Roberts Report- January

Welcome to the Roberts Report, a monthly newsletter of the latest news and issues regarding Kansas and the United States Senate. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Senator Pat Roberts’ office at (202) 224-4774 or visit our website at https://www.roberts.senate.gov.

Senator Roberts was honored to be sworn in by the Vice President for his third term in the United States Senate last week. A fourth generation Kansan from Dodge City, Senator Roberts' service to the people of Kansas spans more than two decades. First as an eight-term U.S. Congressman from Kansas’ First District and now in his third term as United States Senator, Roberts has built a reputation as a leader in agriculture, health care and education and will continue these efforts in this new 111^th Congress for the people of Kansas.

On Tuesday, January 20^th, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44^th President. For more information on this historic occasion or to watch the Swearing-In online, please visit: http://inaugural.senate.gov/ .

Senator Roberts announced the Department of Homeland Security will build the nation’s premier laboratory for plant and animal disease research, called the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility (NBAF), in Manhattan, Kansas on the Kansas State University Campus, making one of the most significant investments to the Kansas economy in state history.

Senator Roberts said, "With this new lab, Kansas will cement its reputation as the nation’s leader in plant and animal health research and the biosciences. We will reap the benefits of a cutting edge industry while protecting the nation’s food supply and agricultural economy for years to come. Kansans can be very proud. This is a historic day."

The Department of Homeland Security released its final record of decision this week, selecting Manhattan as the site for the lab. The NBAF will replace the aging Plum Island facility, the federal government’s current location for animal disease research. For additional information, visit www.nbafinkansas.org .

With only a month left, Senator Roberts reminds all Kansans that on midnight on February 17, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to digital broadcasting. This change will provide a clearer picture, more programming options, and will free up airwaves for use by emergency responders. Households that rely on antennas to watch TV will likely need a digital converter box to continue receiving TV broadcasts. Households that subscribe to paid TV service, such as cable or satellite, do not need a digital converter box. For more information on this switch, please call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit:

www.DTV2009.gov .

To convey Kansas’ needs for Economy, Agriculture, Health Care, Education and Trade, Senator Roberts recently concluded a series of meetings with Cabinet nominees for the incoming Administration. In advance of the confirmation hearings, Senator Roberts personally met with the following nominees: Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), Designee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Former Governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA), Designee for Secretary of Agriculture, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan, Designee for Secretary of Education, President and CEO of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, Timothy Geithner, Designee for Secretary of the Treasury, Ron Kirk, former Mayor of Dallas, Nominee for United States Trade Representative and former Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL), Nominee for Secretary of Transportation. For further details on these meetings, please visit Roberts’ web journal at: https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.Entries&ContentRecord_id=d7402b21-802a-23ad-4486-5ee5e29ee631 .

New Legislation to Combat Gangs

Senator Roberts recently helped introduce legislation to curb gang related crime by creating criminal penalties for individuals who commit, conspire, threaten, or attempt a gang crime for the purpose of furthering the activities of a criminal street gang. To prevent and reduce gang crime, the legislation creates a National Gang Research, Evaluation, and Policy Institute within the Department of Justice to assist states and local entities in developing community-based programs for gang prevention and intervention. "Small, rural towns in Kansas are seeing a rise in gang related violent crimes and criminal activities. In Dodge City alone, it is estimated that 320 individuals are involved in gangs. This legislation creates just and certain punishment for criminal gangs and gives law enforcement more tools to prevent and reduce gang crimes," Roberts said.

Senators Roberts and Brownback recently urged the new President Elect to not move Guantanamo Bay detainees to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. The new administration has announced it will issue an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay in Cuba as one of its first acts. Senator Roberts said, "Ft. Leavenworth is not an acceptable or secure solution for housing terrorists. Attempts to place them there are short-sided and unsafe and I will block such a move at every opportunity. I commend Senator Brownback for his leadership in assembling a team of community stakeholders to communicate the dangerous nature of this suggestion."

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