The Senate Ag Committee and its leadership, including Chair Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, announced that the Senate passed the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act. In the announcement, the Senators said, “The unanimous Senate passage of the bipartisan PRIA legislation provides certainty to farmers, consumers, and many other stakeholders. We’re urging our colleagues in the House to pass the legislation as soon as possible.”
The legislation moves into the House of Representatives and is the same bill that was passed by unanimous voice vote back in the Senate during June of 2018. As recently as December of last year, a number of agriculture groups urged Congress to pass the legislation. PRIA establishes a framework for registering pesticides with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The original intent was to create a more predictable and effective evaluation process for affected pesticide decisions. The legislation includes technical changes and extends authority for the EPA to collect updated pesticide registrations and registration fees through 2023.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will receive about $922,000 as its part of a national settlement with Walgreens concerning over-dispensing of insulin pens to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office said in a news release the settlement resolves allegations that Walgreens repeatedly dispensed more insulin than had been prescribed to patients. The company was accused of submitting false claims for reimbursement to Medicare and Medicaid.
Schmidt said Walgreens agreed to pay the U.S. and states $209.2 million, with $89.1 million going to state Medicaid programs. Kansas will receive $922,126, which will be used to reimburse federal and state funds spent by the Kansas Medicaid program, and to recover the cost of the investigation that led to the settlement.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — An employee of a Vans Off the Wall footwear and apparel store in a suburban Kansas City shopping mall no longer has a job after a confrontation with a teen wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
Part of Saturday’s encounter at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas, was caught on video . The mother said on the video that was posted online Sunday that her 14-year-old son was asked to take off his MAGA hat as he entered the store. She said that when he didn’t respond, the employee said a curse word.
Vans Global Brand Communications spokeswoman Laura Doherty says the employee’s actions were “in contrast with our company’s values and belief in personal expression.”
The USDA is preparing to issue its Agricultural Projections to 2028 report next month. Some of the tables they’ll use to come up with the projections were issued last week. Looking at 2019, USDA projects crop receipts to reach $200 billion, up slightly from last year. Direct government payments, including those from the Market Facilitation Program, are projected to drop by $13 billion from a year ago, coming in at $10.2 billion this year.
Total expenses are projected to drop by 1.5 percent from 2018. The University of Illinois’ Farm Policy News says based on the overall projections for receipts and expenses, USDA projects 2019 farm income at $77.6 billion, up from 69.2 billion a year ago. Crop receipts and total expenses are projected to rise even into 2020. Net farm income is projected to hold stable, somewhere between $75.6 billion and $79.5 billion through 2028.
In other USDA projections, the agency doesn’t expect soybean exports to return to pre-trade war peak levels until the 2026-2027 growing season. The reason is due to South American soybean competitors who gain global market share. However, the projections in the USDA outlook assume that China’s retaliatory tariffs stay in place.
The Midwest and the Mid-South parts of the country saw farm income decline in the fourth quarter of 2018. In spite of the pressure on farm incomes, the value of quality farmland, ranchland, and pastureland rose. Those observations come from the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor, which is published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
The 22 agricultural banks that responded to the Fed Survey are located in seven Midwest and Mid-South states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Lenders continued to report declining farm incomes compared to a year earlier. The last quarter of 2018 was the 20th-straight quarter of lower farm incomes. Farm income expectations improved slightly in the first quarter of 2019.
One Missouri lender says, “We’ve heard rumors of large farmers filing for bankruptcy. Farmers in our area still have crops in the field.” The past surveys done by the Fed showed expectations of dropping farmland value. In spite of that, quality farmland value rose 3.4 percent in the fourth quarter of last year when compared to 2017. Cash rents for quality farmland rose 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter.
The new chairman of the Kansas Republican Party is focused on winning back the governorship and the 3rd Congressional District. He told party leaders this weekend how he plans to do it.
Johnson County attorney Mike Kuckelman was the only one to present a full slate of leadership candidates for party officials to consider at their state convention Saturday.
Virginia Crossland-Macha is the party’s new vice chair. She’s currently a member of the Kansas State Fair Board with connections to the construction industry.
Overland Park attorney Mike Kuckelman became chair of the Kansas Republican Party without opposition at the state convention Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Emily Wellman will serve as party secretary and Bob Dool, who was treasurer for Kris Kobach’s gubernatorial campaign, will now be treasurer of the party.
Kuckelman told the GOP activists gathered for the convention that the party needs to improve its fundraising and engage unaffiliated voters in order to boost turnout and rebound from some stinging recent losses.
He urged the crowd to be prepared to pay for outreach to gather more votes.
“I will be asking for money. It’s just that important,” Kuckelman said. “We need the money to get this done.”
He joked that some Republicans might start hiding their wallets when they see him coming.
The Kansas GOP’s new leader takes over not long after Republicans saw their streak of congressional and statewide wins broken in 2018.
While Republicans held all other statewide offices and congressional seats, Democrat Sharice Davids unseated four-term 3rd District Rep. Kevin Yoder in the Kansas City area. And Democrat Laura Kelly beat the polarizing former Secretary of State Kris Kobach by a five-point margin in the governor’s race as she drew some Republican and unaffiliated voters.
