{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsletter?ContentRecord_id=bb5643d2-7010-4c4b-8c99-afc63689fdaf", "Kansas Common Sense - Senate Opposes EPA Proposal", "2015-11-23", "2015", "2015-11", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Jerry Moran", "M000934", "www.moran.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hello,\r\nWelcome to Kansas Common Sense. Thank you for your continued interest in receiving my weekly newsletter. Please feel free to forward it on to your family and friends if it would interest them.\r\nSenate Floor this WeekThe Senate this week cleared a short-term extension of highway and transit authority, providing two more weeks for House and Senate conferees to complete a long-term deal before funding expires December 4. The Conference Committee, comprised of relevant committee chairs and select members from each chamber, is tasked with ironing out the discrepancies between the House and Senate-passed highway bills. On July 30, 2015, the Senate passed H.R. 22, legislation reauthorizing transportation programs for six years and providing three years of fully guaranteed funding, without raising taxes or adding to the deficit.\r\nAlso debated on the Senate floor this week was the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill, one of 12 federal spending bills Congress is tasked with passing each year. In an effort to return the Senate to its traditional budget process, whats known as regular order, the new Senate Majority has passed all 12 bills out of the Appropriations Committee and attempted to move them toward a vote on the Senate floor. Unfortunately, the Senate Minority blocked floor consideration of any and all appropriations bills this year until passage of H.R. 2029, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, on November 10  the first appropriations bill to pass the Senate since 2011.\r\nBecause an agreement on amendments could not be reached on the THUD legislation last week, further consideration has been delayed until after Thanksgiving recess. As such, it is likely that the 11 outstanding appropriations bills will be merged into a larger omnibus package, which Congress must negotiate and pass by December 11, when funding for the federal government will otherwise expire.\r\nSenate Opposes EPA ProposalI voted in favor of both S.J. Res. 24 and S.J. Res. 23 this week, which both passed the Senate, to express disapproval with the Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Clean Power Plan rule. The latest proposal threatens to increase energy costs for Americans with minimal environmental benefits. Washington should focus on commonsense policies to make energy cleaner and more affordable rather than adding more cost, red tape and regulations. This administration continues to ignore the impact a rule like this has on Americans, and I believe we should work to put in place environmental policies that can both protect our natural resources and safeguard our economy.\r\nKansans would be disproportionately affected because nearly two-thirds of our electricity production comes from coal. Our states power providers have made great progress in reducing emissions over the years, but the additional regulations mandated in this rule will result in higher costs without demonstrating much environmental benefit. Click here to learn more.\r\nAttorney General: Transferring Prisoners Against the LawDuring a House Judiciary Committee last week, Attorney General Loretta Lynch testified that current law prohibits the transfer of detainees from GITMO to the United States. The presidents pursuit of transferring prisoners to U.S.-based prison facilities such as Fort Leavenworth is not only illegal, but also jeopardizes our national security and the important mission of educating our future military leaders at the Intellectual Center of the Army. Fort Leavenworth is home to the Command and General Staff College, where many foreign officers are sent for professional military education alongside American soldiers.\r\nCongress has passed multiple laws through defense authorizations and appropriations bills to prevent the transfer of detainees to the United States, and it is important those laws are upheld. I remain committed to making certain this unlawful transfer does not occur, and I am pleased the Attorney General also recognizes the strong prohibition within the law.\r\nProtections for Veterans Who Fall Victim to Fiduciary FraudI introduced the Fiduciary Responsibility and Accountability for Unpaid Debts (FRAUD) Act this week along with Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senator Brown of Ohio. