Friend,

Friday, the House reauthorized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs through 2023, with bipartisan support. H.R. 4 provides stability for our aviation sector and serves as the first long-term authorization for FAA since 2012. I voted in support of the reauthorization because of the certainty it provides for the industry is vital to Kansas. This bill reauthorizes the Essential Air Service program that supports 5 of our airports throughout the Big First (Liberal, Garden City, Dodge, Salina, Hays). Included is also the funding needed to maintain our nation’s airport infrastructure and it keeps our Federal Contract Tower Program which helps four of our Kansas Airports. This bill is designed to keep our pilots, attendants, maintained and repair folks safer which ultimately keeps our nation’s travelers more secure as well.

Kansas Leads Letter Against Listing the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Under Endangered Species Act

Sen. Moran and I wrote a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke asking him to not to list the lesser prairie-chicken (LPC) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Last week I hand delivered that letter.

We’ve seen significant progress made through habitat conservation that has helped improve the LPC population and secure its future. The LPC population has increased by approximately 71 percent since the peak of the drought in 2013 without ESA regulations in place due to increased rainfall and on-the-ground conservation measures. Sen Moran and I urged the Secretary to not make the same mistake that the Obama Administration made by not considering the benefits of ongoing conservation efforts.

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Pat Roberts, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Jim Inhofe, James Lankford, and U.S. Representatives Ron Estes, Mike Conaway, Mac Thornberry, Steve Pearce, Doug Lamborn, and Tom Cole

Read the full letter here.

Trade Negotiations Continue..

NAFTA continued to make headlines this week as negotiators from the three countries met in D.C. in an attempt to reach an “agreement in principle.” The talks progress so far seem promising for a successful modernization of the agreement – which has been vital for growth in Kansas’ aircraft, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. While I continue to have concerns about several of the proposals being discussed I have been glad to see the USTR increase their discussions with the agricultural community. Last week I had the privilege of meeting native Kansan and Chief Ag Negotiator, Gregg Doud. Gregg met with members of the House Ag Committee to address specific concerns agriculture faces. It is good to know that there are staff at USTR that have firsthand knowledge of the importance of trade to Kansas’ economy.

Agriculture Exports Seek New Markets 

In order to return our agriculture economy back into growth, we must look for new export opportunities to untouched markets. A great example of a $2 billion largely untouched market is Cuba. Due to sanctions imposed decades ago, Cuba imports most of their food products from Brazil, Argentina, Vietnam and the EU instead of the United States that is just off the coast of Florida. If we can fix American agriculture’s disadvantage by passing bipartisan legislation, we would be improving our rural communities and creating good-paying jobs. If the U.S. was able to sell its goods to Cuba, Kansas could top $55 million in additional sales with a 25% boost in wheat sales. The 2018 Farm Bill will help increase these exporting opportunities for farmers all across the U.S. I am working with Representatives’ Rick Crawford from Arkansas, and Tom Emmer from Minnesota to get the ball rolling in getting this important legislation passed. Click here to read the full story and specific bills being considered on this issue.

Pompeo Confirmed as Sec. of State

I was really proud to see the Senate share the same confidence the people of Kansas have for Mike Pompeo and confirm him this week to be our 70^th U.S. Secretary of State.

Secretary Pompeo ran two businesses in Kansas and served 3 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before being appointed to the Director of the CIA in January 2017. A West Point and Harvard Law Graduate, Secretary Pompeo has experience in both the legislative process as well as  national security. He is a proven leader, and I know the folks back home are proud to have one of their own representing American interests throughout the world.

Tele-Townhall

I want to thank everyone who joined me for Thursday night’s Tele-Townhall. We had thousands of callers and covered a lot of ground! Most of your questions focused on healthcare and the cost of healthcare, a problem I came to Washington to try and fix! In the House, we voted to fully repeal Obamacare… Despite the lack of headlines in the media, I am working daily behind the scenes to fix our broken and costly healthcare system.

Callers also discussed the importance of prayer, renewable energy, immigration, infrastructure, and national security.

