WASHINGTON - In a weekly video address, Senator Chuck Grassley said continued investment in wind energy production emphasizes the value and the success of the federal production tax credit.

Click here for the audio.

Here is the text of Grassley's address:

This week, Iowa's largest energy company announced it will seek to add enough wind generation in Iowa by the end of 2015 to require an additional 656 wind turbines in Iowa.

This investment is more good news about wind energy production.  It emphasizes the value and the success of the federal production tax credit.

Wind energy is proving that it's a force in America's energy supply -- providing clean, renewable, and home-grown power.  Wind energy comes from local farms, it's for local customers and, most often, adds investment value to local communities.

Nationwide, the wind-energy industry supports 75,000 jobs.  Iowa ranks second among all states for wind production, and there are 6,000 wind-energy related jobs in Iowa.

I've worked to extend the wind energy production tax credit numerous times since I first authored it as part of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.  Producers are eligible for a tax credit for each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a qualified project during the first 10 years of operations.  Right now, the tax credit is 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The wind-energy production tax credit is available when wind energy is produced, so it's tax relief that rewards results.

 

Simon calls on House to pass revised Statement of Economic Interests

SPRINGFIELD - May 9, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon applauded the Senate today for its 52-1 passage of Senate Bill 1361, legislation that will reform the state's Statement of Economic Interests form. The bill now moves to the House.

"The people of Illinois deserve to know if elected officials and high-ranking government employees are working in the public's interest or in their own self interest," said Simon, who served on the Illinois Reform Commission. "Increased transparency builds trust and I appreciate Sen. Dan Kotowski's (D-Park Ridge) hard work in moving this reform measure through the Senate."

The bill proposes a new disclosure form, known as a Statement of Economic Interests, which would require filers to list outside sources of income, lobbyist relationships and loans made or accepted on terms not available to the general public, for the first time. It also revises questions that allowed filers to answer "not applicable" to almost every item on the current version of the form introduced 40 years ago.

The new form, completed by tens of thousands of public servants each year, will be easier for filers to complete, thanks to the plain-language questions, definitions of terms, and clear connections to information found on tax returns and investment statements. Simon collaborated on the bill with government watchdog groups, and it has received bipartisan support.

Cook County Clerk David Orr, whose office created an online Statement of Economic Interests database to improve transparency, worked with Lt. Governor Simon to overhaul the inadequate disclosure forms and applauds Simon for her leadership. Analysis of the 22,000 local government respondents that filed with his office in 2012 showed that 87 percent answered "not applicable" or "N/A" to every question on the disclosure form.

"I hope the new form will provide better and more information than before," Orr said. "I'm eager to put this data online next year to shed more light on public officials' conflicts of interest."

The Illinois Constitution and Illinois Governmental Ethics Act require elected officials, high-ranking government employees, and political candidates to complete a Statement of Economic Interests each May. State government workers file with the Secretary of State, while workers for local units of government file with their county clerk.

The forms are supposed to expose existing or potential conflicts of interest, but the documents use such vague and cumbersome language that the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has called them "woefully inadequate" and "a waste of paper."

"I look forward to working with members of the House to help make Illinois more accountable and transparent," said Simon.

 

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ROCHESTER, IL (05/09/2013)(readMedia)-- The bond between a mother and her children is one of the most foundational, yet significant relationships between human beings. This connection is so profound that not even time and distance can separate a mother's love and devotion for her children.

Sgt. 1st Class Sarah J. Campbell, of Rochester, Ill., operations noncommissioned officer (NCO) of the 633rd Theater Gateway Personnel Accountability Team in Springfield, experienced this first hand when she was separated from her two children, Austin and Kiana, 10 and four respectively, while deployed to Kuwait with her unit from June 2012 to March 2013.

"I tried calling them every chance I got," said Campbell. "It was hard sometimes, hearing them continuing on with their day-to-day life and telling me their stories and what they did that day."

Campbell, nearly half the world away, relied on phone conversations and video conferencing to stay connected with her children. Campbell worked the night shift and was able to make calls on her breaks while it was daytime back home.

Campbell said she tried her best to be there for her children and admits she missed out on some things during her nine-month deployment. The most obvious to her were the physical and academic growth of her children.

The deployment was not only challenging for Campbell, but also her children.

"I really missed her," said Austin. "But I think it's cool that she's in the Army because she gets to shoot bazookas."

Although being away was difficult, the deployment to Kuwait provided Campbell time to reevaluate her priorities.

"I got to reflect a lot about my life," said Campbell. "A lot of my reflection had to do with my children. Sometimes life overwhelms you or kind of throws you off track and my deployment really helped me reflect on who I want to be as a person, a mother and Soldier."

It's difficult to balance the commitments of being a mother and Soldier, but Campbell has found a way to mesh the two. Her motherly instincts compelled her unit to give her the nickname of "mother hen" for the way she took charge during training.

"It is difficult juggling National Guard obligations with the responsibility of being a mother, but I feel they do compliment each other at times," said Campbell. "I think being a mother helps me in my role as operations NCO because it's all about taking care of people."

Campbell discovered a lot about herself while on deployment. That time was vital in defining her priorities.

"I would do anything for my children and for the military," said Campbell. "My children will always come first no matter what."

It has been said that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. In Campbell's case, ruling the world is not an aspiration, nurturing and protecting is. As a mother first and Soldier second, she has already set a solid example of what that looks like.

Sgt. 1st Class Sarah J. Campbell, from Rochester, operations noncommissioned officer of the 633rd Theater Gateway Personnel Accountablity Team in Springfield, and her children, Kiana and Austin, have fun at the Rochester Community Park May 6 in Rochester, Ill.  Photo by Sgt. Jesse Houk, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Special Board Meeting - 8:00 am
Conference Room 638, 6th Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Canvass of votes.

3. Other items of interest.

Special Committee of the Whole - 8:15 am
Conference Room 638, 6th Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Tour of Scott County Secondary Roads.

3. Other items of interest.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Special Committee of the Whole - 6:00 pm
Center for Alcohol and Drug Services

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Visit with Center for Alcohol and Drug Services Board.

3. Other items of interest.