WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) led five of his Senate colleagues today in reintroducing Startup Act in the 114^th Congress – the bipartisan jobs plan aimed at jumpstarting the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses. Startup Act – based on research and analysis by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation out of Kansas City – modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses, accelerates the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and seeks to improve the regulatory process. Research shows that for close to three decades, companies less than five years old have created almost all net new jobs in America – averaging about three million jobs each year. 

“Startup Act is about creating jobs for Americans through the creation and growth of new businesses,” Sen. Moran said. “Entrepreneurs and the businesses they create are responsible for almost every net new job in America, but under our country’s current policies, new business formation and the rate of entrepreneurship among young people have reached historic lows. We must reverse these trends. Startup Act would reduce barriers to growth, encourage investment in new businesses, stem government overregulation, and accelerate the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures. Startup Act would also help make certain America remains the land of opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs from around the globe. Under new leadership in the 114^th Congress, I am hopeful Startup Act will no longer denied a vote.”

Startup Act also creates both Entrepreneur and STEM Visas for highly-educated foreign-born entrepreneurs who are in the United States legally so they can stay here and their talent and new ideas can fuel economic growth and create American jobs. Foreign-born entrepreneurs have a long history of creating businesses in America. Of the current Fortune 500 companies – including Apple, Google and eBay – more than 40 percent were founded by a first- or second-generation American. These American companies employ more than 10 million people. Both American and foreign-born entrepreneurs are needed to jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses.

“In order for America to maintain its position as the most innovative and entrepreneurial nation, we must win the global battle for talent, increase access to capital for startups, and create pathways for fledgling startups to become iconic American businesses,” said Steve Case, Revolution LLC CEO and former member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. “The Startup Act encourages that by creating a visa for promising immigrant entrepreneurs and reforming the tax code to incentivize investments in startups and R&D. 

The provisions in Startup Act have been endorsed by CEA, CTIA, Engine Advocacy, Computer and Communications Industry Association, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, The Technology Council of Greater Kansas City, ITI and Information Technology Industry Council. Additionally, Startup Act is also supported by Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and more than 25 regional technology groups.

Click here to read a one-pager on Why Startup Act Matters.

Click here to visit the Startup Act website.

Startup Act includes the following provisions:

• Makes permanent the exemption of capital gains taxes on the sale of startup stock held for at least five years – so investors can provide financial stability at a critical juncture of firm growth; 
• Creates a limited research and development tax credit for young startups less than five years old and with less than $5 million in annual receipts. This R&D credit is designed to allow startups to offset employee taxes – freeing up resources to help these young companies expand and create jobs;
• Uses existing federal R&D funding to support university initiatives designed to bring cutting-edge research to the marketplace more quickly where it can propel economic growth;
• Creates an Entrepreneur’s Visa so foreign-born entrepreneurs in the United States legally can remain here, launch businesses and create jobs; 
• Creates a new STEM visa so U.S.-educated foreign students in the United States legally, who graduate with a master’s or Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, can receive a green card and stay in this country where their talent and ideas can fuel growth and create American jobs;
• Eliminates the per-country caps for employment-based visas – which hinder U.S. employers from recruiting the top-tier talent they need to grow;
• Requires all government agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of all proposed “significant rules” with an economic impact of $100 million or more. This new requirement will help determine the efficacy of regulations and their potential impact on the formation and growth of new businesses; and
• Directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to assess state and local policies that aid in the development of new businesses. Through the publication of reports on new business formation and the entrepreneurial environment, lawmakers will be better equipped to encourage entrepreneurship with the most successful policies.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today joined U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in introducing the bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. The legislation would provide critical measures to improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American service members. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives yesterday, will now proceed to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for consideration.

"The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act would be instrumental in developing a VA system capable of offering first-rate mental health care services, as well as utilizing the expertise of outside organizations to provide support for those struggling with the invisible wounds of war," Sen. Moran said. "It is critical that the VA follow through on its commitment to our nation’s veterans – especially so families who have lost loved ones may take comfort in knowing the VA is committed to suicide prevention. I will keep working to find solutions and to hold the VA accountable when it comes to providing our nation’s veterans with the timely, high-quality and specialized care they earned."

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act would require third-party evaluation of existing suicide prevention programs at the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gauge their effectiveness and make recommendations for consolidation, elimination or improvement. It would also provide for a new website that offers veterans information regarding available mental healthcare services; create a pilot loan repayment program for VA psychiatrists; and improve the exchange of training, best practices, and other resources among the VA, Veteran Service Organizations (VSO), and nonprofit mental health organizations to enhance collaboration of suicide prevention efforts.

The bill was named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who committed suicide in March 2011 at the age of 28. Clay enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2005 and deployed to Anbar Province, near Fallujah, in January 2007. He was shot in the wrist by a sniper’s bullet that barely missed his head, earning him a Purple Heart. Clay recuperated at Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and then graduated from Marine Corps Scout Sniper School in March 2008. He redeployed to southern Afghanistan a few weeks later. His unit returned in late October 2008 and he was honorably discharged from the Marines in April 2009. After returning home, Clay suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for many years and struggled with inadequate care at his local VA hospital before taking his own life.

