USDA Selects Kansas City for new ERS and NIFA Headquarters
On Thursday, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) would be relocated to the Kansas City area.

After months of advocating to Secretary Perdue that NIFA and ERS ought to be relocated to the heartland, I’m pleased that USDA has selected Kansas City to house these critical research agencies. The animal health corridor, stretching from Manhattan, Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world, and Kansas is also the home of the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility – and this decision further bolsters Kansas City’s status as a national leader in the ag industry. These factors will complement NIFA’s and ERS’s research capabilities, and any local partnerships USDA engages in will be met with a talented local workforce that will complement USDA’s research initiatives and capabilities.

It is always positive when our government can operate outside of Washington and closer to the people it serves, and I am certain that the decision to relocate NIFA and ERS to Kansas City is a good one. I look forward to helping welcome these USDA agencies and employees to Kansas City. To read more on this announcement and what it means for Kansas City, click here.

Prior to Thursday's announcement, I met with Secretary Sonny Perdue to reiterate to him why the Kansas City area would be the perfect home for these agencies. During our meeting, we also discussed a number of items relating to trade, disaster assistance and issues impacting Kansas farmers and ranchers.

Representing the Air Capital of the World at the Paris Air Show
I was honored to lead a delegation of Kansas companies, organizations and stakeholders to this year’s Paris Air Show to showcase and represent the Air Capital of the World. This international air show congregates stakeholders from across the globe, and our presence at the airshow represents the continued growth and energy that Kansans have in this sector.

The aerospace industry is where a strong national defense and a strong economy converge, and nowhere is that more evident than in Kansas. For nearly 100 years, Kansans have promoted and embodied a culture of innovation in aerospace, which is more imperative today than ever before. Aerospace innovation and growth in Kansas not only improves the lives of Kansans but reverberates across the aerospace industry as a whole, and I was pleased to help bring that spirit to Paris to build new partnerships and remind the world of Kansas’s position as Air Capital of the World.

Announcing the Chisholm and Great Western Cattle Trails’ Eligibility to Become National Historic Trails
This week, I announced the determination by the National Park Service (NPS) that the Chisholm and Great Western cattle trails meet the criteria to become National Historic Trails. The NPS made this determination in a final feasibility study submitted to Congress following report language I secured in the FY2019 Interior Appropriations bill and a letter I sent to Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. Starting in 1867 and lasting into the 1880s, these trails carried upwards of 10 million cattle as they traveled northbound from Southern Texas to Kansas communities such as Caldwell, Wichita, Abilene, Ellsworth, Dodge City and many others. This determination by NPS moves us one step closer to preserving these historic cattle trails long into the future.

I am pleased to have partnered with a coalition of Kansans in working to conserve these trails that are foundational for many Kansas communities and of national historic significance. Importantly, designating these trails will not require federal land acquisition, and participation by private property owners is strictly voluntary. I am now working on legislation that would officially designate the trails while ensuring the protection of private property rights. To read more on this announcement, click here.

Growing Support for Legislation to Ensure All Military Moms Get Paid Maternity Leave
Women in the National Guard and Reserve should not be penalized for having a child, nor should they be expected to return to drill duties in the weeks following childbirth. This week, the Kansas City Star featured legislation, the MOMs Leave Act, that would make certain military mothers who serve in the National Guard and Reserve receive paid maternity leave.

“The same week in December that Briell Zweygardt is due to give birth to her first child she’s also scheduled to report to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita for drills. Zweygardt, 25, is a second lieutenant in the Kansas Air National Guard and like other women in the National Guard or military reserves she’ll face a tough choice when her child is born. If she takes time off from her monthly guard duties to care for her child, she’ll lose out on pay and points toward her retirement.” - The Kansas City Star

I encourage you to read this story featuring current and expecting moms who serve in the Kansas National Guard. They share how this legislation would be “life changing” and “ensure reservists and guardswomen have the same maternity benefits as active duty soldiers.” Click here to read the article.

Working to Increase Collaboration Between the Department of Defense and Wichita State
This week, the Air Force announced it will award a $23.5 million contract to the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University (WSU) to support fleet sustainment through the new Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems. The team at Wichita State, led by Interim President Andy Tompkins and Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer John Tomblin, have helped to shape WSU as a hub for innovation and as the academia arm of the Air Capital of the World.

The Innovation Campus at WSU offers unparalleled strategic partnerships with the military and industry through its state-of-the-art composites repair and manufacturing program. Commercial airlines rely on NIAR’s ability to rapidly repair airframes by remotely scanning broken or damaged parts and replacing them using additive manufacturing. It’s important that the Air Force will now have these innovative capabilities to maintain the readiness of its fleet. The growing relationship between WSU and the military demonstrates the value Kansans offer to our national defense initiatives. Click here to read more on this announcement in a story from the Wichita Eagle.

Growing Support for Our Bipartisan Aeronautics Innovation Act
This week, the Chief Technology and Quality Officer at Spirit Aerosystems, John Pilla, wrote a Letter to the Editor to the Wichita Eagle highlighting the Aeronautics Innovation Act. This bipartisan legislation I introduced with Mark Warner (D-Va.) would boost innovation, research and development in the aeronautics industry. In his letter, Mr. Pilla noted that “Sen. Moran’s bill would help companies such as Spirit AeroSystems reduce the time and cost for designing, manufacturing and certifying aircraft using nontraditional materials and processes.”

