Medical Research News

There are no records to display that match the provided criteria.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Defense Communities Caucus Co-Chair, today sponsored bipartisan legislation to better connect our nation’s veterans with the services, resources and benefits available in their communities to help them transition back to civilian life.

“I am committed to making certain our heroes can seamlessly transition back into civilian life when they choose to separate from the military after serving our nation,” Sen. Moran said. “The Connect with Veterans Act would give veterans the opportunity to access information from organizations in their local community that offer services to enhance their quality of life. This important legislation would connect communities with the more than 500 veterans transitioning from the military every day who deserve access to tailored services and would benefit from their support.”

With nearly 250,000 service members expected to separate from military service over the next five years, the bipartisan Connect with Veterans Act would give veterans the ability to access information they choose to receive regarding services and benefits from local, state and federal entities or programs by creating a voluntary directory of contact information connecting the veteran to their local communities. 

According to Association of Defense Communities, the most important part of the transition from service member to civilian life occurs during the short time period after a service member leaves the military. But, a 2014 Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation study found that half of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans polled said they had a difficult time readjusting to civilian life. Currently, no mechanism exists for local governments and communities to interact directly with the 550 servicemembers who are transitioning daily nationwide. However, the bill aims to bridge these divides by helping service members quickly access the resources they need to effectively transition in their communities – especially those living in rural communities.

Participation in the program is voluntary and a veteran’s contact information would only be shared with his or her permission. Veterans’ personal information will be kept safe and secure. For a one-page summary of the bill, click here.

The legislation was introduced by Senate Defense Communities Caucus Co-Founder U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and is also sponsored by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and John Boozman (R-Ark.).

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement regarding his opposition to the Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177):

“I opposed passage of the No Child Left Behind Act because I believe a federally-mandated approach to education is not in the best interest of Kansas students and schools. The Every Child Achieves Act does not go far enough in reducing the counterproductive federal mandates currently dictating K-12 education. Washington bureaucrats will still have a substantial say in curriculum development, school testing and assessment decisions – functions best handled by states and local school districts. Unfortunately, this bill misses an opportunity to give responsibility back to those who best know the unique needs of students, families and educators.”

On December 13, 2001, then-Rep. Moran opposed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today regarding the United States Army’s announcement of The Army University at Fort Leavenworth:

“It is fitting to learn that Fort Leavenworth – the Intellectual Center of the Army – will oversee education and training of our future military and civilian leaders across the country. I am hopeful the restructured Army University will build upon our nation’s already first-rate education and training, and make certain we are preparing our soldiers to handle the evolving threats facing our country.”

Background:
The Army University is modeled after several successful U.S. state university systems that have fostered greater instructional efficiency and research capability by incorporating state administered teaching institutions under a single centralized system of management and resourcing. Army University will integrate 70 separate U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) internal school programs under one university system while also synchronizing instruction with more than 100 additional TRADOC institutions.

Additionally, this effort provides a cost savings to the Army in tuition assistance and unemployment expenses, which improves soldiers’ ability to transition into quality employment opportunities after their service.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran announced today:

“Given the grave consequences of a weak nuclear agreement with Iran, I share Americans’ skepticism about this deal which is offered by the same president who called ISIS the ‘JV team,’ and has mismanaged American foreign policy across the Middle East.

“I will carefully examine the terms of this proposal and press the Obama administration to prove this deal effectively secures our safety, verifies accountability from Iran, and increases stability in the Middle East. My initial reaction is this agreement has conceded too much and has not sufficiently reduced Iran’s nuclear capabilities. I am also disappointed the administration neglected to include the release of Americans held captive in Iran in this agreement, including Pastor Saeed Abedini and former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati who have both been held for several years.”

