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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Appropriations Health Subcommittee and Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman, questioned U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell this week regarding the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In the report, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommends heavily plant-based diets that are much lower in lean red meat than what is currently recommended because of concerns over “increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and energy use.” This recommendation not only threatens beef producers from across Kansas and the country, but also factors in environmental sustainability – a field outside the committee members’ charter, background and expertise. 

See below highlights from the hearing:

Sen. Moran: (0:08) “You and…Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack are charged with developing dietary guidelines… and at least to many of us, it's a very controversial report because it includes in their recommendations and they admit they’re taking into account topics outside nutrition and diet, and specifically considering environmental sustainability. So dietary guidelines [are] now being expanded to include consideration of sustainability, contrary to the statutory framework by which you and Secretary Vilsack are instructed to develop the guidelines.”

Sen. Moran: (1:59) “I want you to assure me that you intend to…disregard areas that are outside your instructions in developing dietary guidelines, that you will stay true to the issues of diet and nutritional science, and not expand the dietary guidelines to something beyond its intended scope.”

Sec. Burwell: (2:24) “So actually, the secretary and I have spoken. It was about an issue that he spoke with me and then I think received your letter after…and we extended the period of comment.

Sec. Burwell: (3:17) “As with any issue, I will always want to abide by the statute, and as we work to implement that, that's what we will do.”

Sen. Moran: (3:33) “…Do you share the view that the dietary guidelines are to be developed around dietary and nutritional science and nothing more?”

Sec. Burwell: (3:45) “…I have to be honest and say I have not reviewed the statute closely enough to be able to answer that question in the specific way that you have posed it…”

Sen. Moran: (4:08) “Does that suggest you're going to color…within the lines?”

Sec. Burwell: (4:12) “It suggests that I need to read the statute because I shouldn't answer a question, I apologize, until I actually know what a statute says. I do want to actually abide by the statute. And that's something at this point in the process, I apologize, I haven't gotten to.”

On March 17, 2015, USDA and HHS extended the initial 45-day comment period for stakeholders to comment on the “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” by an additional 30 days. In March, Sen. Moran joined 29 of his Senate colleagues in calling on USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to issue an extension. Additionally, the senators requested that USDA and HHS stay within statutory guidelines, consider the most relevant nutrition scientific literature, and reject the committee’s inconsistent conclusions and recommendations regarding the role of lean red meat in a healthy diet.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which form the basis of federal nutrition policy, are reviewed every five years. A recent advisory committee report recommending what foods should be included in the new guidelines leaves lean red meat out of what it considers to be a healthy diet due to reasons unrelated to nutritional science.

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

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Senate Hunger Caucus Co-Chair, is a sponsor of the bipartisan Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act of 2015 (S.930), legislation he also introduced in 2013. The bill, which was reintroduced last week in the 114th Congress, would make permanent a proven and effective tax incentive to encourage businesses and farms to donate surplus food to local food banks, homeless shelters and other hunger-relief organizations.

“Permanently extending the hunger relief tax incentive is a commonsense solution to increase food bank contributions – In rural and urban areas alike – and make use of the millions of pounds of food that go to waste each year,” Sen. Moran said. “This legislation is especially critical during these difficult economic times when food banks have an increased need to provide emergency food assistance.”

“Charity cannot meet the needs of the hungry alone,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, President and CEO of Harvesters – The Community Food Network, the food bank serving northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri. “We need the continued partnership of nonprofit, business and government to help the hundreds of thousands of Kansans at risk of hunger. The hunger relief tax incentive has a proven track record as a targeted and effective way to encourage donations of excess nutritious food to those in need. We are grateful for Senator Moran’s leadership to permanently extend this vital tax incentive.”

In the years since the 2008 financial collapse and the economic recession that followed, demand on food banks across the country has risen dramatically. According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 49 million Americans are living in food insecure households and one-third of these individuals are children. Despite this, more than 30 percent of the food that is produced, grown and transported in the United States will never be used as some businesses find it too costly to donate the excess food. The billions of pounds of wasted food is valued at $162 billion annually. 

The Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act would address this by permanently extending the same tax incentives to donate food now available to corporations to all businesses, including small businesses, farmers, ranchers and restaurant owners. The Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act would allow all businesses to receive tax deductions worth the full, fair-market value of the donated food products. Extending the tax deduction to farmers is intended to increase the amount of fresh foods offered to food banks. 

The bipartisan bill has been supported by many organizations including Feeding America, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association and the National Restaurant Association. 

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), members of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced two bills to ensure a healthy future for America’s community banks – The Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory (CLEAR) Relief Act (S. 812) and the CLEAR Plus Act (S. 927).

The CLEAR Relief Act (S. 812) would provide regulatory relief to community banks and their customers as well as support the housing recovery. By stripping away outdated or unnecessary regulation, the legislation would help community banks focus on what they do best: providing loans to their communities and helping small businesses grow.

The CLEAR Relief Plus Act (S. 927) would harmonize the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration and deregistration thresholds for thrift holding companies to allow savings and loan holding companies to benefit from the JOBS Act – just as bank holding companies currently do – and reduce their regulatory costs. It would also provide certain healthy financial institutions the opportunity to periodically submit a shorter call report to their regulator which would save qualifying financial institutions time and money without impacting safety and soundness.

“I continue to hear concerns from Kansas bankers who are hesitant to lend as they wait for the next burdensome regulation to come out of Washington,” Sen. Moran said. “With millions of Americans looking for work, our government’s first priority should be to create an environment where businesses can be created, grow and hire workers – to do that they need access to capital. Until banks are willing and able to make prudent loans to hometown customers, job creation will remain stifled and our economic recovery will continue to lag.”

“Montana families and small businesses rely on their local community banks for the financing they need to support their families and grow their businesses,” Sen. Tester said. “We need to make sure community banks have the flexibility to continue supporting our economy with their unique brand of relationship-based lending, and that’s what these bipartisan bills do.”

Community banks play a critical role in the nation’s economic recovery, serving rural, small town and suburban customers alike. Unfortunately, some regulations and requirements make it more difficult for these banks to compete with larger financial institutions that have greater resources. This competitive disadvantage diminishes the ability of community banks to attract capital and support the credit needs of their customers and local businesses. 

“Community banks provide 60 percent of all small business loans under $1 million, as well as customized mortgage and consumer loans suited to the unique characteristics of their local communities,” ICBA President and CEO Camden R. Fine said. “They are serving a vital role in ensuring the economic recovery is robust and broad based, reaching communities of all sizes and in every region of the country. The meaningful regulatory relief provided by the Act will allow them to promote and support entrepreneurship, job creation, and economic growth in their communities.”

S. 812 would:

  • Exempt community banks with assets of less than $1 billion from the Sarbanes-Oxley 404(b) internal-controls assessment mandate. Because community banks’ internal control systems are monitored continually by bank examiners, they should not have to sustain the unnecessary annual expense of paying an outside audit firm for attestation work; 
  • Support the housing recovery by exempting from any escrow requirements any first lien mortgage held by a lender with less than $10 billion in assets; and
  • Provide “qualified mortgage” status under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ability-to-repay rules for any mortgage originated and held in portfolio for at least three years by a lender with less than $10 billion in assets.

S. 927 would:

  • Broaden access to the benefits of the JOBS Act by harmonizing the SEC registration and deregistration thresholds for savings and loan holding companies and bank holding companies; and
  • Reduce the paperwork and compliance burden for well-rated, healthy institutions by offering a shorter call report form.

U.S. Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) also introduced companion legislation in the House – CLEAR Relief Act (H.R. 1233) – which similarly seeks targeted regulatory relief for small financial institutions.

S. 812 is sponsored by 18 of Sen. Moran and Tester’s U.S. Senate colleagues including U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.)

Click here to read the full bill text for S. 812.

