Congressman's proposal helps current students with tuition costs, while providing relief with high levels of student loan debt interest

Washington, D.C. - Rep.  Bruce Braley (IA-01) today continued to roll out his College Affordability Plan by introducing legislation designed to help students and parents manage rising tuition costs, as well as provide relief to those facing significant student loan interest payments.

"The value of the American Opportunity Tax Credit and student loan interest deduction have declined significantly?while at the same time tuition and student debt levels are higher than ever?that's not right," Braley said. "These incentives need to have their value restored and indexed to inflation so that we're not facing the same situation in another five or ten years."

Braley is introducing the College Tuition and Debt Relief Act of 2014 today, which is designed to renew and extend tax incentives that help current and future college students afford rising tuition costs, while providing those with high student loan interest costs tax relief. Braley's legislation would:

1) Strengthen American Opportunity Tax Credit

The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) provides college students relief from the high cost of tuition. The AOTC is a $2,500 tax credit that can be taken to offset the cost of tuition, fees, and course materials for undergraduate students at two and four year colleges and universities. However, the AOTC is set to expire at the end of 2017. Braley's legislation would:

·         Make the AOTC permanent and increase the credit from $2,500 to $3,000

·         Index AOTC to inflation to ensure that the credit increases as tuition rises

2) Double Student Loan Interest Deduction

This important deduction allows student loan borrowers to deduct up to $2,500 on interest paid on their student loans. The $2,500 limit, originally established in 2001, has not kept pace with inflation or rising tuition costs, significantly reducing its real value. Iowa students graduate with the 6th highest average student debt of any state. According to the Project on Student Debt, the average debt of an Iowa college graduate is $29,456 and Iowa ranks 3rd nationally in the percentage of students who graduate with debt, with nearly 71% taking on student loan debt. Braley's legislation would:

·         Double the deduction from $2,500 to $5,000

·         Index the deduction to inflation ensuring that it will increase as tuition rises

Earlier this week, Braley unveiled the outline of his College Affordability Plan which contains four central components to help students, graduates and parents deal with rising tuition costs and growing student loan debt. The plan includes tax incentives, a grant program for current college students facing financial hardship, and a bill allowing students to refinance their loans at lower market rates.

Yesterday, after asking for and receiving hundreds of stories about Iowans' experiences attaining and paying back student loans, Braley shared those comments with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

For decades college tuition costs have been rising significantly. Student loan debt today totals $1.2 trillion, $864 billion of which is backed by the federal government. More than 70 percent of students who graduated from college in 2012 had student loan debt.

A copy of Braley's College Tuition and Debt Relief Act of 2014 is available online HERE.

Celebrate the autumn harvest by building your own scarecrow for display on Brucemore's historic 26-acre property during the Scarecrow Invasion. Scarecrow armatures are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (319) 362-7375 or visiting the Brucemore Store located in the Visitor Center. Armatures are $15 per individual, family, class, or non-profit organization; or $25 per for-profit business. Delivery is available for a fee to Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha addresses on September 25; all other scarecrows must be picked up at the Brucemore Store. The public is invited to witness the invasion, October 14 through 28, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Vote for your favorite scarecrow October 14 through October 22. Winners will be announced on October 23. View images of scarecrows from the past two year's online - http://www.brucemore.org/events/annual-events/scarecrow-invasion/.

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Slide over, sweaty mug of brutish beer; wine has stepped up its game!

In the past two decades, zins, cabs and chardonnays have soared in popularity among imbibing Americans. The preference of just one in four in 1992, its now the alcoholic beverage of choice for 35 percent of us, according to a 2013 Gallup poll. At the same time, beer has taken a tumble, from the favorite of nearly half of us to just 36 percent.

"Wine is an adventure in a glass - something other cultures have recognized for centuries," says Howard Kleinfeld, author (as Howard K.) of "Dial M for Merlot," www.DialMforMerlot.com, a fun novel about a lovelorn nerd whose world snaps to life with his first wine tasting.

"For a long time in this country, we viewed wine as an elitist beverage. Just to be eligible to uncork a bottle required a scary level of sophistication. I have great respect for connoisseurs and the sommeliers, but if you've ever attended a wine tasting, you quickly see wine is actually the great equalizer."

For those who've never visited a vineyard or sipped a Gewurztraminer, Kleinfeld offers these tips to free up your palate -- and your psyche -- for a full-bodied experience.

1.  What's the best wine?
You'll find all kinds of lists purporting to distill the top 10 or top 100 best wines of the thousands upon thousands of new releases each year. They are a wonderful resource for information and a great starting point, but there is no substitute for personal exploration.
"The best wine is always whatever's in your glass at the moment," Kleinfeld says, "unless whatever's in your glass makes you grimace, in which case ..."

2.  Don't drink it if it doesn't make you happy.
Life really is too short to not make the most of every moment - and every sensual experience.
"I learned that in 2007 when I was diagnosed with throat cancer at, what I felt was, a very young age," Kleinfeld says. "I got through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation with the love and support of my family and friends, but I lost my sense of taste for a few years."
Cancer-free and with all of his senses intact, Kleinfeld says he has resolved to enjoy every sip of life.
"Don't waste your time on wine you don't enjoy. Save it for cooking," he says. "Drink something that puts a smile on your face. And remember - there are all kinds of smiles."

3.  Go ahead and shell out $50 or $100 on a wine you just have to taste again.
A lot of us think California and Napa Valley when we think domestic wines, and while The Golden State is the No. 1 producer in the country (followed by Washington, Oregon and New York), every state now has wineries. That means that wherever you are, there's a wine tasting room within driving distance.
"If you go to a wine tasting and you sample something you absolutely love, something you know you want to taste again - maybe with a steak, which they don't usually have at wine-tasting rooms, go ahead and buy it," Kleinfeld advises.
"Forget that it costs three or four times what you (might) usually spend for a bottle of wine. Splurge. See tip No. 2."

4.  Forget the red with meat, white with fish and chicken rule - unless it works for you.
The idea of pairing red wines with red meats has to do with the bolder flavor of both. Fish and chicken tend to have milder flavors, as do many white wines.
"But there are so many exceptions to those 'rules' you may as well just toss 'em," Kleinfeld says. "They don't take into account the range of flavors of meat, fish and chicken, especially when you consider all the different ways they can be prepared. And if you're not a fan of Riesling, for instance, you won't like it no matter what you pair it with."
Be an adventurer, he advises. Open a few different varieties of wine when you sit down to eat and explore different pairings.
"The entrees and wines you best enjoy together are the perfect pairings for you."

About Howard Kleinfeld (Howard K)

Howard Kleinfeld is a full-time wine enthusiast, part-time foodie, and first-time author. His new novel, "Dial M for Merlot," www.DialMforMerlot.com, written under the pen name Howard K, follows a 30-year-old math whiz's intoxicating journey of wine discovery. Kleinfeld is a longtime singer-songwriter whose compositions/productions for advertising, TV shows and indie films have earned him Emmy, Telly and Addy, awards.