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Consumer Protection and Data Security, today responded to the resignation of Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Katherine Archuleta:

“While leadership certainly matters, the resignation of the OPM Director does not reduce the damage caused by this data breach. The 22 million Americans who have had their personal privacy violated and sensitive information stolen by hackers continue to wait for answers from OPM and the administration. We need to know the true scope of the OPM data breach, how this happened, what is being done to protect the victims from criminal activity, and what steps are being taken not only at OPM – but across all federal government agencies – to make certain we are safeguarded from future cyber-attacks. It is past time for the accountability and answers needed to restore Americans’ confidence that their families and our national security are not at risk.”

# # #

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today regarding the United States Army’s announcement of force strength reductions at bases across the country including Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley:

“Unfortunately, constrained defense spending has forced the Army to make difficult decisions. However, it is evident the Army understands the contributions Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley make to our national security given the minimal reduction of Kansas soldiers.

“Through constant, high-level engagements with Army leadership on Capitol Hill, at the Pentagon, and back home in Junction City – with an unparalleled turnout of Kansans during the Listening Session in February – our state has clearly demonstrated support for our service members and their families. I am pleased Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley survived this significant challenge, but will continue to work to make certain the Army does not pursue additional reductions. Additionally, I will work to ensure the Department of Defense has the resources necessary to train and equip our soldiers to defend our country and safeguard Americans.”

Fort Leavenworth will lose 60 troop positions between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2017, and Fort Riley will lose 615 troop positions between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2017. 

Between fiscal year 2001 and fiscal year 2017, Fort Riley will have grown 57 percent including the loss of 615 positions.

###

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today upon news that the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center – part of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System – will reopen the Emergency Department starting Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has determined that the Topeka Emergency Department now meets all policy, procedures and staffing levels.

"This is the good news Eastern Kansas veterans have been waiting for – they will once again be able to count on emergency services at Colmery-O’Neil," Sen. Moran said. "It has been a long road since the emergency room was temporarily shuttered in January 2014, and Topeka veterans were suddenly without the emergency care they could need at any moment. I am pleased our efforts alongside Director Klopfer, Congresswoman Jenkins and VA Heartland Network Director Patterson‎ resulted in this positive outcome. Safe and quality care for our nation’s veterans is one of my top priorities and I trust that the reopening of the Colmery-O’Neil emergency room will help make certain veterans in Kansas can get the timely, quality care they earned through their selfless service to our nation."

According to a press release from Colmery-O’Neil, all veterans reporting to the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED) will be triaged and given the appropriate care.

Sen. Moran first raised concerns about the shuttering of the emergency department with then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in August 2013. He also expressed frustration with the Veterans Health Administration in January 2014 once the emergency room at Colmery-O’Neil was temporary closed. In order to resolve the ongoing issues, in April 2015, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Sen. Moran asked the VA Heartland Network Director about the support the Network is receiving from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C. In early June, they received a response from the VA Heartland Director dated April 27, 2015, which stated that “we anticipate the temporary ‘pause’ on the Emergency Department to be removed by the end of May.” The June 30, 2015, reopening follows the completion of a plan by Colmery-O’Neil to make certain the emergency department is fully capable of meeting the needs of the veterans.

# # #

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) today introduced legislation to allow two light or medium duty trailers to be towed at the same time – only when empty and being delivered to a retailer for sale and subject to existing size and weight limits. The Safe and Efficient Trailer Delivery Act (S. 1692) recognizes that empty light and medium trailers present different safety issues and should not be regulated in the same category as larger, cargo-carrying vehicles.

“This straightforward, common sense legislation would allow trailer manufacturers in Kansas and across the country to deliver light-to-medium duty trailers in tandem to retailers,” Sen. Moran said. “The current law is expensive and inefficient, and this bill will dramatically lower delivery costs for small businesses while helping consumers and reducing highway congestion.”

“The current regulations for trailer delivery are costly and hurt Kansas businesses and consumers,” Sen. Roberts said. “This bill will allow trailers to be delivered more efficiently and at lower costs, while also improving the safety on our nation’s highways.”

