WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today won a key committee assignment on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction on a wide-range of legislation from tax and trade to health care, Medicare and Social Security, issues impacting all Kansas families.

Kansas has not had a representative on the Senate Finance Committee since Senator Bob Dole left the Senate more than10 years ago.

Roberts joins the Finance Committee after four years of service as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "It has been my honor to work for the nation on efforts to improve our intelligence gathering capabilities, better enabling us to prevent terrorism at home and abroad," Roberts said. "But with the opportunity to bring a Kansas voice to the Finance Committee, I believe the time is right to make this move."

Senator Roberts will continue to play a key role in agriculture as a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He will also continue service on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee.

"These committee assignments will allow me to work on the issues that are important to the daily lives and pocketbooks of all Kansans," Senator Roberts said. "I am especially honored to reclaim Senator Bob Dole’s seat on the Senate Finance Committee for the people of Kansas."

"With one in four jobs in Kansas dependent on international trade, the Finance Committee, with responsibility for all trade agreements, is an important assignment for Kansas," Roberts said. "In 2005, the state exported $6.7 billion in total products. This position will allow me to be more directly involved in World Trade Organization issues related to agriculture, aircraft, manufacturing and bilateral free trade agreements, and it will allow me to more forcefully push for a resumption of beef exports with many of our trade partners.

"I am also continually reminded by Kansans of the need to provide additional tax relief to our hard working families, eliminate the death tax so that family businesses can be passed from one generation to the next, and lessen the tax burden so that Kansas companies and small businesses can reinvest their earnings and create additional jobs.

"As a member of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I also understand the great opportunity this position affords me to fight on behalf of Kansas patients and health providers. One of the most frequent concerns I hear from fellow Kansans is the unbearable cost of both purchasing and providing health care. As a member of the Finance Committee, I will be a strong voice for our Kansas hospitals, home health providers, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to ensure they have the necessary resources to continue to provide quality health care. I will also make sure Kansas families have access to quality health care at an affordable price. This effort must start by ensuring our most vulnerable Kansans, including our children and seniors, have the health care they need and deserve.

Senator Roberts will continue to serve as a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. As a former chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Roberts has played an important role in crop insurance reform and many other policy initiatives. Senator Roberts commented, "We are scheduled to write a new Farm Bill in 2007. I intend to be an active, strong voice on the Agriculture Committee as we work on this legislation that is a top priority of every farmer and rancher in Kansas. I am also committed to continuing my efforts to protect the nation’s food security. We have done a lot on this front, but there is more we can do."

Likewise, Senator Roberts will continue to fight on behalf of Kansas schools and universities, working families, and the elderly in Kansas as a member of the HELP Committee. "Throughout my years on the HELP Committee, I have worked with my colleagues to provide affordable health insurance for our small businesses, necessary protection and preparation for natural and deliberate threats, such as a bioterror attack or pandemic flu, additional resources for Kansas students to attend college, assistance for Kansas teachers, and child care for hardworking Kansas families. I look forward to continuing these efforts on behalf of Kansas."

Senator Roberts will also serve the Senate and people of Kansas as a member of the Senate Ethics Committee. "As public servants, it is our duty to adhere to the highest level of ethics and conduct possible. I look forward to continuing my service on this committee that ensures members of the Senate and their staffs act according to the rules of the Senate." Senator Roberts is a former Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

At this time, due to internal limits on committee assignments within the Senate, Roberts will also step off of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "For ten years, I have worked in the Senate to champion the needs of our men and women in uniform. As a former Marine, I can assure Kansans that will not change. My record of bringing support to our miliary installations, including leading Kansas through a successful Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Committee, remains strong as does my personal dedication to those who serve.

"Our military installations are all on stronger footing today than they have even been. Ft. Riley is welcoming thousands of new troops to the post. McConnell Air Force Base is gaining an exciting new mission in intelligence. Ft. Leavenworth, the intellectual center of the Army, remains the crown jewel of military education and our guard and reserve units are more robust than ever. As a senior United States Senator, my voice for Kansas military will not waver."

Senator Roberts concluded, "There is no greater privilege than the opportunity to represent the people of Kansas in the United States Senate. I take this responsibility seriously and am convinced that at this time, I am in the best position to work on the issues that are important to Kansas on a daily basis."