UPDATE:

We just received additional information from the US Postal Service detailing some of the proposed changes to postal operations in the current First Congressional District of Iowa.

In short, the Postal Service is proposing to keep open post offices that were previously at risk for closure.  Instead, the Postal Service is proposing to limit the hours of operation at a number of post offices.  View a detailed breakdown of the proposal - including the specific post offices affected (in the First District of Iowa only) - at the following link:

http://go.usa.gov/VvP

At 3pm CDT, the Postal Service will release a nationwide list of the proposed changes at the following link:

http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-network/welcome.htm#

 

Announcement is "a major victory for rural Iowans"

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement today after the US Postal Service announced that it was abandoning its plan to close thousands of post offices across the county and will instead reduce service hours at as many as a tiird of all post offices:

"This announcement is a major victory for rural Iowans who depend on their post offices to do business and connect with the world.  Post offices are a vital part of the rural Iowa economy, and we've worked for months to protect small town post offices from closure.  I'm glad that the Postal Service has heeded our call and will keep our post offices open.

"However, I am concerned about how severe the service cutbacks will be under the new proposal.  I'm going to closely evaluate its effect on post offices in Iowa."

The Postal Service has faced severe budget shortfalls and has weighed closing thousands of post offices across the United States for the past year.  In December 2011, bowing to public pressure, the US Postal Service announced a moratorium on all post office closures until May 15th, 2012.

The announcement likely means that 234 post offices in Iowa "under review" for closure will remain open.  In Iowa's First Congressional District, 22 post offices "under review" for closure will likely remain open.

# # #

Des Moines Register

By Jennifer Jacobs

May 8th, 2012

 

Those who know Bruce Braley well say one of his defining personality traits is doggedness. The former trial lawyer follows projects from start to finish, and staffers say he insists they do the same.

 

Braley's name is bandied about as a future U.S. Senate candidate (to replace Democrat Tom Harkin if he chooses not to run again in 2014, or to replace Republican Chuck Grassley, who is up for re-election in 2016).

 

"I think Braley is a rising star in the Democratic Party," said state Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield. "I believe he has shown some common sense in picking his fights. He doesn't run off willy-nilly at the head."

 

A panel of eight Iowa and Washington-based journalists organized by The Des Moines Register ranked Braley fourth in effectiveness out of Iowa's seven congressmen. That placed the three-term Braley above two colleagues with more seniority in the House ? Republican Steve King and Democrat Leonard Boswell ? as well as Dave Loebsack, who was elected at the same time as Braley.

 

Braley got off to a fast start in proposing and steering passage of legislation during his first two terms, when Democrats were in power. That's tougher this term, now that he's in the minority.

 

One accomplishment that Braley points to when he was part of the majority is reforming the way Medicare pays Iowa doctors, who have historically seen lower payments from Medicare than doctors in larger states. Iowans in Congress had sought to change the formula for years. At 3 a.m. on a Saturday in 2010, after hours of negotiations with Democratic leaders over the health care reform law, he helped secure an agreement to change the payment structure.

 

His staff noted practical accomplishments to benefit his district. When the 2008 floods washed out a bridge over the Cedar River in Waterloo that the Iowa Northern short-line railroad company used to carry goods, the rail cars had to make a 300-mile detour. That increased costs for manufacturers and farmers. Braley successfully pushed for money to repair rail lines knocked out by natural disasters. The railroad bridge reopened in late 2009.

 

Braley is also into plain talk. Lawmakers have made numerous attempts over the years to require the government to write forms and documents in easy-to-understand language, but Braley's bill, the Plain Writing Act, was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010.

 

He helped secure a tax credit for small businesses that hired unemployed workers. In Iowa, the credit assisted in the hiring of 104,000 people through the end of 2010, his aides said.

 

Braley ranks 87th in the lineup of the National Journal's most liberal to least liberal members of the House. He is more liberal than 80 percent of the House on social issues and 84 percent on foreign issues, according to the Journal analysis of votes cast in 2011.

 

Braley, whose father fought on Iwo Jima, champions veterans issues, and he has a remarkably good working relationship with Republicans on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, congressional insiders said. For example, Braley and a freshman Republican from Indiana did two field hearings last fall, one in Iowa and one in Indiana, on unemployment among veterans.

