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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement after voting to proceed to S. 1881, legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and redirect its taxpayer funding to other entities that provide women’s health care services, including community health centers:

“I am deeply disappointed the U.S. Senate today rejected legislation to protect both women’s health and the lives of unborn children. If individual organs and tissues can be harvested from aborted babies, how can the case be made that these are not human lives being destroyed? Why do we place more value on the parts and pieces of a life than the life as a whole?

“Kansans have made it clear they don’t want their taxes contributing to abortion providers, and I have worked to make their voices heard here in Washington. Women deserve affordable health care, which is already being offered by a number of organizations that have nothing to do with abortions. We can and should support these health providers, and we can and should protect the unborn. S. 1881 would be a significant step in accomplishing both goals, and I believe it should have passed with broad support.”

Last week, Sen. Moran joined senators from across the country in asking Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to cooperate fully as Congress investigates this organization that receives hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Click here to read Sen. Moran’s full letter to the HHS Secretary.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to improve the lives of veterans who are wounded as a result of their service to our nation passed the Senate Wednesday evening with unanimous support. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), helps make certain disabled veterans can receive the medical care they need by providing first-year federal government employees who have service related disabilities with 104 hours of sick leave.

"Wounded veterans should have the opportunity to take time off from work and seek medical care without penalty to their paycheck and livelihood." Sen. Moran said. "This important legislation will help make certain our nation’s heroes can pursue a career in federal service and support their families while also addressing their medical treatment needs resulting from wounds or injuries sustained in defense of our country. In passing the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act, the Senate has maintained our commitment to improving the lives of wounded warriors and I am pleased that the needs of veterans continue to be a top priority."

Currently, first-year government workers accrue four hours of sick leave each pay period, forcing many veterans with disabilities who have not built up the necessary leave time to take unpaid leave for medical appointments. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act gives these veteran employees 104 hours of leave up front, freeing them from having to make the difficult decision between receiving care and taking unpaid leave after they start their new job.

The bill supports first-year federal employees with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more.  It would cover first-year employees whether their disability occurred in combat or not. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act is supported by The American Legion, the American Federation of Government Employees, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National Treasury Employees Union, among others.

Sen. Moran and Tester’s bipartisan Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act now awaits action in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee unanimously passed out of committee legislation authored by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to empower veterans to become entrepreneurs and create jobs for Americans. The Veterans Entrepreneurial Transition Act of 2015 (VET Act), S. 1870, would offer veterans the opportunity to pursue their dreams of owning a business by giving them access to resources provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and their G.I. Bill benefit.

“Veterans in Kansas, as well as across the country, face challenges when they separate from the military and transition into civilian life,” Sen. Moran said. “After serving our nation, many veterans want to continue their service by giving back to their communities as small business owners and entrepreneurs. It’s common sense to give them more flexibility and choice in their benefits to achieve their goals. America is the country of entrepreneurs – a place where those with good ideas who are willing to work hard can make something for themselves. Nearly one in 10 U.S. small businesses are owned by veterans, and there are thousands more who aspire to achieve the same goal. The VET Act would help make certain they have the opportunity to live the American dream.”

“Our commitment to the brave men and women who serve our nation doesn’t end when they return from war,” Sen. Tester said. “This bill will help veterans transition from the armed services to the private sector so they can succeed on Main Street. Small businesses and entrepreneurs help drive our economy and these resources will help veterans and their families as they begin the next chapter of their lives.”

Nearly 550 service members transition from military to civilian life each day, and an estimated 1 million veterans will settle into communities across our country within the next three to five years. Only one-half of eligible veterans use their G.I. Bill benefit to pursue higher education or a specialized training program or apprenticeship. Of those, only 48 percent actually complete a program of study. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense spent more than $1.4 billion on unemployment for former military personnel in fiscal year 2013.

