Working for Kansas City, Kansas

After a multi-year effort to bring housing and economic improvement to southeastern Wyandotte County, Senator Roberts helped to dedicate City Vision’s Mission Cliffs community housing project at 39^th and Thompson in Kansas City, Kansas (KCK) recently. This new housing development, near the University of Kansas Medical Center, is an example of a public-private partnership to revitalize neighborhoods and to encourage people who work in KCK, to live in KCK. Senator Roberts was inspired by this development and secured $500,000 back in 2005 for this project and has worked with John Garvey at City Visions Ministry throughout. The dedication featured the first phase of the development which includes 47 single family attached town homes ranging in value from $180,000 to $240,000, as well as 19 single family free standing homes priced at market rate.

As part of Senator Roberts’ year-long effort to promote reading in Kansas schools, he visited Countryside Elementary School in Olathe. Senator Roberts was inspired by the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program in Kansas and has been promoting reading by reading to classrooms across the state. He read Dr. Seuss and Curious George to two classrooms at Countryside Elementary in Olathe. So far this year, Senator Roberts has read to students in Coffeyville, Kansas City, Olathe, Topeka, and Wichita.

As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Roberts recently said at a recent Senate Ag hearing that the new farm bill proposal should not include cuts to direct payments or the federal crop insurance program. Roberts said, "Since Direct Payments have been the only program in the commodity title that provides any predictable safety net to the majority of producers in Kansas, I get concerned when I read that some want to cut funding to Direct Payments and reduce Crop Insurance assistance." As former Chairman of the House Ag Committee and current member of the Senate Ag Committee, Senator Roberts looks forward to working with his Senate colleagues and producers in Kansas to write a realistic, reasonable and predictable farm bill.

Senator Roberts will lead the Kansas delegation at the 2007 BIO Convention in Boston. This international bio-sciences convention is the biggest gathering of biotech leaders, public officials and businesses in the world. Senator Roberts is there to promote the state to build upon Kansas’ already strong reputation as a bio science friendly environment. The teamwork establishing such a powerful presence at BIO2007 really proves Kansas has its act together in its effort to compete for the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility.

Still leading the charge to enhance Kansas’s efforts to bring the new National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), Senator Roberts wrote a letter, signed by the entire Kansas congressional delegation, to Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), Michael Chertoff.

DHS ultimately makes the decision on where the new NBAF will go - this letter outlined the merits of locating the critical research center in Kansas. Recently DHS’s Site Selection Team visited all of the sites - including Leavenworth and Manhattan - that are competing for the facility. A decision from the Department of Homeland Security should come by fall of 2008. Senator Roberts has said, "This is one of the most exciting scientific and economic development opportunities to ever come before the state of Kansas."

Senator Roberts had the chance to recently tour the American Stroke Foundation in Mission. The American Stroke Foundation is a unique program provided only in the Kansas and Missouri that offers services that improve the quality of life for stroke survivors, their families, and caregivers. Stroke is the number one cause of adult disability in the United States and the third most common cause of death..

Senator Roberts toured the facility with the help of Rita Griffith, President and CEO and met with board members, stroke survivors and staff about their experience and work there. Senator Roberts said, "My mother had a stroke and I have always been interested in stroke awareness and prevention. I am proud of this unique foundation in our state that provides education and services to Kansans."