The legislation is supported by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

During a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on Nov. 19, 2014, Sen. Moran pressed the VA on the importance of supporting veterans struggling with mental health issues. Sen. Moran was moved to hear from Clay’s mom, Susan Selke, who testified before the committee. Susan shared her son’s story of reliving the traumatic experiences of war and his disappointment when the VA failed to offer the care he needed to treat his despair. To address the lack of mental health care professionals in the VA and improve suicide prevention over the last decade, Sen. Moran has asked the VA to utilize Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) to address the shortfall. The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, passed by Congress and signed into law in August, provides that a veteran can receive care from the doctor or provider of their choice if they live more than 40 miles from a VA medical center or Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC.) Sen. Moran raised concerns that many times a veteran will live near a VA facility, but that facility will not offer the mental health services they need.

YOUTUBE LINK: Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s remarks on YouTube.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) announced today that he will serve as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security for 114th Congress.

“The rapid growth of e-commerce, electronic data storage, and international trade has increased the need for Congressional oversight of agencies responsible for safeguarding consumers from harm and deceptive practices,” Sen. Moran said. “I look forward to taking on the subcommittee’s expanded jurisdiction related to Data Security. As more sensitive consumer and proprietary data are stored electronically, the risk and costs of insecure data also increase. Congress and American businesses need to be vigilant about this real threat, so the tools that make life more convenient and efficient do not put consumers at undue risk. As Chairman, I plan to put the subcommittee to work quickly.”

Sen. Moran joined the Senate Commerce Committee in 2015. The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security oversees the consumer protection efforts of the following federal agencies: the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over property and casualty insurance and sports.

MANHATTAN, KAN. – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement regarding his support for modifying U.S.-Cuba trade policy:

“I have long fought to change the unilateral U.S. sanctions and regulations that restrict the ability of our farmers and ranchers to sell their products to Cuba.   

“Cuba is only 90 miles from our border, making it a natural market for U.S. agricultural commodities, including Kansas wheat. Cuba imports approximately 80 percent of the food they consume. Wheat is Cuba’s largest food commodity import and second-largest import overall, only behind oil. While the United States has unilaterally erected trade barriers that harm our own farmers, other countries are more than happy to fill this market. For example, this year Cuba has purchased $150 million worth of wheat from the European Union alone. 

“It simply does not make sense to continue policies and regulations blocking U.S. farmers from this market only for it to be filled by our competitors. Industry experts believe that U.S. wheat could grow to 80-90 percent of the market share in Cuba if the trade restrictions are eased, similar to our market share in other Caribbean nations. Considering it costs an average of $20-25 per ton to ship grain from Europe to Cuba versus about $6-7 per ton from the United States, it makes economic sense for U.S. commodities to make up the lion’s share of the Cuban market.

“Wheat is especially important to me since Kansas leads the nation in wheat milling and production. However, many other U.S. and Kansas commodities would benefit from opening the Cuban market. A 2010 Texas A&M study estimates that easing restrictions and lifting the travel ban could result in $365 million in additional sales of U.S. agricultural commodities, boost the U.S. economy by $1.1 billion, and create 6000 new jobs. 

“Beyond providing a new market for U.S. farmers, easing restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba may bring about reforms in the repressive Cuban government – reforms that more than 50 years of the current policy have not achieved. Current U.S. policy only serves to limit American’s freedom to trade and travel with the island nation while contributing to the ongoing misery of the Cuban people. A change in our nation's approach that can open Cuba up economically and politically through the exchange of commodities and ideas is necessary.

“I have often said, in Kansas we will try anything once – sometimes twice or even three times. However, if we have been trying something for over five decades and it has yet to work, it is time to change direction. It is time to change our Cuba policies. It is time for U.S. farmers and ranchers to truly have market access to Cuba’s 11 million consumers.” 

Background:

Sen. Moran has long fought for commonsense changes to U.S. trade policy with Cuba – which must import nearly 85 percent of its food – in order to open up more markets for American farmers. On July 20, 2000, an amendment (H.Amdt.1031 to H.R.4871) offered by then Rep. Moran prohibiting funds being used to enforce sanctions for food, medicine and agriculture products in a sale to Cuba passed the House of Representatives (301-116) The adoption of this amendment opened another needed market to farmers throughout the country. Unfortunately, changes in regulations by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2005 once again severely restricted this market.  

In February 2010, then-Congressman Moran introduced – and the House Agriculture Committee passed – H.R. 4645, legislation to expand agricultural trade with Cuba

In Sept. 2011, Sen. Moran’s legislation to remove a trade barrier with Cuba by allowing direct cash payments from Cuban buyers to U.S. financial institutions during the 2012 fiscal year (FY), was adopted by the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations as an amendment to the FY2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill. By allowing direct cash payments, Sen. Moran’s amendment will fuel economic growth and enable agricultural producers to compete on a level playing field.

Nearly 150 U.S. organizations have voiced their strong support for doing so, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Wheat Growers and the National Farmers Union.

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