Friends,

Last week I hosted a discussion with Cindy McCain, U.S. Senator Martha McSally, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Director of the Office of Trafficking in Persons, Katherine Chon, on human trafficking and the role health care providers play in identifying victims.

Human trafficking is an emergency across the United States, and Kansas is unfortunately no exception.

The event was focused on joining legislators, health care providers, and other leaders on this issue, with the goal of getting every hospital emergency room in the country to establish protocol for identifying and stopping human trafficking.

I want to thank everyone who came to the event and a special thanks to those who participated on our panel.

I am committed to continuing to fight for the victims of these heinous crimes and bringing an end to human trafficking in the United States and around the world.

Pet Night on Capitol Hill
Pet food manufacturers in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor account for more than half of all pet-industry sales in the U.S., and these companies provide more than 2,000 jobs in the area. Many of Kansas’ finest commodities go into our domestic pet food production network.

I spoke at Pet Night on Capitol Hill, which convenes elected officials, industry leaders, veterinary professionals, animal welfare advocates, and research organizations to learn about the importance of pet ownership for human health.

As someone who represents one of the largest agriculture producing districts in the country, there’s a direct link between the bottom line of our farmers, producers, and pet food companies and their employees.

American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists
I was proud to receive an updated certificate of my Lifetime Membership with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists (AAPLOG). AAPLOG is a prolife group made up of OBGYNS across the country that focus on maternal health and protecting the unborn.

We discussed ongoing efforts in the House of Representatives to work with the Food and Drug Administration to swiftly put an end to the illegal sale of mail-order abortion drugs to the US. These illegal websites were purporting to sell these drugs without the involvement of a trained and certified healthcare provider to screen for complications, determine pregnancy term, or monitor the patient for possible adverse events like severe hemorrhaging.

As a physician, and now member of Congress, I’m proud to be able to continue my work on issues such as these to ensure the health of mothers, children, and patients everywhere.

Securing Trade Agreements
I joined members of Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture for a Letter of Intent signing ceremony to commemorate Taiwan’s commitment to buy $3.6 billion in U.S. corn, wheat, soybeans, beef, and other products over the next two years.

Thanks to the Trump Administration, the United States is securing fair and free trade deals for our great American workers and producers. Commitments from foreign partners to buy U.S. goods are critical to retaining good customers abroad, and growing existing markets and demand for American agriculture products.

Andrew Wheeler EPA
EPA Administrator Wheeler came before the House Science Committee to discuss ongoing initiatives at the agency. Members had the opportunity to hear about ways that Administrator Wheeler is modernizing the agency and taking steps to roll back burdensome regulations, while encouraging innovation and the adoption of new technologies to reduce global emissions and address environmental concerns.

We discussed the recent rollback of the Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which represented a massive federal overreach and had a dramatically negative impact on our farmers, ranchers, and landowners across Kansas. I also had the opportunity to ask about policies impacting ethanol production across the state.

Welcoming Prime Minister Morrison to America
I had the opportunity to welcome the Prime Minister of Australia to the United States. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife Jennifer arrived to a 19 gun salute and full military band. Prime Minister Morrison is the second world leader to be hosted for a state dinner by President Trump and I was honored to be there for his arrival.

Australia is an important strategic ally and have historically proven that they are partners that the United States can count on. The strong relationship between Prime Minister Morrison and President Trump is great for both countries and will only strengthen our countries ties.

Raising Awareness on Childhood Cancer
I had the honor to meet with Pottawatomie County patient advocates representing the Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Foundation. DIPG is the second most common form of pediatric brain cancer and is the leading cause of childhood death due to brain tumors. Sadly, the survival rate after diagnosis is less than 1% and there is not currently a consistent standard of care for those diagnosed. I am working to change that. As a supporter of House Resolution 114, I am advocating to raise awareness and encourage research into cures for this and other rare forms of pediatric cancer.

Talking with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai
My office hosted FCC Chairman Ajit Pai at Emporia State University for a conversation on broadband and economic development. We brought together community leaders, telecommunications providers, and regional partnerships working to build out broadband to discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with achieving this goal, and to learn a bit more about how the FCC is working to close the digital divide.

Chairman Pai discussed the new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund at the FCC, which was announced earlier this year and will provide $20 billion over 10 years to help with deployment in rural areas.

As we move deeper into the digital age, an internet connection is becoming a critical component to the health and growth of our communities. It can help businesses reach new customers, connect rural hospitals with the tools to provide better care for patients, and expand learning opportunities for students.

One of our local farmers was able to share about the new precision agriculture technologies available that help her increase efficiency on her farm. Unfortunately challenges with her current internet connection can keep her from utilizing those tools to grow and modernize her farm.

Ensuring that our rural communities have access to these strong internet connections is vital for their continued success and economic growth.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

There may be something subtle going on here, that first meeting in several years in which the Kansas Board of Regents sat down with the Kansas State Board of Education for, well, just a little chatting.

That meeting brought together the nine Regents, who are appointed by the governor and subject to Senate confirmation, and the 10 members of the State Board of Education, who are elected to their offices.

While the overall responsibility of both groups is to provide a good education for Kansas students, it has generally in the past been sharply divided. The Regents works on everything after high school graduation, the State Board of Education nearly everything before that.