Click here to read the full bill text for S. 927.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement on the Senate’s bipartisan passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act by a vote of 99 to 0:

“Today, I voted in favor of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Human trafficking is a serious and too-often invisible problem that affects the lives of tens of thousands of women and children. This legislation is a bipartisan effort to protect those individuals and to punish those who enslave them. More than 200 victims’ rights and law enforcement groups support this legislation, and have called it “the most comprehensive and thoughtful piece of anti-trafficking legislation currently pending.” For the victims of modern slavery who suffer such horrible abuse at the hands of human traffickers, the Senate could not afford to wait any longer to vote on the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. I am pleased the Senate was able to move forward in a bipartisan fashion to pass this important piece of legislation.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security, and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have introduced legislation to address critical cyber security vulnerabilities by helping to create a network of trusted partnerships across the public and private sectors aimed at detecting, preventing and mitigating cyber threats through information sharing.

The Cyber Information Sharing Tax Credit Act would incentivize businesses of all sizes to join sector-specific information sharing organizations, known as Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs), by providing refundable tax credits for all costs association with joining ISACs. As more industries and businesses participate, these networks will help businesses understand and improve their cyber posture and ensure the timely dissemination of information on increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

“Consumers, businesses, and our nation’s critical infrastructure face constant and evolving threats from cyber criminals who seeks to do us harm. When it comes to detecting and preempting these threats and protecting American consumers from cybercrimes, information sharing within trusted industry networks has proven to be a valuable tool across numerous sectors of our economy,” Sen. Moran said. “The Cyber Information Sharing Tax Credit Act will make participation in vital ISACs more accessible for all companies, especially those who may not fully understand their risk of cyber-attack or who would not otherwise have the resources to participate in an information sharing organization."

"Hackers have put consumers and businesses in their crosshairs, and have shown they can easily access confidential information we trust can and should remain private. It’s time to improve our security and establish standards that better protect consumers in New York and across the country,” Sen. Gillibrand said. “This legislation is an important first step toward a national solution and opportunity to address our vulnerabilities, strengthening defenses against emerging data breaches, taking necessary safeguards to help victims and prosecuting perpetrators of these attacks."

The Cyber Information Sharing Tax Credit Act was originally authored in 2014 in response to the current threats to our national security outlined in a report titled “Reflections on the Tenth Anniversary of The 9/11 Commission Report.” The authors – members of the 9/11 Commission – identified domestic cyber readiness as one of the five most pressing national security issues facing the country. The report highlights that senior leaders were “uniformly alarmed by the cyber threat to the country,” comparing currently policies to “September 10th levels.” The report also states, “One lesson of the 9/11 story is that, as a nation, Americans did not awaken to the gravity of the terrorist threat until it was too late. History may be repeating itself in the cyber realm."

The Cyber Information Sharing Tax Credit Act would incentivize information sharing about security vulnerabilities, and would also facilitate the dissemination of sector-specific cyber protection. The Moran-Gillibrand bill would encourage this through a refundable tax credit for any business that joins an ISAC. The refundable tax credit would cover personnel participation costs, product and service costs directly related to sharing information with the ISAC, as well as other costs reasonably associated with participation.

Membership in an ISAC will give a small business access to real-time alerts about ongoing cyber threats to their systems, or newly discovered vulnerabilities in their networks that hackers might exploit, along with technical advice on how to protect against these attacks and eliminate their vulnerabilities.

Over the last decade, there have been more than five thousand separate security breaches, compromising nearly 800 million records containing sensitive personal information, many of which have led to identity theft and other crimes. According to a July 2014 report by Unisys and Ponemon Institute, nearly 70 percent of companies had at least one cyber security breach in the preceding year that led to the loss of confidential information of disruption of operations. A June 2014 report from security firm McAfee estimates that the likely annual to the global community from cybercrime is more than $400 billion. Cyber criminals and terrorists have also infiltrated NASDAQ, one of the nation’s largest stock exchanges, and also have targeted U.S. utilities, demonstrating that no sector is safe from this evolving threat. 

