The Labor HHS Appropriations bill was approved by the House of Representatives today, and I am pleased to report that I was able to direct funding to several local education programs.
1.) $150,000 for Graceland University in Independence
The Graceland University School of Nursing in Independence graduates 40 to 50 new nurses every year in the medical profession, currently experiencing worker shortages. This funding will help build a simulation lab on the Independence campus to assist students in providing holistic care for their patients.
2.) $200,000 for Guadalupe Centers Culinary Arts Institute Job Training Center
Founded in 1919, the Guadalupe Centers, Inc. was established to assist underprivileged Mexican immigrants who had settled in the Westside community of Kansas City, Missouri. The Guadalupe Center was one of the nation’s first social service agencies for Latinos. Currently, the Guadalupe Centers is “the longest continually operating organization serving Latinos in the United States.”
The Culinary Arts Institute is a 12 week job training/employment program that provides everything from culinary instruction to case management services and job placement career services including a follow-up component. The purpose for establishing this program is to help individuals become financially stable. They are given tools to become successful in their chosen career path
3.) $500,000 for Metropolitan Community College Sustainability Training Center
Centered on the Green Impact Zone, Metropolitan Community Colleges is starting a program to train individuals in the Kansas City area to become technical experts in the green industry. This project will develop the Sustainability Training Center (STC). During the initial three years, the center will create a clearinghouse of resources related to sustainability and measurement and reduction of carbon footprints for small businesses. Faculty, research associates and student researchers will provide assistance in conducting sustainability audits for small businesses and help them find cost-effective solutions for reducing their carbon footprint.
4.) $100,000 for the Polycyclic Kidney Disease Foundation
The PKD Foundation is the only organization, worldwide, dedicated to fighting polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The mission of the PKD Foundation is to: "Promote programs of research, advocacy, education, support and awareness in order to discover treatments and a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease and improve the lives of all it affects."
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Over 10.5 million for local projects
This afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives approved The Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 3183) appropriating funding for a series of regional flood control projects I requested. The bill also invests in new technologies that will create the next generation of vehicles with improved fuel efficiency, better and cleaner engines and longer-lasting batteries. It also helps modernize our electric grid by investing in “smart grid” technology which we are seeking to pilot with Kansas City Power & Light as part of the Green Impact Zone project.
The bill increases funds for weatherization grants to help struggling families improve their homes’ energy efficiency and save hundreds of dollars annually in electricity and heating costs. It also invests in the water infrastructure needs of our communities to improve water quality and spur economic development after years of neglect. These funds will be particularly valuable in accomplishing the goal of weatherizing every home in the Green Impact Zone.
I am proud of the funding I was able to secure for Missouri’s Fifth District in this bill. Not only does the bill make significant investments in a new green economy and support our work locally in the Green Impact Zone, it also funds important flood control projects. I was Mayor of Kansas City during the Flood of 1993 and understand very well that funding our area’s flood control plans and systems is key to protecting life and property. These are earmarks that save lives, and build on projects I have secured funding for in previous years. I think it is clear these levee, basin and channel improvement projects will continue to significantly reduce our major flood events in the District.
H.R. 3183 provides:
Authorization to the U.S. Corps of engineers to fund the Blue Valley Wetlands Restoration - Jackson County (amount to be determined after study)
$2,500,000 for the Turkey Creek Basin - City of Kansas City ($15.2 million in Recovery Act dollars also allocated)
$5,600,000 for the Blue River Channel - City of Kansas City/Independence ($13.5 in Recovery Act dollars also allocated)
$750,000 for the Blue River Basin - City of Kansas City
$700,000 for the Kansas Citys, MO & KS (Seven River Levees) - City of Kansas City
$300,000 for the Brush Creek Basin, MO & KS – City of Kansas City
$700,000 Missouri River Degradation, MO & KS – City of Kansas City
The Energy and Water Appropriations Act builds on the investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to move toward American energy independence and rebuild our infrastructure – major tenets of the long term economic plan that President Obama laid out and this Congress approved.
H.R. 3183, which was approved in the House by a vote of 320 to 97, now moves to the Senate for approval.
The bill increases funds for weatherization grants to help struggling families improve their homes’ energy efficiency and save hundreds of dollars annually in electricity and heating costs. It also invests in the water infrastructure needs of our communities to improve water quality and spur economic development after years of neglect. These funds will be particularly valuable in accomplishing the goal of weatherizing every home in the Green Impact Zone.