Thank you, John, for your support of this needed legislation, and thank you for all that you and Spirit Aerosystems do to make Kansas the Air Capital of the World. To read this letter, click here. 

Kansans in the Office

AAAE
Joel Bacon of Wellington

ALS Association
Allie McBrien of Overland Park
Juliet Pierce of Olathe
Colleen Wachter of Mission

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Jackie Collier of Topeka
Barb Mares of Lenexa

Capitol Tour
Darrell Allison of Delphos
Norva Allison of Delphos
Amelia Anderson of Manhattan
Barbie Anderson of Manhattan
Sean Anderson of Manhattan
Tracy Anderson of Manhattan
Morgan Armburst of Manhattan
Ryan Bach of Topeka  
Jody Becker of Corning
Kennedy Becker of Corning
Raegan Becker of Corning
Jim Bellinghausen of Leawood
Joan Bellinghausen of Leawood
Matthew Bellinghausen of Leawood
Annie Brock of Overland Park
Glenna Burden of Hutchinson
Daniel Cluff of Topeka
Josh Duncan of Topeka
Christopher Ebberwein of Wichita
Grace Ebberwein of Wichita
Mark Eby of Wichita
Elizabeth Fecteau of Rossville
Heavan Fowler of Topeka
Katelyn Glenn of Topeka
Adam Goetz of Hays
Donna Hansen of Hays
Lavern Hansen of Hays
Kent Heermann of Emporia   
Keli Huddleston of Rossville
Alica Huey of Manhattan
Anna Huey of Manhattan
Leland Huey of Manhattan
Nicholas Huey of Manhattan  
Brett Jackson of Wichita
Emma Jackson of Wichita
Allison Jacot of Derby
Jacob Jacot of Derby 
Jerry Jacot of Derby
Joseph Jacot of Derby
Laura Jacot of Derby
Morgan King of Topeka
Carrie Kueser of Olpe
Connor Kueser of Olpe
Craig Kueser of Olpe 
Mallory Kueser of Olpe
Ava Kuhlmann of Topeka
Jason Kuhlmann of Topeka
Jennifer Kuhlmann of Topeka
Max Kuhlmann  of Topeka
Trey LaRue of Erie
Cecilia Lubbers of Goddard
Chris Lubbers of Goddard
Kelli Lubbers of Goddard
Luke Lubbers of Goddard
David Mainzer of Wichita
Teresa Mainzer of Wichita
Nathan McAlister of Hoyt
Alias Moser of Topeka
Ahmni Pang-Johnson of Topeka
Payton Ptasnik of Overland Park
Aubrey Russell of Hoyt
Maria Russell of Hoyt
Tim Russell of Hoyt
Anna Scarlett of Olathe
Brian Scarlett of Olathe
Dalton Scarlett of Olathe
Deborah Scarlett of Valley Falls
Susan Scarlett of Olathe
Terry Scarlett of Valley Falls
Alyson Shehi of Topeka 
Trinidy Thompson of Topeka
Erika Yoder of Ozawkie

Citizen’s Climate Lobby
Richard Cowlishaw of Winfield
Alisha Gridley of Wichita
Alex Ralston of Lenexa
Mark Shobe of Wichita
Katherine Siemon of Wichita

Dama Financial
Dan Henry of Leawood
Deborah Oyler of Garden City
Jami Reever of Emporia

Dialysis Patient Citizens
Mike Guffey of Overland Park
 
Flint Hills Job Corps
Johnny Taylor

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Joyce Grover of Lawrence

Kansas Farm Bureau
Carrie Fraser of Concordia
Terry Holdren of Manhattan
Joe Newland of Neodesha
Ben Pinkston of Manhattan

Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce
Mark Bachamp of Manhattan
Dick Carter of Manhattan 
Linda Cook of Manhattan
Matt Crocker of Manhattan
Sue Peterson of Manhattan 
Larie Schoap of Manhattan
Wayne Sloan of Manhattan
Jason Smith of Manhattan
Lucy Williams of Manhattan 

Nature Conservancy in Kansas
Brad Bradley of Overland Park
Laura Rose Clawson of Topeka
Rob Manes of Topeka 
Dr. Chuck Rice of Manhattan
Stephanie Turner of Topeka

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
Wade Pahmahmie of Mayetta 
Zach Pahmahmie of Mayetta
Joseph Rupnick of Mayetta 

United Way
Lisa Gleason of Hutchinson
Jessica Lehnherr of Topeka

WSU Student Government
Michael Bozarth of Wichita 
Gabriel Fanseca of Wichita
Teri Hall of Wichita
Nancy Loose of Bel Aire
Kitrina Miller of Wichita

Honored to Serve You in Washington
It is an honor to serve you in Washington, D.C. Thank you to the many Kansans who have been calling and writing in to share their thoughts and opinions on the issues our state and country face. I appreciate the words of Kansans, whether in the form of a letter, a Facebook comment, or a phone call, who wish to make their voice heard.

Please let me know how I can be of assistance. You can contact me by email by clicking here. You can also click here to contact me through one of my Kansas offices or my Washington, D.C., office.

Very truly yours,
Jerry