Newsletter: Happy Mother's Day, National Teacher Appreciation Week, Military Appreciation Month

Statement

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms in the Third District!

I want to wish a special happy Mother's Day to the three most important moms in my life - my grandmother Edna, my mom Susan, and my wife Brooke.

Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo

On Tuesday morning, I joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network's Opening Bell to discuss the 2016 Presidential Election, the House of Representatives' work thus far in the 114th Congress, and more.

Manufacturing Legislative Excellence Award

I was honored to be chosen for the Manufacturing Legislative Excellence Award by the National Association of Manufacturers for my work during the 113th Congress.

A healthy manufacturing sector is the key to a healthy economy. It's clear now more than ever Congress needs to promote policies that help our manufacturers compete on the global stage. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to remove the red tape in the form of government regulation in order to foster an environment where our Kansas manufacturers, who already provide more than 160,000 jobs, can expand at a faster rate.

National Teacher Appreciation Week

Last week was National Teacher Appreciation Week. Often times, teachers end up being some of the most influential people in our lives.

As a product of public schools, I have advocated for early-childhood education programs like Head Start throughout my career. Earlier this year, I was recognized as one of only two Republicans in the House of Representatives as an inaugural recipient of the PROMISE Award by the National Head Start Association for my efforts.

Thank you to all of the teachers in the Third District for your hard work and dedication to our children and the future of our country.

Small Business Week

Last week was also National Small Business Week. Small businesses are what keep this nation thriving, and are what will continue to drive our economy into the 21st Century.

Here are some interesting facts about small business in America:

A small business is generally defined as any enterprise with fewer than 500 employees.

There are an estimated 28 million small businesses in the United States.

Half of America's workforce is employed at a small business.

99.7 percent of all U.S. employers are small businesses.

America's small businesses create roughly 7 out of every 10 new jobs.

Last year, the U.S. ranked 46th in ease of starting a business according to a World Bank report. In 2007, it ranked 3rd.

Small businesses create more than half of our gross domestic product.

Small businesses produce 16.5 times more patents per employee than large firms.

In Kansas:

Kansas's small businesses employ over half or 595,048 of the state's private workforce.

Association of Americans for Civic Responsibility

On Friday, I gave the closing remarks to the Association of Americans for Civic Responsibility conference in Overland Park hosted by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City. Highlighting National Small Business Week, we discussed the role of small business in our local community and the importance of giving back. Thank you to Joe Melookaran for inviting me to participate in this important discussion.

National Day of Prayer

Last Thursday, we observed the National Day of Prayer. Officially established in 1952, the day traces its roots back to the Second Continental Congress in 1775. Our nation was founded on the principle of the free exercise of religion, and every year through the National Day of Prayer we celebrate that right endowed by our creator and enshrined in our Constitution.

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