Here are today’s headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Immigration, etc.(Bloomberg) U.S. Wheat Farmers Face Grim Harvests as Immigration Bill Dies : The immigration bill that was killed by the U.S. Senate focused on the nation’s 12 million illegal aliens. To many farmers, the issue is more about such people as Thomas Murphy, an Irishman who leads a crew of combine operators from the U.K., cutting wheat across a swath of the Great Plains. Murphy’s crew and 2,500 other skilled, legal immigrants who come from places such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to cut grain are among the most productive workers in the U.S., gathering one-third of all the wheat in a $7.7 billion market. … “Farmers could get more wheat cut if we had more labor,” said Murphy’s boss, Lance Frederick, whose Alden, Kansas-based harvesting company dispatches the workers to farms. “You worry right up until harvest whether you’ll have enough.” Frederick was frantic when his foreman was rejected on the eve of the harvest. His combines were in Texas, and wheat doesn’t wait. “They don’t seem to understand we’re in a time-sensitive business,” said Frederick, who turned to Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas to help Murphy finally get his visa. Representative Jerry Moran, another Kansas Republican, said cutters often call him wondering when their crews will get there. “It shows how broken down our immigration system is,” said Moran. In an illustration of how thorny the issue is, Moran chose not to co-sponsor AgJobs. Borders, he said, must be secure first before other immigration woes can be tackled. (Harris News Service) Officials seek federal help with flooding: After visiting flood-ravaged southeast Kansas, including Chanute, 2nd District Congresswoman Nancy Boyda said she’s hopeful the federal government would aid the region’s recovery efforts. Boyda, who represents much of the affected area, joined other members of the state’s Congressional delegation Monday in calling for President Bush to quickly declare a federal disaster area for 18 counties in the region, including Neosho County. … Boyda joined (Governor) Sebelius and Kansas Congressmen Dennis Moore, Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt on a helicopter trip Monday to survey the flooding from the air and on the ground. The visit’s itinerary included stops in Independence, Fredonia and Chanute and flights over Fredonia, Coffeyville and Osawatomie. Speaking by telephone after the trip, Moran said he had little doubt that the damage would be extensive enough to warrant some federal aid.Rep. Jerry Moran (R) ![(Southwest Daily Times) Legislation aims at producing more wind energy:][4] Kansas has the third highest potential to generate wind energy and generates the 10th-highest amount of wind energy in the nation. There are currently three big industrial size wind farms in the state, two of them are in Southwest Kansas near Spearville and Montezuma, while the other one is east of Wichita near Butler. “I’m a supporter of renewable fuels and believe that wind energy is a component of them that ought to be emphasized,” U.S. Congressman Jerry Moran said. “I think that Kansas, and especially Southwest Kansas, has a lot to offer in regard to wind energy. The thing that we have to continue working on in Kansas with our utility companies, is to increase our transmission capabilities, because the difficulty in locating a wind farm in many places in Kansas is yes, we have plenty of wind, but we’re not close enough to the urban areas that utilize the electricity generated from the wind farms.” [4]: hhttp://www.swdtimes.com/swdtimes/2007/070107/story1.html