WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today introduced legislation to provide financial relief to communities and local governments across the country which are currently updating their levee and flood protection systems. The Redundant Remapping Reform Act would allow levee owners who are planning, constructing or rehabilitating a levee nearing completion to postpone updating the protected area’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). By postponing the remapping of an area that is updating its levee system, residents of eligible communities could save hundreds of dollars each year in insurance premiums. American taxpayers would also save millions of dollars by eliminating redundant flood map updates of the same protected area.

"With fewer dollars flowing from Washington D.C., levee upkeep has become very much a local effort, and communities are digging deep to find the resources necessary to rehabilitate their aging flood protection systems,” Sen. Moran said. “This commonsense legislation recognizes those communities who are making significant progress toward improving their levees and allows home and business owners in those flood plains to maintain current levels of flood protection until their flood protection system upgrades are complete."

"Sen. Moran’s bill recognizes the importance of giving local communities adequate time to comply with federal requirements as they work to update aging levees,” said Ron Fehr, City Manager of Manhattan, Kansas. “The Redundant Remapping Reform Act will fix the current flawed process which wastes taxpayer dollars, and give our businesses and residents confidence that their insurance costs won’t rise due to arbitrary federal deadlines."

The maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assess whether or not a home or business lies within a 100-year flood plain are in the process of being significantly updated. As a result, flood plains could change frequently as levee systems and mitigation efforts are updated. This ongoing project requires FEMA to map and remap the same area as flood plains change. The remapping process is costly for taxpayers and harmful to home and business owners whose insurance needs change with every new insurance map update.

As the new maps are completed, many citizens in Kansas and across the country may soon learn they are required to purchase flood insurance for the first time. The Redundant Remapping Reform Act allows levee owners to postpone flood map updates if the flood protection system update project can be completed within four years.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has joined Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) in introducing S. 1979, the Conrad State 30 Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation to improve and make permanent the State 30 program, a national initiative that permits states to recommend visa waivers for physicians recruited to care for patients in medically underserved communities.

"Access to quality health care determines whether Kansans can remain in the communities they call home and whether their children can return to raise families of their own,” Sen. Moran said. “The Conrad State 30 program is a commonsense way to address medical workforce shortages by allowing more physicians to serve in underserved communities."

"We face a critical shortage of doctors in rural America today,” Sen. Conrad said. “Many communities in rural parts of North Dakota — and across the nation — are unable to attract qualified physicians. As a result, families are forced to travel great distances for routine health care. That is unacceptable."

Sen. Conrad created the popular State 30 program through legislation he first introduced in 1994, and Sen. Moran introduced legislation to extend the program during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under the State 30 program, foreign-born, American-trained doctors agree to practice medicine in underserved communities for at least three years in exchange for the waiver of certain visa restrictions that extends their stay in the United States. Since its inception, the State 30 program has been extended numerous times and brought more than 9,000 doctors to rural and underserved communities in all 50 states.

The physician shortage in America is a growing crisis. By 2020, projections show the nation may fall short by as many as 200,000 doctors. This shortage will be felt hardest in rural areas in Kansas, North Dakota, and across the nation. S. 1979 provides additional incentives for more doctors to participate in the program. Also, the bill provides a method for states to increase the number of waivers available to work in underserved communities.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) today commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act and announced the introduction of a bipartisan resolution recognizing our nation’s commitment to cancer research. Sen. Moran is the lead Republican sponsor of the resolution, which has more than 40 Senate co-sponsors and is supported by more than 100 patient groups, cancer institutes, hospitals and medical schools including the University of Kansas Cancer Center. More than 12 million Americans have survived cancer thanks in part to the United States’ commitment to cancer research and due to advances in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment.

“With passage of the National Cancer Act 40 years ago this month, our nation coordinated a focused effort to combat cancer through research,” Sen. Moran said. “Today, the National Cancer Institute and its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health, support critical research across the country, enhancing the work of universities, medical schools, teaching hospitals, private bioscience businesses and research institutions in every state. This national commitment to research has saved millions of lives and billions of dollars."

“Since the National Cancer Act was signed into law in 1971, the 5-year survival rate for all cancers combined has risen consistently,” Sen. Moran continued. “As a direct result of our nation’s commitment to cancer research, we have come to understand more about the nature of cancer, its complexity, and the tools needed to fight this disease effectively. But much work remains – more than 1.5 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. With this resolution, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing important cancer research and saving lives."

Given the vast amount of progress made over the last century and the great potential current research holds, Sen. Moran believes the United States must not waiver on its commitment to advancing disease cures and treatments. In September, he offered an amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee markup to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. This amendment was fully offset and would have prioritized medical research without adding a dime to our nation’s annual deficit.