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Fiduciary Program is designed so veterans who are no longer able to manage their benefits are able to use a fiduciary to manage their benefits for them. In recent years the VBA has discovered an increasing number of cases where fiduciaries are taking advantage of these veterans and misusing their benefits. Though the VBA has taken steps to improve their oversight to spot fiduciary abuse of benefits, they lack the ability to reissue benefits to the veterans in these cases. The FRAUD Act would give the VBA the authority to reissue a veterans benefits when a new fiduciary has been named  making certain no veteran loses their benefits due to the manipulation of bad actors.\r\nNIH and Life-Saving ResearchI addressed the Senate on Wednesday to promote an opportunity Congress has to deliver on a promise to provide strong support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and for life-saving biomedical research in this country. The recent two-year budget deal that became law presents a path to deliver a much-needed support to NIH and prioritize the important research that saves and improves lives, reduces health care costs, and fuels economic growth. I believe we can position our country to provide steady, predictable growth to NIH, the largest supporter of medical research in the world. This sustained commitment will benefit our nation many times over, and bring hope to current and future generations.\r\nNIH-supported research has raised life expectancy, improved quality of life, lowered overall health care costs, and is an economic engine that strengthens American global competitiveness. Today, we are living longer and healthier lives thanks to NIH research. Deaths from heart disease and stroke have dropped 70 percent in the last half-century. U.S. cancer death rates are falling about one percent each year. But much work remains. Diseases like cancer, Alzheimers disease, stroke, and mental illness touch all of us and our loved ones. Half of all men and a third of all women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetimes. One in three Medicare dollars is spent caring for individuals with diabetes. Nearly one in every five Medicare dollars is spent on people with Alzheimer's and other dementias. In 2050, it will be one in every three dollars. New scientific findings are what yield breakthroughs that enable us to confront the staggering challenges of disease and illness. To advance life-saving medical research for patients around the world, balance our federal budget, and control Medicare and Medicaid spending, we must prioritize biomedical research to further our leadership in science and discovery. Click here to view this speech.\r\n\r\nVisiting the Kansas Intelligence Fusion CenterI appreciate the hard work of talented analysts at the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC) who coordinate with state, local, private sector and federal partners to protect Kansans and all Americans from emerging threats. I visited the KIFC over the weekend to learn more about the attacks in Paris, the current terror threat from the Islamic State, and efforts to keep us safe in the homeland.\r\nU.S. Air Force Academy SuperintendentIt is always a pleasure to catch up with Lieutenant General Michelle Johnson, a former Commander at McConnell Air Force Base. She is a strong, committed leader to the young men and women who will lead our United States Air Forceas Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy. I appreciate Lt. Gen. Johnsons hard work to make the academy cadets the best individuals and airmen they can be.\r\n\r\nFederal Courts in Kansas   This week I introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the federal judicial system, the Temporary Judgeship Conversion Act (S. 2314). The United States District Court for the District of Kansas currently has five permanent judgeships and one temporary judgeship. This temporary seat was added in 1990 with the help of Senator Bob Dole to increase the districts capacity and has since been reauthorized on an annual basis. Recognizing that the continued existence of this temporary judgeship has been necessary to keep the caseload in Kansas at an appropriate level, my legislation seeks to make permanent our temporary judgeship as well as eight others in districts facing similar circumstances.\r\nNational Rural Health Day   This past Wednesday was National Rural Health Day, which honors the community-minded spirit and dedication that prevails in Kansas and other parts of rural America. It also gave us a chance to recognize the unique health care challenges facing rural Americans, and to celebrate the individuals who rise to meet these challenges every day. Last year, I introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution (S. Res. 588) recognizing the importance of access to health care in rural areas in Kansas and throughout our nation, which passed the Senate unanimously on National Rural Health Day. This year, I introduced the Rural Veterans Improvement Act (S. 2265), which would give veterans in rural areas increased access to care and expanded opportunities to receive the care they have earned. I commend the men and women working in these health care facilities for their tireless dedication to the people they serve. We are grateful to you and your fellow health professionals who care for the 62 million individuals who call rural America home.