaches for self-sufficient families and stove dealers in the Show-Me State. A local congressman is taking aim against those regulations.\nThe EPA's rule tightened the amount of particulate matter new wood stoves can emit, effectively making 80 percent of the nation's stoves obsolete.\nThose new rules have cost Poplar Bluff wood-stove dealer the Stove Shop a lot of business this year, said general manager John Kassing.\n\"We are allowed to sell the stoves that are already in stock that were grandfathered over, but any new addition has to meet those specifications. It has affected our stove sales greatly,\" he said.\nPoplar Bluff do-it-yourselfers and other industrious folks have told Kassing they might just make their own stoves.\nIt is unclear what, if any, federal penalties a homeowner faces for unlawful manufacture or possession of illegal wood-burning paraphernalia.\nKassing said the new stoves are worthwhile, however.\n\"The new stoves are more efficient. They are better,\" he said. \"We are getting in to the catalyst world where it is burning the tar pellets and smoke, and it is an absolute clean flame, a clean exhaust after you get it burning correctly.\"\nU.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, last week filed to repeal the new regulations in the form of a rider tacked on to a wide-sweeping energy bill.\n\"People I talk with are sick of this administration's war on rural America. Rules like these disproportionately hurt rural areas, which use much more wood heat than urban or suburban areas,\" Smith said.\n\"Times are already tough enough. Folks should not be punished for their self-reliance and their forethought to take advantage of an abundant, eco-friendly fuel like wood.\"\nBut the EPA regulations have not gone up in smoke yet. The energy bill headed to the Senate this week contains -- in addition to Smith's repeal of the wood stove regulations -- legislation touching on almost every aspect of energy in America. Whether it will pass remains to be seen.\nSmith said households in his district are five times more likely to be heated with wood than the national average.\n\"In the 8th District of Missouri, about 30,000 households use wood heat to warm their homes. Census data show households heating with wood grew 34 percent between 2000 and 2010, and that low and middle-income households are much more likely to use wood as a primary heating fuel,\" he said.\nThe EPA says wood smoke is the cause of a number of health concerns, including asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and may increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.\n\"Smoke may smell good, but it's not good for you,\" the agency states on its website. \"Both short and long-term exposures to particle pollution from wood smoke have been linked to a variety of health effects.\"\nThe EPA regulations come in response to a lawsuit from the American Lung Association and several environmental groups, as well as the attorney generals of seven states -- Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.\nIf the larger energy bill passes the Senate, it will be sent to President Barack Obama for approval.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398658", "House Financial Services Committee Passes Luetkemeyer Legislation to Reform Federal Housing Programs", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act with a vote of 44-10. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act with a vote of 44-10. \r\nMy legislation lays the groundwork, for the first time in years, to institute reforms to the programs and processes at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Housing Service. As I have said before, this legislation represents the first step in housing policy modernization by making many targeted reforms to streamline regulatory burdens and overhaul inefficient policies and regulations. We make these changes while saving taxpayer dollars. Todays successful vote can be attributed to the broad collaboration of Members of the Financial Services Committee from both sides of the aisle. After months of negotiations, the Committee has passed legislation that takes into account many viewpoints that will foster positive change for housing in our country.\r\nSpecifically, H.R. 3700 modernizes outdated rules and regulations to give state and local housing agencies and private owners enhanced flexibility in meeting key program objectives. In addition, the legislation provides a limitation on public housing tenancy for over-income families, and pays special attention to homeless veterans and children aging out of foster care.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=e311f9a6-fca9-4ca2-8a1e-8aa1188e293f", "Kansas City Star (Opinion): Daisy Duarte: Alzheimers stole my moms memories and mine are next", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Daisy Duarte \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tLast year, I tested positive for the early-onset familial Alzheimers gene that my mother and so many others in my family have. I sat quietly as a genetic counselor explained that the results meant that I would get Alzheimers disease by my 65th birthday.\r\nLike many in the Latino community, I didnt know much about Alzheimers before my mother was diagnosed with the progressive brain disease two years ago at the age of 57. Now I live with the knowledge that my memories have a limited shelf life, set to expire in 25 years.\r\nIve decided to use this time to fight for a cure as an advocate, a caregiver and as one of the few Latina participants in an Alzheimers clinical trial at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.\r\nFive million Americans live with Alzheimers disease, a number that is expected to triple by 2050. My mother is one of the 100,000 Missourians living with the disease. And the number of Latinos is expected grow 600 percent to 1.5 million by 2050. But these numbers dont adequately capture the diseases impact on my family, the Latino community or the nation.\r\nFinancially, its devastating. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimers disease is more than $225 billion annually. If we continue on our current course, the total cost of the disease is likely to exceed $1 trillion by 2050  more than cancer and heart disease.\r\nPersonally, I was forced to close a successful business to provide the fulltime care my mom needs. Now any money I make as an hourly worker, along with her meager pension, go to Alzheimers related costs. Its certainly not something we planned for financially or emotionally.\r\nI know that significant federal research investments in HIV, stroke and heart disease have saved lives and reduced overall health care costs. But a similar investment has not been made in Alzheimers and were paying for it in the lives of our loved ones. This fact is made clear in published studies from the National Center for Health Statistics, which reports that from 2000 to 2013, deaths attributed to HIV declined by 52 percent, stroke by 23 percent and heart disease by 14 percent, while deaths attributed to Alzheimers disease increased by 71 percent.\r\nMore than 1.8 million Latino family members care for an individual living with Alzheimers or dementia. The majority are daughters like me, providing high-stress, around-the-clock care for loved ones who often dont remember who we are and too often cannot dress, feed or bathe themselves. Its a tough job that we take on with love, a sense of duty and honor, but its a job that we need help with. We need a cure.\r\nThanks in large measure to the leadership of Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the Senate recommended that federal funding for Alzheimers research be increased by $350 million in fiscal 2016. Legislation in the House recommends $300 million.\r\nAt a time of partisan battles over many issues, Im pleased there is bipartisan support for significantly increasing Alzheimers research funding. As Congress juggles a range of priorities in the current funding debate, it is critical that lawmakers support making Alzheimers funding a national priority. Its a smart and necessary investment in the future of our economy, our health care system and the well-being of millions of families. Memories are too important to have a shelf life.\r\nDaisy Duarte, a patient and caregiver advocate with the Latinos Against Alzheimers Network, lives in Springfield, Mo. Her familys storyappeared this year in People magazine.\r\nClick here to read more.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=04bc9b7a-efd2-45ac-bf7f-2dea3700f809", "VIDEO: Senator Blunt Urges Expansion of Excellence In Mental Health Act", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor today to urge support for expanding the Excellence In Mental Health Act. The legislation, which was signed into law last year, creates an eight-state pilot program to improve the amount and quality of mental health services available to those suffering from mental illness. Senator Blunt called for expanding the program to include all 24 states currently receiving planning grants under the law.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=bcf5a0db-9f59-4bc5-9bc1-ac7fbf939b49", "Senator Blunt: Education Decisions Are Best Left to State & Local Agencies, Not Federal Bureaucrats", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) voted against legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. If enacted, the measure would leave policies in place that have vastly expanded the role of the federal government at the expense of state and local education departments.\r\nDecisions affecting our childrens education are best left to state and local agencies that have the ability to tailor policies and programs to meet the needs of students, Blunt said. A one-size-fits all approach handed down by Washington has proven ineffective. Unfortunately, the bill passed by the Senate today does not go far enough to reform or eliminate programs that are not working, roll back flawed testing mandates, and restore local control. Weighing in at more than 1,000 pages, the bill also allows for the rapid growth of K-12 spending, and authorizes new spending on additional programs. Going forward, I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will work together to advance policies that better address the shortcomings in our education system and give all students the opportunity to succeed.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=d7efb7fd-6785-460f-a7c3-cb5f2f561364", "VIDEO: Senator Blunt Urges Expansion of Excellence In Mental Health Act", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) spoke on the Senate floor today to urge support for expanding the Excellence In Mental Health Act. The legislation, which was signed into law last year, creates an eight-state pilot program to improve the amount and quality of mental health services available to those suffering from mental illness. Senator Blunt called for expanding the program to include all 24 states currently receiving planning grants under the law.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/claire-mccaskill-blasts-mr-wu-tang-martin-shkreli-over-drug-pricing", "Claire McCaskill Blasts 'Mr. Wu-Tang' Martin Shkreli Over Drug Pricing", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Claire McCaskill Blasts 'Mr. Wu-Tang' Martin Shkreli Over Drug Pricing \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Zachary Tracer\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            During a Wednesday Senate hearing on drug prices, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill took aimat Turing Pharmaceuticals AG founder Martin Shkreli's spending habits.\r\nI noticed in the morning paper, this is the same guy who thought it was a great idea to pay millions of dollars for the only existing album of the Wu-Tang Clan, McCaskill said at the hearing. Shkreli earlier this yearpaid $2 millionto buy the sole copy of an album by the legendary rap group, Bloomberg Businessweek reported Wednesday.\r\nMcCaskill, who referred to Shkreli as Mr. Wu-Tang, made her comments at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. While Shkreli wasn't in attendance, McCaskill and panel witnesses criticized both him and Turing Pharmaceuticals AG.