Another widely mentioned issue was NAFTA and the importance of providing our farmers and producers certainty. I have fought hard to do that by advocating to preserve our trade deals and expand into new markets. I believe our Farm Bill provides that certainty as well. The 2018 Farm Bill protects crop insurance, provides additional funding to EQIP, strengthens our farm programs and reduces regulatory burdens. Our bill invests in rural broadband, ensures we are protecting the health of our livestock and helps our beginning farmers and ranchers who are starting during already tough times.

Right now, we are seeing politicians put their party over people by not supporting the Farm Bill because it requires work-capable adults receiving food stamps to either work part-time or take advantage of the job training programs (that the bill funds). So we asked folks on the call how they felt about the work requirements, of the almost 400 responses, 83 percent of those surveyed voted in favor of part-time work requirements for work capable adults.

Have you ever stepped into the water on the first fishing trip of the spring only to find your waders leaked? Or lost a nice fish because the line on your reel was old and snapped? Or even found while trying to make the first cast of the year that your reel wouldn’t work at all? All of the above are scenarios that can easily be avoided with a little prior planning. So here are a few tips to help make you ready for action when your buddy calls and screams into the phone “The fish are bitin’!”

Check your gear early. We all lose tackle each year to rocks and “stick fish,” so go through your tackle box, make a list and stock up. Check your waders for leaks. If they didn’t leak the last time you took them off, they probably won’t leak now, but be sure; it’s better than an unexpected boot full of cold water.

Line on fishing reels should be changed every few years; the more often you use it the more often it should be changed. You can buys spools of line and DIY, or most sporting goods stores have a machine to do it for a small fee. If you fish from a boat, hopefully you’ve gone over it by now to make sure the batteries are good, the motor starts and runs well and the trailer tires aren’t flat. Also be certain to have life preservers on board for every passenger, because if stopped by wildlife and parks on the water or at the dock, they will check that. If you hate wearing life jackets while fishing like most of us do, look into some of the new technology that now allows life jackets to be much smaller, thinner and less obstructing.

We were just leaving town the other day when my wife snapped her fingers in the air and stated “Darn, I forgot to get my new fishing license.” That excuse won’t fly with a game warden if you get checked only to discover your fishing (or hunting) license has expired, so be sure yours is up-to-date. If you are 65, you can purchase a lifetime combination hunting / fishing license for only $42.50 that’s good until you turn 74 and no longer need a license; it’s the deal of the century! Have you ever bought your hunting license late in the season, and grumbled about it only being good for a short time until New Year’s Eve?

Well grumble no more as that now has changed. Now all annual licenses (NOT special permits like deer and turkey tags and fur harvester’s permits) are valid for 365 days from the time you purchase them. So, for example, if you buy a hunting license just in time for the November pheasant opener, that license will be good until that date the following year. And to take convenience one step further, if you purchase licenses online, you can now sign up for a feature called “auto renew” that will send you a notice a few weeks before your new license is due each year, then automatically renew it and charge it to a credit or debit card.

Along with possessing the proper licenses and permits, comes knowledge of all Kansas fishing rules and regulations. Some regulations are statewide and apply to every cubic inch of Kansas water, whether lake, river, stream or reservoir. Some lakes and reservoirs however have length limits, etc that are unique to that water. That’s why every Kansas fisherman’s tackle box should contain a copy of the 2018 Kansas Fishing regulations Summary, a 48 page pamphlet that lists all that information for all Kansas lakes, reservoirs, state fishing lakes and community fishing lakes, so you should never get “caught” with your hook bare, so to speak. These should be available everywhere tackle and licenses are sold.

If you’re like me, and not a died-in-the-wool fisherman, it’s handy to know what lakes and reservoirs are best for what fish species. Another handy booklet no Kansas fisherman should be without is the 2018 Fishing Forecast. This forecast is assembled by Kansas fisheries biologists using data gathered when they sample lakes in each of their jurisdictions. For each fish species, it rates lakes, reservoirs, state fishing lakes and community fishing lakes for largest fish and largest fish populations. These forecasts are available at all Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism offices and to download online from the website at www.ksoutdoors.com.

So instead of helping put the “pro” in procrastinate, take care of business by getting your fishing stuff in order, making certain your license is up-to-date, arm yourselves with all the available information readily available about Kansas fishing regulations and opportunities, and take someone along who’s new to fishing as you continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].