Medical Research News

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On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, Sen. Moran spoke on the Senate floor on Iran's nuclear program and the United States joining Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany at the negotiating table with Iran for the first time since January 2011. While these negotiations represent an opportunity to achieve a peaceful outcome regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Sen. Moran has concerns that Iran is using the negotiations as a stalling tactic, like they have in the past. He warns that the United States and our allies must guard against Iranian delays.

Sen. Moran Statement on Tax Day

“It is time for tax freedom – we need a pro-growth and commonsense tax system”

Apr 17 2012

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today on Tax Freedom Day, the day when American taxpayers finally earned enough money to pay for their annual federal, state and local taxes:
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) toured Wichita on Sunday, April 15, 2012, to visit with local residents affected by a devastating tornado that struck the community on Saturday night, April 14, 2012. Sen. Moran joined Governor Sam Brownback and local, county, and state officials yesterday to tour some of the hardest hit areas and to receive an update on relief efforts. An initial damage estimate for Sedgwick County alone exceeds $280 million.

On Thursday, I was in Kansas City at the Children's Mercy Hospital and Hall Family Outpatient Center to see how research conducted there improves the care of pediatric patients throughout Kansas and the region. Children’s Mercy provides more than 40 pediatric specialty services to patients and has the area's highest and most comprehensive level of neonatal intensive care, the region's only level I pediatric trauma center, and nationally recognized pediatric specialists, surgeons, and nurses. 

The hospital has recently partnered with the University of Kansas Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health to build research infrastructure through a new program called “Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.”  Frontiers is a network of scientists and doctors working on translational research – research focused on transforming laboratory discoveries into treatments and cures for both adult and pediatric patients. Children’s Mercy is already at the forefront of children’s health and this partnership will continue the development of the hospital’s research. The Frontiers program is significant because it brings together a variety of different health care institutions to work toward the shared goal of advancing patient-centered research. 

Thank you to the following individuals at Children’s Mercy for hosting my tour of their impressive facility: Randall O’Donnell, President and CEO; Sandra Lawrence, Executive Vice President and CFO; Charles Roberts, Executive Vice President and Executive Medical Director; Michael Artman, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Director of Research Strategy and Implementation; Gregory Kearns, Chair of Research Development and Clinical Trials; Genny Nicholas, Vice President of Government Relations; and Dallas Polen, Chief of Public Policy Strategy. Click here to see a photo from the visit.

 Visiting Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement today of their partnership with Western Plains Energy, LLC to support the construction of a biogas anaerobic digester in Oakley, KS. The completed project will replace natural gas with agricultural waste from a nearby cattle feedlot in the production of liquid transportation fuel.

“Today’s announcement is great news for the economic development of Western Kansas,” Sen. Moran said. “By investing in new technologies, Western Plains Energy is charting a path for future growth, creating jobs and opening the door for the use of feedlot waste in future energy projects.”

Western Plains Energy expects to complete construction of the biogas digester in August, which is scheduled to become fully operational in 2013. The digester is expected to produce enough biogas to replace 89 percent of the fossil fuels that Western Plains currently uses to provide process heat at its Oakley, KS, ethanol plant, which produces 50 million gallons of ethanol annually.

Today’s announcement was made under USDA Rural Development’s Repowering Assistance Program. This program was authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill. It allows USDA to make payments to eligible biorefineries to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source for fossil fuels used to provide process heat or power in the operation of these eligible biorefineries. Biorefineries that were in existence when the bill was enacted, June 18, 2008, are eligible to apply.

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Sen. Moran on Signing of Jobs Act

Final bill includes language supported by Sen. Moran to help Community Banks

Apr 09 2012

Last week, President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, H.R. 3606, in to law. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement on the bill’s signing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), released the following statement today in response to a General Services Administration Inspector General report outlining financial abuses connected to a regional conference held in 2010. 

“This complete disregard for taxpayer dollars is unacceptable and demonstrates an abuse of American taxpayers’ trust. In two weeks, I will have the opportunity to press GSA officials for answers when representatives appear before the FSGG committee to discuss their budget request for the coming year. Those responsible must be held accountable for their irresponsibility.”

The Inspector General report covers actions taken during a GSA-sponsored 4-day conference at a luxury hotel outside Las Vegas in 2010. According to the report, the conference cost taxpayers more than $822,000 of which more than $146,000 was spent on food and beverage catering. Shortly after the announcement, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson submitted her resignation to the White House and other employees were fired.

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On Wednesday, I attended a Senate Appropriations health subcommittee hearing on the 2013 budget proposal for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. NIH supports more than 325,000 scientists and research personnel, who work at more than 3,000 institutions across the United States and abroad. Among those testifying at the hearing were NIH Director Francis Collins and Harold Varmus, Director of NIH’s National Cancer Institute.

During the hearing, I asked Dr. Collins and Dr. Varmus about NIH’s mission of turning basic scientific discoveries into advances in health treatments and cures and how these objectives are being pursued in Kansas. In particular, we discussed a ground-breaking private-public collaboration between the University of Kansas Cancer Center, NIH, and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to expedite the development of therapies for rare blood cancers. The goal of this unique collaboration is to conduct clinical studies that drug companies can then use to develop and market medical discoveries. The first project will test whether a certain arthritis drug could be useful in treating a major type of leukemia that typically affects older individuals. This project will enable Kansans to participate in clinical trials close to their homes at KU. These trials have the potential to help change the course of a patient’s treatment for the better. I believe that collaborations such as this one are critical to advancing medical discovery and maximizing the return on the investment of federal dollars. 

At the hearing, we also discussed the integral role that NIH plays in establishing the U.S. as a world leader in research and innovation.  Given the vast amount of progress made over the last century and the great potential current research holds, now is not the time to waiver on America’s commitment to advancing disease cures and treatments. If researchers cannot rely on consistent support from Congress, we will squander current progress, stunt America’s global competitiveness, and lose younger generations of doctors and scientists to alternative career paths. In 2010, NIH investment led to the creation of nearly 490,000 quality jobs and produced more than $68 billion in new economic activity across the country.  Click here to see video clips of my discussions at this hearing.

This week marked 43 years since President Eisenhower’s death. As we recall his great legacy, it is a fitting time to honor this man who led the Allied Forces to victory in WWII and was an effective leader of our country for eight years. As a member of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission and a proud Kansan, Sen. Moran supports the current efforts that honor this remarkable man and inspire others to follow his example of service to country

Sen. Moran Questions Sec. Vilsack on Safety of Lean Finely Textured Beef

Ag Secretary Confirms Lean Finely Textured Beef is Safe for Consumers

Mar 30 2012

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) yesterday questioned U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at a U.S. Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture hearing about the safety of lean finely textured beef (LFTB) for American consumers. Sec. Vilsack confirmed that LFTB is safe for consumption. The exchange came in response to recent factually inaccurate news reports about LFTB, which resulted in public outcry and several major grocery stores halting sales of the product.