\r\nIn August, Turing acquired the rights to a decades-old medicine that's used to treat infections that can happen in HIV and cancer patients, and babies with vulnerable immune systems. The company immediately raised the price to$750 a pill, from $13.50, prompting outrage.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/congress-may-take-on-high-drug-prices-next-year", "Congress may take on high drug prices next year", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congress may take on high drug prices next year \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Robert King\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            A high-profile Republican senator wants to include potential Food and Drug Administration reforms intended to lower drug prices within a larger legislative package next year.\r\n\"There is clearly a greater role for the FDA here,\" said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which held the first bipartisan Senate hearing on high generic drug prices Wednesday.\r\nBut which FDA reform package is another question, as Collins didn't say it would be part of the Senate's efforts to draft its own version of the 21stCentury Cures Act. That bill passed the House earlier this year and contains new money for medical research and reforms to get drugs to market much faster.\r\n\"We are looking at the House-passed bill, but we are also looking more broadly than that,\" she said.\r\nShe said any reforms targeting prices hopefully would be part of a larger package next year, which means it probably would not be included in efforts in 2017 to reauthorize user fees for medical devices and pharmaceuticals.\r\nCollins sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which is drafting the Senate version of the cures act.\r\nCollins and several senators at the hearing said they liked a potential solution: a new pathway that would allow the FDA to approve certain generic drugs within six months, much faster than the current time frame of more than a year.\r\nThe pathway would be used selectively and to directly combat a spate of high-profile cases of drug prices that have skyrocketed.\r\nNormally, generic drugs are low-cost alternatives that hit the market after the patent for a brand name drug expires, but several companies have acquired decades-old drugs and raised the prices. Most notoriously is Turing Pharmaceuticals, which raised the price of an anti-parasite treatment by 5,000 percent from $13.50 a pill to $750 last summer.\r\nThe reason that could happen is lack of competition.\r\nSen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, the committee's top Democrat, said such a pathway would give companies such as Turing \"a small window to skim the cream, so to speak, and rip people off.\"\r\nThe pathway wouldn't be for all generic drugs.\r\n\"The priority review would be triggered if there were little or no price competition for that generic drug,\" Gerard Anderson, professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said at the hearing.\r\nHe added that an agency besides the FDA should do the economic evaluation, since the FDA doesn't traditionally take into account prices when making its drug-approval decisions.\r\nThe next hearing in the Senate committee's investigation could delve deeper into possible solutions the FDA could implement.\r\nCollins said the committee ultimately intends to call for testimony from CEOs of Turing, Valeant and other companies that have raised prices such as Retrophin and Rodelis. However, she did not give a timeframe for such a hearing or whether the committee would need to issue subpoenas.\r\n\"It is too premature to talk about that,\" she told reporters.\r\nA frequent target at the hearing was Turing CEO Martin Shkreli, who McCaskill referred to as \"Mr. Wu-Tang.\" McCaskill was referring to Shkreli's recent $2 million purchase of a secret album of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.\r\nShkreli caused more controversy when he said during a recent Forbes healthcare summit that he would raise the price of the anti-parasite drug Daraprim even more.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/doctors-hospitals-condemn-out-of-control-drug-prices-as-senate-investigation-begins", "Doctors, hospitals condemn out-of-control drug prices as Senate investigation begins", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Doctors, hospitals condemn out-of-control drug prices as Senate investigation begins \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Carolyn Johnson\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            A Senate investigation of drug-price spikes at four companies kicked off Wednesdaywith specialists from all corners of the health-care system testifying that they're powerless to manage the out-of-control prescription costs.\r\nThe hearing launches the Special Committee on Aging's investigation into the soaring prices of old drugs, including the recentovernight price hike of Daraprimfrom $18 to $750. Doctors and policy experts offereda slew of proposed policy solutions, such as expediting applications for generic drugs to increasecompetition and requiring companies to revealhow much drugs really cost.\r\nBut the testimony to the committee in advance of the hearing underlined a stark fact about the current system, too: Doctors, companies that manage prescription drug benefits, hospitals, and health care policy experts alike feel fairly powerless to control high drug prices -- because theyare allowed.\r\nFor instance, a pediatrician from the University of Alabama at Birmingham testified that an infant needed a treatment that had increased from $54 a month to $3,000 a month, causing the pharmacist to scramble for a solution. A kidney transplant patient in Baltimore began experiencing hallucinations asher medical team triedto obtain a drug once easily available.\r\n\"This is a life-threatening infection, your company has restricted access to the drug, and youre not open on the weekend? Are you kidding me? Were paying so much for this drug. Why cant you stay open on the weekend?\" said Annie Antar, a clinical fellow in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins Hospital on the team that treated the Baltimore woman in an interview. \"I felt like I was in a third-world country, I felt like I was in a Soviet country. This isnt how American medical systems work.\"\r\nThere's more than enough public and political outrage to go around on the drug price issue: The investigation comes on the heels of a recent Senate investigation into the pricing of an $84,000 hepatitis C treatment, and at a time when presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle have denounced excessive price-gouging by the pharmaceutical industry.\r\nBut Martin Shkreli, the notorious pharmaceutical executive who leads Turing Pharmaceuticals, one of the companies under investigation, said it most simply at aForbes Healthcare Summit last week. Asked if he could rewind back the past few months, before he became Wall Street's most hated villain,Shkreli said he would have done one thing differently: \"I probably would have raised the price higher.\"\r\nHigh prices for old drugs areoften portrayed as outrageous, maddening and immoral. In prepared remarks for the hearing, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said that Shkreli's move -- a 5,500 percent increase in a 62-year-old drug -- \"shocks the conscience.\" But as the testimony and Shkreli's frank remarks just a week ago show, they are frustrating largely because they isn't exactly anything wrong with them.\r\n\"No one wants to say it, no one's proud of it, but this is a capitalist society, a capitalist system, and capitalist rules, and my investors expect me to maximize profits not to minimize them or go to half, but to 100 percent of the profit curve,\" Shkreli said at the summit.\r\nA recurrent theme at the hearing, led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and McCaskill was that competition had dried up, resulting in a broken system that allowed some older drug prices to spiral out of control in ways that called for government to intervene.\r\nWhen competition breaks down - where there is a market failure, as may be the case here - the discipline that keeps prices in check and protects consumers can disappear, Collins said.\r\nGerard Anderson, director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health urged greater scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions that reduce competition in the generic industry. He suggested a fast-track review of applications for generic drugs when there is no competition.\r\nHe also described possible solutions to the practice of \"marketing the spread:\" when the sticker price of a drug is set very high, and then undisclosed rebates are negotiated with the pharmacy. That secretive process, he said, leads insurers to overpayfor drugs because they're basing what they pay on the sticker price and not on the real price the pharmacy pays. If everyone knew the real price of the drug, transparency could be a powerful tool toward containing spending.\r\n\"We have to figure out a way to either have more competition, or to control the prices where there is no competition,\" Anderson said in an interview.\r\nMark Merritt, the president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the trade group that represents pharmacy benefit managers, arguedin prepared testimony that price controls or even limits on the amount of costs that patients pay could be harmful. Limiting what patients pay may seem to benefit sick people, he argued, but it actually opens the door for greater price increases as the system continues to shoulder the brunt of the costs, through increased premiums.\r\nErin Fox, director of the Drug Information Service at University of Utah Health Care described the effect of a single price increase on her institution. The price increases of Nitropress and Isuprel, two heart drugs acquired by Valeant Pharmaceuticals this year, would lead to nearly $2 million more in spending if the hospital continued to use the same amount of each drug as the previous year.\r\n\"Our physicians are extraordinarily frustrated by having to make decisions about whether to use these critically important but extremely expensive medications in emergency situations, especially when they have been using these drugs for years,\" Fox said.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/overnight-defense-pentagon-chief-argues-against-ground-force-in-isis-fight", "Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief argues against ground force in ISIS fight", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief argues against ground force in ISIS fight \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Rebecca Kheel\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            PENTAGON WARNS AGAINST 'APOCALYPTIC WAR':Also at the Senate committee hearing, Pentagon leaderscriticized proposalsto fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that they say would fuel the terrorist group's recruitment abilities.\r\n\"It's clear from ISIL's strategy that their objective is to cause us to engage in what they believe is an apocalyptic war with the west,\" said Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, using an alternate acronym for ISIS. \"And anything that we do to feed that particular frame of thinking counters our national security, and we have to be very careful about how we prosecute a campaign that appears to be an indiscriminate attempt to attack ISIL and the population that surrounds it.\"\r\nSelva was responding to Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-Mo.) criticism during the hearing of presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) call to \"carpet bomb\" ISIS.\r\n\"We will carpet bomb them into oblivion,\" Cruz said last weekend in Iowa. \"I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out.\"\r\nMcCaskill slammed Cruz's comments, saying that carpet bombing Iraq or Syria would kill numerous innocent women and children, prompting some to side with ISIS.