Congressman: Resources will allow airport  to continue to grow and thrive     

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today announced that the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant will give the Eastern Iowa Airport $6,051,490 to expand and improve their terminal.  

"The Eastern Iowa Airport is a growing part of the Cedar Rapids economy and an essential part of the eastern Iowa community," Braley said. "These resources will ensure that the airport can continue to serve consumers and businesses all over the region."  

The grant will fund the first of four phases to renovate the main terminal lobby in the ticketing, waiting and baggage claim areas to improve passenger circulation and operation. More information can be found at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  

 

 

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WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today reminded producers that changes mandated through the 2014 Farm Bill require them to have on file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification (AD-1026). The Farm Bill relinked highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation compliance with eligibility for premium support paid under the federal crop insurance program. "It's important that farmers and ranchers taking the right steps to conserve valuable farm and natural resources have completed AD-1026 forms on file at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office," said Vilsack. "This will ensure they remain eligible for crop insurance support." For farmers to be eligible for premium support on their federal crop insurance, a completed and signed AD-1026 form must be on file with the FSA. Since many FSA and Natural Resource Conservation (NRCS) programs have this requirement, most producers should already have an AD-1026 on file. If producers have not filed, they must do so by June 1, 2015. When a farmer completes the AD-1026, FSA and NRCS staff will outline any additional actions that may be required for compliance with the provisions. The Risk Management Agency, through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), manages the federal crop insurance program that provides the modern farm safety net for American farmers and ranchers. Since enactment of the 1985 Farm Bill, eligibility for most commodity, disaster, and conservation programs has been linked to compliance with the highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation provisions. The 2014 Farm Bill continues the requirement that producers adhere to conservation compliance guidelines to be eligible for most programs administered by FSA and NRCS. This includes the new price and revenue protection programs, the Conservation Reserve Program, the Livestock Disaster Assistance programs and Marketing Assistance Loans implemented by FSA. It also includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and other conservation programs. FSA recently released a revised form AD-1026, which is available at USDA Service Centers and online at:www.fsa.usda.gov. USDA will publish a rule later this year that will provide details outlining the connection of conservation compliance with crop insurance premium support. Producers can also contact their local USDA Service Center for information. A listing of service center locations is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/contact/local/. Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit: www.usda.gov/farmbill. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

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This is an annual conference hosted by Worship Pastor Rod Querry at Calvary Church of the Quad Cities (4700 53^rd Street, Moline, IL) and is free, but registration is required.  Special speakers Pastor Tim Bowman, Pastor Kimberly Jones-Pothier, and Pastor Rod Querry will be joined by Guest Worship Leader Antonia Lawrence and Comedian Clayburn Cox Wednesday through Saturday, July 30-August 1, 2014.  Night sessions are from 6:30pm-9:30pm and Saturday's session will be from 9:00am-12:00pm.  The Calvary Café will be open before each session with a limited menu.  For more information and registration, go to www.deeperconf.com.

Governor Quinn Signs $1.1 Billion Capital Construction Bill

Shovel Ready Projects Will Create Thousands of Jobs and Drive Economic Growth

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed a new state capital construction bill that invests $1.1 billion in road and bridge projects to improve transportation and create jobs and boost economic development across Illinois, including the Quad Cities area. The bill, which follows Governor Quinn's successful six-year, $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, will deliver more than 210 projects and create an estimated 14,300 jobs. The legislation is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"With this investment in our state's infrastructure, we are immediately putting people to work, making our world-class transportation system even stronger and generating economic development far into the future," Governor Quinn said. "I applaud the General Assembly for passing the legislation, which allows us to begin making these much-needed improvements now in the Quad Cities area."

"After the historic winter we experienced, many of our roads and bridges are in desperate need of attention," Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Erica Borggren said. "This construction program is the shot in the arm that our transportation system and our economy needs."

The Governor today signed House Bill 3794, the capital construction bill, at the Circle Interchange in Chicago. The Governor also signed Senate Bill 3224, that provides the General Obligation bond authorization needed to fund the $1.1 billion worth of transportation infrastructure improvements.

Construction on many of the "shovel ready" projects has already begun this summer.

Investments in the Quad Cities area include :

·         $31 million to resurface 30 miles of Interstate 80 in Henry County.

·         $16.8 million to resurface Interstate 74/Illinois 110/Interstate 80 in Henry County.

·         $4 million to resurface 14.3 miles of Illinois 40 from Milledgeville to Coleta in Carroll and Whiteside Counties.

