12
Mar
2002
• American Rivers, an environmental group that fought expansion of locks on the Mississippi River, has closed its field office in Iowa because of budget problems. The office was located in the Kahl Building in downtown Davenport for the past three years and was also was active in wetlands protection, floodwalls along the Mississippi River, and riverfront improvement. Area environmentalists say the closing hurts because American Rivers and its local representative, Jeff Stein, had worked effectively to communicate its message to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. The closing comes just as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is set to hold public meetings on the locks study, which resumed last year. American Rivers will still continue to take an interest in local Mississippi River issues despite not having an office in the area.
• Advocates for Self-Government (http:// www.self-gov.org/) report that the IRS has reversed its years-long decline in the number of audited taxpayers. This past year the IRS audited one out of every 172 individual tax returns, a substantial increase from the previous year's one in 204. The increase fell solidly on low- and middle-income workers. Those with incomes under $100,000 faced a 22-percent increase in audits. Audits of wealthier taxpayers actually dropped. These numbers are still down from the past decade. In 1996, one in 60 returns was audited. The IRS says dramatic increases in the number of audits are being made possible by new computers and the hiring of 1,301 officers and tax agents in 2001, the first new hires in six years. Ironically, at the same time the IRS is doing a lousy job of providing accurate information to taxpayers. Last year, the IRS's own tests over a four-day period found that 37 percent of calls to the agency's toll-free "help" number did not get through. The same test found that IRS officials gave the wrong answer 47 percent of the time.
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has announced that he is accepting applications for admission to the United States' military academies for the class entering the summer of 2003. Harkin nominates 10 Iowans for each opening he has in the academies, with final selections made by the individual school. Harkin said he has informed high-school guidance counselors of the procedures prospective candidates must follow. The application period for the class entering in 2003 runs from March 1 through September 30, 2002. Harkin encourages all interested high-school students to contact their guidance counselors or write to his Cedar Rapids office to obtain an application packet. Questions regarding the academy program can be directed to Tom Larkin in Harkin's Cedar Rapids office. The address is 150 1st Avenue N.E.; Suite 370; Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401. The phone number is (319)365-4504.
• A bill recently endorsed by the Iowa Senate Ways & Means Committee would give taxpayers the opportunity to take a smaller refund or pay more than is due on their income-tax return. Senate File 2171 would create the Individual Underpaid Taxes Fund. Contributions to the fund would be treated as charitable donations and therefore would be tax-deductible. Committee Chair Larry McKibben, a Marshalltown Republican, proposed the legislation.
• The Generations Area Agency on Aging Care Management department is seeking help from area contractors for light to medium construction work for the frail elderly. Handy people are needed to help install handrails, handicapped-accessibility equipment, fixtures, and other items on a per-project basis. Project compensation is available through the Medicaid Waiver Program for those interested. Additionally, all must be bonded and insured. Helpers are needed in Scott, Clinton, and Muscatine counties. For more information, call Cynthia Knupp or Sheri Anthony at (563)324-9085.
• You can get detailed reports on nursing-home deficiencies and fines on the Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals Web site. Iowa law currently requires that nursing homes publicly post reports as they are made available. You can see for yourself at (http://www.dia-hfd.state.ia.us/reportcards/). You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the reports. Note that there is current legislation that would seal these reports from the public while any appeal process was underway. The idea was to prevent insurers from learning of alleged deficiencies and raising a home's premiums before an appeal can be heard.
• The Iowa Senate has voted 48-1 to lower the legal threshold for drunken driving to a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent. Legislative leaders expect the House to approve the bill as well. Many lawmakers have resisted giving in to what they consider federal blackmail when a Republican-led Congress passed a law requiring states to adopt a .08 blood-alcohol limit by the 2004 fiscal year or lose highway project money. Iowa stands to lose $47 million between 2004 and 2007 if it does not take action. If this bill is passed in the House and signed into law, Iowa could receive up to $2.4 million in "incentive" grants for adopting the .08 standard. A legislative analysis of the proposal's impact shows it would lead to the conviction of 519 more people in the 2004 fiscal year.