While some veterans choose to use their G.I. Benefits to pursue higher education, more often veterans are looking to enter the workforce. The VET Act proposes an innovative way to support veterans in their professional development by offering veterans a choice in accessing the resources, training and support they need to pursue the American dream to start a small business, create jobs, and generate growth in our economy.

The VET Act establishes a 3-year pilot program that would enable up to 250 G.I. Bill benefit-eligible veterans who apply to the program to start a new business or purchase an existing business or franchise. The program would be overseen by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the SBA Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The pilot program includes a thorough application process and requires participation in an approved entrepreneurial training program. Interested veterans would be required to develop a business plan to be approved by their training program advisor and the SBA’s Associate Administrator for Veterans Business Development. Click here to read a full summary of the pilot program, selection process, and terms of the grant process proposed by the VET Act.

According to a recent survey conducted by a veteran startup incubator, The Bunker: 

  • Only 40 percent of survey participants have used their G.I. Bill benefit and, of those, only 12 percent completed three years or less of the program of study;
  • An overwhelming 90 percent of the veterans who participated would like to use their G.I. Bill benefit toward starting a small business; and
  • Nearly 95 percent would complete an entrepreneurial training program in order to utilize their G.I. Bill benefit toward starting a small business.

“The Veteran Entrepreneurial Transition Act represents an unprecedented opportunity for our veterans and will greatly assist the Department of Defense in making the entrepreneurial transition pathway a reality for those who have served our great nation,” said Charles Lynn Lowder, CEO of 1 Vet At A Time. “Our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are hard-wired for success in the business world and the VET Act will provide the capital they need to start their own businesses.”

“The American Legion believes that veterans should be allowed to convert G.I. Bill education funds into capital for business start-ups,” said Ian DePlanque, Director of the American Legion, Legislative Division. “These grants would further the goal of growing the veteran-owned small business industrial base, which, in turn, would generate jobs for veterans.”

In addition to the 1 Vet at a Time and the American Legion, the VET Act of 2015 is supported by the Small Business Administration, the National Guard Association of the United States, the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veterans2Commerce, the Military Business Owners Association, The Bunker, The Kauffman Foundation and Association of Defense Communities. U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis (ret), former Commander of U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has also offered support for the legislation.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recorded a radio actuality to express his objection to the nuclear agreement negotiated with Iran.

Sen. Moran’s remarks may be found below, along with links to the audio download:

“I’m convinced more than ever the nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration is damaging to our country’s national security and it increases the risk to our allies and friends in the Middle East. Iran is the number one financer of terrorist activities and this agreement gives them more money to pursue their stated goal of ‘Death to America.’ Congress put sanctions in place to keep Iran from having nuclear weapons. Instead, this agreement lifts sanctions now for the hope that Iran does not acquire those nuclear weapons. The inspections allowed by this agreement are way too limited. The agreement concedes too much and secures too little. Additionally, this agreement does not require the release of Americans now held captive by Iran. I’ll work hard in hopes that the Senate rejects this terrible agreement."

On July 14, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany (P5+1), announced a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the result of their negotiations with Iran regarding the nation’s nuclear program and potential sanctions relief. According to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act passed nearly unanimously in May, Congress has a 60-day review period to investigate and vote on the final approval of the details of this agreement. Secretaries John Kerry, Jack Lew, and Ernest Moniz testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last Thursday as part of this review and provided greater detail on the contents of this deal.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) is a cosponsor of S.1861, legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to defund Planned Parenthood.

"Each successive video of senior Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting of tissue remains of aborted babies is more gruesome than the last," Sen. Moran said. "Human lives are the cost of the organization’s appalling efforts to collect fetal organs and tissues. I have long opposed taxpayer funding for abortion providers, and now it has become even more obvious why our tax dollars should not be permitted to facilitate these disgusting practices. Planned Parenthood is perversely treating unborn children as a commodity to be abused, and there are real concerns that their actions are not only immoral but illegal. I am hopeful the Senate will soon vote on our legislation to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding."