“In Indiana, our small and medium trailer industry is made up primarily of small businesses and provides jobs to Hoosiers while helping our state’s economy,” Sen. Donnelly said. “These Hoosier manufacturers must navigate a patchwork system merely to deliver their products, which increases costs and hurts consumers. I am proud to join my colleague Senator Jerry Moran in introducing this bipartisan legislation because it would help Hoosier trailer manufacturers transport their products more easily and at a reduced cost to consumers across the country.”

As a result of a 1991 law, trailers are treated differently than car, truck or boat manufacturers in that they have to deliver the vast majority of their products one at a time, which is inefficient and expensive.

Titan Trailer Manufacturing President Rich Jenson of Waterville, Kan., added, “Titan Trailer Manufacturing applauds Senator Moran, Senator Roberts and Representative Jenkins for the introduction of this legislation which will enable our Kansas business and others like it across the country to safely and efficiently deliver our products while saving customers money and reducing fuel consumption.”

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“I am proud to champion this legislation in the House, which is based on sensible principles that will help increase the efficiency and reduce emissions from light- and medium-duty trailer manufactures,” said Rep. Lynn Jenkins. “This bill will lower costs for consumers, decrease congestion on our highways, and empowers businesses by removing government bureaucracy.”

This legislation is supported by the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers.

Click here to read the full bill text for S. 1692.

###

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced an amendment to the fiscal year 2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill to modify Kansas’ truck length law for hauling custom harvesting equipment to improve efficiency in our nation’s agriculture and food production. The amendment passed with a majority vote.

“I am pleased the Senate Appropriations Committee acted today to modify Kansas’ truck length law for custom harvesters, which establishes uniformity in the law with our neighboring states,” Sen. Moran said. “During harvest, time is of the essence and the safe movement of equipment is critical to completing the harvest and getting grain and food to market. 

This provision is a narrow exemption for custom harvesters to move their equipment safely along highways and allow movement through Kansas and Nebraska – states vital to the nation’s grain production and harvesting. The amendment does not increase federal spending or add to the national debt.

Background:

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) established federal limits on truck length, as well as width and height, setting the maximum length of cargo-carrying units of Commercial Motor Vehicles at 65 feet, grandfathered in existing state limits on truck length that exceeded 65 feet, and prohibited states from increasing their limits on truck length in what is referred to as the ISTEA “freeze.” In 2005, included in SAFETEA-LU was a narrow exemption for the state of Nebraska from the ISTEA freeze, establishing 81.5 feet as Nebraska’s length limit for vehicles used by custom harvesters during harvest season. 

This exemption was also included in the FY 2016 House THUD Appropriations bill that passed on June 9, 2015. 

The amendment is supported by the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Motor Carriers Association, Kansas Agricultural Alliance and Kansas Highway Patrol.

###

OPM Data Breach

Jun 23 2015

Mr. President, earlier today the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, of which I am a member, conducted a hearing on the data security breach at the Office of Personnel Management. I am a member of that subcommittee, and we had several witnesses, including OPM Director Archuleta. Our goal was to learn about the latest data breach that was revealed earlier this month.

I think that in many ways the hearing was useful and in other ways it was inadequate. The hearing once again demonstrated that much more needs to be done to address the ongoing IT management issues which plague so many agencies but in particular OPM.

As our witnesses testified, the recent breach--and really, it is breaches--at OPM was not a resource issue but a management issue. Too often--and I certainly understand that how we appropriate money is important--the excuse is we don't have enough resources. Today, in my view, it was made clear that this is much more of a management issue than a resource issue.

As Director Archuleta said in her confirmation hearing as well as in today's hearing, IT security was her top priority when she entered the agency in November of 2013. But what has transpired since then has been troubling. She reminded me today that in her confirmation hearing--IT data security was her top priority when she arrived at the agency in late 2013.

Ms. Archuleta highlighted the fact that in March of 2014, OPM detected a sophisticated attack targeting sensitive information. While the hackers didn't get information in that particular instance, this should have been the first alarm to go off that somebody was trying to get access to very sensitive documents.