\r\n\"If we did an indiscriminate carpet bombing of a major area and killed thousands of women and children, would you assume that would have some impact on their ability to recruit misguided barbarians like this couple that took out more than a dozen innocent people last week?\" she said, referring to the couple suspected of carrying out last week's shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. \"I would have to assume it would put their recruiting on steroids.\"\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/price-hiking-drug-companies-put-lives-in-the-balance-us-lawmakers-hear", "Price-hiking drug companies put 'lives in the balance', US lawmakers hear", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Price-hiking drug companies put 'lives in the balance', US lawmakers hear \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Joanna Walters\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Specialty pharmaceutical companies that acquire certain drugs then spike the prices egregiously were compared to loan sharks and warned they were putting patients lives in the balance at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.\r\nDrug companies such as Turing and Valeant, which have beenunder firefor months because of the soaring prices of lifesaving medications they made, were accused of being driven simply by greed, by congressional leaders in Washington on Wednesday afternoon.\r\nTurings founder and chief executive, Martin Shkreli, was singled out by name for his cocky public defiance over recent price hikes  and briefly mocked after it emerged earlier in the day that he hadpaid a reported $2mto buy a one-off Wu-Tang Clan rap album.\r\nRepublican senator Susan Collins, of Maine, told the hearing that the new breed of drug entrepreneurs who focus on acquisitions and profits at the expense of research and healthy marketplace competition looked more like hedge funds than pharmaceutical businesses.\r\nThese companies are to ethical pharmaceutical companies as a loan shark is to a bank, Collins said.\r\nThe bipartisan Senate special committee on ageing, led by Collins and Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, listed four companies as deserving of criticism and scrutiny  Turing, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Rodelis Therapeutics and Retrophin, the company Shkreli ran before he founded Turing.\r\nCollins said the hearing was called to investigate the sudden and dramatic price increases that occur after companies buy the rights to certain older, niche drugs that are no longer protected by patents but have no significant generic competitors.\r\nEach of these companies has hiked the prices by 20, 30 or 40 times the prior price, at times putting these medicines out of reach for the patients and the doctors who treat them  and bearing in mind that they did not bear the research costs of developing these drugs, said Collins.\r\nI certainly intend to call the CEOs of the four firms that we are focused on thus far, Collins said, adding that the committees findings may also be incorporated into an Food and Drug Administration reform bill next year.\r\nShkreli became engulfed in a furore in September after it was revealed that he increased the price of Daraprim overnight from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill, after buying the rights to it in August 2015, and also made it harder for doctors and pharmacies to get hold of it.\r\nCollins cited a hospital in North Carolina that was treating children for the dangerous infectious disease toxoplasmosis and had to seek out an alternative drug that had not been appropriately tested because the standard drug to treat the illness was Daraprim.\r\nAfter loudprotestsover the price hike, including from presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, who also warned she would crack down on the practice if she wins the White House, Shkrelitoldthe Guardian he would drop the price of the drug  then laterrenegedon that pledge.\r\nBut Turing was only one player in the strengtheningstormover prescription drug prices that are relatively obscure but lifesaving for certain illnesses, which has now prompted the Senate to investigate.\r\nOne goal is to understand why such companies can impose egregious price increases on off-patent drugs that theyve acquired. Our system relies on competition to keep prices in check and there has been a market failure, said Collins.\r\nMcCaskill told the committe hearing: My main challenge today will be keeping my temper.\r\nWhere companies had a de facto monopoly on drugs that patients rely on, tactics have quickly turned to price-gouging, she said.\r\nThey can try to hide the truth but if this is just greed we have a duty to find out how to protect patients, she said.\r\n\r\nHealth experts giving evidence at the hearing talked about how sudden price hikes had affected patients in their care.\r\nDr Erin Fox, director of drug information services at the University of Utah health care system, based in Salt Lake City, said that the hospitals in her jurisdiction had been forced to restrict the availability of two drugs supplied by the firm Valeant that are designed for use during the emergency treatment of cardiac arrest.\r\nThe drugs, Isuprel and Nitropress, had normally been carried on all the crash carts that doctors wheel around the hospital to rush to a code call  or alert of a cardiac arrest, she said.\r\nIn 2013, she told the committee, the hospital would pay $50 each for a dose of either drug. After the drugs were acquired by another firm in 2014, the price increased to $215 per dose of Nitropress and $440 per dose of Isuprel. Then, after being acquired by Valeant in 2015, Nitropress jumped to $660 a dose and Isuprel to $2,700, she said.\r\nShe said that nothing appeared to have changed about the drug itself and that Valeant did not manufacture it but simply put its label on the bottle.\r\nWhen Fox worked out that the two drugs would cost the healthcare system almost $2m a year, the hospital stopped routinely carrying them on the crash carts and kept them locked up, which caused some delay in treatment and frustration to her staff, she said.\r\nValeant Pharmaceuticals International switched priorities away from research and development and into aggressive acquisitions and extracting value from its drug rights after former McKinsey & Co executive Michael Pearson became chief executive in 2008.\r\nCanadian Business magazine recentlynamedPearson CEO of the Year 2015, noting that the acquisitive company he cannily built had swiftly made its investors  and himself  very rich.\r\nAt the Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, Dr David Kimberlin, a leading US pediatric infectious diseases specialist based at the University of Alabama, said that he had had a problem getting hold of Daraprim since Turing acquired the drug and changed the way it is distributed.\r\nKimberlin said he experienced problems accessing the drug in the liquid form that babies need.\r\nThis has directly put the lives of patients with this severe infection at risk. Babies lives literally hang in the balance here, Kimberlin said.\r\nHe said his healthcare system had seen the cost of a typical course of what he termed pyrimethamine, the medicine in the branded drug Daraprim, for adults rise from $1,200 to $69,000 under Turings ownership, with some serious cases costing no less than $500,000, having cost $8,500 before, he said.\r\nIts appropriate that the Senate take up this issue, he said.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senate-panel-focuses-on-toll-of-valeant-turing-drug-price-spikes", "Senate panel focuses on toll of Valeant, Turing drug price spikes", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate panel focuses on toll of Valeant, Turing drug price spikes \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Sarah N. Lynch and Bill Berkrot\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            A pediatric doctor in Alabama had to scramble to find a less expensive supply of a lifesaving drug to treat an infant who was suffering from a parasitic infection.\r\nIn Utah, a hospital has been forced to change the way it stocks a drug critical to treating heart patients after the cost skyrocketed from $440 to $2,700 a vial.\r\nThese are two of the stories a U.S. Senate panel heard on Wednesday at a hearing to explore why certain off-patent prescription medicines sold by companies like Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals have shot up after they acquired the rights to the drugs.\r\nThe committee also mentioned dramatic price hikes by Rodelis Therapeutics and Retrophin Inc.\r\nThe Senate's Special Committee on Aging announced last month it was launching an investigation into drug pricing and the role mergers and acquisitions may be playing in price hikes.\r\nThe committee is reviewing price increases for two Valeant heart drugs, Isuprel and Nitropress, and Turing's price increase on Daraprim, used to treat toxoplasmosis, a serious disease that affects AIDS patients and pregnant women and their babies.\r\nSenator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, the panel's ranking Democrat, said there is a difference between rewarding innovation and price gouging, noting that the older drugs in question were not developed by the companies selling them.\r\n\"If this is just greed, we have a duty to figure out how to protect patients who need these medicines,\" she said.\r\nDrug pricing has come under wider scrutiny in the last few months, not only from U.S. lawmakers, but also from U.S. prosecutors and Democratic presidential candidates.\r\nA different congressional committee is investigating the high U.S. prices of innovative new branded medicines as well.\r\nValeant is facing probes from U.S. prosecutors over prices, distribution and prescription assistance programs, while Turing is under investigation by the New York state attorney general for antitrust concerns.\r\nThe increased scrutiny over high U.S. drug prices has also taken a toll on the industry's stocks.\r\n\"Let the word go out to investors ... we're paying attention to this practice,\" McCaskill said.\r\nWednesday is the first in what is expected to be a series of hearings on drug price spikes that will pick up again in 2016.\r\n\"I certainly intend to call the CEOs of the four firms that we are focused on thus far,\" said Committee Chairwoman Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, adding that the committee's findings may also be incorporated into an FDA reform bill next year.\r\nValeant said it was cooperating with the committee, including providing requested documents.\r\n\"Valeant markets more than 200 prescription drugs ... so broad conclusions about the company's pricing cannot be drawn from any one drug or set of drugs,\" spokeswoman Laurie Little said in an emailed statement.\r\nMcCaskill said Senate research found that \"dramatic price hikes are seemingly business as usual for Valeant.\"\r\nCollins added that \"the companies we're investigating look more like hedge funds than they do traditional pharmaceutical companies,\" and called the price hikes egregious and offensive.\r\nNancy Retzlaff, the chief commercial officer for Turing Pharmaceuticals, said Wednesday that \"no patient will be denied access to Daraprim.\"\r\n\"Currently more than 60 percent of Daraprim is provided to patients at a $1 per prescription or less and our assistance programs,\" she added.\r\nWednesday's hearing featured medical professionals who testified about the impact of price increases on important older generic medicines.\r\nErin Fox, a director at the University of Utah Health Care, said the hospital is struggling to cope with Valeant's price increases.\r\n\"If we continued to purchase the same amount of each drug, it would cost our organization just over $1.6 million more for isoproterenol and approximately $290,000 more for nitroprusside compared to what we paid the previous year,\" Fox said, using the chemical names of the Valeant heart drugs.