• The Tobacco-Free Quad Cities Coalition (TFQC) is beginning a program that will recognize restaurants that choose to be smoke-free. The Coalition has identified 133 restaurants in the Quad Cities that offer smoke-free dining. All of these restaurants will be provided with a certificate of recognition and a window-cling sticker to signify that it is a smoke-free establishment. To be classified as smoke-free by TFQC, smoking is not allowed in any part of the facility. You can see the list at the group's Web site at (http://www.tobaccofreeqc.org/).
• Advocates for Self-Government (http:// www.self-gov.org/) report that the IRS has reversed its years-long decline in the number of audited taxpayers. This past year the IRS audited one out of every 172 individual tax returns, a substantial increase from the previous year's one in 204. The increase fell solidly on low- and middle-income workers. Those with incomes under $100,000 faced a 22-percent increase in audits. Audits of wealthier taxpayers actually dropped. These numbers are still down from the past decade. In 1996, one in 60 returns was audited. The IRS says dramatic increases in the number of audits are being made possible by new computers and the hiring of 1,301 officers and tax agents in 2001, the first new hires in six years. Ironically, at the same time the IRS is doing a lousy job of providing accurate information to taxpayers. Last year, the IRS's own tests over a four-day period found that 37 percent of calls to the agency's toll-free "help" number did not get through. The same test found that IRS officials gave the wrong answer 47 percent of the time.
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has announced that he is accepting applications for admission to the United States' military academies for the class entering the summer of 2003. Harkin nominates 10 Iowans for each opening he has in the academies, with final selections made by the individual school. Harkin said he has informed high-school guidance counselors of the procedures prospective candidates must follow. The application period for the class entering in 2003 runs from March 1 through September 30, 2002. Harkin encourages all interested high-school students to contact their guidance counselors or write to his Cedar Rapids office to obtain an application packet. Questions regarding the academy program can be directed to Tom Larkin in Harkin's Cedar Rapids office. The address is 150 1st Avenue N.E.; Suite 370; Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401. The phone number is (319)365-4504.
• A bill recently endorsed by the Iowa Senate Ways & Means Committee would give taxpayers the opportunity to take a smaller refund or pay more than is due on their income-tax return. Senate File 2171 would create the Individual Underpaid Taxes Fund. Contributions to the fund would be treated as charitable donations and therefore would be tax-deductible. Committee Chair Larry McKibben, a Marshalltown Republican, proposed the legislation.
• The Generations Area Agency on Aging Care Management department is seeking help from area contractors for light to medium construction work for the frail elderly. Handy people are needed to help install handrails, handicapped-accessibility equipment, fixtures, and other items on a per-project basis. Project compensation is available through the Medicaid Waiver Program for those interested. Additionally, all must be bonded and insured. Helpers are needed in Scott, Clinton, and Muscatine counties. For more information, call Cynthia Knupp or Sheri Anthony at (563)324-9085.
• You can get detailed reports on nursing-home deficiencies and fines on the Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals Web site. Iowa law currently requires that nursing homes publicly post reports as they are made available. You can see for yourself at (http://www.dia-hfd.state.ia.us/reportcards/). You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the reports. Note that there is current legislation that would seal these reports from the public while any appeal process was underway. The idea was to prevent insurers from learning of alleged deficiencies and raising a home's premiums before an appeal can be heard.
• The Iowa Senate has voted 48-1 to lower the legal threshold for drunken driving to a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent. Legislative leaders expect the House to approve the bill as well. Many lawmakers have resisted giving in to what they consider federal blackmail when a Republican-led Congress passed a law requiring states to adopt a .08 blood-alcohol limit by the 2004 fiscal year or lose highway project money. Iowa stands to lose $47 million between 2004 and 2007 if it does not take action. If this bill is passed in the House and signed into law, Iowa could receive up to $2.4 million in "incentive" grants for adopting the .08 standard. A legislative analysis of the proposal's impact shows it would lead to the conviction of 519 more people in the 2004 fiscal year.
• The Tobacco-Free Quad Cities Coalition (TFQC) is beginning a program that will recognize restaurants that choose to be smoke-free. The Coalition has identified 133 restaurants in the Quad Cities that offer smoke-free dining. All of these restaurants will be provided with a certificate of recognition and a window-cling sticker to signify that it is a smoke-free establishment. To be classified as smoke-free by TFQC, smoking is not allowed in any part of the facility. You can see the list at the group's Web site at (http://www.tobaccofreeqc.org/).
