Jerry Moran

We have no casinos in Kansas. That is almost true. Not exactly.

If you can provide the utility structure, including water, at a rate that is more affordable, the chances of manufacturing returning to the U.S. from someplace abroad is enhanced.

We will continue to press Rural Development for more clarity, because we believe they have the authority to do what needs to be done.

Tell me once again what you understand Congress' direction to be in that regard.

I would just ask any of the witnesses if they have a point, an issue, that they wanted to make certain that they clarify.

I know the National Rural Water Association well enough to know that I assume that your request would be additional dollars put into those programs.

I co-chair a caucus in the Senate with one of my Democrat colleagues. It is about competitiveness.

We want clean water. I represent lots of communities in which there are not enough ratepayers.

So RUS made a loan to a utility company expecting the life--they loaned the money to build a power plant or to improve a power plant.

Without that predictable and sufficient and sustainable universal service, that demand may not materialize in the form of taking our infrastructure loans to bring broadband to rural Kansans.

Okay. When you make a determination about an RUS loan to provide broadband services, the subsidy that is provided by RUS, is it what is designed to be the sufficient amount of additional revenue to make the service available to make it…

I look forward to exploring that.

How dramatic of a consequence could changing the Universal Service Fund be to the ability of your borrowers to pay back their loans they have borrowed?

That requires us to have the best information possible to make those decisions.

Thank you Chairman Moran and Ranking Member Merkley for allowing me to testify and I would be happy to answers any questions that you may have at this time.

One of the primary interests in my running for public office was a belief in rural America and desire to see that it prospers

We have never been officially notified of a shortfall to begin with.

I would tell you, Mr. Chrisman, in Kansas, the most common conversation I have with a Chamber of Commerce executive, an economic developer, a mayor, a city councilmember, when you are visiting a community and you want to talk about what is…

I want express my care and concern for the president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative, Jo Ann Emerson.

I guess I am also interested in--you tell me that you communicate with them, what do they say?

Agriculture remains one of the bright spots in our nation's economy, supporting more than 16 million jobs nationwide.

I appreciate your testimony. Thank you for joining us today.

This issue of the lesser prairie chicken or endangered species, and now the more recent clean power plan, what is wrong with those whose suggestion is just have the utility companies raise the rates?

The point I would make, and ask you to agree or disagree, is I often think of this issue of the order of 2011 as an impediment toward a telephone company's ability to repay loans that already are in existence to RUS.

The topic of today's hearing is Rural Development.