\r\nDr. David Kimberlin of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, who treats infants that have contracted toxoplasmosis from their mothers, said a course of Daraprim treatment for a baby had been about $1,200. Since the Turing price hike it is \"no less than $69,000.\"\r\nHe said a liquid formulation needed for babies had become difficult to obtain due to Turing distribution practices.\r\n\"Babies' lives literally hang in the balance here,\" he told the committee. (additional reporting by Bill Berkrot)\r\nRead more at Reutershttp://www.reuters.com/article/senate-drugs-hearing-idUSL1N13Y2E620151209#H5mgl8SwFMGghbCK.99\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senators-condemn-big-price-increases-for-drugs", "Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senators Condemn Big Price Increases for Drugs \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Andrew Pollack\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Senators from both parties on Wednesday denounced huge overnight price increases for decades-old drugs that have been made by some pharmaceutical companies lately, calling them unconscionable and detrimental to patients.\r\nThese companies are to ethical pharmaceutical companies as a loan shark is to a bank, said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, quoting an unnamed industry specialist with whom she had spoken. She discussed the matter at a hearing of the Senates Special Committee on Aging, which she leads.\r\nThe hearing focused on two companies in particular, Turing Pharmaceuticals, which acquired an old drug for a parasitic infection and raised the price to $750 a pill from $13.50, andValeant Pharmaceuticals International, which has sharply increased the prices of various drugs it has acquired, including two used by hospitals to treat serious heart conditions.\r\nThe chief executives of these companies were not at the hearing, but that did not stop them from being criticized. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, the ranking Democrat on the committee, mockedMartin Shkreli, the chief executive of Turing, by calling him Mr. Wu-Tang. That was a reference to the news that Mr. Shkreli, 32, a former hedge fund manager, was revealed asthe mystery buyerof the only known copy of a new album by Wu-Tang Clan.\r\nMost of the hearing, which was described as the first in a series, was devoted to looking at the impact of the sudden price increases on doctors, patients and hospitals.\r\nErin R. Fox, director of the drug information service at University of Utah Health Care, said that the price of Isuprel, a heart drug acquired by Valeant early this year, was now $2,700 a vial compared with $440 before the acquisition and $50 two years ago. The hospital system would have had to spend $1.6 million extra a year just on that drug, she said, unless it curtailed it use.\r\nSo Isuprel was removed from the crash carts that are used in emergencies, Ms. Fox said, though it is still available from the pharmacy if doctors really need it. Our physicians are incredibly frustrated that they have to think twice about using the drug, she said.\r\nDr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, recounted a case in which a baby needed Daraprim, the drug acquired by Turing, which increased its price to $750 a pill. Daraprim, acquired in August, treats toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can cause blindness and brain damage.\r\nSince Daraprim is a pill, it had to be turned into a liquid form that a baby could swallow. But the compounding pharmacy the hospital relied on to do that could not obtain the drug because of new restrictions Turing had placed on distribution. The huge price increase, which would bring the cost of a yearlong course of treatment for a baby to more than $69,000 from $1,200, was also a deterrent.\r\nBabies lives literally hang in the balance here, Dr. Kimberlin said. He said that infectious disease societies had surveyed members and found more than 30 cases in which people had trouble obtaining Daraprim promptly.\r\nIn a statement, Turing said it was committed to developing innovative therapies and was making sure that no patient was denied access to Daraprim. Valeant said in a statement that broad conclusions about the companys pricing cannot be drawn from any one drug and that most hospitals use small amounts of Isuprel, limiting any impact of price increases.\r\nMs. Fox and others who testified said that companies like Turing and Valeant were able to increase prices so rapidly because of a lack of competition in the market for generic drugs, which stemmed in part from consolidation in that industry. The lack of competition plus manufacturing problems have led to shortages and price increases for antibiotics, anesthetics and some other drugs that are more widely used than Daraprim and Isuprel.\r\nVarious suggestions were made for dealing with the issue. Gerard Anderson, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the Food and Drug Administration should expedite approval of generic drugs for economic reasons.\r\nDaraprim and Isuprel have no patent protection but there are no generic competitors either, because the market was small until the big price hikes. If a generic company wanted to enter now, it could take two to three years to get F.D.A. approval. But if that time could be reduced to six months, it would provide a deterrent to huge price hikes, he said.\r\nExpress Scripts, the largest pharmacy benefit manager, is encouraging use of an alternative to Daraprim that is made by a compounding pharmacy and sells for about $1 a pill. But witnesses at the hearing were reluctant to recommend more use of compounding to save money because such drugs are not approved by the F.D.A. and have had safety issues in the past.\r\nCompounding should not be a blanket, one-size-fits-all solution, said Ms. Fox of the University of Utah.\r\nMark Merritt, chief of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents pharmacy benefit managers, called for a watch list of drugs with no generic competition that would be vulnerable to huge price increases. He said there were about 200 such drugs.\r\nThe hedge funds have these lists, the government may as well too, he said.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/senators-slam-pharma-ceo-for-drug-pricing-wu-tang-clan-album-buy", "Senators slam pharma CEO for drug pricing, Wu Tang Clan album buy", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senators slam pharma CEO for drug pricing, Wu Tang Clan album buy \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Sarah Ferris\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            A pair of top senators lashed out Wednesday against several now-infamous drug company CEOs, including Martin Shkreli, who have been accused of price-gouging on potentially life-saving treatments.\r\nMy biggest challenge today is to not lose my temper, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said. The facts underlying this hearing are so egregious but its hard not to get emotional about it.\r\nMcCaskill, who co-led the Senates first hearing on drug pricing this year, directed most of her attacks against Shkreli, the 32-year-old hedge fund manager-turned-CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals.\r\nThis is the same guy who thought it was a great idea to pay millions of dollars for the only existing album of the Wu Tang Clan, she said, to sneers throughout the room, referring to areport on Wednesdaythat Shkreli shelled out $2 million for the only copy of \"Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,\" the most expensive album ever sold.\r\nShkreli, repeatedly dubbed the most hated man in America, has been under fire from congressional committees as well as presidential candidates from both parties. Donald Trump recently trashed him as a spoiled brat, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) redirected the CEOs campaign contribution to charity.\r\nShkreli, meanwhile, has basked in the attention  further inflaming his critics on Twitter after deciding to live-stream his every move for 24 straight hours.\r\nMcCaskill said she has been repeatedly shunted in her investigation of Turing, which came under fire after reports that it raised the costs of a decades-old anti-parasitic drug from $13.50 to $750 per bill.\r\nValeant refused to answer my questions and instead downplayed my concerns, she said, raising her voice. As she turned to the witness panel of mostly medical experts and doctors, McCaskill thanked her co-chair of the committee Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) because she calms me down.\r\nCollins, in her slow, even tone, also blasted the companies for creating excuses to raise their prices without explanation.\r\nSome of the companies that have been the focus of our investigation look more like hedge funds than they do pharmaceutical companies, Collins said.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/steep-drug-price-hikes-harm-patients-experts-testify", "Steep drug price hikes harm patients, experts testify", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Steep drug price hikes harm patients, experts testify \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Kevin McCoy\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Steep price hikes forsome off-patent drugs harmpatients by restricting access to potentiallife-saving medications, health care and health insuranceexperts testifiedat a congressionalhearing Wednesday.\r\nResponding to outrage from doctors and patients, theSenate Special Committee on Agingspotlighted supply problems that occur when government-authorizedpatents on medicationsexpire and the drug rights are sold to new pharmaceutical companiesthat raise prices by as much as 6000%.\r\nCommittee members raised the prospect of addingnew pricing rules to the federal government's existing drug oversight system.\r\n\"That balance we have struck never anticipated companies acquiring off-patent drugs and then jacking up their prices to enormous heights, and do so, as one executive essentially put it, 'because I can,'\" said committee chairwoman Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. \"But that is exactly what we have seen in recent months.\"\r\n\r\n \r\nSpiraling costsfor two heart drugs owned by drugmaker Valeant Pharmacueticals International increased the Cleveland Clinic's total drug budget by $8.6 million, hearing testimony showed.\r\nNorth Carolina doctors treating a babyfor toxoplasmosiswere unable to get the Daraprim medication that targets the parasitic disease because Turing Pharmaceuticals had raised the price 40 times beyondits original cost. The doctors instead had to usean alternative medication.\r\nErin Fox, director of the drug information service atthe University ofUtah Health System, testified that a price hike from $440 to $2,700forced her to keep a Valeant heartdrug locked up afterremoving it from medicationcarts where it previously had been available.\r\n \r\n\r\nThe hearing also focused on similar price hikes for drugs owned by Rodelis Therapeutics and Retrophin for treating hepatitis C and other illnesses.\r\nThe off-patent drugs in many cases faceno generic versions that could provide market competition, and serve relatively small patient groups. Additionally, the new owners didn't spend millions of dollars to research and developthe medications.\r\n\"Valeant markets more than 200 prescription drugs and hundreds more non-prescription products, so broad conclusions about the companys pricing can not be drawn from any one drug or set of drugs,\" said Laurie Little a vice-president ofthe Canada-based drugmaker. \"We set prices based on a number of factors, including the cost of the development or acquisition of a drug, the availability of substitutes or generics, and the benefits it offers versus alternative treatments that might be more costly.\"\r\nAlthough Valeant said it offered patient aidprograms to ease the painof price hikes, Fox said her calls to Valeant about the costs met with the same response: \"Talk to your distributor.\"\r\nNancy Retzlaff, Turing's chief commercial officer, said the New York City-based firm iscommitted to patient access\" and to developing therapies\"for rare and neglected diseases.