WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator, Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, today praised Senate passage (94-5) of the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34). The bipartisan legislation would accelerate the discovery and development of new cures and treatments for rare disorders, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many other diseases impacting millions of American families each year.

“The Twenty-First Century Cures Act is a true victory for every patient and our health care system,” said Roberts.  Watch his comments here.

“Far too many Kansas families are living with the burdens of chronic diseases,” said Sen. Moran.

“This bill will help end the pain and heartache that come from diagnoses and provide hope to millions of Americans. Investing in this research now will save us billions of dollars in healthcare costs in the future and improve the quality of life for Kansans and Americans. I am hopeful the president will quickly sign it into law,” Moran said.

The bill includes funding for biomedical research at the National Institute of Health (NIH), assistance for mental health efforts, provisions to accelerate the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval and drug development processes, and funding to fight opioid abuse and suicides. Additionally, H.R. 34 also includes provisions Sen. Moran has supported to help rural hospitals in Kansas and important funding to support the fight against cancer.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center Director Roy A. Jensen, M.D., added, “We applaud the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act that includes $1.8.billion over seven years for the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. This bipartisan bill could not come at a better time, as the act will fund the NCI’s Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations to accelerate progress against cancer and achieve the goals of the initiative.”

VAIL, Colo. (AP) — More Colorado ski resorts are open for the season.

Vail and Beaver Creek opened Friday, a day after Snowmass, Wolf Creek and Crested Butte started their lifts.

This fall’s unseasonably warm weather has limited the terrain that’s open and forced several ski resorts to postpone their opening day Some are still offering other activities for visitors over the Thanksgiving weekend, including sledding and sightseeing gondola rides.

Aspen Mountain may not open until at least Monday. The Aspen Daily News (http://bit.ly/2fMIyeY ) reports that would be the first time the mountain hasn’t been open during the holiday weekend in decades.

Some more help is in store from Mother Nature. The National Weather Service says the central and San Juan mountains could get between 10 and 14 inches of snow between late Saturday and Monday.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A judge has ruled that Dylann Roof is competent to stand trial for the killing of nine black worshippers at a South Carolina church.

Judge Richard Gergel made the ruling Friday after a two-day hearing behind closed doors earlier this week. The hearing was needed after Roof’s attorneys questioned earlier this month whether he could help them on the eve of jury selection in his death penalty trial.

Gergel says jury selection will begin Monday.

Gergel sealed his reasons for finding Roof competent, saying that information could keep him from having a fair trial.

The 22-year-old white man is charged in federal court with hate crime, obstruction of religion and other counts for the deadly June 2015 attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN

FORT RILEY – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and his wife Robba joined Fort Riley Brigadier General Patrick Frank, his wife and soldiers for a traditional Thanksgiving meal Thursday.

“It was an honor to share our Thanksgiving meal with Fort Riley servicemembers,” said Sen. Moran.

“Especially during the holidays when many are away from their families, we are grateful for each member of our armed forces and for the opportunity to spend time with them to thank them for their service and dedication.”

Sen. Moran also joined servicemembers at Fort Riley for Thanksgiving last year.

OFFICE OF THE GOV.

TOPEKA–Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has proclaimed Nov. 26 as “Small Business Saturday” in Kansas to highlight the importance of small businesses to the state’s economy.

“Shopping locally is a great way to help your neighbors and support your community,” said Governor Brownback. “I encourage everyone to support the small businesses in their communities this Saturday and throughout the holiday season.”

Small Business Saturday celebrates small businesses across the nation and encourages people to “shop small” on what is traditionally the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

Dan Murray, Kansas state director of the National Federation of Independent Business said supporting small businesses during the holiday season pays dividends throughout the year. NFIB/Kansas is the state’s largest small-business association.