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Sen. Moran Blasts New VA Request to Spend Choice Act Funds on Denver VA Hospital Money Pit

"The Choice Act is not a cookie jar for the VA to raid as it sees fit. I cannot sit by and watch emergency funds intended to make VA medical facilities nationwide more efficient and hire desperately-needed physicians and medical staff be used to clean up this mess."

Apr 16 2015

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Senate Committee on Appropriations, today blasted a proposal sent to Congress Tuesday night by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requesting that funds from the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act) be used to pay for the ballooning price tag to complete a new VA medical center being built in Aurora, Colo. Just this week, the Washington Post reported that the construction of the VA hospital east of Denver is “riddled with mistakes and cost overruns.”

“The Choice Act is not a cookie jar for the VA to raid as it sees fit,” Sen. Moran said. “If the President is truly focused on fixing the VA, why is his administration proposing to raid emergency funds provided by Congress to support greater access to health care for veterans? The over-budget and behind-schedule Denver project is a catastrophic failure of VA’s own making. While we cannot allow the millions of taxpayer dollars already spent on the facility to go to waste, I cannot sit by and watch emergency funds intended to make VA medical facilities nationwide more efficient and hire desperately-needed physicians and medical staff be used to clean up this mess. Thousands of rural veterans in states like Kansas still can’t get the timely VA care the Choice Act promised and are being forced to travel long distances to VA hospitals.”

“This request is just one more piece of evidence of the VA’s unwillingness and lack of interest in implementing the Choice Act,” Sen. Moran concluded.

The VA request came in a legislative proposal from VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson to the Senate on Tuesday afternoon regarding VA construction initiatives. Section 8 of the proposal would amend the Choice Act authorization to add the Denver construction project so that nearly $1 billion in Choice Act funds could be used for the completion of the Aurora medical facility. The Denver project is more than five times over budget and expected to cost a staggering $1.73 billion once complete. Its original cost estimate was $328 million.

Thousands of veterans continue to struggle to access care through the Choice Act primarily because of VA’s flawed implementation and interpretation of the law. These errors include delays in mailing out Choice Cards, disqualifying veterans who should be eligible without explanation, and dramatically narrowing the scope of veterans who can use the Choice Act by not taking into account whether a VA facility within 40 miles of a veteran’s home can actually provide the medical services a veteran needs.

Sen. Moran introduced legislation, the Veterans Access to Community Care Act of 2015 (S. 207), in January requiring the VA to utilize its authorities, including the Choice Act, to offer community care to veterans who are currently unable to receive the healthcare services they need from a VA medical facility within 40 miles of where they live. In March, the U.S. Senate voted 100-0 to pass an amendment (#356) to the Budget Resolution (S. Con. Res. 11) authored by Sen. Moran that mirrors S. 207. Unfortunately, the VA continues to force thousands of veterans to choose between traveling hours to a VA medical facility, paying out of pocket, or going without care altogether.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense, held briefings at the Pentagon today with his Military and Veterans Advisory Committee. Sen. Moran and his advisory committee – which is made up of Kansans who are either retired military leaders or civilians with insight and expertise in military and veterans’ issues – met with Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh and several Assistant Secretaries to discuss all-things Army in Kansas including the future of Fort Riley. Following the briefings, Sen. Moran held a conference call to share what was discussed at the Pentagon.  

Fort Riley was the primary topic of conversation during our productive meeting at the Pentagon today given the Army is assessing potential force reductions at military installations across the country as a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011,” Sen. Moran said. “I am pleased to report that the Army has a clear understanding of the military value at Fort Riley in training space, deploying capability and supporting the American soldier with an excellent quality of life. This was underscored by the Army’s investment in military construction on Fort Riley since 2005. From housing to education and health care, the $1.8 billion in investments to the infrastructure on Fort Riley over the last decade equates to half of the total Army budget on military construction today. I feel confident the Army considers Fort Riley a significant asset and will thoughtfully analyze the value Fort Riley offers soldiers, their families and the Army in defense of our nation.”

