WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today welcomed Dr. Sheree Utash, President of Wichita State University (WSU) Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) and Vice President of Workforce Development at WSU, to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Sen. Moran served as the ranking member of the full committee with Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The hearing was titled, “Strengthening the Aviation Workforce.”

“I’m honored to lead the hearing today and gain insight into how Congress can continue to support the growing demands in workforce, particularly in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization legislation,” said Sen. Moran. “Our nation and state’s success within this vital sector depends on those who train, educate, and prepare our students to be ready contributors within the aviation industry. In order for our nation to continue leading in aviation, it will take innovative programs like those Dr. Utash has helped implement.”

Dr. Utash serves as the president of WSU Tech, which is the largest technical college in Kansas. She also served as a member of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board under the previous Secretary of Commerce.

For more details and video of the full hearing, click here.

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Opening Remarks

Sen. Moran’s full remarks as prepared for delivery:

“One of the growing challenges facing the global aviation industry today centers on workforce. Whether aircraft mechanics, manufacturers, or pilots, the demand for trained and qualified workers has only increased. 

“During the 2018 FAA Reauthorization, Congress worked to address this issue by creating the Aviation Workforce Development Grant program aimed at strengthening the pool of pilots and aviation maintenance technical workers.

“A total of $10 million in grants was awarded to more than 20 recipients, but the demand sought by all applicants totaled over $120 million.

“Industry, academia and Congress all recognize that in order to remain a global leader in aviation, we must have a strong workforce.

“I’m honored to lead the hearing today and gain insight into how Congress can continue to support the growing demands in workforce, particularly in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization legislation.

“I would like to give a particular welcome to one of our witnesses here today, Dr. Sheree Utash, President of Wichita State University’s Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology or WSU Tech. 

“Dr. Utash has served in her position as president for almost a decade, overseeing the college’s transition from Wichita Area Technical College to WSU Tech, the largest technical college in Kansas.

“WSU Tech’s commitment specializes in the delivery of career technical education while driving economic development within the region and meeting the current and future workforce needs of the industry.

“Dr. Utash oversees an innovative partnership and solution to building a talent pipeline, titled Get to WERX.

“This program offers students full-time, paid employment within the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul sector while simultaneously progressing through WSU Tech’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program.

“Dr. Utash offers a unique perspective with experience in teaching and working in both higher education and private industry, as she has helped to combat workforce challenges in both arenas.

“Aviation is one of America’s top industries, and in Kansas, aerospace and aviation make up nearly 20% of our state’s exports. Wichita is also the number one aerospace manufacturing metro in the nation.

“Our nation and state’s success within this vital sector depends on those who train, educate, and prepare our students to be ready contributors within the aviation industry.

“In order for our nation to continue leading in aviation, it will take innovative programs like those Dr. Utash has helped implement.“I look forward to hearing from her today, and our entire panel, as we work to craft FAA reauthorization legislation.” 

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.) joined their colleagues Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in introducing bipartisan legislation to lift the Cuba trade embargo. The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act would eliminate legal barriers preventing Americans from doing business in Cuba and create new economic opportunities by boosting U.S. exports and allowing Cubans greater access to American goods. The legislation repeals key provisions of existing laws that block Americans from doing business in Cuba, but keeps in place laws that address human rights or property claims against the Cuban government.

“The unilateral trade embargo on Cuba blocks our own farmers, ranchers and manufacturers from selling into a market only 90 miles from our shoreline, while foreign competitors benefit at our expense,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation will expand market opportunities for U.S. producers by allowing them to compete on a level playing field with other countries. It is time to amend our own laws to give U.S. producers fair access to export to consumers in Cuba.”

“I’m proud to sign onto the Freedom to Export to Cuba Act,” said Sen. Marshall. “It’s important for the United States to boost our economic opportunities and increase market access for American-made goods. Repealing the current legal restrictions and trade embargo on Cuba allows for Kansas farmers, ranchers and manufacturers to expand their businesses to Cuba and opens the door to a large export market, while leaving in place measures to address human rights abuses.”

“I have long pushed to reform our relationship with Cuba, which for decades has been defined by conflicts of the past instead of looking toward the future,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “By ending the trade embargo with Cuba once and for all, our bipartisan legislation will turn the page on the failed policy of isolation while creating a new export market and generating economic opportunities for American businesses.”

“We can expand opportunities for American businesses and farmers to trade with Cuba while still holding the Cuban government accountable for its human rights record,” said Sen. Murphy. “This bipartisan legislation is a smart fix that will create American jobs and benefit the Cuban people.”

“It is long past time for us to normalize relations with Cuba,” said Sen. Warren. “This legislation takes important steps to remove barriers for U.S. trade and relations between our two countries and moves us in the right direction by increasing economic opportunities for Americans and the Cuban people.”

The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act repeals the current legal restrictions against doing business with Cuba, including the original 1961 authorization for establishing the trade embargo; subsequent laws that required enforcement of the embargo; and other restrictive statutes that prohibit transactions between U.S.-owned or controlled firms and Cuba, and limitations on direct shipping between U.S. and Cuban ports.

Cuba relies on agricultural imports to feed the 11 million people who live there and the approximately 4 million tourists who visited in 2019 prior to the pandemic. The U.S. International Trade Commission found that if restrictions on trade with Cuba had been lifted, exports like wheat, rice, corn and soybeans could increase by 166 percent within five years to a total of about $800 million.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Commerce – joined U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) to introduce the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act. This legislation will comprehensively address the ongoing threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries by further empowering the Department of Commerce to review, prevent and mitigate information communications and technology transactions that pose undue risk to America’s national security.

“Foreign adversaries are increasingly using products and services to collect information on American citizens, posing a threat to our national security,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation would give the Department of Commerce the authority to help prevent adversarial governments from controlling harmful products and services in the U.S., providing us the long-term tools necessary to combat the infiltration of our information and communications systems. The government needs to be vigilant against these threats, but a comprehensive data privacy law is needed to ensure Americans are able to control who accesses their data and for what purpose.”

The RESTRICT Act establishes a risk-based process, tailored to the rapidly changing technology and threat environment, by directing the Department of Commerce to identify and mitigate foreign threats to information and communications technology products and services.

This legislation is also cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Remarks

The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act would:

• Require the Secretary of Commerce to establish procedures to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit and mitigate transactions involving information and communications technology products in which any foreign adversary has any interest and poses undue or unacceptable risk to national security;
• Prioritize evaluation of information communications and technology products used in critical infrastructure, integral to telecommunications products or pertaining to a range of defined emerging, foundational and disruptive technologies with serious national security implications;
• Ensure comprehensive actions to address risks of untrusted foreign information communications and technology products by requiring the Secretary to take up consideration of concerning activity identified by other government entities;
• Educate the public and business community about the threat by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate with the Director of National Intelligence to provide declassified information on how transactions denied or otherwise mitigated posed undue or unacceptable risk.

A two-page summary of the bill is available HERE. Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

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