Last Week in Congress

Press Release

Stopping the Administration's Attempts to Take Payments to Veterans Back

Last Tuesday, I wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, and President Obama about the Department of Defense (DOD) asking veterans to fix a mistake it made over a decade ago -- forcing each veteran to pay over $15,000 to the government. Our volunteer armed forces make sacrifices each day to protect our freedoms and they deserve better. Just another example of the Obama Administration's poor treatment of our nation's heroes. That's why I called on Secretary Carter and President Obama to find another way to fix their mistake.

Shortly after I sent the letter to Secretary Carter, he ordered the Pentagon to stop seeking repayments of enlistment bonuses. I strongly support Secretary Carter's decision to stop unfairly targeting our nation's veterans. I will work to make sure that such mistakes by the Department of Defense are not repeated.

Demanding Answers on Disgraced VA Employee Collecting Retirement Benefits

On Friday, I sent a letter to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert McDonald to ask why former disgraced VA physician's assistant, Mark Wisner, is currently collecting retirement benefits from the federal government. It is unconscionable to me that an individual under active investigation for sexual assault is allowed to receive a taxpayer-funded retirement package.

In an effort to clarify this situation, I asked the VA if they have the authority to freeze or revoke the benefits Mr. Wisner is receiving and if the VA could have done something differently to prevent him from retiring while he was on leave and under investigation. I am also still awaiting a response from the VA to a previous inquiry that I and Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) sent in July regarding how Mr. Wisner passed his initial background check.

Around the District
Third District Job Fair

There was lots of energy last Thursday at the seventh Third District Job Fair held at the KCKCC Technical Education Center. Over 70 employers were there to take resumes and meet with several hundred job seekers. I enjoyed meeting the many employers from law enforcement, tech industry, trades like sheet metal and carpenters, health care, financial management, education, manufacturing and more.

Thank you to Keely Schneider, the new Executive Director of Workforce Partnership, as once again Workforce Partnership was a great partner in making the job fair a success. Special thanks to Dr. Doris Givens, President of KCKCC for having us at the Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Medicare Open Enrollment Assistance Event

Thank you to everyone who came out to Shawnee Town Hall for the Medicare Open Enrollment Assistance event I hosted last week. It was great to visit with seniors about their Medicare options.

As a reminder, the Medicare open enrollment period will end on December 7 and if you would like to consider changes you must do so during this time. In some cases yesterday, seniors discovered they could save over $1,000 by considering alternative plans. If you were unable to attend, you can always contact State Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK) volunteers at 1-800-860-5260 or Medicare.gov for additional information.

Thanks to the dedicated volunteers from SHICK and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who provided much appreciated advice and counseling services to seniors.

Friends of Yates Annual Faith Luncheon

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To raise awareness, I addressed the Friends of Yates 16th annual Faith Luncheon, "Silent No More." I've supported the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in Congress, which directly supports our partners here at home like Friends of Yates in Wyandotte County and SAFEHOME in Johnson County.

Thank you to everyone who made the event possible and more importantly for all you do to help victims of domestic violence in our community. It was a special honor to receive the Distinguished Service Award.

KCK Baptist Ministers Union

It is always a pleasure to join the KCK Baptist Ministers Union with great leaders in the KCK community during their weekly meetings. I look forward to attending another meeting soon.

Black Bob Elementary Red Ribbon Assembly

I had such a fun time at Black Bob Elementary Red Ribbon Assembly in the Olathe School District. I was happy to speak with students during Red Ribbon week, which is the national week for drug prevention awareness, about the importance of avoiding drugs and being good peer leaders to one another. After the assembly, we went outside and launched red balloons. This balloon launch tradition has taken place at Black Bob Elementary for over 30 years. Thank you to Principal Trisha Putthoff and Olathe Board of Education member LeEtta Felter for the privilege of participating in the assembly.

Olathe Public Schools Foundation Breakfast

Last week, I attended the Olathe Public Schools Foundation breakfast listening to music from the students and hearing what students, teachers, and parents in Olathe District Schools believe is the "Olathe Way." To cap off the morning, Dr. Pat All, interim Superintendent, shared her vision of why the Olathe School District is a District of Excellence for all students. The Olathe School District is the largest school district in Greater Kansas City and is the second largest district in Kansas. Thank you to Olathe School Board Member LeEtta Felter for the invitation to attend the breakfast.

Olathe Head Start Program Visit

I always enjoy visiting schools across my District. Since October is Head Start Awareness Month, I visited the Heartland Early Childhood Learning Center, a Head Start Program in the Olathe School District. During my visit I was able to help in delivering some Halloween costumes for the children and then sat with a classroom of enthusiastic four-year-olds to read the book Pumpkin Pumpkin. Together we followed the story of a little boy who planted a pumpkin seed, then harvested a big pumpkin, carved it for Halloween, and saved the seeds to plant in the spring.

Thank you to Olathe Head Start Executive Director Kim Sill, President of the Parent Policy Council Jennifer Mais, and Olathe Board of Education member LeEtta Felter for the invitation.

Uber Deaf Driver Appreciation Event

Thanks to Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe for hosting an event with Uber last week highlighting technology opening opportunities for the Deaf community. As the co-chair of the Congressional Deaf Caucus I'm thrilled to see Uber doing this type of outreach and growing a successful business at the same time.

Legacy Park Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of Gibbs Plaza

Last week, I joined Mission Mayor Steve Schowengerdt and other City Council members for the Legacy Park Ribbon Cutting and Dedication of Gibbs Plaza. This park and central gathering space was dedicated to Councilmember Suzie Gibbs Plaza to recognize her many years of service and contributions to the city. It was an honor to be present at this wonderful ceremony.

Infusion Express

Infusion Express, located in Overland Park, is a company that provides high-quality intravenous drug therapies to patients with chronic conditions such as Crohn's Disease, Lupus, MS, and severe allergic asthma. Last week, I stopped in to visit with Infusion Express, where they expressed to me their concerns about patient access to essential drug therapies and to stop the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from proceeding with Part B Demo.

I have signed two letters to CMS in recent history on this topic demanding Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt to withdraw the Administration's proposed Part B Drug Payment Model, and will continue to fight to stop CMS from proceeding with Part B Demo.

NEJOCO Chamber Young Professionals Breakfast

I enjoyed visiting with the Northeast Johnson County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals last week for breakfast in Merriam, Kansas. I'm always happy to talk with a group of such smart, young people during their open networking event.

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