Well over 500,000 Kansas voters are unaffiliated – nearly a third of the total registered.
“They don’t know who to vote for,” Kuckelman said Saturday. “They don’t understand why they should be a part of the Republican Party.”
Along with engaging unaffiliated voters, Kuckelman said Latinos could also be key to reinvigorating the Kansas GOP.
Kuckelman said in an interview that immigration rhetoric from President Donald Trump and others makes them harder to reach.
“If you look at the Republican platform, we’re strongly in favor of immigration,” he said. “What the Republicans are opposed to, everyone I assume is opposed to, is people who violate the law.”
The state party platform calls “legal immigration … a blessing to this country,” but emphasizes border security, opposes sanctuary policies, and asserts that employers should have the right to fire workers who are not competent in English.
Kuckelman has represented Republicans in a number of high-profile legal fights.
In 2014, Kuckelman also helped U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts successfully fend off a complaint that he didn’t really live in Kansas to stay on the ballot.
Outgoing Kansas GOP Chairman Kelly Arnold decided not to run for reelection after six years in the post.
Kelly led the party through that contentious 2014 campaign when Roberts and then-Gov. Sam Brownback faced tough challenges but both ultimately won reelection.
But in 2016, conservatives lost some of their grip on the Kansas Legislature, with more moderate Republicans and Democrats winning dozens of seats – enough to form a coalition majority to reverse Brownback’s signature tax cuts and pass school funding increases conservatives had long fought.
Conservatives regained some ground in 2018 and Republicans maintained their dominance in the Legislature, but after the fall elections several moderate lawmakers defected to the Democratic Party.
Kuckelman is promising to build more unity in the Kansas GOP.
To conservative John Hoffman, from Maple Hill, building unity doesn’t mean putting together a more moderate party platform.
He said members of the Republican Party should support the platform. If they can’t, they should consider whether the GOP is the right fit.
“They get to the point where they can’t agree … they leave. That seems to be a logical result,” he said.
The contentious gubernatorial primary between Kobach and then-Gov. Jeff Colyer – two conservatives with very different styles – also left divisions. Hoffman is typical of party members who want to see more unity.
“There was not very much party unity coming out of the primaries,” he said. “I’m hoping that we can get a little more organized.”
Despite his calls for outreach, Kuckelman doesn’t expect to moderate the party’s platform.
“Republicans in Kansas are always conservative,” he said. “I think it will continue to be a conservative party.”
CHEROKEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated battery and have a suspect in custody.
Reffett -photo Cherokee Co.Applegate -photo Cherokee County
Deputies responded to a gunshots in the 400 Block of Park Avenue in Baxter Springs, Kansas on February 6, according to a media release.
At the scene, officers found a victim Eric Ashley who was transported to an area hospital for treatment of a head injury. They also arrested one suspect at the scene identified as 39-year-old Charles Applegate and began the search for a second suspect identified as 36-year-ld Samuel Reffett, according to the release.
Just after 9p.m. Sunday, Reffett surrendered himself at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, according to a social media report. He is being held on a $50,000 Bond for Second Degree Attempted Murder and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, according to jail records.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Warren gave a nod to the first two Native Americans elected to Congress. Sen. Jeff Merkley got a moment on-camera with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And virtually all of the Democrats who would be president have reached out to freshman Rep. Joe Cunningham in early-voting South Carolina.
Photo courtesy Congresswoman Davids
Think of it as dancing with the freshman stars, 2020 edition.
Democrats hoping to defeat President Donald Trump are engaged in a furious courtship of congressional newcomers, a sign of the energy the freshmen bring to a party looking for a new generation of leaders, direction and know-how.
For the political suitors, there’s credibility to be gained from the younger, more diverse and social media-savvy members of the biggest new class since Watergate. The freshmen, meanwhile, are finding mentors among the presidential dreamers, as well as aligned interests in their ranks on such issues as climate, health care and more.
But there is risk, too, for the belles of the early Democratic primary ball. Only weeks after their Washington debuts, the freshmen lawmakers are still developing from candidates into lawmakers and representatives, building voting records and raising money for their own re-election bids. And some have discovered the downside of their fame, having been embroiled in controversy due to their statements and proposals.
“If you are newly elected and you take your eye out the district and you’re staring at the shiny bright object of a presidential campaign, you are making it harder to get re-elected,” said former Rep. Steve Israel, the House Democrats’ chief campaign strategist for four years. The attention may be flattering, Israel said, but his advice is to do the sometimes grueling constituent casework. “Keep your feet on the ground of your district, and not in the silver clouds of a presidential campaign.”
But the presidential candidates are calling. And name-dropping in public. Some, such as former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his own $110 million contribution to the midterm Democrats, have raised and spent big money that helped elect the newcomers. But as of yet, the 2020 candidates are making few if any explicit requests for commitments of support.
