(DES MOINES) - Governor Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds today highlighted the work progress of the seven-foot statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug being created by artist, Benjamin Victor, and announced the funding for the statue which will eventually be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

"Today, March 25th, would have been Dr. Borlaug's 99th birthday and his development of miracle wheat saved an estimated billion people around the world from hunger and starvation," Gov. Branstad said. "With the generous support of DuPont Pioneer and an anonymous individual, his statue will stand in honor representing Iowa in the U.S. Capitol building."

"With the creation of the Dr. Borlaug statue, we are seeing history in the making," Lt. Gov. Reynolds said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would like to thank the artist, Benjamin Victor, for sharing his tremendous talent with us to be enjoyed by the future visitors to the U.S. Capitol."

"Dr. Borlaug was not only one of Iowa's great innovators, but also one of the state's greatest humanitarians," said Paul E. Schickler, president of DuPont Pioneer. "It is my hope that the statue's placement in the U.S. Capitol will inspire future generations to be a part of solving this extraordinary challenge of feeding the world."

The Borlaug Statue Committee Chairman, Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, praised members of the Iowa legislature and Iowa's Congressional Delegation, of which Congressman Steve King and Congressman Tom Latham were in attendance, for their bi-partisan support of the Dr. Borlaug statue, noting they have been instrumental in facilitating communications with the Architect of the Capitol's office, which oversees the statues on display in the U.S. Capitol.

The Borlaug Statue Committee, who selected the artist and organized fundraising efforts for this project, has the goal of installing the statue of Dr. Borlaug in the U.S. Capitol building on March 25, 2014, the centennial observance of Dr. Borlaug's birth. It will be one of two statues depicting notable citizens from Iowa. The Dr. Borlaug statue will replace the statue of U.S. Senator James Harlan, which will be returned to Iowa. The second statue representing Iowa is of Governor Samuel Kirkwood.

Benjamin Victor is currently conducting an artist-in-residency at the State Historical Museum of Iowa, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. The public is invited to visit with Victor as he works on the sculpture 10 a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m. through Thursday.

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(DES MOINES)  - Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds today was named to the 2013 Republican Lieutenant Governors Association (RLGA) Executive Committee by the Republican State Leadership Committee President (RSLC), Chris Jankowski.

Priorities for the RLGA Executive Committee include growing jobs, improving education, supporting economic development and improving tourism.

"I look forward to using my position on the RLGA's Executive Committee to share the positive initiatives we're spearheading in Iowa," said Reynolds. "In using our best practices, other states will learn from Iowa's successes in job creation and education reform. In the same regard, I look forward to learning from other states as we apply additional meaningful economic development measures in Iowa moving forward. The states are leading the new reform efforts, and moving this country forward as a whole."

The full list of the Executive Committee includes: Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki - Chairman, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves - Vice Chairman, Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, New Mexico Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

The RLGA is the only national organization committed to raising money and assisting Republicans in their campaigns for Lieutenant Governor, an office that has served as a springboard to elected positions such as Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, or appointments to the President's Cabinet.  The RLGA currently claims 30 of the 45 Lieutenant Governor offices nationwide, a record number for the organization. Republicans currently hold 15 of the 19 independently-elected positions and 15 of the 26 team-elected/appointed seats.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today commended Congressman Paul Ryan for offering a budget that will balance and is sustainable.

"I applaud Paul Ryan for making the tough decisions to balance the federal budget, and return predictability and stability to the federal government," said Branstad. "It should not be too much to ask to have a balanced budget, let alone one that will balance in 10 years. If left unchecked, Washington will continue its path to financial ruin. Paul Ryan is offering a thoughtful budget and continues to show leadership. It is not fair to continue to pile up debt on future generations.

"In Iowa, we faced a significant budget shortfall, and we turned it around by restoring proper budget practices. We worked in a bipartisan manner to balance our budget, and it is time for Washington to do the same.

