Congress

Name: Tracey Mann Party: Republican Current Office : none Positions on Issues Education: Bachelor, Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University Wife: Audrey Children: n/a Birthplace: Quinter Hometown: Quinter Religion: n/a Professional Experience: Real estate agent Farmer Membership/groups: ...

The impact of the sequester is hitting Wichita.  Starting tomorrow, the automatic spending cuts to Head Start kick-in.  The program offers free pre-school, child-care, and family services to lower income families. Five-year-old James Bruner has been coming to Child Start since he was three.  It's the local organization that runs the Head Start program in four area counties.  His mother, Elizabeth Bruner, says James isn't the only one to benefit from the program. "It has given me an opportunity as a mom to get out there and work and bring in another income, while he's at school," Bruner said.

The country didn't go over the so-called 'fiscal cliff', but your paycheck will still be smaller starting in a couple of weeks. That's because the payroll tax holiday is expiring. Congress lowered the amount workers pay in Social Security payroll tax in an effort to stimulate the economy during the recession. The tax dropped from 6.2% down to 4.2% two years ago. Orginally scheduled to last one year, Congress extended it for another year. At midnight on January 1, the payroll tax returned to 6.2%.

Four employee unions from the United States Postal Service are rallying in front of Congressman Mike Pompeo's office. The event is designed to send a message to Congress, as federal legislators are making major decisions about the future of the postal service. About 500 similar events were held across the country. The event is to raise support and awareness for a House bill that workers say would save thousands of jobs. It would change the way their retirement benefits would be paid for. Workers say it would keep the Postal Service in the black, so it wouldn't have to continue closing offices, consolidate processing centers or cut any more jobs.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - U.S. House ethics investigators have ended a review of Kansas Congressman Jerry Moran and the rent he pays at a Washington home. The Office of Congressional Ethics sent the Republican lawmaker a letter Thursday saying there was no probable cause to believe an ethics violation had occurred. The letter said the review of questions about paying below-market rent has ended. Moran's staff made the letter public. A group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an ethics complaint in April.

Wichita postal workers rally in front of Kansas Senator Pat Roberts office in downtown Wichita Thursday night. They want to bring attention to the possible new legislation from Congress that could be decided as early as next week. The Postal Service needs congressional authorization to shrink its delivery network and renegotiate labor contracts in order to save about $22.5 billion by 2016. Both the House and Senate have separate proposals for reaching that goal, but some fear they are not enough to address the problem.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Rep. Jerry Moran says complaints about Congress members living at a Washington D.C. townhouse come from people trying to stop public servants from practicing their faith. A government watchdog group last week filed an ethics complaint against Moran, Sen. Sam Brownback and seven other lawmakers, who they say are paid below-market rents to live at a house that is owned by a Christian prayer group. During a meeting Tuesday at Washburn University, Moran said he should be able to choose to study the Bible with colleagues if he wants to. And he says the low rent is for sparse accommodations.

Kansas redistricting caused confusions for lawmakers and the courts. And more than a month after the general election, it's still creating some confusion for voters too. A viewer named "Dave" from Comanche County says he's having trouble emailing his new congressman. Every time he types his zip code into Rep. Mike Pompeo's website, a message comes up saying the zip code falls in another district. Dave is among the thousands of Kansas voters who changed voting districts this year.  He switched from congressional district 1 to congressional district 4. The redistricting changes were made before for the November election, which means Pompeo's name appeared on Dave's ballot.   However, Tim Huelskamp remains his representative, for now. Here's the explanation from Pompeo's office: Even though the change was reflected on the ballot, it doesn't become official until the new congress is sworn in January 3rd.  That is why Dave kept getting the message.  Members of congress aren't allowed to contact  constituents outside their district.

What is the 'fiscal cliff'? What will happen to my taxes? Will I pay more next year? Americans have a lot of questions about what will happen early next year. Here are some answers. What is the fiscal cliff? It is a combination of budget cuts and tax increases totaling approx $650 billion. Included are the expiration of the Bush tax cuts and across-the-board cuts to federal spending. Where did this all start? The Budget Control Act of 2011 said that if Congress did not come up with $1.2 trillion in savings over the next decade, there would be automatic cuts and tax increases in 2013.

Comments by a candidate for Congress continue to generate controversy. The candidate is Tracey Mann. He's running in the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Jerry Moran in the Kansas First Congressional District. Map - First Congressional District At issue is an interview Mann gave to KSAL radio in Salina. In it, he says President Obama should prove that he's an American citizen: Interviewer: "Are you a birther?