Southern Missouri is home to the farms and ranches that supply the safest, most affordable supply of food in the world. By working with members of both parties to make sure a safety net stays in place for our family farms and ranches, Jo Ann Emerson is helping American producers to continue to lead.

– Jo Ann is working across the aisle to assure that our Farm Bill programs remain solid and stable in the agriculture business, which is rife with risk and uncertainty. The ultimate goals of her work on agriculture are, first, to make American farms and ranches successful and, second, to see that they are safely passed to the next generation of producers.

– Fair markets are essential to the marketing of U.S. food products overseas. Jo Ann makes the concerns of Missouri farmers and ranchers her first condition when she considers trade agreements with foreign countries, and she is leading the congressional efforts to improve access to foreign markets in Cuba, Japan, Korea and elsewhere around the globe.

– Our producers deserve the best prices for their hard work, and they can’t get them when exaggerated charges pile up where they go to sell their crop. Jo Ann forces the Federal Trade Commission to stay on top of charges to farmers.

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As a wife, mother, and grandmother, the values our nation holds dear are important to Jo Ann. She understands that the morals we teach and uphold in Southern Missouri are the backbone of our way of life. That's why she has worked to defend the sacred institution of marriage and to protect the rights of the unborn. She believes those rights ought to be reflected in the highest laws of our land, the U.S. Constitution, along with the protection of prayer and our American flag. Jo Ann Emerson champions the Southern Missouri family at every opportunity.

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Keeping Us Safe

U.S. national security is a broader subject than ever before in our nation’s history. Jo Ann Emerson knows the defense of our nation depends on a strong, smart fighting force in addition to border security, robust intelligence operations, genuine diplomacy and, at home, the ready response of our finest first responders. She’s standing up for these principles every day.

– Jo Ann raised the attention of federal officials to the potential for a severe earthquake with calamitous effects in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. She’s coordinating federal, state and local efforts so the response to such a quake is ready at a moment’s notice, because that’s all the time we will have.

– Severe storms and natural disasters have struck at the heart of the Eighth Congressional District over the past years. In every case, Jo Ann acts at the highest levels to make sure the immediate federal response is swift and the resources are in place for rebuilding over the long term. Jo Ann is working hand-in-hand with agencies like USDA Rural Development to help every community invest in the warning sirens and emergency response infrastructure to stay safe in the worst storm.

– As Southern Missouri fights back against drugs and crime, Jo Ann secures federal resources for the drug task forces across our region. In addition, she speaks up for the Byrne and COPS grant programs that keep rural law enforcement, fire service and emergency response teams operating at the highest levels.

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We face unique challenges in rural America, where our economy is energy-intensive and our jobs and our homes may not even be in the same county. Jo Ann Emerson is working to bring every advantage to our Southern Missouri economy.

– USDA Rural Development is a key partner in our rural communities, providing grants and loans for infrastructure improvements that attract new employers and help Southern Missouri businesses grow.

– The university and research community in Southern Missouri is bringing new technologies and methodologies to the private sector at the same time we are training the innovators of tomorrow. Jo Ann works relentlessly to bring new opportunities to students, researchers, and businesses.

– Job training in a changing workforce is absolutely necessary to keep Southern Missouri’s edge in the global marketplace. Jo Ann has supported programs and funding that keep our workers at the very top of their productivity so we can keep the quality of life we know and love about our part of the state.

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A long-time member of the NRA, Jo Ann opposes gun control and supports tougher enforcement of laws already on the books. She is fighting to strengthen our private property rights and to limit the control federal bureaucrats have over not only our land, but our lives. In Congress, she has supported the exemption of off-duty law enforcement officers from the ban on concealed-carry weapons in Missouri. At the same time, she is an ardent supporter of the Houses of Worship law to protect speech in churches, as well as other freedom of speech issues. Individual freedoms are what have made this country great, and Jo Ann will continue to fight to keep America, and Southern Missouri, the land of the free.

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The costs of quality medical services, insurance and prescription drugs continue to climb, making access to care uncertain for every American who needs it. Jo Ann Emerson is working every day in Congress to bring solutions to the table that don’t cut benefits, but find ways to make health care accountable to citizens, and affordable for everyone.

