DES MOINES - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced today that his staff will visit all 99 Iowa counties this summer to discuss polices and collect ideas for increasing economic security in America.  The tour will center on four themes central to Senator Harkin's Chairmanship of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee: retirement security, paid sick leave, rebuilding American manufacturing, and increasing the minimum wage.  The "mobile office" tour begins June 6, 2013 in Indianola, Iowa.

"Congress has the ability through meaningful policies to improve economic security for working families in Iowa and across the country," said Harkin. "Throughout the summer, my staff will visit each county and talk to Iowans about the ideas I am promoting to shore up retirement security, rebuild our manufacturing base, and ensure workers have access to paid sick leave and to a fair wage.  I hope that Iowans will attend these events and share their ideas for policies that would help their families."

Senator Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has introduced four initiatives his staff will discuss during the tour:

Real Retirement Security: The Universal, Secure, and Adaptable ("USA") Retirement Fund. USA Retirement Funds combine the advantages of traditional pensions - e.g., lifetime income benefits and pooled, professional management - with the portability and ease for employers of a 401(k).  That will give middle class families the opportunity to earn secure retirement benefit that they take with them as they change jobs and that they cannot outlive.  Importantly, USA Retirement Funds also make it simple for employers to offer a benefit without having to take on all of the risk and administrative burden.

Allowing Workers to Earn Paid Sick Leave: The Healthy Families Act. The proposal would allow workers to earn up to 56 hours (7 days) of paid sick time per year, by earning 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers can use this time to stay home and get well when they are ill, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventative or diagnostic treatment, or to seek help if they are victims of domestic violence.

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage: The Fair Minimum Wage Act. The proposal would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from its current $7.25?in three steps of 95 cents?then provide for automatic annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living. The bill would also gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers?which currently stands at just $2.13 an hour?for the first time in more than 20 years, to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage.

Bolstering American Manufacturing: The Rebuilding American Manufacturing Act of 2013. The proposal requires the President to establish a National Manufacturing Strategy to better utilize existing federal resources and effectively support American manufacturing.  Senator Harkin also supports President Obama's call to create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a public-private partnership to help manufacturing companies innovate, create new products, and improve the manufacturing process.

Each summer, Senator Harkin's staff visits each Iowa County to talk to Iowans about the issues impacting them and their families.  Staff will then post information on their visits on Senator Harkin's web site (http://harkin.senate.gov/)

A full list of events for this year's tour is still coming together, but all events will be advised to media by county.

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Kaplan University's Davenport campus will celebrate the graduation of 102 students on Friday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the RiverCenter Great Hall, 136 E. 3rd St. in Davenport.

Student Melanie Baumann, candidate for the master of science in criminal justice degree, will address her fellow graduates.

The May 2013 graduates of Kaplan University's Davenport campus are as follows:

About Kaplan University

Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (www.ncahlc.org) and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Kaplan University serves approximately 49,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 11 campuses in Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland and Maine, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Maryland, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri and Florida.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education Group and Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan, Inc. serves approximately 67,000 students online and through approximately 70 campus-based schools across the United States. Kaplan's higher education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan serves students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher education, test preparation, professional training and programs for kids in grades K-12. Kaplan, Inc., is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company and its largest division. For more information, visit www.kaplanuniversity.edu today.

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May 23, 2013 -- MOORE, Okla. -- New information is coming in on the damage caused by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. At the request of the Department of Emergency Management for the state of Oklahoma, Civil Air Patrol is flying the tornado paths capturing high-quality imagery to assess the damage from the storms. CAP is also deploying ground teams to go block by block, house by house and document the destruction.

"The damage is difficult to see and process," said Maj. Sam Ory, ground team leader for the initial response. "Before you get here and witness it, you really can't imagine a storm causing this destruction." The damage path in the Moore vicinity is estimated to be 17 miles in length and at its peak was almost 2 miles wide, with debris scattered more than 3 miles from ground zero.

CAP's Oklahoma Wing has flown five sorties taking several hundred digital photos at the request of the state. Wing aircrews flew over the track of the tornados that hit the Shawnee and Edmond areas on Sunday, and are currently flying sorties over the track of the storm that hit Moore and surrounding communities on Monday afternoon.

Two more sorties were flown today. 

Ground teams from CAP's Oklahoma and Kansas wings, at the request of Federal Emergency Management Agency, are taking images of every residence affected by the storm. CAP has additional ground teams responding from the Texas and Arkansas wings to assist in that task. CAP members from Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Missouri and Pennsylvania have offered to help as well.

Immediately following the tornadoes, members of CAP's Flying Castle Composite Squadron, Edmond Composite Squadron and Cleveland County Composite Squadron responded in numbers. They assisted in search and rescue in the hardest-hit areas and provided temporary communications support to the city of Moore and logistics support in the staging areas.

"More than 100 members from four wings are assisting with air and ground team efforts, and the number of requests is growing by the hour," said Lt. Col. Russell Davis, CAP's incident commander for the Oklahoma tornado response. "CAP's unpaid professionals are ever vigilant, trained and ready to serve our fellow citizens when disaster strikes.  Additional CAP volunteers from across the nation will join forces with us, as needed, to get the job done."

In addition to their flights for the state, members of the Oklahoma Wing are providing air and ground sorties to a combat camera team from Air Combat Command, which plans to do a story on military support of the ongoing relief efforts.

Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1941 with a 501(c)3 designation and pre-dates the Air Force. CAP consists of 61,000 unpaid professional members nationwide, and operates a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 26,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP is a force multiplier to the Air Force CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.

In response to passage of the Conference Committee report on education reform

DES MOINES, IA (05/22/2013)(readMedia)-- The Iowa State Education Association is pleased a compromise has been reached on the education reform package. We know there are pieces in the bill that will benefit Iowa's students and public schools tremendously. Allowable Growth is now set for the next two years giving school districts a reliable and stable budget stream to plan for class sizes, course offerings, and school technology. The Iowa Early Intervention Block Grant means that K-3 students will continue to receive essential learning tools that are needed to enhance and improve their chances for a good beginning in school; Home Rule was defeated which could have hindered our ability to maintain a statewide standard of excellence; the teacher leadership pathways will enhance the roles of educators in our schools; and the Legislature has provided an opportunity for educators to be involved in studying our evaluation system and recommending improvements.

While there are disappointing portions of the bill, overall we are pleased with the outcome. At the end of the day, this funds our schools and provides educators a voice in their profession.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of nearly 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!