Washington, DC - Correct The Record released the following statement on tonight's GOP debate:

"Ten candidates trying to outdo each other on the same out-of-touch, out-of-date rhetoric isn't a debate, it's an embarrassment," said Brad Woodhouse, President of Correct The Record. "Even when you factor in the seven other candidates in the 5 o'clock cheap seats, there is little diversity to be found in the Republican Party's backward agenda:

  • "At the Kids' Table debate, 'abortion' or 'Planned Parenthood' were mentioned 19 times, while 'the Middle Class' was not mentioned one single time. At the Prime Time debate, they stepped up their game, managing to mention the Middle Class a whopping two times?but the obsession with attacking women's health continued.
  • "The GOP candidates failed to offer any ideas on how to move our country forward. Instead, they spit out the same extreme, predictable talking points we've heard for years. Although some were even crazier than usual:

o   Huckabee wants to tax pimps and prostitutes to "fix" Social Security, and wants to return the military's mission to "kill[ing] people" and "break[ing] things."

o   Jeb!'s economic growth quick fix? Repeal Obamacare, stripping healthcare away from millions of Americans.

o   Trump wants to build the hugest, classiest border fence in history.

o   Rubio went out of his way to stress that he is opposed to women's choice even in the case of the life of the woman.

o   And Walker wants to continue to fight marriage equality.

  • "As a candidate declared during the debate, 'If this election is going to be a resume competition, then Hillary Clinton is going to be the next president.' That's about the only thing we could agree with tonight.

"Put simply, the GOP's tarnished brand was on display tonight for the whole country to see, and the contrast with Hillary Clinton's forward-looking agenda couldn't be clearer. A Republican Party that wants to gut Social Security, gut women's rights, gut Obamacare and gut the middle class just isn't ready for prime time, no matter how many candidates take the stage." 

 

Correct The Record is a strategic research and rapid response team designed to defend Hillary Clinton from baseless attacks.

 

Correct The Record ? http://correctrecord.org/? Facebook ? @CorrectRecord

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Bernie's campaign for president has been generating big excitement across the country, and now Bernie is dropping by our headquarters in Davenport.

Here's the information for the event:

Sunday, August 16 at 1 p.m.
Meet and Greet with Bernie Sanders
736 Federal Street, Suite #2101
Davenport, IA 52803

WHITEWATER, WI (08/06/2015)(readMedia)-- The following students received degrees this spring from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Moline, Ill. - Brooke Marriott graduated cum laude with a bachelor of business administration in general management.

Bettendorf, Iowa - John Sokolik graduated with a bachelor of science in biology.

Students celebrated their achievements with friends and families at the commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 16, held in UW-Whitewater's Kachel Fieldhouse.

Students from the College of Business and Economics, the College of Letters and Sciences, the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Arts and Communication and the School of Graduate Studies earned degrees.

Students who graduated cum laude had a grade point average of 3.4 to 3.59. Magna cum laude students had a great point average of 3.6 - 3.84. Summa cum laude students had a grade point average of 3.85 and above.

CLINTON?On Saturday August 29, 2015, Clinton Public Library will host the first-ever Clinton Book Festival at the CPL-Lyons grounds and Foursquare Park in Clinton's historic Lyons District. This day-long festival will feature programs from Iowa Public Television's Dan Wardell and Iowa Poet Laureate Mary Swander, in addition to a wide range of book-related sessions with award-winning writers and artists from around the region.

The festival is organized into three concurrent sessions and the following writers and artists will be on hand for discussions and presentations covering a range of literary topics: Donald Harstad, Ann Morris, Kim Sigafus, Ryan Collins, Andrew Huot, Mickey Zucker-Reichert, C. Deanne Rowe, Maggie Rivers, and Lyle Ernst. Authors reading selections from their work throughout the day include : Jodie Toohey, Bob Dunbar, Cheryl Corbin, Stacy Mercado, Amanda McNeill, Amy Manneman, Aria Michaels, Misty Evans, Dionne Witt, Melinda Putman, and A. R. Miller. The festival will also feature food vendors, exhibits and information tables from authors and area organizations, live music from the Ron Tegeler Jazz Trio over the lunch hour, and the annual Friends of the Clinton Public Library book sale.

Clinton Public Library received a grant award of $3000 from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in support of the Clinton Book Festival. Other sponsors include the Friends of the Clinton Public Library, Clinton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sisters of St. Francis, Gateway State Bank, Citizens First Bank, and Lyons Business and Professional Association.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/clintonbookfest for Clinton Book Festival program details and schedules. Contact Brad Wiles at bwiles@clintonpubliclibrary.us or 563-242-9115 with any questions.

CHICAGO - Governor Bruce Rauner took action today on the following bills:

 

Bill No.: HB 439

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Amendatory Veto

Effective: January 1, 2016

Note: Veto Message Below

 

Bill No.: HB 1377

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: July 1, 2015

 

Bill No.: HB 1446

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 1516

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 2744

An Act Concerning Local Government

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: HB 2745

An Act Concerning Local Government

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: HB 3269

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 3334

An Act Concerning Local Government

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: HB 3533

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 3670

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 3895

An Act Concerning Government

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: HB 3896

An Act Concerning Criminal Law

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: HB 4074

An Act Concerning Transportation

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: HB 4130

An Act Concerning Land

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: SB 90

An Act Concerning Civil Law

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: SB 993

An Act Concerning Employment

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediate

 

Bill No.: SB 1228

An Act Concerning Health

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Bill No.: SB 1898

An Act Concerning the Secretary of State

Action: Signed

Effective: January 1, 2016

 

Veto Message for HB 439:

To the Honorable Members of The Illinois House of Representatives,

99th General Assembly:

Today I return House Bill 439 with specific recommendations for change.

