FIRST ® LEGO® League: Come see Local Children Aged 9 to 14 Apply Research and Robotics To Explore the hidden but fascinating world of trash, from collection, to sorting, to smart production and reuse  with FIRST ® LEGO® League "TRASH TREK?" Challenge. The must also invent a solution to help our trash problem and create their own LEGO MINDSTORMS robot to accomplish trash-themed "missions" on a playing field, and show how well they practice FRIST LEGO League Core Values.

FIRST ® LEGO® League Junior: Come see Local Children Aged 6 to 9 discover the hidden (or not so hidden) world of trash exploring the real-world theme of sustainability. Teams will learn about simple machines as they display a model they built of LEGO elements with a motorized part. They will illustrate and present information through a Show Me Poster during the FIRST LEGO League Junior Expos.

The non-profit Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) is proud to be the organizer for the 8^th annual event hosted at the Putnam Museum & Science Center in Davenport.  Since 2009 when the first QC Tournament was held in Davenport with 13 teams, the program has continued to grow. In 2015-2016, there are 13 FIRST Robotic events being held in the Quad Cities reaching over 150 teams with 1,400 K-12 students supported by 300+ volunteers.

This is a fast-paced, high energy event that will be enjoyed by all ages and expose everyone to the exciting world of robots, engineering, computer program, creative problem solving and most importantly, TEAMWORK!

The events are free and open to the public.  Further information including a listing of 97 teams is available at:  http://www.qcesc.org/FLL/FLL-QC-Davenport-Coaches.html

Background:
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $22 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST^® Tech Challenge (FTC^® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^® ) for Grades 4-8; and FIRST LEGO League Junior (FLL Jr.) for Grades K-3 Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. Today, over 400,000 students in 87+ countries participate in FIRST. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

The Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) is in its 53^rd year of operation as a non-profit, umbrella organization representing ~20+ engineering, science and technical societies in the Quad City area with approximately 3,000 associated professional members.  The QCESC mission is "To Promote and support engineering, science, and technical professionals and associated societies in Quad City Region and To Encourage and support students to study in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related fields"..  Further information available at www.qcesc.org.

Dave Loebsack
Iowa's Second District

WASHINGTON - As part of their ongoing effort to provide a fiscally responsible solution to the growing financial, debt and economic crises in Puerto Rico, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the Puerto Rico Assistance Act of 2015.  The bill provides both responsible tax relief to workers and transitional relief to the Commonwealth without adding to the federal deficit or debt. Additionally, the legislation includes financial oversight intended to help Puerto Rico attain financial and economic stability, while respecting Puerto Rico's autonomy.

"Puerto Rico's financial and economic challenges, fueled by a sagging economy and dysfunctional bureaucracy, have been years in the making," Chairman Hatch said.  "And despite repeated attempts by Congress to clarify how the interplay between federal tax, healthcare and pension policies affect the territory's economy, we have been unable to receive audited financial statements from Puerto Rico or adequate information from federal health officials.  Federal taxpayers and the Puerto Rican people deserve better.  With this bill, we use what limited information we have to lay out a sustainable framework to improve Puerto Rico's finances and its economy by providing responsible tax relief to workers and transitional assistance to the territory's government.  The Commonwealth's problems will not be solved overnight, and I am hopeful the Administration and the leaders of Puerto Rico work with Congress to provide more transparency as we work to further address the current financial challenges."

"Puerto Rico's fiscal problems are the result of too much government spending and mismanagement," Chairman Grassley said.  "So, the question has always been how we help Puerto Rico help itself, with the information we've been provided, while ensuring that people like the 16,000 Iowans who invested their hard-earned money in Puerto Rico's tax free electric utility bonds, for example, aren't left holding the bag.  We need to make sure that Puerto Rico doesn't find itself in the same situation in the future.  This comprehensive bill should help ease the current liquidity crisis while creating a path that can lead Puerto Rico back to long-term fiscal responsibility."

"The Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority contained in this bill strikes the appropriate balance between respecting Puerto Rico's sovereignty and providing a firm backstop to ensure the necessary financial reforms are implemented," Chairman Murkowski said. "This will not only help Puerto Rico meet its immediate liquidity issues and give it the tools necessary to restructure, but also protect investor confidence."

Earlier this year, the Senate Finance, Judiciary and Energy and Natural Resources Committees held congressional hearings to examine the debt crisis in Puerto Rico and gain a better understanding of the territory's financial health. Despite repeated calls for audited financial statements, limited information regarding the fiscal and financial state of Puerto Rico has been available. The Puerto Rico Assistance Act of 2015 works to address the current financial crisis and provide relief to the people of Puerto Rico. The provisions were based on currently available financial data and information from federal health officials for the territory.

Bill text for the Puerto Rico Assistance Act of 2015 can be found here.

A summary of the bill can be found here.

ST. LOUIS (Dec. 9, 2015) –Having achieved U.S. soybean farmer strategic goals for market growth, the American Soybean Association's World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) transitioned its Bangladesh country programs to the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

"Demand for U.S. soy protein has taken off in this South Asian country that is the eighth most populous country in the world," said WISHH Program Committee Chairman Lucas Heinen, a Kansas soybean grower. "Soybean growers planned for such success when they created WISHH as a trailblazer for trade through long-term demand building in developing countries."

Bangladesh is home to more than 168 million people and has a rapidly growing middle-class economy. The country has purchased more than $500 million of U.S. soy in the last five years with those purchases accelerating in the last couple years.

Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is the next market that WISHH will transition to USSEC. Planning and coordination discussions have begun for a 2017 transfer.

The U.S. Soybean Export Council aims to maximize the use of U.S. Soy internationally by differentiating and building a preference for U.S. Soy while also keeping trade lanes open so international buyers have full market access to U.S. Soy.   The organization uses a global team of 130 members that work with numerous stakeholders including soybean farmers, exporters, agribusinesses, agricultural organizations, researchers and government agencies, to accomplish that mission.

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