I will reiterate what I am talking about in this case. This was March of 2014. We are talking about a hack attempt that occurred last year, not the ones that are making the news today. Unfortunately, it happened again a year ago--in June of 2014--when a company that was involved in background checks for the government, U.S. Investigation Services, USIS, suffered a breach impacting as many as 26,000 Federal employee records. It happened again in August of 2014--a third time. So we have March, June, and August. In August of 2014, another company involved in background checks, KeyPoint, was breached, and this time over 48,000 records were stolen.

In both of these contractor breaches, OPM was required to send out notifications to Federal employees who were affected. Clearly OPM knew about these breaches. Now we have learned that the credentials stolen in those original breaches were used to enter the OPM system and this time steal highly sensitive information. The information stolen was Social Security numbers, military records, veteran status, addresses, birth dates, job and pay history, health insurance, life insurance, pension, age, gender, race, and union status. So these three separate examples should have been the stark warning to secure this highly sensitive data.

When I asked the Director today about this topic, she merely pointed to an IT modernization plan that was drafted when she entered the agency about 20 months ago. My question was: Having seen these three attempts to breach the information at OPM, what then occurred at OPM following that which was different to further and better protect information at the Office of Personnel Management? The answer was really about pointing to a plan that was developed when the Director initially arrived at OPM some 20 months ago.

In addition to those three breaches, if those were not warning enough, there were two other important reports which also could have and should have suggested that better management was needed. In November 2014, the inspector general for OPM released its annual report on Federal information security. That report found that 11 of the 47 major information systems--23 percent--at OPM lacked proper security authorization. In fact, 5 of the 11 systems were in the office of the Chief Information Officer, the person responsible for the agency's data security.

This morning, Ms. Archuleta was proud to claim that the agency had been upgraded to just “significant deficiency” with regard to its IT system, up from “material weakness.” And the inspector general testified this morning that they had offered 29 recommendations in their November report, and to date only 3 of the 29 recommendations had been adopted.

In addition to the inspector general report in November of 2014, in December--the following month--of 2014, the General Accounting Office, or GAO, issued a report highly critical of IT management at OPM. The report identified best practices that OPM should implement to improve IT management. The report found that “OPM's efforts to modernize retirement processing have been plagued by IT management weaknesses”--another indication that OPM desperately needed to address IT management, which our witnesses argue is critical to ensuring agency-wide security.

So my takeaway from this morning's hearing is that all the warning signs were there. OPM was aware of the persistent issues. They knew about breaches to their contractors, and the agency knew they were a target. Yet the only evidence that OPM did anything was a plan that was written in the first 100 days of the new Director's tenure at OPM. Planning is important, but execution matters a lot more.

We still need lots of answers as to what OPM did following those original breaches last year. What security plan did they put in place? Have they identified which information to secure? How did they secure these documents? Were they effective in preventing other attacks? How often did the OPM Director and the CIO, the Chief Information Officer, meet and what were their discussions?

I am encouraged to know that our Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee intends to have another hearing, and this time we will have the opportunity to present it in a secured setting so that no one can indicate that they are incapable of answering the question because of security issues. I look forward to that hearing. However, I will tell my colleagues that it is discouraging to know what I now know, and it is a discouraging time for IT security and the Federal Government.

I hope we can use this as a lesson for other agencies that they need to be vigilant. We face real and serious threats. Inaction by agencies put Federal workers, the American people, and, most importantly, our national security at risk.

In my view, this is important. These hearings matter. The information we are garnering and attempting to garner is important for those who are employees of the Federal Government. They need to know what has transpired so they can better protect themselves. Why are they at risk because of these hacks? Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we need to know what has transpired here. Processes need to be in place to prevent additional challenges to our information technology, because it is a matter of our national security.

So for the sake of our federal employees and their well-being but also for the sake of the American citizens and our national security, this is not an issue that we have the opportunity to avoid. Answers need to be forthcoming and decisions need to be made system-wide--not just at OPM but throughout the entire Federal Government--as we work to protect those who work for the Federal Government and as we work to protect American citizens from a national security perspective.