WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of his continued efforts to improve access to quality behavioral health treatment for all Americans, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) led a letter today with U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) calling on the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs to explain their findings on two mental health studies by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding treatment for service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.

The bipartisan letter comes in the wake of the Fort Hood, Texas tragedy and reports of lax mental health services at the St. Louis VA hospital. The Senators sent the letter in advance of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mark-up this week. Blunt serves as a member of both the defense appropriations and authorizing committees. Moran is a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

In the letter, the Senators highlighted their concern with the reports’ conclusion that “‘screening, assessment, and treatment approaches for psychological health problems are not always implemented between and within DOD and VA in a consistent manner or aligned with the evidence base, which threatens the delivery of high-quality care and hampers evaluation efforts.’”

Moran and Stabenow also joined together to co-sponsor Blunt’s bipartisan “Caring For America’s Heroes Act” to bring mental health treatment in-line with the way physical injuries are treated under TRICARE. In addition, Blunt and Stabenow successfully worked together to pass a version of the “Excellence in Mental Health Act” last month to address the nation’s fragmented mental health system.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer  says he will consider a 2016 run for governor after his re-election bid this year for the U.S. House.

The Republican from Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District said Monday he has been encouraged by party members, donors and friends to consider running for governor.

Former U.S. Attorney and House Speaker Catherine Hanaway is the only Republican to have declared her candidacy. But Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich (shwyk) also may enter the governor’s race after his own re-election contest this year. Republican businessman John Brunner (BROO’-ner) also has said he is considering it.

Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster has been planning a gubernatorial campaign since last year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Burger King is scrapping its 40-year-old “Have It Your Way” slogan in favor of the more personal “Be Your Way.”

The chain says the new tag line will roll out across its marketing in the U.S., including in a TV ad that will begin airing Monday night. The line made its first appearance in an online video last month.

Burger King says that the new motto is intended to remind people that “they can and should live how they want anytime. It’s ok to not be perfect … Self expression is most important and it’s our differences that make us individuals instead of robots.”

It may seem odd for a fast-food company to champion individuality, but Burger King isn’t the only one trying to project a hip attitude to gain favor with customers. Since 2012, Taco Bell has been touting its “Live Mas” slogan, which means “live more” in Spanish. Executives at the Mexican food chain say they’ve made it a mantra in how they operate the company.

Starbucks and Chipotle have also gained popularity in part by cultivating decidedly non-corporate images.

Fernando Machado, Burger King’s senior vice president of global brand management, noted in an interview that “Have It Your Way” focuses on only the transaction — the ability to customize a burger. By contrast, he said “Be Your Way” is about making a connection with a person’s greater lifestyle.

“We want to evolve from just being the functional side of things to having a much stronger emotional appeal,” said Machado, who joined the company in March.

The new slogan was developed with ad agency David, a unit of WPP.

Machado noted that Burger King hasn’t been actively using the “Have It Your Way” slogan for some time in the U.S. The company, which is based in Miami, Florida, also will stop using its more recent “Taste Is King” motto.

It’s the latest change for Burger King, which has been undergoing a series of marketing and menu changes under new management. The chain was bought by investment firm 3G Capital in late 2010, then taken public again in 2012. Soon after, 3G replaced the chain’s CEO and early this year, Axel Schwan was appointed as global chief marketing officer.

In the latest quarter, Burger King said sales at U.S. restaurants open at least a year edged up 0.1 percent. The company said that results were hurt by bad weather. But Burger King Worldwide Inc. and rival McDonald’s Corp. have been struggling to boost domestic sales for more than a year now.

TROY (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is standing firm with plans to execute Russell Bucklew this week, despite claims from the condemned man’s attorneys that he could suffer during the process because of a rare medical condition.

Bucklew is scheduled to die by a lethal dose of pentobarbital at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing a southeast Missouri man during a violent crime spree in 1996.

It would be the first execution nationally since April, when Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett’s vein collapsed and he suffered a fatal heart attack more than 40 minutes later despite efforts to save him.

Bucklew has a congenital condition that causes weakened and malformed blood vessels. Nixon told The Associated Press Monday that while he hasn’t yet decided clemency, he hasn’t seen any reason to halt the process.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State lottery officials say a $2 million winning ticket was sold to a player in northeast Kansas during the weekend Powerball drawing.

Officials declined to say Monday exactly where the ticket was drawn. The lottery’s northeast Kansas zone covers 21 counties.

The winning ticket matched the first five numbers drawn Saturday, which were 23-32-39-47-49. The Powerball was 22. The player also purchased a Power Play option which doubled the prize from $1 million to $2 million.

No ticket sold matched all the numbers in drawing. The jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing will be an estimated $114 million.

TROY (AP) – Plans are in the works for tornado safe rooms at five Missouri schools.

Gov. Jay Nixon was in Troy Monday to announce that community safe rooms will be built at schools in Lincoln, St. Charles, Stoddard, Texas and Webster counties.

The safe rooms are designed to provide tornado shelter for those who don’t have basements or other means of shelter at their homes, and for students, faculty and staff at schools. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides 75 percent of the funding. The remaining 25 percent is paid for locally.

Missouri has 104 completed safe rooms, with others under construction. The rooms are built to withstand a tornado with 250 mph winds. The rooms are built to be used for other purposes, such as a gym or arts center.

SPRINGFIELD (AP) – A southwest Missouri woman hopes her deeply personal decision to get a divorce will open the door for other couples to end their relationships in a state that doesn’t recognize gay marriage.

Mary Hilsabeck married Lynette Meng in Iowa in 2009 but the two were no longer in love and had been separated for two years. Hilsabeck, a Springfield resident who works for the federal government, was repeatedly told there was nothing she could do to end the marriage in Missouri.

The Springfield News-Leader reports her lawyer felt Hilsabeck was put into an impossible situation, but they decided to file for divorce in Greene County to see what would happen. Judge Mark Powell granted to divorce April 1, and the deadline to appeal the case passed last week.