This Week in Congress

Statement

Dear Friend,

Welcome to "This Week in Congress." This week's headlines are:

* Arizona Should be Applauded for Enforcing Laws -- Not Sued
* New Legislation Will Protect the Second Amendment Rights of Service Members
* Visiting with Members of the Wichita Agri-Business Council
* Presenting Congressional Remarks at Milken Center and Fort Scott
* Thanking Community Bankers for Supporting Kansas Communities
* Remembering Monsignor John George Weber

Arizona Should be Applauded for Enforcing Laws -- Not Sued

This week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona to block implementation of its new immigration law scheduled to go into effect at the end of July. The State of Arizona should be applauded for trying to enforce our laws--not sued. Suing the State of Arizona will do nothing to stop illegal immigration. Instead of spending money on a lawsuit, the Obama Administration should use those resources to secure the border. The federal government's failure to secure the border has left states, like Arizona, with no choice but to address this problem on their own.

The first priority of any immigration reform must be to secure our borders. I am a sponsor of the leading border security bill in Congress, H.R. 3308, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement, or SAVE, Act. This legislation will strengthen border security by hiring additional Border Patrol agents and making use of technology to monitor and protect our national boundaries.

New Legislation Will Protect the Second Amendment Rights of Service Members

I introduced legislation last week to protect the Second Amendment rights of service members and civilians working for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Recently, some U.S. military installations began moving forward with plans to require the registration of privately owned firearms kept off-base, and are working to prohibit service members from carrying firearms for protection off-base, even if they posses firearm-carrying permits. These additional gun control measures will wrongly penalize our service members. My legislation, the Service Member Second Amendment Protection Act, will ensure Second Amendment rights are not violated by prohibiting the DOD from requiring registration of, or limiting the use of, privately owned firearms beyond state and federal law. This legislation has the support of the National Rifle Association.

Visiting with Members of the Wichita Agri-Business Council

On Thursday, I spoke with members of the Wichita Agri-Business Council. The Council began in 2005 and has a membership of over 80 businesses, associations and individual members. It offers a venue for members to collaborate on common goals that will help define the future of agriculture in the Wichita region.

During my visit, I discussed with the Council my efforts to make certain that people in our nation's capitol understand the importance of production agriculture. I also talked about my efforts to help open additional markets for Kansas agricultural goods. This is especially important given that 40 percent of Kansas agricultural commodities are sold overseas. I also shared my concern about pending Environmental Protection Agency regulations that, if finalized, will increase the production costs of Kansas agricultural producers and manufacturers and reduce their competitiveness in the global market.

Presenting Congressional Remarks at Milken Center and Fort Scott

Last week, I shared the story of a group of students from Southeast Kansas and their teacher, Norman Conard, who helped uncover a heroic story that was nearly lost to history. The students researched the life of a brave Polish woman named Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. Following their discovery and research, the students wrote a play about Irena's courageous efforts called Life in a Jar. Their research and play helped draw attention to her inspirational story, which has been featured in more than a thousand press accounts since its discovery in 1999. Last week on the House floor, I recognized the students and Mr. Conard for sharing this story with the world.

This week, I joined Mr. Conard at the Milken Center in Fort Scott to present a framed copy of their story which I shared with the House of Representatives. Mr. Conard now serves as the Executive Director of the Lowell Milken Center, which works with schools around the world to teach the values of respect and understanding by highlighting the lives of unsung heroes who promoted these values. Now entering its third year, the Lowell Milken Center has reached over 110,000 students and over 2,000 schools in all fifty states, with involvement growing world-wide.

Thanking Community Bankers for Supporting Kansas Communities

This week, I visited with members of the Community Bankers Association of Kansas (CBA) during their 32nd Annual Convention held in Wichita. Formed in 1978, the Kansas CBA is a statewide organization of locally owned and operated banks intent on preserving local credit for local development. During the event, I spoke with the bankers about the challenges facing our economy and their vital role in our communities. Throughout Kansas, community banks supply the capital needed to create and expand businesses. I also expressed my opposition to the Financial Regulatory Reform bill that recently passed the House because it failed to address the problems of Wall Street firms which caused the crisis. Instead, it increased costly regulations on community banks, which were not the problem.

Thanks to Chairman Gary Kay of Nekoma State Bank in LaCrosse for his leadership of CBA over the last year. Congratulations to the incoming Chairman, Barry Linnens, of Cottonwood Valley Bank in Cedar Point. A special thanks as well to CBA's President and CEO, Shawn Mitchell, for his hospitality during the event.

Remembering Monsignor John George Weber

On July 1st, a great champion of our rural way of life in Kansas, Monsignor John George Weber, passed away at the age of 93. On Wednesday, I joined friends and family for a memorial service to celebrate Monsignor Weber's life at Sacred Heart Church in Park, led by Most Reverend Paul Coakley, bishop of the Salina Diocese.

Much of Monsignor Weber's life was spent advocating for rural life. He often emphasized the importance of defending and preserving the family farm--a defining element of our daily lives as Kansans. Monsignor Weber was ordained in 1943, and served for many years in a number of parishes throughout the central Kansas region. From 1960 to 1976, Monsignor Weber served as the executive secretary of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in Des Moines. He continued his work in service of many churches around the diocese long after his official retirement in 1994.

The example of Monsignor Weber is one for all Kansans to follow. He recognized the value of faith and hard work for the spirit of the individual, and the many fruits that it produces for our communities. Monsignor Weber knew what it was to serve his fellow man, and did so with a tremendous faith in God. His loss is difficult to bear for many, but the memory of his life's work brings joy to all. He will be greatly missed.

Contact Me

It is an honor to serve you in Washington, D.C. Please let me know how I can be of assistance.

Very truly yours,

Jerry

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