\" Pledging that no patient would be deniedaccess toDaraprimshe said more than 60%of the drug's output \"is provided to patients at a $1 per prescription or less.\"\r\nHowever, pharmacy benefit management giant Express Scripts this month said it would work with a compounding pharmacy to provide Daraprim to all patients for $1 per treatment.\r\nSen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the committee's ranking minority member, said the committee's continuinginvestigation had found a pharmaceutical industry \"market failure.\"\r\n\"And when there's a market failure, the government has a role in addressing it,\" said McCaskill.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/latest-headlines/this-is-what-happens-when-cheap-drugs-get-wildly-expensive", "This Is What Happens When Cheap Drugs Get Wildly Expensive", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This Is What Happens When Cheap Drugs Get Wildly Expensive \r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                Wednesday, December 9, 2015\r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            \r\n                  \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Laura Lorenzetti\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Drug prices for some older, off-patent medications have skyrocketed this year.\r\nValeant PharmaceuticalssVRX2.96%heart drugs Isuprel and Nitropresssaw their prices increase by 525% and 212%, respectively. The price for Turing PharmaceuticalsDaraprim jumped over 5,000%, and Rodelis briefly raised the price of a newly acquired off-patent tuberculosis drug by more than 2,000% before returning the drug to its original non-profit owner.\r\nDrugs that once cost dollars per dose now cost hundreds or even thousands per pill, and the effect on hospitals, doctors, and patients has been acute. Health care leaders on the front-lines, including a doctor and hospital pharmacy director,addressed a U.S. Senate committeeWednesday, recounting how these unexpected price increases have led to shortages for those treatments and worse outcomes for patients.\r\nErin Fox, the director of the Drug Information Service at University of Utah Health Care, said that doctors at her hospital have reduced access to Isuprel, a drug used on cardiac arrest patients. Utah Health Care went from paying $440 a pill for Ispurel last year to nearly $2,700 today. At that increase and at current consumption rates for the hospital, Isuprel would have inflated the health systems drug budget by over $1.6 million. That was unsustainable, leading Utah Health Care to seek ways to reduce the impact on its bottom line.\r\nWe removed Isuprel from about 100 crash carts, where essential medications are available during an emergency, said Fox. Physicians reported that this isnt the first medicine they use, but it could be critical when heart rate is extremely low.\r\nThe medicine is now stocked in backup boxes and in smaller supply to keep costs in check. Its treated the same way as if there were a shortage for the drug, Fox said.\r\nCardiac arrest patients at Utah Health Care at least maintain access to Isuprel, even in spite of the higher cost. The same isnt true for David Kimberlins pediatric patients suffering from toxoplasmosis. Kimberlin, co-director of the Pediatric Infectious Disease division at the University of Alabama Birmingham, recounted a patient that couldnt access the medicine she desperately needed to treat her soon-to-be child.\r\nThe necessary treatment, Daraprim, now costs nearly $750 a pill, up from $13.50 as of this summer. A 12-month course of treatment for a newborn would now cost $69,000. Before the price boost, it would have been just $1,200.\r\nBut, Daraprims price was simply the first barrier. Kimberlin sought a prescription for the patient in August only to find that the outpatient community pharmacy the hospital typically used could no longer get the drug. Its now only available through Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, which lacked the expertise needed to properly prepare the medicine for an infant, said Kimberlin.\r\nWe were facing a situation where we might not be able to acquire the drug in a form that could be taken by a baby, he said.\r\nFortunately, the story has a happy endingbut not a solution. The community pharmacy had a small supply on their shelves from before the price increase and was able to bridge the gap.\r\nThese testimonies captured Senators attention during the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, led by Senators Claire McCaskill and Susan Collins. The testimonies pinpointed a key problem thats led to this breakdown: off-patent drugs lack the necessary competition to keep prices in check.\r\nCentral to the issue of generic drugs is competition, said Gerard Anderson, the director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management at Johns Hopkins. Every time a company enters the market, price goes down by 20% to 25%.\r\nThe problem is that over the past five to 10 years, the competitive market for generic drugs has started to fall apart. Generic drug makers have been increasingly consolidating, including Teva Pharmaceuticals $40 billion purchase of Allergans generics unit, which has shrunk competition, edged up prices and increased shortages on many drugs, Anderson said.\r\nTuring is only the tip of the iceberg, he said. Many other generic companies are doing the same thingtheir price increases are just not quite as egregious.\r\nFor example, the widely-used antibiotic doxycycline hyclate went from about 4 cents a pill to nearly $3.70. Cholesterol medication pravastatin sodium jumped from $27 to $196 for a year-long supply. Overall,27% of the most-widely used generic drugssaw price increases in 2013, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute.\r\nSo what about solutions?\r\nAnderson proposed that lawmakers consider expedited reviews for generic medicines where there is no competition, and Mark Merritt, director of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, recommended that the Food and Drug Administration keep a list of all drugs that are off patent and dont yet have generic or other brand substitutes.\r\nCompanies should know theyre on a watch list, said Merritt. They should know that theres going to be a lot of scrutiny on this.\r\n            \r\n             \r\n            \r\n            \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/combo-of-mccaskill-provisions-included-in-largest-education-overhaul-since-2001", "Combo of McCaskill Provisions Included in Largest Education Overhaul Since 2001", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Combo of McCaskill Provisions Included in Largest Education Overhaul Since 2001 \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator successfully includes proposals supporting military families by allowing teachers to transfer credentials across state linesimprove health education with a focus on safe relationships, consent \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  This weeks advancement of the nations largest education overhaul since 2001 includes a combo of provisions by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill  including legislation to support military spouses by letting teachers transfer credentials across state lines, and a plan to improve health education with a focus on safe relationships and consent.\r\nThis legislation is a truly bipartisan victory thatll have a real and lasting benefit for Missouris students, educators, and local communities, said McCaskill, a graduate of Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo. Today weve made real strides to enhance and improve our kids education by lightening the load of licensing requirements that make it difficult for teachersespecially military spousesto continue in their field when they move across state lines, and by improving student health education with a focus on consent and safety to prevent domestic and sexual assault.\r\nThe Every Student Succeeds Act gives communities the flexibility to develop their own plans to improve the quality of their schools. The rewrite of the previously dubbed No Child Left Behind Actenjoys wide bipartisan support and passed the House of Representatives by a 359-64 vote and the Senate by a 85-12 vote. It is also supported by a wide variety of stakeholders including the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and National Schools Boards Association. \r\nThe measures successfully included by McCaskill and included in the Every Student Succeeds Act include:\r\nImproving Teacher Mobility:\r\n \r\nThis provision supports military spouses, among others, by improving teacher licensing mobility, equipping educators with methods to transfer their credentials across state lines, and providing state and local education agencies greater access to qualified teacher candidates from across the country. The plan earned the endorsement of the National Military Family Association, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and Teach for America.\r\n \r\n \r\nCurrently, state licensure systems for teachers vary widely in the level of rigor and the number of requirements, so most statesincluding Missourido not readily accept out of state credentials from teachers who want to relocate. The resulting lack of mobility in the teaching profession is increasingly at odds with the needs of todays modern workforce, deterring exceptional prospective teachers from entering the field and driving highly effective teachers out of the classroom when they must move across state lines. The enormous costs and administrative burdens of the many different state licensure requirementsthere are nearly 600 different teacher licensure exams in use todaydeter teachers from filling jobs where they are most needed. Todays bill gives states the ability to create a standard process to make it easier for teachers to transfer professional licenses or certifications between states.\r\n \r\nTeaching Safe Relationships:\r\n \r\nKey provisions of McCaskills Teach Safe Relationships Act were also including in the education bill. The planalso sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginiaimproves health education in public secondary schools by focusing on preventing sexual assault, domestic, and dating violence. Currently, there is no federal requirement that sex education courses cover topics such as sexual assault prevention and discussions about safe relationships.\r\n \r\nMcCaskill, along with a bipartisan group of Senators, has also introduced the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, to take aim at sexual assaults on college and university campuses by protecting and empowering students, and strengthening accountability and transparency for institutionsincluding establishing stiff penalties for non-compliance with the legislations new standards for training, data and best practices. The legislation is informed by feedback McCaskill heard when she traveled across Missouri last fall, speaking with students, administrators, advocates, and law enforcement from nearly 50 colleges and universities.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/education to read highlights of McCaskills work to improve education.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-challenges-extreme-rhetoric-from-armed-services-members-on-us-strategy-to-defeat-islamic-state", "McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat Islamic State", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat Islamic State \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t At Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator questions top Pentagon leaders on U.S. strategy to degrade and destroy the Islamic States forces, resources \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today challenged the extreme rhetoric of a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee at a hearing on U.S. efforts to destroy the self-declared Islamic State by questioning the effectiveness of carpet-bombingwith the potential to aid enemy recruitment effortsrather than strategic, surgical strikes to take out the groups top leaders and resources.