Protecting seniors and disabled Kansans
- Derek led the effort in the Senate to toughen penalties on con artists who prey on senior citizens or disabled Kansans.
- Derek also helped craft the law creating the Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Unit in the attorney general's office.
Protecting consumers
- As an assistant attorney general for consumer protection, Derek prosecuted numerous con artists and scam artists and returned money to Kansas consumers.
- As a senator, Derek championed consumer privacy by helping write and pass the Kansas do-not-call law.
Defending children
- Derek wrote the law creating the crime of 'aggravated child endangerment' and later expanded the law to toughen penalties on drug dealers who sell to children.
- Derek wrote the law that lets victims of child pornography sue the pornographers who exploited them.
Fighting human trafficking
- Derek led the charge for a new law cracking down on human trafficking by creating the authority for courts to order human traffickers to forfeit their assets.
Lifelong Republican