The full audio of Sen. Moran’s conference call on what was discussed at the Pentagon is available here. Also participating in the call was John Armbrust, the Governor’s Military Council Executive Director‎.

Members of Sen. Moran’s Military and Veterans Advisory Committee who attended the briefings with him at the Pentagon today include:

  • John G. Montgomery, Junction City. Civilian Aide Emeritus to the Secretary of the Army;
  • Mark Edwards, Junction City. Civilian Aide Emeritus to the Secretary of the Army;
  • John Armbrust, Manhattan. Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired), Governor’s Military Council Executive Director‎;
  • Tod Bunting, Berryton. Major General, Kansas National Guard, Adjutant General of Kansas (retired);
  • Robert E. Durbin, formerly of Junction City, Kan., now of McLean, Va. Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (retired), Former Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley;
  • Robert Ulin, Lansing. Colonel, U.S. Army (retired), former head of the Command and General Staff College Foundation; and
  • Tim Rogers, Salina. Salina Airport Authority Executive Director, A.A.E.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) called on the VA Heartland Network Director raising serious concerns about the support the Network is receiving from the VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to resolve the ongoing issues with the operation of the emergency room at the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center in Topeka, Kan. 

Congresswoman Jenkins and Sen. Moran first raised these concerns with then-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki in August 2013. Now – in April 2015 – the situation remains unclear due to a lack of transparency from the VA Headquarters regarding the status of the emergency room.

“We can all agree that our veterans deserve the highest quality of care possible, yet more than a year has passed and veterans are still not able to receive emergency care from Colmery-O’Neil,” Congresswoman Jenkins. “This situation is unacceptable and must be resolved immediately. Rather than more excuses and inaction from leaders at the VA in Washington, our veterans deserve results and care that is worthy of their service to our nation.” 

"Veterans who have served our nation with duty and honor deserve access to quality health care when they need it," Sen. Moran said. "Because Kansas is a rural state, many of our veterans are already forced to travel long distances to visit a VA hospital. For more than a year, Topeka veterans have been without the emergency care services they could need at any moment. We will continue to press VA leadership in Washington for answers to make certain veterans in Kansas and across the country get the care they earned.”

Click here to read the letter from Rep. Jenkins and Sen. Moran.

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Sens. Moran, Blumenthal and Reps. Benishek, Honda Introduce Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015

Bill addresses the residual wounds of war that may impact a service member’s family for generations long after the military operation is over

Apr 14 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Representatives Dan Benishek, M.D. (R-Mich.) and Mike Honda (D-Calif.), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation focused on supporting the research of health conditions faced by descendants of veterans who were exposed to toxins during their military service. The Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 (S. 901) – which is supported by the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), AMVETS, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Rolling Thunder – would establish a national center at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility for research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of the descendants of individuals exposed to toxic substances during their time in service. These include Agent Orange in Vietnam, Gulf War neurotoxins, Iraq and Afghanistan chemical weapons and burn pits as well as other chemicals and toxins. 

“The Toxic Exposure Research Act is about addressing the painful, residual wounds of war that may impact a service member’s family long after the military operation is over – wounds that may not be evident until decades later when passed on to children and generations to follow,” said Sen. Moran. “This bipartisan legislation is a necessary step toward making certain our military men and women and their descendants will be properly cared for in the future. We must keep our promise to our veterans and their families, who have made great sacrifices for the sake of our country’s security and our freedom.”

“When servicemembers raise their right hand, they willingly risk life and limb to defend their country. However, few probably ever contemplate that this noble action would have serious and sometimes grave consequences for their children and grandchildren,” said Sen. Blumenthal. “These children and grandchildren did not sign up, but they may bear the wounds of war. Declassifying documents and disclosure are critical and the least the government owes our veterans so they can better understand the impact these indirect exposures have to guarantee their children and grandchildren receive appropriate treatment. The Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 will ensure this. We as a nation have just as much of a responsibility to the families as to those who actually wear the uniform.”