Under current law, contract carriers transporting employees in the course of their employment are required to maintain uninsured and underinsured motor vehicle coverages of not less than $250,000 per passenger. This legislation would first increase the minimum coverage required to $500,000 per passenger by 2016, and then further increase the minimum coverage required to $750,000 per passenger by 2020.

Insurance coverages required under current Illinois law are already higher than coverages required by many other Midwestern states. Although it is important to ensure adequate coverage, we must be careful about the impact on the cost of doing business in Illinois.

Given that the legislation initially doubles the minimum insurance coverages, the further increase by 2020 is premature. Before pre-determining the requirement applicable more than four years from now, we should wait to examine the adequacy of then-existing insurance coverage requirements, whether there is a need for a further increase and to what amount, and how our requirements compare to other states at that time.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 439, entitled "AN ACT concerning transportation", with the following specific recommendations for change:

On page 2, line 16, by replacing ", and not" with "."; and

On page 2, by deleting line 17.

With these changes, House Bill 439 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR

 

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Connecting Iowa

I wanted to give you a quick update about some of the work I'm doing on one of my top priorities in Congress, boosting Iowa's economy.

Recently, I joined with Rep. Adam Kinzinger to introduce a bill that will increase access to high speed wireless service to help boost economic development, education opportunities and job growth in rural areas. The bipartisan legislation, called the Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act, would make it easier for small, rural wireless companies to provide service to rural communities.

The future of economic development in Iowa and across the country depends, in large part, on access to the internet and mobility. Over the past few months, I met with small business owners, farmers, and service providers across Iowa who have stressed the growing importance of mobile internet access. As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees telecommunications issues, I look forward to continuing to develop legislation that helps Iowa succeed in the 21st Century economy.

I look forward to staying in touch with you about these and other important issues.

Sincerely,

Dave Loebsack
Iowa's Second District

The American Queen will dock in Bettendorf at the Isle of Capri Marina on the following dates:

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Thursday, October 8, 2015

America Queen passengers will be disembarking for the day on a hop-on/hop-off shuttle that makes stops in downtown Davenport, Village of East Davenport, downtown Moline, and the Quad City Botanical Center.

The largest steamboat ever built, the grand American Queen has modern amenities, with all the opulence of the American Victorian era. Combining the best of the old and the new, this beautiful lady of the river epitomizes the grace and grandeur that has made river cruising a cherished American tradition for more than two centuries.  For more information about the American Queen, visit their website at www.americanqueensteamboatcompany.com.

PUBLIC TOURS OF THE BOAT WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE.  The docking of the boat provides a great opportunity to take pictures and view its beautiful architecture.

The schedule of the boat can change without notice.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has added to the number of State Department nominees on whom he intends to place a hold, citing a continued lack of responsiveness to his inquiries regarding what should be the public's business.  

"I will object because, in addition to the multiple inquiries I've made that are still unanswered, I sent another letter to the State Department today and the Department has failed to confirm receipt, yet again," Grassley said late Wednesday in his statement announcing the holds.   "In addition, my staff placed multiple phone calls to Department personnel to inquire as to the status of the most recent letter. Department personnel have failed even to return phone calls." 

Grassley said the new holds on 20 nominees for Foreign Service Officer positions come after he put the State Department on notice that if it failed to become more responsive, he would be forced to place holds on Foreign Service Officer candidates.  "My objection is not intended to question the credentials of the individuals up for appointment," Grassley said.  "However, the department must recognize that it has an obligation to respond to congressional inquiries in a timely and reasonable manner."

Earlier, Grassley announced he intends to object to any unanimous consent request to consider the nomination of David Malcolm Robinson to be Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization when the nomination reaches the Senate floor.  The objection comes over the agency's poor responsiveness to questions about personnel practices and conflict of interest management and proper email use and management.  In addition to stymieing Congress, the State Department also has withheld information from outside entities such as the Associated Press

Since June 2013, Grassley has sought answers from the State Department on its use of the Special Government Employee designation.  Grassley has written numerous letters to the State Department on these concerns and other related matters, adding questions as new developments warrant, such as Secretary Hillary Clinton's use of and top aide Huma Abedin's alleged use of private email for official purposes.  The State Department has been largely unresponsive.

Grassley's statement for the Senate record on his new holds is available here.

 

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starting next week, the Davenport Public Works Department will begin a resurfacing project on Harrison Street.  I am attaching a link to the story on our website Davenport Today with details of the project, the timeline for street closings, detours and costs. https://www.davenporttoday.com/government/department-directors/public-works/city-seeks-harrison-shutdown As this project gets underway it is our plan to use Davenport Today for weekly progress reports on the project.

WHAT: 12th Annual Xstream Cleanup

WHEN: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, August 8, 2015

WHO: Over 1,000 volunteers of all ages, some working in teams and representing businesses and organizations throughout the Quad-Cities

WHERE: Over 35 total sites are included for cleanups in the following areas:

•                    Iowa: Bettendorf, Davenport, LeClaire and rural Scott County

•                    Illinois: Hampton, Milan, Moline, Rock Island and Silvis

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