"America cannot spend our way out of this problem, and we instead must grow our economy. Paul Ryan's plan provides a solid foundation to grow our economy."

Reynolds noted the stability this will bring for job creators.

"Job creators in this country have faced too many fiscal cliffs, sequesters, and too much uncertainty at the national level," said Reynolds. "While the U.S. Senate has not passed a budget in four years, the Federal government has continued to pile up trillion dollar deficits. This lack of fiscal discipline and an inability to set clear priorities is not acceptable. The system is broken, and Paul Ryan's budget is a badly-needed fix that avoids placing a growing debt burden on our children and grandchildren. I am proud of Paul Ryan's courage and leadership, and I hope the U.S. Senate leadership will work in a bipartisan fashion to craft a balanced budget.

"The Ryan plan will replace the rigid, one-size-fits-all federal programs and instead offers states the flexibility to make these programs work for the people they serve."

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wrestling in Olympics

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today released a letter, co-signed by a bipartisan group of 33 governors, calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to keep wrestling an Olympic sport. After asking Iowa's congressional delegation to co-sign a letter to the Olympic committee, Branstad began focusing on bringing together governors in an effort to keep the great sport in the Olympics.

The letter, sent to International Olympic Committee Executive Board President Dr. Jacques Rogge, urges the committee to reconsider their recent decision to remove wrestling as an Olympic sport, effective in 2020.

"The Olympic Games are meant to provide a venue for people from all nations to overcome differences and forge lasting relationships and wrestling has contributed to these Olympic attributes," the governors write.  "We believe that renewing or renovating the Olympics should respect key Olympic traditions. We would also encourage a transparent voting system for future votes on which sports should be included as part of the Olympic Games. As public servants, we hold transparency as a sacred principle and we would encourage the IOC to abide by that same principle."

The following is the full text of the letter, including the bipartisan list of governors who joined Gov. Branstad in signing on to the letter:

 

March 5, 2013

Dr. Jacques Rogge

President, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board

Château de Vidy

Case Postale 356 1001

Lausanne Switzerland

 

Dear President Rogge:

As governors of states with rich wrestling traditions, we write to express our concerns regarding the recent decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to remove wrestling as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Olympic Games. We strongly urge the IOC to reconsider its position and vote to extend wrestling's long legacy within the Olympic Games.

Wrestling was a key sport in ancient civilization and its inclusion in the Olympics has continued to enrich the ongoing Olympic tradition. Early Olympic organizers recognized wrestling's unique and global importance by including the sport in the 1896 Olympic Games held in Athens. Wrestling has been a key part of the Olympic movement ever since.

The same spirit of competition that drove ancient wrestlers has transcended generations, and our states are the beneficiaries of this spirit. Wrestling accelerates character building. At its core, wrestling is an instinct and embodies the human qualities of hard work, discipline, and perseverance. Dan Gable, an Olympic gold medalist and former US Olympic wrestling coach, succinctly summarized wrestling's character building characteristics when he stated, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy."

Wrestling's positive impact goes beyond our states and the United States of America. Forms of wrestling have been important parts of cultures worldwide, including China, Ukraine, Japan, Russia, Turkey, and many other countries. Soviet and Russian wrestlers have won 77 gold medals at past Olympic Games. Moreover, wrestling federations exist in approximately 180 countries and the recent London Olympic Games had wrestlers from over 70 countries.

The Olympic Games are meant to provide a venue for people from all nations to overcome differences and forge lasting relationships and wrestling has contributed to these Olympic attributes. We believe that renewing or renovating the Olympics should respect key Olympic traditions. We would also encourage a transparent voting system for future votes on which sports should be included as part of the Olympic Games. As public servants, we hold transparency as a sacred principle and we would encourage the IOC to abide by that same principle.

We encourage your prompt reconsideration of your decision regarding wrestling. We hope that wrestling will continue to be an important part of the Olympic tradition.

Sincerely,

Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland Dave Heineman, Governor of Nebraska

Matt Mead, Governor of Wyoming

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