Last week, Sen. Moran joined senators from across the country in asking Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell to cooperate fully as Congress investigates this organization that receives hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Click here to read Sen. Moran’s full letter to the HHS Secretary.

Click here to read the legislative text of S.1861.

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On July 22, 2015, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing to debate pending legislation. During the hearing, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) spoke about the $3 billion shortfall currently facing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Despite indications dating back to January 2015 that the VA would be facing a shortfall, the VA failed to notify Congress until mid-July. The VA has implied that shortfalls like this are likely to occur in the future as well.

Also on Thursday, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) expressed similar concerns with the VA and President Obama avoiding responsibility and VA budget manipulation.

Sen. Moran Raises Concerns with Planned Parenthood Practices

Joins Bipartisan Group of 49 Senators in Letter Urging HHS Secretary to Comply with Investigations, Conduct Assessment to Facilitate Congressional Review

Jul 22 2015

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran joined a bipartisan group of 49 senators today in sending a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell following the release of footage by the Center for Medical Progress depicting senior Planned Parenthood Federation of America executives discussing in gruesome detail the organization’s role in the harvesting of the organs of unborn babies. In the letter, the senators draw attention to the legal, ethical, and policy issues raised by the footage and call on HHS Secretary Burwell to cooperate with ongoing and future investigations into these questions.

“The footage raises a number of questions about the practices of the organization, including whether they are in compliance with federal laws regulating both the use of fetal tissue and partial-birth abortions,” the senators wrote. “In addition to questions about Planned Parenthood’s compliance with applicable federal law and medical ethics, we believe the footage prompts important policy questions surrounding the issue of abortions permitted so late in a pregnancy – sometimes even later than five months – that an unborn baby’s organs can be identified and harvested.” 

The senators also requested that the Secretary confirm the commencement or immediate initiation of “a thorough internal review of the compliance of the Department and Planned Parenthood – one of the Department’s grantees – with all relevant and applicable federal statutes, regulations, and other requirements.”

The full text of the senators’ letter can be found here. 

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Sen. Moran Introduces Legislation to Safeguard Service Members' Second Amendment Rights

Bill would address "Gun-Free Zones" and repeal bans on military personnel carrying firearms on American military installations

Jul 21 2015

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced legislation to address “Gun-Free Zones” at American military installations – including military recruitment centers – and restore the Second Amendment rights of service members. The Safeguarding Service Members’ Second Amendment Rights Act, would repeal bans on military personnel carrying firearms on Armed Forces military installations and Department of Defense (DoD) sites and prohibit the president, secretary of defense and secretaries of military departments from enacting similar restrictions or prohibitions in the future.

“The Second Amendment guarantees the ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’ yet our men and women in uniform are banned from exercising this constitutional right when fulfilling their duties on American soil,” Sen. Moran said. “This infringement on the constitutional rights of our service members has caused American military installations and DoD sites to become increasingly vulnerable to those who wish to do harm. My legislation would repeal the laws, directives and regulations disarming military personnel, and empower our brave service men and women to defend themselves and others from violent attacks and acts of domestic terrorism.”

In the cases of the 2015 U.S. Army and Marine Corps Chattanooga shooting, the 2013 attack at the Washington Navy Yard, the 2010 attack at the Pentagon, the 2009 attack at the U.S. Military Recruiting Office in Little Rock, the 2009 attack on Fort Hood, and the 2008 attack on the Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Times Square, military personnel were prohibited from carrying firearms and unable to respond with force.

U.S. military personnel are trained in the use of firearms, with live-fire qualification and use-of-force training. They are entrusted with firearms and other weapons in the defense of the United States, yet are banned from carrying their firearms in “Gun-Free Zones” on military installations and DoD sites such as military recruitment centers, making these sites vulnerable targets.