New York’s Ocasio-Cortez is a close ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders, but she hasn’t announced which presidential candidate she’s backing now. Still, her dance card is fast filling up. Every presidential candidate except Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio has signed on to the so-called Green New Deal, a moonshot she is championing to combat climate change. Merkley of Oregon was there when Ocasio-Cortez headlined the GND unveiling in Washington at an unusually well-attended event for a statement-making resolution that won’t become law. And a day after formally launching her presidential campaign, Warren gave Ocasio-Cortez a big nod in Iowa, home of the first presidential nominating caucus.
“It is terrific to see Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez come in and put a tremendous amount of energy behind this,” Warren said in Davenport.
The House freshmen also are playing a role in Warren’s struggle to move past her claim of Native American ancestry early in her career. Last fall before the historic midterm elections, Warren released a DNA test showing “high confidence” in her distant Native American ancestry, a move intended to put the issue behind her. But that caused significant unhappiness among some supporters. Trump kept the issue alive by repeatedly mocking Warren as “Pocahontas.” Warren apologized twice over two weeks this year leading to her presidential announcement Feb. 9. Within days, she was back in Washington making an unannounced visit to a major Native American conference.
Freshman Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, one of two Native Americans elected to Congress, introduced her. Warren noted that she and Haaland are working on legislation together on Native American issues.
“That ‘Thank you’ is especially heart-felt for my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Deb Haaland,” Warren said in prepared remarks for the National Indian Women Honor Luncheon, where she introduced Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, the chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts. The campaign said Warren was there to support her friend. “I also want to acknowledge another friend who made history this past year, Congresswoman Sharice Davids,” a Kansan and Native American. Davids, she added, is “another barrier-breaking woman whose leadership is a deep inspiration to us all.”
Sanders, the 2016 phenomenon who has not yet said he is running again, this month reached out to soothe Rep. Ilhan Omar after she tweeted that members of Congress support Israel because they are paid to do so. Omar “unequivocally” apologized, but it wasn’t the first time the Minnesota Democrat had sparked charges of anti-Semitism. The controversy continued simmering the rest of last week.
“I talked to Ilhan last night to give her my personal support. We will stand by our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Sanders said Thursday on a conference call hosted by Jim Zogby, co-chair of the DNC’s Ethnic Council. The remark was first reported by Jewish Insider and confirmed with Sanders’ office by The Associated Press.
Virtually every candidate has paid a visit to freshman Rep. Joe Cunningham. His victory over Katie Arrington, a Trump-supported Republican, flipped a House seat in a district the president won by nearly 13 percentage points in 2016.
Even before the November elections, many potential Democratic White House hopefuls reached out, such as New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Cunningham and campaigned with him. So did Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.
The parade of potentials has continued in the months since, though Cunningham has received no formal request for an endorsement, his spokeswoman said. Cunningham is widely viewed as aligned with former Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, in part because a key aide who helped Cunningham pull off his upset has signed up as O’Rourke’s state director.
Similarly, freshmen Rep. Chris Pappas in first-in-the-nation New Hampshire says he’s played something that sounds like a tour guide exceptionally early in the cycle. It helps that he is co-owner of the Puritan Backroom, a restaurant famous for chicken tenders that’s been in his family for more than a century and is a frequent stop for presidential candidates of both parties.
“I’ve seen a few candidates,” Pappas said in a phone call. “They want to get a sense of what’s on people’s minds.”
SALINE COUNTY — One person died just after 8a.m. Monday in Saline County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Dodge 2500 driven by Russell A. Sims, 51, Sweet Springs, was northbound on Missouri 127 just south of 150th.
The driver experienced a medical condition. The vehicle slid off the road, struck a fence and embankment.
Sims was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Saline County Coroner’s office. The MSHP did not have details on his seat belt usage.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A proposal to expand a Missouri tax incentive program for businesses has passed the state House but is meeting pushback in the Senate.
A bill to allow the Department of Economic Development to dole out tax credits to businesses sooner passed the House 136-29 on Monday.
A similar proposal is stalled in the Senate.
Backers say the program would serve as a “closing fund” to attract and retain businesses. The proposals would allow the Economic Development Department to offer tax credits within a year of striking deals requiring businesses to meet certain job creation metrics.
Currently, tax incentives are available after jobs are created and are spread out over a period of years.
Some Senate Republicans criticized the program as corporate welfare and questioned whether it’s necessary.
The Senate Ag Committee and its leadership, including Chair Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, announced that the Senate passed the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act. In the announcement, the Senators said, “The unanimous Senate passage of the bipartisan PRIA legislation provides certainty to farmers, consumers, and many other stakeholders. We’re urging our colleagues in the House to pass the legislation as soon as possible.”
The USDA is preparing to issue its Agricultural Projections to 2028 report next month. Some of the tables they’ll use to come up with the projections were issued last week. Looking at 2019, USDA projects crop receipts to reach $200 billion, up slightly from last year. Direct government payments, including those from the Market Facilitation Program, are projected to drop by $13 billion from a year ago, coming in at $10.2 billion this year.
The Midwest and the Mid-South parts of the country saw farm income decline in the fourth quarter of 2018. In spite of the pressure on farm incomes, the value of quality farmland, ranchland, and pastureland rose. Those observations come from the latest Agricultural Finance Monitor, which is published by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