\r\nSenator Cruz has said, We will utterly destroy ISIS. We will carpet-bomb them into oblivion. I dont know if sand can glow in the dark, but were going to find out, said McCaskill, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. How many women and children would be involved if we carpet-bombed the areas where ISIS is currently a stronghold? What are we talking about in terms of lives lost of women and children in those areas?\r\nSecretary of Defense Ashton Carter responded, That is of course not our approach, and we are very effective from the air. Were able to be effective while minimizing collateral damage.\r\nMcCaskill continued, If we did an indiscriminate carpet-bombing of a major area and killed thousands of women and children, would you assume that would have some impact on their ability to recruit misguided barbarians like this couple that took out more than a dozen innocent people last week? I would have to assume it would put their recruiting on steroids And isnt the biggest danger to the homeland the ability of this extreme jihad viewpoint being transferred to Americans who then become radicalized and do what these people did in San Bernardino? Isnt that the biggest threat to our homeland?\r\nGen. Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded: Its clear from ISILs strategy that their objective is for us to engage in what they believe is an apocalyptic war with the West. And anything we do to feed that particular frame of thinking counters our national security, and we have to be very careful about how we prosecute a campaign that appears to be an indiscriminate attempt to attack ISIL and the population that surrounds it What I would say categorically is the process you described as your hypothetical question is not the way that we apply force in combat. It isn't now nor will it ever be.\r\nMcCaskill recently quizzed the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, on U.S. efforts to combat Islamic State forces in the region, as well as root out corruption and potential waste of taxpayer dollars in Afghanistan.\r\nMcCaskill also recently raised concerns about the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to train and equip Syrian rebels to combat the threat of the self-declared Islamic State amid reports that the program has failed to meet its training goals. She also discussed recent reports that a group of intelligence officials has come forward to document claims that senior military officials may have manipulated intelligence reports for the appearance of increased progress in the United States military campaign against ISIS.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/defense to learn more about McCaskills fight to protect our national security.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/mccaskill-the-facts-underlying-this-hearing-are-so-egregious-its-hard-not-to-get-emotional-about-it", "McCaskill: ‘The Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, It’s Hard Not to Get Emotional About It’", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "McCaskill: The Facts Underlying This Hearing Are So Egregious, Its Hard Not to Get Emotional About It \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Senator tackles price spikes in Rx drugs in first bipartisan Senate hearing on the issue in years \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington, D.C.  U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today helped lead the first in a series of hearings on dramatic drug price increasesoften on older, off-patent drugsafter the acquisition or merger of pharmaceutical companies.\r\nThe hearing, entitled Sudden Price Spikes in Off-Patent Drugs: Perspectives from the Front Lines explored the causes of these sudden, aggressive price hikes on off-patent drugs and the effect these egregious price increases have on patients access to medication.\r\nMy biggest challenge today is to not lose my temperthe facts underlying this hearing are so egregious its hard not to get emotional about it, McCaskill said. Its imperative that we find out if our system is being taken advantage of by companies or individuals that seek deep profits while contributing little or nothing to advances in medical treatment.\r\nIn recent years, prescription drug prices in the U.S. have steadily increased, making drugs unaffordable to many Americans, particularly those on a fixed income as many seniors are. In 2014 alone, drug spending increased by 13.1%, the largest annual increase since 2003.\r\nWitnesses for the hearing included: Dr. Gerard Anderson, Professor, Health Policy and Management, Medicine, and International Health, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Erin Fox, Director, Drug Information Service, University of Utah Health Care and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Dept. of Pharmacotherapy; Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research; Co-Director, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Mr. Mark Merritt, President & Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.\r\nAs part of the committees investigation, McCaskill has requested documents and information from four pharmaceutical companies: Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Turing Pharmaceuticals, Retrophin Inc, and Rodelis Therapeutics. Each request focuses on drugs that have seen recent and significant spikes in price.\r\nMcCaskill will hold subsequent hearings on the issue of prescription drug pricing in the following months, including taking a deeper look at the four companies.\r\nSeniors account for 13 percent of the population but account for 34 percent of the all prescription medication used. More than 40 percent of seniors take five or more prescription drugs per day.\r\nThe Special Committee on Aging, led by Chairman Collins and Ranking Member McCaskill, promotes discussions and conducts investigations on areas of special interest to older Americans.\r\nVisit mccaskill.senate.gov/consumers to learn more about McCaskills fight to strengthen protections for American consumers.\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/video/view/mccaskill-challenges-extreme-rhetoric-from-armed-services-members-on-us-strategy-to-defeat-isis", "McCaskill Challenges Extreme Rhetoric from Armed Services Members on U.S. Strategy to Defeat ISIS", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Claire McCaskill", "M001170", "www.mccaskill.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today challenged the extreme rhetoric of a Republican member of the Armed Services Committee at a hearing on U.S. efforts to destroy the self-declared Islamic State by questioning the effectiveness of carpet-bombingwith the potential to aid enemy recruitment effortsrather than strategic, surgical strikes to take out the groups top leaders and resources.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-demands-a-vote-on-legislation-to-prevent-suspected", "Congressman Cleaver Demands a Vote on Legislation to Prevent Suspected Terrorists From Purchasing Guns and Explosives", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, Congressman Cleaver took action to force a vote on commonsense, life-saving legislation to keep guns and explosives out of the hands of terrorists. After House Republicans voted three times last week to block the House from debating H.R. 1076, Republican Congressman Peter Kings Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, Congressman Cleaver signed a discharge petition that would bring this critical legislation immediately up for a vote.The bill would close the dangerous loophole that allows suspected terrorists on the FBIs Terrorist Watchlist to legally buy deadly weapons.\r\n\r\nThe refusal to close the loophole that lets suspected terrorists legally buy guns is unconscionable and indefensible, said Congressman Cleaver. As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to protect and defend the American people  and that is why we must take urgent and commonsense action to keep deadly firearms and explosives out of the hands of terrorists.\r\n\r\nAccording to a report by the Government Accountability Office, since 2004, more than 2,000 suspects on the FBIs Terrorist Watchlist have successfully purchased weapons in the United States. More than 90 percent of all suspected terrorists who attempted to purchase guns in the last 11 years walked away with the weapon they wanted, with just 190 rejected despite their ominous histories.\r\n\r\nIn the aftermath of the horrific attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, we must continue to strengthen our efforts to protect the American people, continued Congressman Cleaver. Our first priority should be to close the exceedingly dangerous terrorist gun loophole and ensure that no suspected terrorist can walk into a gun store and legally purchase a deadly weapon. \r\n\r\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere.\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact John Jones  john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-votes-give-visa-waiver-program-boost-security", "Hartzler Votes to Give Visa Waiver Program Boost in Security", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) today voted to strengthen the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in order to close critical security gaps in the program and address the heightened terror threat environment. Today the House passed the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 407-19.\n\t\t\t\tIn the aftermath of the Paris attacks, perpetrated partially by radicalized citizens from visa waiver countries, it is clear that more must be done to ensure Americans safety, Hartzler said. The current Visa Waiver Program contains a number of security gaps we address with this legislation. The threat of an extremist traveling from a visa waiver country to the United States is a real concern and must be addressed.\n\t\t\t\tThis act works to boost security measures in those participating countries to ensure we have more complete information and verifiable documents on those traveling to our shores. It also terminates the program in those countries failing to do so, Hartzler continued. Under this legislation, the U.S. Visa Waiver Program would go further to deny visa waiver status to individuals who have traveled to terrorist hotspots, such as Iraq and Syria, since 2011. The federal government has a fundamental obligation to protect Americans, and this is a constructive step towards doing that.\n\t\t\t\tBackground:\n\t\t\t\tThe Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was created in 1986 and allows nationals from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days for business or tourism without obtaining a U.S. visa, by presenting a valid passport, and by meeting certain other requirements.\n\t\t\t\t\tCurrently, there are 38 countries that participate in the VWP. For a complete list of participating countries, click here.\n\t\t\t\t\tTo be designated as a VWP country, the country must participate in security reviews every other year and meet several key conditions, such as offering reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens and meeting a host of information-sharing and security requirements.\n\t\t\t\t\tThe VWP is a privilege. Citizens of non-participating countries have to get a visa to travel to the United States, just like U.S. citizens have to do when they visit most countries around the world.\n\t\t\t\t\tHundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled their war-torn country and ISIS terrorists and sympathizers have made clear that they plan to infiltrate Westerns countries through the refugee system.\n\t\t\t\t\tAs thousands of Syrian refugees are set to be resettled in European countries  most of which participate in the VWP  this has raised legitimate concerns that terrorists could come to the United States through this fast-track system.\n\t\t\t\tCongresswoman Hartzler serves on the House Armed Services, Agriculture, and Budget Committees. She represents Missouris Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jasonsmith.