\r\n\r\nMeeting to Discuss Adopted Children Stranded in DRCI joined a group of Senate Colleagues this week to discuss with the Democratic Republic of Congos (DRC) ambassador the hundreds of adopted children waiting to be released to their American parents. More than two years ago, the DRC halted issuing exit visas for adopted children  stranding them in the country and depriving them of loving homes. Having signed letters to DRCs president, parliamentary leaders, and the ambassador to no effect, it was important to press upon the ambassador this is an issue Congress takes seriously. Too many parents in Kansas and across the country have waited far too long to welcome their children into their homes.\r\nNational Entrepreneurs DayEntrepreneurs have long been vital to the economic health and growth of America. Research from the Kauffman Foundation shows that new businesses accounted for nearly all net new jobs between 1980 and 2005. In fact, entrepreneurs created 400,000 new businesses in 2013, and were responsible for creating 2.3 million jobs that same year. This week I introduced a resolution to celebrate the contributions of American entrepreneurs and officially establish National Entrepreneurs Day as a federally recognized observance day. The Senate resolution, which I offered with Senator Booker of New Jersey, aims to have Congress recognize the third Tuesday of every November as National Entrepreneurs Day. I am proud to say that this resolution passed the Senate by unanimous consent two days after it was introduced.\r\nFarmers Rice Cooperative Annual MeetingI spoke at the Farmers Rice Cooperative annual meeting this week before heading home to Kansas. Ive found over the years that rice farmers share many of the same priorities, issues and concerns as farmers I talk to in Kansas. Among many other issues, agricultural producers are concerned about overregulation by the federal government, having certainty in the tax code, and increasing export markets by reducing foreign trade barriers. As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees the budget and activities within the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration, I hope I can serve to facilitate a relationship between rice growers and farmers in Kansas for the betterment of all of us who benefit from a strong U.S. agriculture sector.\r\nKansans in the Office Dr. Kelly Lechtenberg of Manhattan\r\n Capitol Tour Greg McHenry of Manhattan   Tawny McHenry of Manhattan   David Kurt of Hugoton   Shelley Kurt of Topeka Nex-TechJimmy Todd of Lenora Kansas Independent College Association and Fund   Matt Lindsey of Topeka Kansas Soybeans   Dennis Gruenbacher of Andale   Suzanne Gruenbacher of Andale   Craig Gigstad of Winchester   Lance Rezac of Onaga   Gene Binder of Shawnee Wilson Communications Brian Boisvert of Wilson Overland Park Chamber of Commerce   Tracey Osborne of Overland Park   Tom Robinett of Overland Park   Marga Spangler of Overland Park   Brad Stratton of Overland Park   Michael Tracy of Overland Park   Jim Holland of Leawood   Mike Hess of Overland Park   Tony Rupp of Overland Park   Mashaun Butler of Overland Park   Rick Worrel of Overland Park   Larry Winn of Overland Park Society for Human Resource Management Lisa Carlton of Topeka   Unique Hiram of Fort Riley   Courtney Cates of Emporia   Sherry Dryden of Hays   Shelbye Smith of Wichita Kansas for Change   Sharon Gordon   Mike Morton Society for Human Resource Management   Lisa Carlton of Topeka   Sherry Dryden of Hays   Unique Hiram of Fort Riley   Shelbye Smith of Wichita   Tammy Galvan of Manhattan   Courtney Cates of Emporia Drug Policy Alliance   Sharon Gordon of Udall   Mike Morton of Udall Eagle Communications   Gary Shorman of Hays University of Kansas Elizabeth Kozelski of Lawrence   Kathleen Lane of Lawrence   Tim Lewis of Kansas City   Margher Senguinette of Kansas City   Jack Cline of Lawrence\r\nHonored to Serve You in Washington It is an honor to serve you in Washington, D.C. Thank you to the many Kansans who have been calling and writing in to share their thoughts and opinions on the issues our state and country face. I appreciate the words of Kansans, whether in the form of a form of letter, a Facebook comment or a phone call, who wish to make their voice heard.\r\nPlease let me know how I can be of assistance. You can contact me by email by clicking here. You can also click here to contact me through one of my Kansas offices or my Washington, D.C., office.\r\nVery truly yours,\r\nJerry", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsletter?ContentRecord_id=bb5643d2-7010-4c4b-8c99-afc63689fdaf"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0073899757117033, "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"}