“Having served veterans as a surgeon at the Iron Mountain VA for over 20 years, I have seen far too many patients who suffer from unexplained, service connected ailments,” said Dr. Benishek. “These conditions can even be passed down to their children. We owe it to our vets to find answers to illnesses caused by toxic exposure, and this bill will be a strong start to that process.”

“Medical and scientific studies have shown that there are long term negative effects not only on the soldiers who served, but also in their children, their grandchildren, and subsequent generations,” Congressman Honda said. “Many suffer from various forms of birth defects. It is time for us to take care of not just those who served, but also their children, whose diseases can be linked to their parent’s exposure to toxins. This is about the sacred pact with members of our military: if you serve our country in uniform, we will look after your family during your service to this country and after.”

The Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 would also authorize the Department of Defense to declassify certain incidents of exposure of members of the armed forces to toxic substances. Additionally the bill would create a national outreach campaign on potential long-term health effects of exposure to toxic substances by members of the Armed Forces and their descendants.

“The information identified by the Institute of Medicine, as a result of the Agent Orange Act of 1991, regarding the negative impact on the health of Vietnam veterans resulted in a long list of ailments approved as ‘presumptive’ diseases by the Dept. Of Veterans Affairs,” said VVA National President John Rowan. “Many Vietnam veterans have already succumbed to these ailments and more will in the future. While we are concerned, we understand that we raised our right hands and agreed to serve our country in a time of war. Our progeny did not. It is dismaying that it is possibility that these diseases have carried over to our children and grand-children. The Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015 will hopefully enable us to determine how long these health problems will continue to haunt our families"

“The American Legion believes in treating the veteran first, funding the necessary research, and ensuring that servicemembers are not exposed to chemical hazards again,” said Ian de Planque, American Legion Legislative Director. “This legislation would help address the need to better understand the toxins that many veterans have been exposed to, and enhance the understanding that the effect of exposure may have on veterans’ descendants.” 

“All too often, we have failed to extend the proper recognition to veterans and their descendants for debilitating health conditions they suffer from, due to the veterans exposure to toxic substances,” said Aleks Morosky, Deputy Director of National Legislative Service for VFW. “This bill would begin to address that issue by directing VA to properly study all those affected by service-related toxic exposure, and the VFW thanks Senator Moran for bringing it forward.”

Many of the symptoms from toxic exposure are frequently misdiagnosed in descendants of veterans due to a lack of understanding and scientific proof. However, veterans have observed increased levels of cancers, birth defects and other conditions in their subsequent generations. The evidence of these wounds of war afflicting the children and grandchildren of service members exposed to toxins is growing and research is warranted to collect data and study this issue. The goal of this medical research is to determine the conditions that result from debilitating toxins and hopefully lead to the appropriate support and benefits veterans and family members deserve.  

Click below to find the full text of S. 901, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015. 

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WASHINGTON – Tonight, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) voted in favor of legislation to repeal the broken Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) that passed the Senate 92-8 with strong, bipartisan support. More than a decade of short-term “SGR patches” have frustrated health care providers, threatened access for Medicare beneficiaries, and created budgetary problems for Congress. During this time, Congress has allocated nearly $150 billion on temporary patches that did not address the fundamental problems with the SGR. Sen. Moran did not support the formula when it was created and has long urged Congress to permanently repeal and replace the flawed SGR.

“For more than a decade, the broken SGR formula has frustrated health care providers, threatened access for Medicare beneficiaries, and created budgetary dilemmas for Congress,” Sen. Moran said. “This especially jeopardizes patients’ access to health care in Kansas where our hospitals, physicians, and other medical professionals care for an increasingly aging population across a wide area. The reality is patient care suffers when providers are forced to endure an exasperating wait-and-see game every few months to find out what amount they will be reimbursed for the care they provide. It is good that Congress has finally come together permanently address this issue.”

In late March, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act, with a bipartisan vote of 392-37. The legislation now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.

Sen. Moran recently spoke on the Senate floor about the urgent need to permanently repeal and replace the SGR formula. Click here to view his remarks.

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