 

To help disabled veterans retrofit their homes, Braley co-sponsored a bill to expand a grant program. He worked with U.S. House Speaker John Boehner to help win House approval of the Andrew Connolly Veterans Housing Act in 2011. The proposal is now stuck in the Senate.

 

Meanwhile, to keep in touch with Iowans, Braley does a conference call with Iowa reporters on Wednesday mornings and sent out 278 news releases in 2011. He has visited every county in the 1st District in the past 12 months.

 

"He just does everything that he could possibly do. He has been fantastic," said Pat Sass, chairwoman of the Black Hawk County Democrats. "You couldn't find anyone that's more active."

North Fayette High School student's painting will hang in US Capitol for a year

 

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today announced that Kelsey Feldman, a resident of West Union and a 11th grader at North Fayette High School, is the Iowa First Congressional District winner of the annual Congressional Art Competition, "An Artistic Discovery."

 

The Congressional Art Competition, first held in 1982, is a nationwide high school arts competition sponsored by the US House of Representatives.  One winning piece of artwork from each House district is selected to be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the US Capitol Building in Washington for the following year.  In addition to having her artwork displayed in the Capitol, Feldman will receive two round-trip airline tickets to Washington, DC.

 

"Kelsey showed impressive talent and creativity," Braley said. "Her submission really stood out among her Iowa peers, and I congratulate her for winning this year's competition.  For the next year, as visitors, employees and officials pass through the Capitol, they will be able to enjoy Kelsey's outstanding painting.  I'm looking forward to her visiting us in Washington, DC."

 

Any high school student from the First Congressional District of Iowa was eligible to submit their artwork for consideration.  To enter, students submitted a digital image of their artwork via Braley's website.  The submissions were compiled into an internet gallery for public voting.  This year, 64 works of art from across eastern Iowa were submitted as part of the competition.

 

Full results of the 2012 First District Art Competition follow; to view all the pieces of art submitted in this year's competition, visit: http://braley.house.gov/art-competition

 

2012 Congressional Art Competition Winners:

 

1st Place

Kelsey Feldman

North Fayette High School

Streetlight

 

2nd Place

Amanda Whitfield

Davenport West High School

Beautiful Bridge

 

3rd Place

Lindsey Kite

Jesup High School

Flower Picture

 

1st Honorable Mention

Paul Knipper

Western Dubuque High School

Cocos en las Palmeras

 

2nd Honorable Mention

Hannah Pagel

Sumner-Fredericksburg High School

Our Heritage

 

3rd Honorable Mention

Allie Renner

Jesup High School

Follow the Spiders

 

List of Past Iowa First District Art Competition Winners:

 

2007    Jonathan Welser, Davenport

2008    Stephanie Tarnish, Davenport

2009    Mitch Doll, Davenport

2010    Emily Schroeder, Cedar Falls

2011    Krista Stork, Dubuque

2012    Kelsey Feldman, West Union

 

# # #

On April 26th, the US Department of Labor announced they were withdrawing a proposed regulation that would have severely limited the amount and type of work people younger than 18 years old could perform on farms.  As proposed, these onerous rules would have banned children younger than age 16 from using farm equipment like tractors and would have kept those younger than 18 from working in feed lots, grain silos, and stockyards.

As a longtime opponent of this proposal, I was relieved when I learned of the Labor Department's decision to withdraw it.  Its demise is a victory for common sense and for farm families across Iowa.

Any Iowan knows that banning young people from working on farms would strike and the very heart of agriculture in the Midwest.  Working on the farm is part of growing up.  It's part of our culture.

I started working on Iowa farms when I was in junior high.  Bailing hay, shelling corn, chopping thistles, walking beans, and detassling corn was exhausting - but it was rewarding.  We often shared a noon meal around the kitchen table.  It taught me the value of a hard day's work for an honest day's pay, and gave me memories I will always cherish.

Defenders of the Labor Department's proposed rule said it exempted children working on their parents' farms, so it wouldn't be a burden.  This made me wonder if these supporters had ever been to an Iowa farm.  Most of our farms rely on labor beyond immediate family members.  I know I spent most of my summers in the fields working for neighbors.

There are definitely hazards working in agriculture.  But few people are more aware of those hazards and how to minimize them more than farmers.  A balanced, common-sense approach to farm safety that focuses on education, safety training, and prevention is the answer - not a one-size-fits-all blanket regulation that imperils the ability of farms to function.