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/us-house-passes-protection-for-wood-stove-users", "U.S. House passes protection for wood stove users", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment Thursday eliminating new EPA regulations on wood stoves.\nThe amendment, introduced by Congressman Jason Smith, R-8th District, passed with a bipartisan vote of 247-177 and was added to H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act.\nThe EPA has decided that 12 million wood-burning stoves in 2.4 million households across America need to be regulated because of Washington-driven bureaucrat emissions standards,\" he said. \"People I talk with are sick of this administrations war on rural America. Rules like these disproportionately hurt rural areas, which use much more wood heat than urban or suburban areas.\nTimes are already tough enough. Folks should not be punished for their self-reliance and their forethought to take advantage of an abundant, eco-friendly fuel like wood. A given home in the district is five times more likely to be heated with wood than the national average. Fifty-seven percent of households who primarily use wood for heat are in rural areas, 40 percent are in the suburbs and only 3 percent in urban areas.\nAccording to Smith, about 30,000 households in the 8th District use wood heat to warm their homes. He also said that census data shows households heating with wood grew 34 percent between 2000 and 2010, and that low and middle-income households are more likely to use wood as a primary heating fuel.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://long.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=744", "Long votes to strengthen Visa Waiver Program", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Billy Long", "L000576", "long.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Billy Long (MO-07) voted for H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, which addresses the vulnerabilities of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This legislation requires VWP participant countries to provide counterterrorism information and other critical intelligence, while allowing the suspension of high risk countries and denying VWP status for those who have traveled to terrorist hotspots, like Iraq and Syria, since 2011.  We must ensure that the Visa Waiver Program doesnt turn into an easy entrance fast-track for foreign nationals who wish to harm us,said Rep. Long. Given the legitimate threat that terrorists could come to the United States through participant countries, this bill takes commonsense steps to protect national security and the safety of our citizens.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398657", "House Passes Legislation to Strengthen the Nation's Visa Waiver Program", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Blaine Luetkemeyer", "L000569", "luetkemeyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act. \r\nTodays critical legislation will ensure that our country is identifying and stopping foreign fighters with Western passports from entering the United States. The recent terrorist attacks, and the fact that nearly 5,000 individuals from countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program have traveled to Syria and Iraq pledging allegiance to ISIS, have brought our current Visa Waiver Program under scrutiny. As the program stands now, nationals from the 38 countries included in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program do not have to go through the U.S. consulate to obtain a visa; rather, these individuals are only required to provide background information, which does not include finger prints, to be screened by U.S. security databases. Thus, these individuals receive an expedited approval or denial. It will improve American security by making sure that all 38 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program have an e-passport, which would contain fraud-resistant certifications of an individuals biographic and biometric information. In order to prevent acts of terrorism from occurring on U.S. soil, this legislation would prevent aliens who are nationals of, or those who have traveled in the last five years to, a country designated by the Secretary of State as a state sponsor of terror, from access to visa-free travel to the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program. These individuals would be required to go through the more stringent and prolonged process of obtaining a visa for entry. Under current Visa Waiver Program rules, individuals can enter the United States for up to 90 days with very little scrutiny  that is no longer acceptable. Todays bipartisan legislation is just the next step in the House taking leadership in keeping Americans secure here at home.\r\nSpecifically, H.R. 158 would:\r\n Identify and stop foreign fighters with Western passports from entering the United States.\r\n Allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend participation of countries in the Visa Waiver Program if they do not share terrorism and foreign traveler data with the United States. \r\n Clarify the Electronic System for Travel Authorization is a counterterrorism tool and requires the Department of Homeland Security to consider including additional information pertaining to terrorism threats to better screen foreign travelers. \r\n Require an annual threat assessment conducted by the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security to assess information sharing between the Visa Waiver Program countries and the United States. \r\n Require an annual intelligence assessment conducted by the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security to assess airport, passport, and travel document standards. \r\n Direct the Department of Homeland Security to report, within 30 days, on what additional data might be necessary to improve Electronic System for Travel Authorization as a counterterrorism tool to screen travelers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=4a7982a3-137b-4a4a-89c5-05af96a92573", "Senator Blunt Backs Key Reforms to Strengthen Visa Waiver Program, Protect Americans", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today co-sponsored the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act, legislation to enhance the security of the Visa Waiver Program.\r\nThe federal governments number one responsibility is to keep Americans safe. To do that, we must strengthen the Visa Waiver Program to ensure terrorists cannot exploit Americas ties with our friends and allies to enter the country and carry out attacks within our borders. The Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act takes several important steps to enhance the security of the program, without inflicting undue harm on our economy and the millions of Americans who depend on the travel and tourism industry. The measure has strong, bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, and should be passed and signed into law without delay.\r\nFollowing are several key reforms included in the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act:\r\n \r\nDenies VWP status to individuals who are from Iraq, Syria, and other countries with significant terrorist activity, or who have visited those countries in the past five years;\r\nRequires the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to terminate a country from the VWP if the country does not share intelligence or law enforcement information;\r\nRequires all VWP countries to check travelers against INTERPOL databases to determine whether the traveler is wanted by law enforcement agencies based on ties to terrorism or criminal activity;\r\nRequires all VWP countries to issue their citizens fraud-resistant e-passports containing biometric information, and requires countries to be able to confirm that such documents are legitimate when they are scanned;\r\nRequires top U.S. security agencies to conduct more frequent intelligence and threat assessments of VWP countries to determine whether they pose a high risk to the national security of the United States; and\r\nRequires DHS to take steps to better detect false information, improve the validation of data supplied by travelers, and add new data fields to enhance checks on each travelers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletters/a-welcomed-end-to-no-child-left-behind", "A Welcomed End to No Child Left Behind", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Last week, when the House passed reauthorization of theElementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA),the Wall Street Journal wrote that it was thelargest devolution of federal control in 25 years.\nThe bill - which the Senate should passtomorrow- replacesNo Child Left Behind,gives authority back to local school districts, and prevents the White House from forcing states to adopt Common Core standards.\nIt is expected to be signed into law by the President as early as this week.\nFederal overreach and excessive testing requirements have made it impossible for teachers to fulfill their single most important responsibility - preparing children to lead productive and fulfilling lives. This bill will return decision making capabilities to administrators, school districts and local governments, while limiting the influence of bureaucrats in Washington.\nThe House and Senate passed separate versions of ESEA reauthorization earlier this year. This bill was a bipartisan compromise developed by both chambers, and is a critical final step before reauthorization can become law.\nReplacingNo Child Left Behindrepresents a shift back to the way things should be run.I am proud that Congress passed a bipartisan bill that will let local governments make their own decisions on education.\nSincerely,    Sam Graves", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleaver-urges-missourians-to-remain-vigilant-against-so", "Congressman Cleaver Urges Missourians to Remain Vigilant Against So-Called Government Grant Scams", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II announced his intention to bring awareness to criminal government grant scams that prey on vulnerable Americans.\r\n\r\nGovernment grant scams have been around for years and continue to exist partly because many people lack experience with grant systems and procedures. In a common government grant scam a caller will 1) claim to be from a legitimate sounding organization that often does not exist such as the Federal Grant Association 2) tell their potential victims that they qualify for government grant money and 3) will request either a bank account number, or that the potential victim sends a payment in order to process the grant. A criminal may also publish an advertisement in local papers, or magazines in order to solicit additional victims. Make no mistake, these free money grant schemes are undeniably scams.\r\n\r\nCongressman Cleaver urges the public to protect sensitive personal information at all times, especially around the holiday season when scam activity appears to increase. If you believe you may be the victim of a government grant scam, or any other related scam, please report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-866-653-4261 or toll-free at 1-877-FTC-HELP. The Federal Trade Commission is aware of government grant scams and has urged the public to not pay any money to receive free government grants.\r\n\r\nEmanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouris Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is availablehere.\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact John Jones  john.h.jones@mail.house.gov or(202) 225-4535.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/visa-waiver-program-improvement-act-america-needs-it-now", "The Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act - America Needs It Now!", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Acts of terrorism in the United States and around the world are a clear signal that this country must take additional steps to protect itself from these horrendous acts of violence. One of the measures that will help address this situation is a bill currently being discussed by Members of Congress  the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015. It amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include terrorism as a risk factor that should be considered under the electronic system for travel authorization in determining the eligibility of an alien to travel to our country.