In addition to funding $1 billion in projects in the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) FY2015-2020 Multi-Year Program, the new capital construction program includes $100 million for municipal and township governments to improve infrastructure at the local level. The funding, distributed and overseen by IDOT, will help communities throughout Illinois combat potholes and make other critical infrastructure repairs.

Governor Quinn's Employ Illinois, an expansion of his efforts to train diverse workers for jobs in the construction industry and provide enhanced financial incentives to businesses that hire them, will be used in many of the projects funded by the $1.1 billion construction bill. Employ Illinois links job seekers with training and hiring initiatives offered by IDOT and the Illinois Tollway, and increases the incentive paid to contractors from $10 to $15 an hour for each program graduate they put to work.

For a complete list of projects in the capital program, visit http://www.dot.il.gov/opp/planning.html.

In 2009, Governor Quinn spearheaded Illinois Jobs Now!, the state's first capital construction program in a decade. The $31 billion capital construction program has been the largest in Illinois history, supporting an estimated 439,000 construction jobs. The program included $14.5 billion for highway transportation through 2015. To date, through the program dedicated for transportation needs, IDOT has awarded more than 6,500 projects worth $15.92 billion, creating and supporting nearly 200,000 jobs. These have included improvements to 8,188 miles of roadway and 1,402 bridges across the state.

Today's bill signing, combined with Illinois Jobs Now! and the Illinois Tollway's $12 billion capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, means the state of Illinois is carrying out one of the largest capital construction efforts in the nation.

Attached is a list of statewide transportation infrastructure investment projects.

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Governor Quinn Takes Bill Action on Monday, July 21, 2014

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:

 

Bill No.: HB 4284

An Act Concerning: Education

Modifies requirements for University of Illinois student trustee candidates.

Action: Signed

Effective: Immediately

 

Bill No.: SB 1098

An Act Concerning: Business

Modifies provisions pertaining to corporate dissolution.

Action: Signed

Effective: Jan. 1, 2015

 

Bill No.: SB 3130

An Act Concerning: Transportation

Establishes licensing requirements for certain unique vehicles.

Action: Signed

Effective: Jan. 1, 2015

 

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Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Strengthen Ethics Provisions in County Government

Law Helps Increase Accountability for Public Officials in Illinois' Collar Counties

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to strengthen ethics provisions in certain Illinois county governments. The new law helps these counties establish ethical guidelines and simplifies the removal process for individuals who violate those guidelines. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to making Illinois government more accountable, transparent and effective.

"Public officials should always be accountable to the public, regardless of how they attain their positions," Governor Quinn said. "This new law is part of our ongoing effort to make sure that all officials at any level of government maintain the public trust."

Senate Bill 3552, sponsored by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and State Representative Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake), allows county boards to adopt a code of conduct regarding the accountability, fiscal responsibility, procurement authority, transparency and ethical conduct of county appointees. It also sets forth a mechanism to remove county appointees who violate that code of conduct. The law applies to counties with a population greater than 300,000 but less than 2,000,000, which currently includes DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane and McHenry counties. The legislation was drafted because county boards do not always have the authority to remove appointees due to misconduct. The new law is effective Jan. 1, 2015.

"Everyone who serves the public should be held to the highest ethical standards," Senator Morrison said. "It shouldn't matter if you are elected, appointed or hired. If you violate the public trust, there should be a way to remove you from your position."

"I'm proud of this bi-partisan effort to improve accountability for local government," Representative Yingling said. "It shows that by working together, we can improve ethical standards and transparency for taxpayers."

Since taking office, Governor Quinn has made ethics reform a top priority. In his first official act, Governor Quinn signed an Executive Order establishing the Illinois Reform Commission. Later that year he signed ground-breaking campaign finance reform legislation into law that imposed Illinois' first-ever contribution limits on candidates, political parties and political action committees.

In August of 2009, the Governor launched the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal to provide people in Illinois access to state government spending information. The website makes the state's expenditures and employee pay data available through a single, searchable portal: Accountability.Illinois.gov.

Governor Quinn also launched a searchable clearinghouse of information from state agencies that helps inform residents about the operation of state government and encourage the creative use of state information, including the development of applications for mobile devices that can be built around the data.

An Executive Order signed by the Governor in 2010 encourages state agencies and local governments across Illinois to increase the amount of raw data they share with each other, businesses, academic institutions and the general public. The order makes data available to the public and further empowers the people of Illinois to make a difference.

Governor Quinn has also signed legislation to strengthen the Illinois Open Meetings Act by ensuring that a copy of the meeting notice and agenda is available to the public for the entire 48 hours preceding the meeting.

 

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