Sen. Moran’s Safeguarding Service Members’ Second Amendment Rights Act would repeal laws and regulations disarming military personnel, including:

In addition to these repeals, the legislation would make unenforceable any other law, rule, regulation or executive order that prohibits military personnel from carrying a firearm on a military installation or DoD site within the United States. It also prohibits the secretary of defense and the secretaries of the military departments from reinstating the firearm bans repealed by the Act, and prohibits them from enacting similar restrictions or prohibitions in the future. The president would also be prohibited from taking any executive action or putting forth any rule, executive order or regulation that restricts or prohibits military personnel from carrying firearms.

The Safeguarding Service Members’ Second Amendment Rights formally states that military personnel shall not be prohibited from carrying firearms on military installations or DoD sites and outlines the standing rules of engagement and use of force that military personnel carrying firearms must to adhere to. 

Finally, Sen. Moran’s bill requires the secretary of defense to submit a report to Congress within 90 days of enactment outlining the actions taken to ensure compliance with the law.

Click below to read a fact sheet on the Safeguarding Service Members’ Second Amendment Rights Act.

Click below for the full legislative text.

 

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WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will introduce legislation to eliminate “Gun-Free Zones” at American military installations and military recruitment centers. Sen. Moran’s legislation would allow active-duty members of the Armed Forces stationed on American soil – including military recruiters – to carry weapons to defend themselves if they choose to do so.

“What happened in Chattanooga can never happen again,” Sen. Moran said. “The U.S. Constitution guarantees the ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’ yet our men and women in uniform are being prevented from exercising this constitutional right when fulfilling their duties on American soil. Just because a member of our Armed Forces is not deployed to an active war zone does not mean they are safe from those who wish to do harm. Members of our military are targets for those who do not share our values – both at home and abroad. If the members of our Armed Forces at the Chattanooga military recruitment centers had been allowed to exercise their Second Amendment Rights, the outcome of the attacks could have been very different. These brave individuals must be empowered to defend themselves and others from violence and acts of domestic terrorism.” 

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WASHINGTON – The Senate Committee on Appropriations this week approved – with a bipartisan 28 to 2 vote – the fiscal year 2016 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.

“The investments made in this bill reaffirm our commitment to advancing production agriculture and public health innovations in Kansas, and provide our rural communities with the ability to compete – both here and abroad,” Sen. Moran said. “Through a balanced approach to fiscal responsibility and continued investment in rural America, we are prioritizing agriculture research and extension activities, promoting rural development efforts, supporting food safety and public health initiatives, and encouraging the development of new medicines and medical devices. Additionally, we are reining in the Obama administration’s regulatory overreach by limiting the scope of the dietary guidelines and delaying the implementation of overly broad menu labeling rules.”

The Senate bill exhibits a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility by reducing overall spending by $3.7 billion compared to FY2015 enacted levels. The legislation is $24 billion below the President’s budget request level. 

The bill supports Farm Bill implementation efforts and protects crop insurance as a key risk management tool for producers. It invests $2.7 billion in new and ongoing agricultural research initiatives conducted by USDA and Kansas land grant and non-land grant universities. The bill also provides assistance to farmers, ranchers, and other landowners for conservation efforts, and rejects the President’s proposal to reduce USDA conservation technical assistance to producers. It increases funding for USDA programs aimed at eradicating plant and animal pests and diseases that threaten agriculture production. 

The bill continues investments important to rural Kansas communities, including by increasing funding for USDA rural development programs that are designed to help foster economic growth in rural areas. The policies funded include rural housing programs and loans for rural water, waste, electric and telephone infrastructure projects.

On nutrition issues, the legislation will ensure the new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be based on sound nutritional science, not on environmental sustainability factors pushed by activist groups.

The U.S. Senate now has an opportunity to debate 11 of the 12 appropriations bills required of Congress annually. If all 12 appropriations bills are passed into law, the U.S. government would save $74 billion in fiscal year 2016 as compared to President Obama’s budget proposal.

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