“When you shop at a small business, there’s a good chance you’ll be dealing directly with the owner of the company,” Murray said. “You’ll be dealing with somebody who could be your friend or neighbor. You’ll be dealing with someone who actually creates jobs and supports the community. On behalf of our small-business members, I want to thank Governor Brownback for encouraging everyone to support their hometowns and shop small and shop local on Small Business Saturday.”

Kansas joins a nationwide effort to highlight small businesses. This is the seventh annual Small Business Saturday observance, which was started by American Express as a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback today issued a proclamation declaring “A Week of Reconciliation,” and issued the following statement:

“As we bring in a new holiday season with those we hold dear, let us be ever-mindful of the qualities and ideals that bind us together and not let differences turn us bitter towards one another.

“Perhaps now more than ever, I am reminded of the words of Abraham Lincoln: ‘With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds…’

“It is my sincere hope that Kansans find the peace that forgiveness and reconciliation offers, allowing us to go forward with a renewed hope and excitement for the future.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter and shooting the child to death during a 2014 police chase.

Thirty-two-year-old Marcas McGowan of Atchison declined to address the judge during his sentencing hearing Tuesday in Kansas City, Kansas.

McGowan already had pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death, and to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Authorities say McGowan abducted Cadence Harris on July 18, 2014, after arguing with her mother at their home.

During a chase that followed the argument, McGowan fired at police and fatally shot the girl. Authorities pursued him into neighboring Missouri before he crashed through a barricade near Leavenworth, Kansas.

Officers shot him after he pointed a gun at them.

OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN

WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today voted in favor of the Gold Star Families Voice Act (H.R. 4511), which expands the Library of Congress’ Veteran History Project (VHP) by including servicemembers who died during their service or are missing in action. Sen. Moran led the Senate version of this legislation with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to expand the Veteran History Project to include Gold Star Families. The legislation, which was passed by the House in September 2016, now heads to the president’s desk for his signature.

“The Library of Congress’ Veteran History Project collects stories that remind us of the courage and heroism of our veterans,” said Sen. Moran. “Incorporating the stories of servicemembers who went missing in action or died as a result of their service is essential to making certain the project reflects the efforts of generations of Americans. For our Gold Star Families who now get to share their stories, this legislation helps us honor the sacrifice of their loved ones.”

The VHP was established by Congress in 2000 and has collected the records of more than 100,000 veterans serving since WWI. Through oral storytelling, it collects and catalogues detailed accounts of the lives of those who have defended our nation at home and abroad.

KSHS

TOPEKA—When he accepted his party’s nomination to be a candidate for President of the United States, Alfred M. Landon clearly stated his platform. “The time has come to pull together,” he began. “The whole American people want to work at full time and at full pay. They want homes, and a chance for their children, reasonable security, and the right to live according to American standards. They want to share in a steady progress. We bind ourselves with a pledge we shall not ignore, thrust aside, or forget, to devote our whole energy to bringing these things about.”

Alfred M. Landon (1887-1969) was born in Pennsylvania, spent his boyhood in Ohio, and moved to Kansas when he was 17. He followed in his father’s footsteps, managing oil fields until he was elected the state’s 26th governor in 1932. With the nation engulfed in the Great Depression, he was the only Republican west of the Mississippi River to win a gubernatorial contest. His party selected him as the standard-bearer in the 1936 election.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum (1932) was an infant when her father became governor. She studied diplomacy and worked for U.S. Senator James B. Pearson. When he chose not to seek reelection in 1978 she entered the race and won. She was the first woman to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate and the first woman in the Senate elected on her own right.

The public is invited to join in celebrating Alfred M. Landon and Nancy Landon Kassebaum as the newest inductees into the Kansas Walk of Honor. The program will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, November 18, 2016, at the Kansas State Capitol. Their bronze plaques will join 14 other notable Kansans.

The walk was established in 2011 and highlights people who contributed on a state and national level and have significant connections to Kansas. The previous honorees are Clyde Cessna, Walter Chrysler, Samuel Crumbine, John Steuart Curry, Charles Curtis, Bob Dole, Amelia Earhart, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Fred Harvey, Jack Kilby, Joseph McCoy, Karl Menninger, Gordon Parks, and William Allen White.