\n\t\t\t\tUnder the current Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which was established in 1986, citizens of 38 countries can travel to the United States without visas or in person consular interviews by undergoing background security checks. In return, U.S. citizens get to travel to those countries visa-free. In 2007, the Department of Homeland Security implemented an electronic security screening system to reflect newer security threats. But there are security gaps that must be reviewed and addressed.\n\t\t\t\tThe fact is that around 5,000 Europeans, many of them from VWP countries, are estimated to have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist groups. It is, therefore, easier for these individuals to enter the United States. We must act to address this frightening fact.\n\t\t\t\tThe Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act closes the security gaps and adds protection in several ways: It will deny VWP status to those who have visited Syria, Iraq, or other terrorist hotspots in the last five years, requiring visas of these travelers to enter this country; the legislation enhances the screening of all travelers in VWP countries before they attempt to enter the United States by requiring background checks against INTERPOL databases; it takes measures to ensure VWP travelers do not falsify their background information by preventing the use of fraudulent or stolen passports and other documents by creating a database of lost and stolen documents; and it requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to terminate a country from the program if the country does not share counterterrorism data with the U.S.\n\t\t\t\tIn light of the high terror threat environment, it is necessary to take serious action. The Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act takes important steps toward ensuring terrorists dont misuse America's generosity and come to America through the visa waiver program.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/event/howard-county-listening-post-1", "Howard County Listening Post", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) announces a 4th Congressional District Staff Listening Post has been scheduled for Howard County in Glasgow.\n\t\t\t\tEach Listening Post held throughout the 4th District is hosted by a member of Congresswoman Hartzlers staff and is intended to provide citizens the opportunity to discuss matters of importance to them. Hartzler staff member Austin Kramer will meet with constituents and report back to the Congresswoman.\n\t\t\t\tAll citizens are invited to attend.\n\t\t\t\tWhat: Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler Staff Listening Post\n\t\t\t\tWhere: Lewis & Clark Community Center, 102 Market Street, Glasgow, Missouri 65254\n\t\t\t\tWhen: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 from 9:00 am  10:00 am", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://hartzler.house.gov/press-release/hartzler-responds-president%E2%80%99s-address-nation", "Hartzler Responds to Presidents Address to the Nation", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONCongresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) released the following statement in response to President Obamas address last night to the Nation:\n\t\t\t\tPresident Obama gave us nothing new in his address to the nation. As ISIL continues its wave of terror around the globe, and now apparently inspiring attacks here at home, the Commander in Chief needs to get serious about this threat and present a solid, workable strategy to defeat this menace. Doubling down on the current failing strategy is irresponsible and lets the Islamic State continue to expand its influence. Now is the time for American leadership.\n\t\t\t\tCongresswoman Hartzler serves on the House Armed Services, Agriculture, and Budget Committees. She represents Missouris Fourth Congressional District.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-wagner-statement-on-president-obamas-sunday-address", "Rep. Wagner Statement on President Obama's Sunday Address", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Ann Wagner released the following statement in response to President Obamas Sunday evening address concerning the San Bernardino shooting, ISIS and gun control:\nLast night, President Obama spoke to the nation about the threat posed by terrorism. Instead of charting a new course for victory over ISIS, the President chose to double-down on years of failed counterterrorism policy in the Middle East.President Obama's address amounted to a reassertion of the same counterterrorism strategy that has seen ISIS seize control of large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and use that territory as a base from which to inspire and direct attacks like the ones we have seen in Paris and San Bernardino.\nOur number one responsibility in Congress is to keep the American people safe. It is time for the President to end the equivocation and half-measures and instead put forward a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to destroy ISIS. If we do not act decisively to impede the threat of Islamic extremism to our homeland, then the acts of terror will continue against the United States and our allies. The enemy is adapting its plots to defeat our security measures, and the President has failed to present a flexible strategy to counter the terrorists increasingly dangerous tactics.\nAs Americans, we have a responsibility to stand up to our enemies and work as a force for good in the international community. We must not downplay the real and present danger posed by ISIS and the President has a responsibility to the American people to defeat them.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=cab5ffba-b97d-48af-9baf-c9b6c95a9d2f", "Missouri Times: Blunt visits Cole County to talk about infrastructure", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "RUSSELLVILLE, Mo.  U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, visited with local officials in southern Cole County near Russellville, Missouri to speak about roads, bridges and other pieces of infrastructure in Missouri.\r\nBlunt touted a recent and rare compromise in Congress to move a newfive-year highway billwhich will allot around $300 billion federal dollars for state infrastructure projects. Blunt says having a longer guaranteed plan will ensure a more effective use of that money\r\nIts been 17 years since we had a five-year bill, Blunt said. Since 2009, there have been 37 short-term extensions of the highway bill. The longest of those 37 extensions was two years, and frankly, you just cant have a highway plan that does much good if youre working within a two-year window.\r\nHe specifically pointed out provisions he helped put into the legislation that would help reopen and maintain bridges owned by counties and municipalities, not just state governments. It would also allow emergency vehicles come into the state with less bureaucratic oversight.\r\nState Sen. Mike Kehoe, R-Jefferson City, also attended and spoke about the positives this federal legislation would bring to the state.\r\nA highway department needs certainty because as everybody knows MODOT plans their highway plans in the STIP (Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan) which is a five-year dedicated plan, Kehoe said. When youre working off reauthorization to previous highway bills for four months or six months, the department never really has that certainty. And for policymakers here in the state, its good to know what our foundation is going to be and this new bill gives us that foundation.\r\nPresident Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill, despite criticisms from some Democrats that the legislation will not include health care funds for 9/11 First Responders.\r\nClick here to read more.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news?ContentRecord_id=4c103d48-f317-40d4-8b41-c63aa547e08c", "Senator Blunt Statement on the Presidents Oval Office Address", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement in response to President Obamas Oval Office address on the terrorist threat:\r\nWhat the American people needed to hear from the president last night was a comprehensive strategy to defeat the terrorist threat and keep our country safe. Instead, what they heard was a reiteration of the same failed policies that have allowed ISIS to continue consolidating gains in the Middle East and Africa, and spreading their insidious ideology abroad.\r\nThe attack in San Bernardino last week demonstrates that ISIS is far from contained, and underscores the urgent need for the president to re-evaluate his strategy and change course. Congress stands ready to work with the administration to provide the tools and resources necessary to enhance our intelligence capabilities, reinforce the coalitions fight against ISIS, and prevent terrorists from entering the United States. The president has no more sacred a responsibility than to keep Americans safe, and I urge him to re-focus his efforts on defending the nation rather than doubling down on policies that clearly havent worked.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/sam-graves-responds-to-president-obamas-national-address-on-isis", "Sam Graves Responds to President Obama's National Address on ISIS", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Representative Sam Graves spoke today in response to President Obamas National Address on combating ISIS. Graves is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services.\nISIS has not been contained, Rep. Graves said. In the absence of Americas leadership, ISIS has been able to extend its influence across the globe, as weve seen play out tragically in San Bernardino, Paris, and elsewhere. Last night, the President gave us more of the same tired talking points. What we need is a new strategy to destroy ISIS that will keep America  and our allies  safe.\nMy colleagues and I on the Armed Services committee recently offered suggestions to increase protections against the threat of foreign fighter travel and to combat homegrown extremism, Graves continued. I will push to see the White House adopt these and other important policies in our fight to defeat radical Islamic terrorism. Failure is simply not an option.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 2018, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"chamber\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "House", "p1": "MO", "p2": "2015"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 1044, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015&party=Republican", "selected": false}, {"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 974, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015&party=Democrat", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 2018, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MO&year=2015", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "MO", "label": "MO", "count": 2018, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=House&year=2015", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "2015", "label": "2015", "count": 2018, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2015-12-07,https~3A~2F~2Fgraves~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia-center~2Fpress-releases~2Fsam-graves-responds-to-president-obamas-national-address-on-isis", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?chamber=House&state=MO&year=2015&_next=2015-12-07%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fgraves~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia-center~2Fpress-releases~2Fsam-graves-responds-to-president-obamas-national-address-on-isis&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 362.0617832057178, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}