I am proud of the funding I was able to secure for Missouri’s Fifth District in this bill. Not only does the bill make significant investments in a new green economy and support our work locally in the Green Impact Zone, it also funds important flood control projects. I was Mayor of Kansas City during the Flood of 1993 and understand very well that funding our area’s flood control plans and systems is key to protecting life and property. These are earmarks that save lives, and build on projects I have secured funding for in previous years. I think it is clear these levee, basin and channel improvement projects will continue to significantly reduce our major flood events in the District.
H.R. 3183 provides:
Authorization to the U.S. Corps of engineers to fund the Blue Valley Wetlands Restoration - Jackson County (amount to be determined after study)
$2,500,000 for the Turkey Creek Basin - City of Kansas City ($15.2 million in Recovery Act dollars also allocated)
$5,600,000 for the Blue River Channel - City of Kansas City/Independence ($13.5 in Recovery Act dollars also allocated)
$750,000 for the Blue River Basin - City of Kansas City
$700,000 for the Kansas Citys, MO & KS (Seven River Levees) - City of Kansas City
$300,000 for the Brush Creek Basin, MO & KS – City of Kansas City
$700,000 Missouri River Degradation, MO & KS – City of Kansas City
The Energy and Water Appropriations Act builds on the investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to move toward American energy independence and rebuild our infrastructure – major tenets of the long term economic plan that President Obama laid out and this Congress approved.
H.R. 3183, which was approved in the House by a vote of 320 to 97, now moves to the Senate for approval.
President Obama dispatches his Cabinet to Green Impact Zone
In a sign that the hard work of neighborhood leaders is getting noticed at the highest levels, President Obama has directed his Cabinet to visit Kansas City as part of a three city national tour. Denver and Philadelphia will also be visited. I am proud to say David Warm, Executive Director of the Mid-America Regional Council was at the White House at the invitation of the Office of Urban Policy to promote Kansas City’s urban needs including the Green Impact Zone. Warm was on hand for the announcement delivered by the President.
“Instead of waiting for Washington, a lot of cities have already gone ahead and become their own laboratories for change and innovation, some leading the world in coming up with new ways to solve the problems of our time.
So you take an example like Denver. Their metropolitan area is projected to grow by 1 million residents over the next 15 years or so. But rather than wait for a congestion crisis, they're already at work on plans to build and operate a public transit system up to the challenge, and to surround that system with smart new housing, retail, and office development near each stop.
Philadelphia is an example of what's been called ‘urban agriculture.’ It may sound like an oxymoron, but one proposal is trying to make a situation where fresh, local food supplies are within a short walk for most city residents, which will have a direct impact not only on the economy and on the environment, but also make an immeasurable difference in the health of Americans.
Or Kansas City. One idea there focuses on transforming a low-income community into a national model of sustainability by weatherizing homes and building a green local transit system.
Three different cities with three unique ideas for the future. And that's why they're three of the cities that are members of my -- that members of my Cabinet and Office of Urban Affairs will visit this summer as part of a ongoing national conversation to lift up best practices from around the country, to look at innovations for the metropolitan areas of tomorrow. Forward-looking cities shouldn't be succeeding despite Washington; they should be succeeding with a hand from Washington. We want to hear directly from them, and we want to hear directly from all of you, on fresh ideas and successful solutions that you've devised, and then figure out what the federal government should do or shouldn't do to help reinvent cities and metropolitan areas for the 21st century.”
President Barack Obama
July 13, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT URBAN AND METROPOLITAN POLICY ROUNDTABLE
This announcement from the President is confirmation that the work being done by the neighborhoods, MARC, the city and all the partner agencies is getting noticed by the Administration. When the President is citing your initiative as a model for the nation, you have done something right. My thanks and congratulations go to the neighborhood leaders and community groups who continue to work hard to make this vision a reality. The nation is looking to us to lead.
The White House said more details about the visit will follow.
Complete remarks can be found here >>>
I would also like to thank the City Council of Kansas City and particularly Council members Circo and Riley who achieved passage of a $1.5 million dollar operating budget for the Green Impact Zone which will be designated for the Mid-America Regional Council to hire staff to administer the Zone, open a service center, and support data collection and planning activities in the Green Impact Zone.
“Instead of waiting for Washington, a lot of cities have already gone ahead and become their own laboratories for change and innovation, some leading the world in coming up with new ways to solve the problems of our time.
So you take an example like Denver. Their metropolitan area is projected to grow by 1 million residents over the next 15 years or so. But rather than wait for a congestion crisis, they're already at work on plans to build and operate a public transit system up to the challenge, and to surround that system with smart new housing, retail, and office development near each stop.