– The SHOP Act and the Healthy Americans Act have received praise from businesses, advocacy groups and think tanks for their new approaches to health care insurance. These new approaches, which Jo Ann is advancing in Congress, make employers, state and local governments, and private citizens partners in private insurance. Every American ought to have access to health insurance and the regular, preventative care that goes with it.

– Prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada and Europe than they are in the U.S. even though Americans are the world’s best customers of pharmaceuticals. It doesn’t make sense. Jo Ann wrote and passed a provision in the 110^th Congress to allow everyday Americans to bring their high-cost medicines into the U.S. from other countries without worrying about whether U.S. Customs will seize their prescriptions. Next year, Jo Ann will be a leader in a renewed effort to allow wholesalers to bring price competition from the international market to America.

– On diseases from cancer to diabetes, Jo Ann is raising attention in Washington so the right research gets funded at our National Institutes of Health. Every year, patient advocates come to Washington for a special day to make the case for their loved ones – Jo Ann is an advocate for these families all year around. Funding is tight and time is short, but Jo Ann knows the importance of these programs.

– Generic medicine saves patients and taxpayers big bucks in the family budget and the federal budget. Jo Ann is working to find ways for even more generic prescription drugs – alternatives to some of the most costly biologic medicines – to find their way to market, unencumbered by lawsuits and delays.

– Every doctor knows the likely difference between using a treatment and doing nothing for a patient at all – but Jo Ann wants to give patients and providers more information about how treatments and medicines compare against one another. Evidence-based studies of comparative effectiveness can bring new insights to medicine while saving billions of dollars, and Jo Ann is leading the way for this effort.

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Jo Ann Emerson understands the service and sacrifice military families contribute to our great nation, and she is working in Congress to honor them every day. Funding for medical services and benefits is only the beginning: every member of our armed services – past, present and future – should command the best efforts of our government.

 – Wounded Warriors are first and foremost on Jo Ann’s mind. She supported key legislation to assure that every service member and veteran who seeks medical treatment gets the attention they need – and to make sure no one sweeps an American veteran under the rug. Physical and mental health care are essential to service members and veterans who need help, and Jo Ann insists that the VA and Department of Defense improve these services to deal with the changing times.

– One at a time, every veteran who calls Jo Ann’s office or walks through her door has an advocate who can help them deal with the mountain of paperwork and the federal agencies who are supposed to be serving them. No one from the Eighth Congressional District gets turned away, whether they need a simple explanation or someone to stick up for them to the VA.

– Education opportunities should never be denied to Americans who choose to serve our country instead of going straight off to college. On each piece of veterans legislation she considers, Jo Ann is working to expand the GI Bill and make it easier for our military men and women, especially reservists and National Guard members, to participate.

– Jo Ann wrote and introduced the Military Retiree Health Care Relief Act to allow a refundable tax credit for every veteran who pays a premium for Medicare Part B. This coverage ought to be available and affordable to every American who has served our country in uniform – no exceptions.

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America’s energy security is the challenge of our time. We have to wisely use the resources with which our nation has been blessed, and at the same time pursue innovative solutions for our future. Jo Ann Emerson is leading the way to a smarter, more efficient energy future.

– Alternative fuels are the future of American energy, and Jo Ann has voted for, cosponsored, and passed legislation to put American ingenuity in the gas tanks of our cars and trucks instead of foreign oil. New battery technologies, biodiesel and the next generation of ethanol are right around the corner, and they hold great promise for the U.S. consumer.

– At the same time, Jo Ann has an ironclad record of bringing U.S. oil reserves, natural gas, nuclear and coal technologies to market. Southern Missouri is a textbook example of how important energy is to the agriculture and manufacturing sectors of our economy. We can’t do it without American energy.

– Price gouging is never acceptable in a free market – and whether it’s an oil company or a national gas station – Jo Ann is making sure no one takes advantage of American consumers.

– When foreign countries see Americans lose their thirst for alternative fuels as gas prices fall in the autumn and winter, they know they will get another bite at the apple. Jo Ann believes we must bring U.S. fuels to market even when the price of a gallon of gas falls below $4. All year long, Jo Ann is pressing for development of new American energy.

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