This was an important fight for Iowa agriculture.  And I'm glad the federal government backed down and made the right move for Iowa farms.

# # #

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today released the following statement in response to the United States-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement announced by President Obama in Kabul last night:

"I have serious concerns that the President's agreement with Afghanistan announced last night will lead to permanent American involvement there.

 

"For years, our nation's leaders have spoken about their intention to end the American presence in Afghanistan.  All that time, the end date has been pushed further and further down the road.

 

"We have accomplished the main objectives of our mission in Afghanistan.  Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaida has been marginalized, and the Afghan government has been stabilized.

 

"At some point, the Afghanis need to take control of their country's own future.  I believe that point is now - not two, ten, or twenty years from now.  We've already been in Afghanistan for more than a decade.  It's time to focus on strengthening America here at home."

# # #

Pentagon announced proposed cuts to Des Moines Air Guard facility in February

Washington, DC - Today, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) sent a letter to a bipartisan group of House leaders urging them to use the legislative process to reject a U.S. Air Force proposal that would lead to job and equipment losses within the Iowa Air National Guard in 2013.

The 132nd Fighter Wing out of Des Moines is slated to lose all 21 of their assigned F-16 fighters with a force reduction of almost 500 personnel. The 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City also stands to lose one KC-135 tanker aircraft.

"The units of the Iowa Air National Guard exemplify the highly efficient, cost-effective, experienced force our nation needs," Braley said. "Decisions to cut units in Iowa are bad for jobs and bad for national defense.

"The Pentagon's priorities are wrong, and I'll continue working alongside Iowa's elected leaders to stop this damaging plan in its tracks."

The cuts to the Iowa Air Guard are part of a larger effort to achieve $8.7 billion in budget savings, including cutting 9,900 personnel across the nation from the active, reserve and guard components.

Braley wrote to the leadership of the House Armed Services and Defense Appropriations Committees who are crafting legislation to approve funding and authorization decisions for the Department of Defense next year.

Text of the letter follows; a copy of the signed letter can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/ytk

--

 

April 27, 2012

 

Chairman Buck McKeon

House Armed Services Committee

2120 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515                         

 

Chairman C.W. Bill Young

Subcommittee on Defense

House Appropriations Committee

H-405, The Capitol 

Washington, DC 20515

 

Ranking Member Adam Smith

House Armed Services Committee

2120 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

Ranking Member Norm Dicks

Subcommittee on Defense

House Appropriations Committee

1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

 

Dear Chairman McKeon, Chairman Young, Ranking Member Smith, and Ranking Member Dicks,

As your committee considers defense authorization and appropriations legislation for 2013, I write with serious concern regarding the Air Force's recent decisions on force restructuring and its impact on the Air National Guard.

The combat aircraft retirements and personnel decisions discussed in the Air Force's recent proposal unduly affects the Air National Guard over the Active Component, and does not reflect an effort to support our national defense in a cost effective manner by maintaining the Guard and Reserve or taking a balanced approach to achieving budget efficiencies. The Iowa Air National Guard units in Des Moines and Sioux City exemplify the highly efficient, cost-effective, experienced force the Air National Guard provides. They've successfully deployed numerous times over the last decade in support of combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, while personnel have displayed their experience, expertise and proficiency in executing missions and maintaining their aircraft ready for future deployment. The Guard and Reserve are highly efficient forces, maintaining experienced pilots and performing many of the same missions of Active Component forces when activated, all at a much lower cost than the Active Component over the long-term due to their Guard status and different eligibility for retirement and other benefits. Air Force statements on the cost of the Guard ignores these lower life-time costs, and the proposed shifts of combat aircraft to the Active Component and elimination of missions in the Guard Component achieve significantly less savings than if the situation were reversed.

Secretary Panetta has stated the Guard and Reserve forces have proved their combat readiness and combat effectiveness over the past 10 years. These units have activated and served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside Active Component forces, while also performing valuable civilian support and homeland defense functions under the direction of their state Guard commands. As decisions are made to reorient our force and draw down our current combat commitments, we must work to maintain the readiness and effectiveness of the Air Guard forces to perform all of these functions, while also capitalizing on the wealth of knowledge and experience within our Guard and Reserve units to maintain the total force.