Philadelphia is an example of what's been called ‘urban agriculture.’ It may sound like an oxymoron, but one proposal is trying to make a situation where fresh, local food supplies are within a short walk for most city residents, which will have a direct impact not only on the economy and on the environment, but also make an immeasurable difference in the health of Americans.
Or Kansas City. One idea there focuses on transforming a low-income community into a national model of sustainability by weatherizing homes and building a green local transit system.
Three different cities with three unique ideas for the future. And that's why they're three of the cities that are members of my -- that members of my Cabinet and Office of Urban Affairs will visit this summer as part of a ongoing national conversation to lift up best practices from around the country, to look at innovations for the metropolitan areas of tomorrow. Forward-looking cities shouldn't be succeeding despite Washington; they should be succeeding with a hand from Washington. We want to hear directly from them, and we want to hear directly from all of you, on fresh ideas and successful solutions that you've devised, and then figure out what the federal government should do or shouldn't do to help reinvent cities and metropolitan areas for the 21st century.”
President Barack Obama
July 13, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT URBAN AND METROPOLITAN POLICY ROUNDTABLE
This announcement from the President is confirmation that the work being done by the neighborhoods, MARC, the city and all the partner agencies is getting noticed by the Administration. When the President is citing your initiative as a model for the nation, you have done something right. My thanks and congratulations go to the neighborhood leaders and community groups who continue to work hard to make this vision a reality. The nation is looking to us to lead.
The White House said more details about the visit will follow.
Complete remarks can be found here >>>
I would also like to thank the City Council of Kansas City and particularly Council members Circo and Riley who achieved passage of a $1.5 million dollar operating budget for the Green Impact Zone which will be designated for the Mid-America Regional Council to hire staff to administer the Zone, open a service center, and support data collection and planning activities in the Green Impact Zone.
Health-Care Reform: What It Means For You
The Ways and Means Committee and Health, Education and Labor Committee passed a health care reform bill that, for the first time in our nation’s history, will guarantee health care for all Americans. The proposal is complicated but seeks to reign in the spiraling cost of health care while allowing those who like the health care they have to keep those plans.
The proposal will provide for a group of private plans as well as a public plan that will be offered as part of an “exchange” where all Americans can compare and choose a plan that best suits their needs.
To participate in the “exchange” and have the opportunity to enroll some of the millions of Americans that are currently uninsured, private insurers would have to cover all pre-existing conditions. On this “exchange” Americans could also select to be insured by a public health insurance option. That option would help drive down costs across the board.
This bill is still evolving, but the Washington Post put together a few bullet points that outline potential benefits under the proposal now moving through the House (see below). And
If you are Uninsured- Currently 46 Million Americans
-How you could benefit from reform:
If you have a low income, you could have an easier time qualifying for Medicaid, a program funded by the state and federal governments.
In addition, based on your income, you could receive federal aid to purchase private insurance and vouchers for preventive care.
The proposal gives you the option of buying insurance through “exchanges” which lay out all of the options, benefits and price points available.
Insurers would be prohibited from denying coverage for preexisting conditions or taking into account your medical risk when setting your premium.
Insurers in the” exchanges” would offer a minimum set of benefits. For example, an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses and end co-payments and deductibles for preventive care.
Older people could pay relatively lower premiums, because age-based variations in rates could be restricted.
Along side private options you would also buy coverage from a public option whose scale would enable it to pass along savings.
If you are on Medicare and Medicaid- Currently 42 million and 37 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform: Medicare
The “doughnut hole” for prescription drug coverage, which leaves you responsible for the cost when you’ve racked up $2700 to $6100 of annual prescription expenses, would be closed.
You can obtain preventive services without paying anything out of pocket.
You can qualify for drug subsidies with more assets than current recipients are allowed.
Income from the sale of your primary residence could be excluded from determinations of who pays higher premiums for outpatient coverage.
Premiums would be reduced for seniors who enroll in wellness of disease-management programs.
Payments to primary-care doctors could be increased, paving the way for them to play a larger role in your care.
Your annual out-of-pocket expenses could be capped, protecting you from catastrophic bills.
- How you could benefit from reform: Medicaid
Increased reimbursements for physicians could make it easier to find doctors. You could also gain access to private health plans.
For individuals buy their own insurance- 15 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform:
You would have the option of buying insurance through “exchanges”, with an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses, an end to co-payments and deductibles for preventive care, and no more annual or lifetime limits on coverage.
Insurers in the “exchanges” could be barred from denying coverage based on your medical history. Insurers would be required to cover your preexisting conditions.
Older people could end up paying relatively lower premiums, because age-based variations in rates could be restricted.
You could gain the option of buying coverage from a public plan whose scale and purchasing power could enable it to pass along savings.
