| Jerry Moran | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Kansas |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2011 Serving with Pat Roberts |
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| Preceded by | Sam Brownback |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Pat Roberts |
| Succeeded by | Tim Huelskamp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gerald W. Moran[1] May 29, 1954 Great Bend, Kansas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Robba Moran |
| Residence | Hays, Kansas |
| Alma mater | University of Kansas (B.A.) & (J.D.) |
| Occupation | attorney, bank executive, college professor |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Website | Senator Jerry Moran |
Gerald W. "Jerry" Moran (born May 29, 1954) is the junior United States Senator from Kansas and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Kansas's 1st congressional district.
Raised in Plainville, Kansas, Moran graduated from the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Law. He worked in private law and served as the state special assistant attorney general (1982–85) and deputy attorney of Rooks County (1987–95). He served in the Kansas Senate (1989–1997), and was majority leader for his last two years. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and served six terms with little electoral opposition. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in a landslide in 2010. He is the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and has a strongly conservative voting record.
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Moran was born in Great Bend, Kansas, the son of Madeline Eleanor (née Fletcher) and Raymond Edwin "Ray" Moran.[1] He was raised in Plainville.[2] He attended Fort Hays State University before enrolling at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics in 1976.[3] While attending the University of Kansas, he worked as a summer intern for U.S. Representative Keith Sebelius in 1974, when impeachment proceedings were being prepared against President Richard Nixon.
Moran worked as a banker before receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1982.[4] He practiced law at Stinson, Mag & Fizzell in Kansas City, and later joined Jeter & Larson Law Firm in Hays, where he practiced law for fifteen years.[4] In addition to his law practice, he served as the state special assistant attorney general (1982–85) and deputy attorney of Rooks County (1987–95).[2] He also served as an adjunct professor of political science at Fort Hays State University.[3]
Moran served for eight years (1989–1997) in the Kansas Senate. He served two years as the Vice President and his last two years as majority leader.[5]
Moran was elected to Congress in 1996 and reelected five times, never facing serious opposition in the conservative 1st district. In 2006, his opponent for the 2006 midterm election was John Doll, against whom he received almost 79 percent of the vote—one of the highest totals for a Republican congressional incumbent in that election.[6]
During his time in the House of Representatives, Jerry Moran conducted an annual town hall meeting in each of the 69 counties in Kansas' "Big First" Congressional District. He continues the tradition in the U.S. Senate for all 105 counties.[7]
As a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, then-Congressman Moran worked with colleagues to craft legislation to aid Kansas farms and ranches. Moran was also an active member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, where he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.[8]
From 2003 through 2005, $14.7 billion in crop subsidies went to the congressional districts of members on the House Committee on Agriculture, an analysis by the non-partisan Environmental Working Group found. That was 42.4% of the total subsidies. Moran's district is reported to have received $1.32 billion.[9]
Moran was the 2010 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas. He defeated fellow Congressman Todd Tiahrt in the Senate primary. In the general election Moran faced Democrat Lisa Johnston, Libertarian Michael Dann, and Reform Party candidate Joe Bellis. A SurveyUSA election poll released on August 16, 2010 had Moran receiving 69% of the votes, Johnston receiving 23%, Dann receiving 2%, and Bellis receiving 2% of the vote, with 3% of the vote undecided.[10]
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), recently introduced legislation, S. 989, the Flint Hills Preservation Act, to protect the ability of landowners in the Flint Hills to use prescribed fire as a tool to preserve the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Moran also joined U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) in introducing the 3-D Act: The Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act of 2011.
Moran opposed the Medicare reform package of 2003. He also opposed President Obama's health care reform bill in 2010. In May 2011, Moran sponsored S. 1058, the Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2011, legislation intended to increase choice and cost savings for patients in Kansas and across the country. He believes reducing the costs of medical services, equipment, insurance, and prescription drugs are necessary to ensure adequate health care.[11] In the House, he served as Co-Chairman of the House Rural Health Care Coalition and co-founder of the Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition.[12]
Senator Moran believes that a strong national defense is the federal government’s primary Constitutional responsibility. Kansas is home to Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley, McConnell Air Force Base and the 35th Infantry Division.
In the early 2000s, Moran opposed a timetable for military withdrawal from Iraq.
Moran worked to bring the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Once constructed, NBAF will conduct animal disease research intended to secure America's food supply and protect citizens and animals from the threat of foreign animal disease.
Moran supports accountability metrics for public schools, but believes federal initiatives need to provide flexibility to states. In 2001, Moran voted against passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) because he felt it did not afford sufficient flexibility to schools.[13]
Moran generally supports the right to bear arms. The National Rifle Association rated his voting record “A” in its scorecard.
Moran has opposed environmental protection, earning a lifetime score of 9% from the League of Conservation Voters.[14] He also opposes "cap and trade" legislation intended to reduce climate change because of its potential to eliminate thousands of jobs.[15]
Moran is pro-life. The Family Research Council rated his voting record 100% in its scorecard.
Moran opposes same-sex marriage. The Human Rights Campaign rated his voting record as zero in its last five scorecards.[16][17][18][19][20]
At home, Moran volunteers his time with several community organizations. He is a trustee of the Eisenhower Foundation, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Fort Hays State University Endowment Association, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Coronado Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also the 2008 Honorary Chair of the Law Enforcement Torch Run of the Kansas Special Olympics. Moran has two daughters, Kelsey and Alex. Kelsey graduated from Kansas State University in 2010 and Alex is currently a student.[21]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Pat Roberts |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st congressional district 1997–2011 |
Succeeded by Tim Huelskamp |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Sam Brownback |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Kansas 2011–present Served alongside: Pat Roberts |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Roy Blunt R-Missouri |
United States Senators by seniority 89th |
Succeeded by Rob Portman R-Ohio |
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