I recognize that the funding constraints we currently face require difficult decisions to be made in prioritizing the roles and resources of all aspects of the Air Force. I am disappointed that faced with these challenges, the Air Force chose to target one of the most efficient aspects of their force in finding reductions. I encourage you to take a balanced approach as cuts are made to the total Air Force and carefully consider alternative proposals that support the Guard and Reserve like those made by the Council of Governors, rather than Air Force decisions that protect the parochial interests of the Active Component over the total force.

I urge you to protect the National Guard and support its long-term viability as part of the force.   Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

 

Bruce Braley

Member of Congress

 

# # #

Labor Department announced it will drop proposed rule to limit youth labor on farms

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement after the US Department of Labor announced it was withdrawing a proposed regulation that would have made it more difficult for farmers and ranchers to hire youth to work in agriculture:

"The demise of the Obama administration's proposed rule to require children be a minimum age to work on farms is welcome news. A regulation prohibiting youths from working on farms would strike at the very core of agriculture across Iowa and the Midwest.  This is Iowa. Working on the family farm is part of growing up.  I know -- I remember many hot summer days I spent as a kid detassling corn in the fields. I'll keep working to ensure misguided regulations like this one don't see the light of day."

In December, Braley wrote to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis urging her to drop the proposed rule.

 

# # #

Obama will issue executive order tomorrow in Georgia

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement in response to the White House's pending executive order that will target aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions that are abusing federal student loan programs:

"After fighting our nation's wars, our veterans shouldn't have to fight exploitative institutions looking to make a quick buck on the backs of taxpayers.  Cracking down on deceptive practices by these bad apple educational institutions is needed to stafeguard taxpayers' dollars and to keep our veterans from being taken advantage of."

 

More detail on the Obama administration announcement follows:

 

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

April 26, 2012

We Can't Wait: President Obama Takes Action to Stop Deceptive and Misleading Practices by Educational Institutions that Target Veterans, Service Members and their Families

 

On Friday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America's service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. We have a sacred trust with those who serve and protect our nation. It's a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end.  That's why President Obama is committed to ensuring veterans and service members have the chance to get a college education and can find work when they return from service.

Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, there have been reports of aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions, particularly for-profit career colleges. For example, some institutions have recruited veterans with serious brain injuries and emotional vulnerabilities without providing academic support and counseling; encouraged service members, veterans, and their families to take out costly institutional loans rather than encouraging them to apply for Federal student aid first; engaged in misleading recruiting practices on military installations; and have not disclosed meaningful information that allows potential students to determine whether the institution has a good record of graduating service members, veterans, and their families and positioning them for success in the workforce.

Members of Congress have introduced legislation to address these issues, but the Administration believes we must do all we can administratively to protect veterans from these deceptive practices by improving the quality of information and services that these schools must provide.  These steps will help ensure that Federal military and veteran education dollars are well spent. Today's Executive Order will apply to a variety of military and veteran education benefits, including the GI Bill, Tuition Assistance Program, and Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program (MyCAA).

Today's Executive Order will:

  • Help Ensure Military and Veteran Students Have the Information They Need: The Executive Order will require that colleges provide more transparent information about their outcomes and financial aid options for students, which will help ensure that students are aware of the true cost and likelihood of completion prior to enrolling. According to the Senate HELP Committee, of the ten educational institutions collecting the most Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits between 2009 and 2011, eight were for-profit schools. Six of these schools had bachelor student withdrawal rates above 50 percent.  The Executive Order will require that the Know Before You Owe financial aid form, developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Department of Education (ED), is made available to every college student that participates in the Department of Defense's (DoD) Tuition Assistance program (nearly 2,000 schools). The Executive Order will also direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to encourage all schools?roughly 6,000 in total?participating in the GI Bill program to provide the Know Before You Owe form.  This form provides students with critical information on tuition and fees, the availability of federal financial aid, estimated student loan debt upon graduation, and information about student outcomes like graduation rates. Further, the Executive Order will require that students are provided additional critical information, including school performance information over time, consumer protection information, and key financial aid documents, prior to the use of their benefits through the eBenefits portal.  The VA will publically post on their website if schools who receive GI Bill benefits agree to adhere to the Executive Order.
  • Keep Bad Actors Off of Military Installations: There have been numerous reports of some institutions of higher education aggressively and inappropriately targeting military students.  The Executive Order will require the Department of Defense to set forth rules for how educational institutions gain access to military installations in the first place, so that service members are not targeted by institutions known for a history of poor behavior in recruiting and marketing practices.
  • Crack Down on Improper Online Recruiting Practices: The Executive Order will direct the VA to initiate a process to register the term "GI Bill," so that external websites and programs are not deceptively and fraudulently marketing educational services and benefits to program beneficiaries. For instance, some companies have set up websites that suggest that veterans' benefits are only available at a subset of schools.  The websites are also set up to resemble official government sites, and are marketed heavily at military installations and at separating service members.
  • Provide Veterans with a Complaint System: The Executive Order will require VA, DoD, and ED, in consultation with the CFPB and Department of Justice, to create a centralized complaint system for students receiving military and veterans' educational benefits. Currently, when military and veteran students feel that their school has acted fraudulently, they have no centralized system to file complaints, and federal agencies often lack access to information that will allow for follow-up enforcement or regulatory actions.
  • Improve Support Services for Service Members and Veterans: The Executive Order will require that colleges participating in the military and veterans education benefit programs do more to meet the needs of military and veteran students by providing clear educational plans for students, academic and financial aid counseling services with staff that are familiar with the VA and DoD programs, and the ability of service members to more easily re-enroll and/or receive a refund if they must leave school for service-related reasons.

 

  • Provide Students with Better Data on Educational Institutions: The Executive Order will require DoD, VA, and Ed to develop improved student outcome measures, such as completion rates for veterans, and a plan for collecting this data, which will be made available on Ed's College Navigator website. Currently, retention and completion rates cannot be broken down by veteran or service member status.  Given the unique educational needs of veterans, active-duty service members, and their family members, it is important to provide them with a more accurate picture of what success looks like for students like them. The Executive Order will also require better reporting on the extent to which colleges rely on various types of federal benefits for operational support.

 

  • Strengthen Enforcement of Student Protections: The Executive Order will require that VA and DoD strengthen the enforcement and compliance functions of the VA and DoD, so that, working in conjunction with the Department of Education, DOJ, and the CFPB, agencies (including law enforcement agencies with responsibility over fraud investigations) can effectively act on complaints of improper activity.
# # #

Republican subcommittee chair endorses adoption tax credit after Braley testimony

 

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today urged a Congressional panel to include an extension of the adoption tax credit in a tax extension package being considered by the House Ways and Means Committee.  If Congress fails to act, the adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012.

"Deciding to adopt a child is one of the most compassionate decisions a couple can make," Braley said.  "Unfortunately, it also carries with it significant financial costs.

 

"Renewing and expanding the adoption tax credit will help remove a barrier to more families deciding to adopt.    It's a small investment that provides a big return: getting more children into loving homes and out of the costly foster care system.

 

Rep. Pat Tieberi (OH-12) endorsed the adoption tax credit after Braley delivered his testimony, speaking of his experience with the Dave Thomas Foundation in Ohio.

 

Two weeks ago, Braley introduced the Making Adoption Affordable Act, legislation that would permanently expand the federal adoption tax credit to $13,360 and make it refundable -- allowing more families to take full advantage of it.  More information on Braley's bill can be found at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/yo0

YouTube video of Braley testifying before the committee can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWSI7_9XKAI

720p high-definition video of Braley testifying before the committee can be downloaded here: http://www.mydigitalmanager.com/index.php?a=ViewItem&i=7117

# # #

Washington, DC - This morning, Thursday April 26th, 2012, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) will testify before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on expiring tax credits about the importance of extending the Adoption Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit for wind energy.

 

Braley introduced legislation to extend the Adoption Tax Credit earlier this month.  More information is available at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/yo0

 

Braley has also pushed hard to pass a long-term extension of the Production Tax Credit for wind energy: http://go.usa.gov/yo8

 

TODAY, Thursday April 26th, 2012

 

Approx.                Braley Testifies Before House Ways and Means Committee

11:20am EDT      Testimony focuses on Adoption Tax Credit and Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit

Longworth House Office Building

Room 1100

Washington, DC

 

**LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE** The hearing will be live-streamed online at http://waysandmeans.house.gov

 

# # #

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