Based on your income, you could receive federal aid to purchase insurance.
Your employer would be required to provide health benefits or pay a penalty, increasing the odds that you would receive coverage at work.
If your employer pays for your insurance-sponsored: 158 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform:
If you’re employed at a small business, you and your employer would gain the option of buying coverage through the “exchange”, in which insurers would have to offer a minimum set of benefits and factors such as health status would not count against you. The government might help your employer pay for health benefits.
The proposal will increase the quality of care as a result of efforts to increase coordination among providers, identify and encourage best practices, automate medical records, avoid unnecessary tests and procedures, and reduce medical errors.
With expanded coverage for the uninsured, you and your employer would experience a reduction in hidden health tax you now pay to cover the cost of care that hospitals provide without compensation.
If you leave or lose your job and have to buy your own insurance, you would have much better options than those now available to you. Having new alternatives could make it easier for you to leave a job in which you feel trapped; if you get laid off, it could save you from joining the ranks of the uninsured.
The proposal will provide for a group of private plans as well as a public plan that will be offered as part of an “exchange” where all Americans can compare and choose a plan that best suits their needs.
To participate in the “exchange” and have the opportunity to enroll some of the millions of Americans that are currently uninsured, private insurers would have to cover all pre-existing conditions. On this “exchange” Americans could also select to be insured by a public health insurance option. That option would help drive down costs across the board.
This bill is still evolving, but the Washington Post put together a few bullet points that outline potential benefits under the proposal now moving through the House (see below). And
If you are Uninsured- Currently 46 Million Americans
-How you could benefit from reform:
If you have a low income, you could have an easier time qualifying for Medicaid, a program funded by the state and federal governments.
In addition, based on your income, you could receive federal aid to purchase private insurance and vouchers for preventive care.
The proposal gives you the option of buying insurance through “exchanges” which lay out all of the options, benefits and price points available.
Insurers would be prohibited from denying coverage for preexisting conditions or taking into account your medical risk when setting your premium.
Insurers in the” exchanges” would offer a minimum set of benefits. For example, an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses and end co-payments and deductibles for preventive care.
Older people could pay relatively lower premiums, because age-based variations in rates could be restricted.
Along side private options you would also buy coverage from a public option whose scale would enable it to pass along savings.
If you are on Medicare and Medicaid- Currently 42 million and 37 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform: Medicare
The “doughnut hole” for prescription drug coverage, which leaves you responsible for the cost when you’ve racked up $2700 to $6100 of annual prescription expenses, would be closed.
You can obtain preventive services without paying anything out of pocket.
You can qualify for drug subsidies with more assets than current recipients are allowed.
Income from the sale of your primary residence could be excluded from determinations of who pays higher premiums for outpatient coverage.
Premiums would be reduced for seniors who enroll in wellness of disease-management programs.
Payments to primary-care doctors could be increased, paving the way for them to play a larger role in your care.
Your annual out-of-pocket expenses could be capped, protecting you from catastrophic bills.
- How you could benefit from reform: Medicaid
Increased reimbursements for physicians could make it easier to find doctors. You could also gain access to private health plans.
For individuals buy their own insurance- 15 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform:
You would have the option of buying insurance through “exchanges”, with an annual cap on out-of-pocket expenses, an end to co-payments and deductibles for preventive care, and no more annual or lifetime limits on coverage.
Insurers in the “exchanges” could be barred from denying coverage based on your medical history. Insurers would be required to cover your preexisting conditions.
Older people could end up paying relatively lower premiums, because age-based variations in rates could be restricted.
You could gain the option of buying coverage from a public plan whose scale and purchasing power could enable it to pass along savings.
Based on your income, you could receive federal aid to purchase insurance.
Your employer would be required to provide health benefits or pay a penalty, increasing the odds that you would receive coverage at work.
If your employer pays for your insurance-sponsored: 158 million Americans
- How you could benefit from reform:
If you’re employed at a small business, you and your employer would gain the option of buying coverage through the “exchange”, in which insurers would have to offer a minimum set of benefits and factors such as health status would not count against you. The government might help your employer pay for health benefits.
The proposal will increase the quality of care as a result of efforts to increase coordination among providers, identify and encourage best practices, automate medical records, avoid unnecessary tests and procedures, and reduce medical errors.
With expanded coverage for the uninsured, you and your employer would experience a reduction in hidden health tax you now pay to cover the cost of care that hospitals provide without compensation.
If you leave or lose your job and have to buy your own insurance, you would have much better options than those now available to you. Having new alternatives could make it easier for you to leave a job in which you feel trapped; if you get laid off, it could save you from joining the ranks of the uninsured.
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