But they have rarely worked closely together on the entire concept of education in Kansas, producing young people who are ready for more education or who are learning job and social skills that will make those students just who we want walking down our streets, competing for parking spaces and living next door.

Last week’s meeting, in which the State Board of Education members were guests, produced some of the most identifiable indications that the two boards are interesting in working together, and some new members of each wondering why the boards haven’t been working more closely together.

That’s something we don’t often see between state agencies, which generally look after their own duties and cooperate only when two agencies find their duties overlap.

One of the more interesting discussions among Regents/Board of Education members was over allowing high school students—for free—to take a few college-level courses while in high school. Big interest in English/literature skills, but the concept generally comes down to letting middle and high school students get a taste of college-level classes to explore possible interests and eventually careers.

That dab of higher education at high school is both a confidence-builder for students who are from families without parents and other relatives with higher education experience and a way for those students who are interested in, say, teaching or construction or working in some other specialized industry a chance to see what is actually involved, and whether that is the way those kids whose drivers licenses are still new can look into their future.

Nothing like early focus, is there?

Oh, that cooperation between the State Board of Education and Regents is going to be a little tricky. Sorta like a first date.

Regent money generally is state aid plus tuition, while public schools are a mix of state aid and local property taxes. That local property tax is a major issue for public schools and casts its shadow on nearly everything that is considered by the State Board of Education and the Legislature that deals with public schools.

But the possibilities? Well, let’s see what would happen if the Regents and State Board of Education could come to a common ground for proposed legislation. We have the groups that oversee multiple school districts in each legislative district binding with Regents and other higher education institutions that aren’t universally present in all districts. That produces a statewide interest group that can appeal and lobby to every legislator in the state.

Pretty good potential political muscle…

Now it’s going to take time and formation of committees and such that education leaders tend to generate like weeds in a garden, but if there becomes an “educational establishment” that can reach out to every lawmaker and every Kansan…well, it’s likely we’ll see more interest in education from kindergarten to college degrees.

Interesting to see whether this cooperation actually takes place and what it yields…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

I love watching hawks hunt and I love observing how they’ve learned to interact with farm equipment as it rolls across fields and stirs up rodents and small birds that scurry about and often end up as a snack for the hawk.

Our raised deer blind overlooks a grass waterway that grows up in giant sunflowers and pigweed by summer’s end, becoming a nice secure travel way for deer, but making them hard to spot during hunting season. Today I mowed that area and as I mowed the last standing weeds and sunflowers, fat field mice scurried in every direction. “Man could the hawks be feasting here,” I thought.

A couple years ago I happened by a nearby field of soybeans being cut. What caught my eye was the enormous number of hawks all around the field; I counted to thirty-some then lost count. I rolled into the field and talked with one of the combine drivers about the hawks. He said they had suddenly appeared as if from nowhere when they started cutting and had been there since. The soybean plants were extra tall and thick that year, and as they ripened and dropped their foliage, it left several inches of duff covering the ground between the rows; perfect cover for field mice and rats looking for warm concealment. As the combines lumbered through the field, they forced all those rodents from their cozy quarters and the hawks were feasting.

Soon we will again be seeing an extraordinary number of hawks of all varieties as they migrate south toward warmer climates. The extent of our Kansas winter will largely determine whether they stay here for a spell or move on south, and our milder-than-normal winters of late have been a huge draw to migrating hawks. The hawks I observed hunting the soybean stubble field that year were obviously migrants that were getting a good meal whether they stayed or not. The vast acreages of new wheat fields will be a huge draw too, as mice, voles and insects become vulnerable to the hawk’s keen eyes in the short new wheat. Another plus is the type of air currents and thermals that blow through the plains states. North winds coming down from Canada are utilized by all types of hawks, saving them precious energy by being able to soar. So in summary, the mild winters, the open fields and the beneficial wind currents all make Kansas a popular place to see hawks of many varieties this time of year.

One common hawk we see here every winter is the Northern Harrier. They are large hawks with broad, square tails and are often seen gliding effortlessly mere feet above CRP fields and pastures. We also get an influx of Red Tails from northern states as they come here for our milder winters. Swainson Hawks on their way to Argentina stop in Kansas by the thousands. Rough-Legged Hawks migrate from Canada to the western US, including Kansas. Ferruginous Hawks may be seen here as they travel from Western Kansas to parts of the South Eastern US and to Florida. All these truly make for a kaleidoscope of raptors in our Kansas sky.

This article could not be complete without emphasizing the important role raptors play in our agricultural environment. Raptors get blamed for everything from low pheasant and quail populations to stealing chickens and everything in between. Yes we all know that hawks and especially owls will steal a chicken or two given the chance, but in actuality, hawks prey on mice, rats, snakes and possums that eat quail and pheasant eggs and newly hatched young.(FYI, feral and stray cats are the worst predators alive for killing young game birds and song birds.) Owls are huge rat and mice hunters and also eat skunks that carry rabies. If not for these raptors in our midst, rodent populations would devastate farmer’s crops and our environment as a whole. And for the record, killing a raptor of any kind is illegal in Kansas!

You can’t go afield this time of year without spotting hawks silently hunting low over patches of CRP and milo stalks, waiting patiently atop power poles for prey to reveal themselves or putting on shows of acrobatic excellence as they soar above us on the fall breezes. I once overheard a raptor rehabilitator tell someone “We as humans have encroached on them, so the least we can do is let them live with us.” Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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