The Kansas Historical Foundation, a 501(c) (3), serves as the caretakers of funds for the Kansas Walk of Honor. People can donate to this fund. The Historical Foundation, which supports the Kansas Historical Society, established the walk fund so people can offer donations to cover the cost of plaques.

KDCF

TOPEKA–A new support program for families with adopted children was launched today, at an Adoption Month celebration at the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Administration Building, 555 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka.

Governor Sam Brownback proclaimed November National Adoption Month at the event, which was highlighted by the unveiling of the Kansas Post Adoption Resource Center (K-PARC).

K-PARC is a DCF-funded initiative in which the agency collaborated with the Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) to develop a network of support services and resources for parents of adopted children. This new program offers adoptive parents (of children both from foster care and not) peer support training, parent mentor training, adoptive couples retreats, parent tips and more.

“It’s not easy to raise children,” Governor Brownback told the gathering of adoption practitioners at the celebration. “You can’t do it alone. You need support, whether it’s from your extended family or friends, your faith community or from a program like K-PARC.”

There are currently approximately 350 Kansas children available for adoption in the State’s foster care system. In state fiscal year 2016, 755 children were adopted from foster care.

Paul and Nancy Brownell of Topeka brought their 11-year-old son Brandon, whom they adopted from foster care in 2012, to participate in the celebration.

“It’s great to know that our own governor has adopted and he knows many of the things that we have been through as an adoptive family,” Nancy Brownell said. “With K-PARC as a resource, being around other families who have gone through similar situations, having that support will be very helpful.”

This year, DCF is highlighting the many older youth in foster care who are available for adoption with the theme “We never outgrow the need for family.” Of the 350 children available for adoption in Kansas, about 160 of those fall in the 13-18 year-old age range.

DCF, which divides the state into four regions, works with KVC Kansas in the East and Kansas City Regions, and Saint Francis Community Services in the West and Wichita Regions, to provide adoption services to children in foster care. DCF also works with other organizations to provide adoption services.

To learn more about children who are currently available for adoption, visit www.adoptkskids.org or call 877-457-5430. On the website, you can view photos and read profiles of each child available for adoption.

OFFICE OF STATE TREASURER

TOPEKA–Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes was honored on Thursday, October 20th, at an event held by the National Down Syndrome Society. Estes and other state leaders including Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-Kan) and Kansas State Representative Erin Davis were in attendance to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and champion the Kansas Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.

The ABLE Act is hailed as the most significant legislation for the disability community since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In the 2015 legislative session the Kansas Legislature passed HB 2216 in support of the Kansas Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program, an initiative that will provide individuals living with disabilities a new way to save for their future. The bill was introduced by Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes and Representative Erin Davis (R-Olathe). More than 100 disability rights groups including the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and Autism Speaks supported the ABLE Act.

“The Kansas ABLE Savings Program will ease the financial burden parents face when trying to provide critical services needed to support their children living with disabilities by allowing tax-free savings for current and future disability-related expenses, which in return will help secure their child’s future without jeopardizing the child’s eligibility for important benefits,” said Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes.

The Kansas ABLE Savings Program will launch before the end of 2016 and will be administered by the State Treasurer’s Office. The program allows disabled individuals and their families to save for future education, housing, transportation, health and wellness costs, and additional related expenses in a tax-free savings account comparable to a Roth IRA. Under the Kansas ABLE Savings Program, children and adults whose disability occurred before age 26 and who meet Social Security disability standards or have a disability certification will be eligible to have a Kansas ABLE account. Family and friends will be able to contribute up to $14,000 per beneficiary each year.

For more information about the Kansas ABLE Savings Program individuals may contact Tom Treacy, Director of ABLE Savings Program, at (785) 296-3171 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals may also visit the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office Kansas ABLE Savings Program webpage at http://bit.ly/KansasABLE.