Bettendorf – On Friday, February 15, 2013, from 5:30-7:30 pm, the Family Museum will host a grand opening of Fox Hollow, the Town Square and Farm exhibit gallery, for Family Museum members and VIP guests. This invitation-only event celebrates the completion of Phase II of a $1.3 million renovation. Members of the media are welcome to attend, and they may bring members of their immediate families if they wish. The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, February 16.

There will be a ribbon cutting at 5:30 pm sharp with the assistance of our Honorary Mayor of the Day, Payton, age 5. Payton and five other area children were winners of a drawing at the Family Museum to choose a mayor and five ribbon cutters for the VIP event. Mayor and ribbon cutters may be available for interviews prior to gallery opening depending on parent approval. Media is welcome to arrive early.

The Family Museum has completely transformed the Museum galleries with Fox Hollow, a friendly community where visitors can chat with a neighbor, shop for groceries, work in a garden, play in a treehouse, or wave to the mail carrier. Fox Hollow includes familiar features of everyday life, such as park benches, a streetlight, a grocery store, and a fire engine. The new cityscape will include a Post Office, Fire Station, Shoe Store, Ice Cream Stand, Pizza Parlor, Vet Clinic, and Harvest Market. At each location a friendly face greets visitors to tell them a little bit about their job. Penny the Mail Carrier loves to meet people in her community on her mail route, Sal the Pizza Man enjoys making fresh pizza for families, and Farmer George encourages kids to pick produce and help take care of the farm animals.

In the center of the Town Square is a large interactive kinetic sculpture designed and built by KidZibits out of Minneapolis. Guests can maneuver metal balls through the use of hand cranks up to the top of the structure where the balls then travel down ramps, spirals, and curves as the balls roll and ding and hit obstacles.

The majority of the renovation was completed by Exhibit Concepts out of Vandalia, Ohio (near Dayton). A representative will be on hand to answer questions at the opening event.

Fox Hollow encourages children to interact with the environment and to learn through exploration and play. Fox Hollow is a reflection of the Quad City community with its friendly people, bountiful resources, and iconic river way. The Family Museum staff would like to thank the community that inspired Fox Hollow and made this renovation a reality.

This Family Museum renovation has been made possible through the generosity of the following organizations: City of Bettendorf, Scott County Board of Supervisors, State of Iowa - Vision Iowa CAT Grant, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, Alcoa Foundation, Scott County Regional Authority, Riverboat Development Authority, Modern Woodmen of America, Dorothea LeClair Bequest, Family Museum Foundation, Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, 3M Foundation, Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, and Grainger.

PORT BYRON, IL - State Rep. Mike Smiddy (D-Hillsdale) invites residents to attend an upcoming meeting
of his Education, Economic Development, or Senior Citizen Advisory Committees. Advisory committee
meetings are open to all 71st District community members, and residents are encouraged to attend and share
their thoughts. Meetings are held in a roundtable format.

"These committees are an opportunity for me to hear firsthand from the community about the issues that affect
them the most," said Smiddy. "The insight and perspective I gain from these committee meetings will be
invaluable in helping me best serve this community in Springfield."

For more information or to RSVP, contact Smiddy's constituent services office at (309) 848-9098,
RepSmiddy@gmail.com, or toll-free at (855) 243-4988.

WHO: 71st District State Rep. Mike Smiddy

WHAT: Citizen Advisory Committee Meetings

WHEN: Tuesday, February 12th - 11:00 am: Senior Citizen Advisory Committee, Rock Falls Living Center, 2202 12th Ave.
1:00 pm: Economic Development Advisory Committee, Air Play Sports & Espresso, 115 E. 3rd St., Sterling, IL
4:30 pm: Education Advisory Committee, IEA Hall, 3307 E. Lincolnway, Suite 3, Sterling, IL

Thursday, February 14th - 10:00 am: Senior Citizen Advisory Committee, Coe Township Building, 9327 239th St., Port
Byron, IL

In a time when our economy continues to struggle and we face an unsustainable debt, it is more important than ever to hold Members of Congress accountable to the citizens that they represent.  Far too many Iowans are out of work or underemployed, and struggle each day to make ends meet.  At the same time, Members of Congress have not seen a pay cut since the Great Depression.  This is simply unacceptable. It is time for Members of Congress to chip in and do their part to reduce our debt.

The Constitution requires Congress to set its own pay levels, and up through the first half of the 20^th Century this was carried out on an as needed basis through legislation passed by both chambers.  However, since 1968 Congressional pay raises have been tied to measures of inflation and take place automatically unless Congress acts to block them.  In these difficult economic times, it is unacceptable that Members of Congress can automatically receive a raise while Americans continue to struggle.

I have introduced legislation to cut Members of Congress' pay and eliminate these automatic pay raises. The Congressional Halt in Pay Increases (CHIP IN) and Cut Congressional Pay Act, would cut Members of Congress' pay by 10 percent and repeal the automatic pay increases.  It is a commonsense proposal that would ensure Members of Congress make a personal contribution to getting our fiscal house in order.

I also believe it is unacceptable that Members of Congress continue to be paid without carrying out one of their main duties - passing a budget each year.  Since the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, Congress has been required to approve a budget by April 15^th each year.  The last time Congress succeeded in passing a budget was in 2009.  Hard working Iowans do not expect to be paid if they do not fulfill their job requirements and neither should Members of Congress.

This is why I was the second person in the House to strongly support the No Budget, No Pay Act in 2011 and am an original cosponsor of similar legislation this year.  This bill would withhold the pay of the members of either chamber of Congress that fails to pass a budget by April 15^th, thereby holding them accountable for getting their job done.  I was pleased to support a similar measure when it passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support on January 23^rd.  I am pleased that the Senate has also passed this vital legislation and the President signed it into law on February 4^th.

I came here to Washington to fight for hard working Iowans.  As part of my commitment to you, I will continue to fight to hold Members of Congress accountable and ensure that they are doing the job they were sent to Washington to do.  It is time to end the pay system that has prevented any cut in Congressional pay since 1933 - eight decades ago.

Now is the time for action.  To show the American people that Congress is serious about restoring fiscal discipline, we have to start somewhere. There is not a better place to start than with Members of Congress' own pocketbooks.

Expands online presence with @daveloebsack on Twitter

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today the launch of his redesigned website http://loebsack.house.gov. The newly updated website makes it easier for Iowans to get in touch with Loebsack, as well as learn about the issues he is working on. Loebsack and his congressional office will also continue to expand his online communications by Tweeting from the handle @daveloebsack. This additional method of communication will build on Loebsack's Facebook and YouTube pages.

"My website has been redesigned from top to bottom with the user in mind to provide a wealth of information in an easy to find manner," said Loebsack.  "As your representative, my number one priority is making sure that Iowans voices are heard.  I am excited about the launch of the new website and joining the 'Twitter-verse'.  I hope it makes communication with folks in the Second District that much easier."

Loebsack's redesigned website has also been optimized to load quickly on mobile devices, including both smart phones and tablets.  Dave recorded a video guide of the newly redesigned website.