Sam Brownback links(The Hill) Tariff bill: From shoes and cheese to padded potty seats: The Senate Finance Committee’s tariff bill continues to provide amusing reading. Just a week after introducing a wealth of shoe-friendly bills that would make Imelda Marcos proud, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) has turned his attention to toilet training. Last Thursday, Brownback introduced three measures to suspend the duties on “padded potty seats,” “traveler padded-potty seats” and “contoured padded-infant potty seats.” That oughtta cover it. Spokesman Brian Hart said the amendments were introduced for the benefit of Mommy’s Helper, a business in Wichita, Kan.(Agape Press) Commentary & News Briefs: Kansas Republican Sam Brownback’s vote for the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate has cost him support among conservatives who oppose citizenship for the millions who have entered the country illegally. But in a recent appearance at the Family Research Council, Senator Brownback said, “What drives me is the faith within me.” He added, “I don’t want to face my Maker having not everyday tried to have done what I think is the right and moral thing to do, even if it’s politically difficult.” Brownback noted that immigration is just one of the tough issues facing the nation’s elected leaders, along with high gasoline prices, the Iraq war, and a proposed constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.(AP) Oregon’s assisted suicide law scrutinized in Senate hearing: Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden defended his state’s first-in-the-nation assisted suicide law Thursday at a Senate hearing – the first since the Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s law in January. Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican who is considering a run for president, called the hearing to explore what he called the “unintended consequences and slippery slope of doctor-assisted suicide.’ Brownback, who opposes assisted suicide, said he does not expect to introduce legislation this year, but is concerned that the Supreme Court ruling undermines “the culture of life” in the United States. “When the law permits killing as a ‘medical treatment,’ society’s moral guidelines are blurred,” said Brownback, chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on the constitution and civil rights.(Voice of America) US Senators Promote Improved US-Congo Legislation: A bipartisan group of US senators will promote legislation outlining US policy toward the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bill is spearheaded by Illinois democrats Barack Obama and Dick Durbin and republicans Sam Brownback of Kansas and Michael DeWine of Ohio. It promotes humanitarian relief, democracy, and clear management of natural resources as a means to encourage peace, stability, and free and fair elections next month. Pat Roberts links(Hutch News) Efforts could help end beef ban:Kansas U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said Tuesday that he’s hopeful a new round of lobbying efforts will help convince Japanese officials to end their ban on U.S. beef being imported into their country. Roberts and his colleagues in the Senate stepped up pressure on the Japanese last week to reopen their markets in a meeting with Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. and a letter to the country’s prime minister. The letter asked Japan’s leader to reopen the beef trade prior to his June visit to the U.(Topeka Capital-Journal) Roberts touches on new oil: Sen. Pat Roberts said Tuesday that the nation’s energy policy should support increased exploration and drilling of oil, remove unnecessary regulations on refineries and promote alternative fuels. Tremendous demand from China and India are contributing to the rise in energy prices in addition to inflation and the decline in the value of the dollar, the Kansas Republican said. “We need to drill and explore for new oil,” he said. “We have entered a new era.”Todd Tiahrt links(FarmFutures.com) Court Favors Creekstone in First Round of Trial: Creekstone Farms scored its first victory in a lawsuit challenging USDA’s decision to keep private companies from voluntarily testing cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson set a schedule that allows Creekstone to file a motion for summary judgment by June 23 and USDA will have until Sept. 15 to respond, according to wire reports. This is an accelerated timeline compared to most trials. For the third time in less than two weeks, Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., introduced his amendment on “USA Competitiveness” in the agricultural appropriations debate. This is an attempt to include language in the appropriations process to allow privately conducted BSE testing. However, because the amendment is a matter of authorizing language and not an appropriations issue, it was eventually withdrawn.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.