Morthland calls HB5440: "ineffective and irresponsible"

 

MOLINE, IL...State Representative Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) pledges to vote against House Bill 5440, the proposed tax on satellite TV if the sponsors try to pass the measure during the upcoming Lame Duck session in January.

Representative Morthland calls the new 5% fee an "ill-contrived attempt to distract from the major issues facing our State." Morthland says that both his Springfield and Moline offices have been receiving many calls from constituents who are justifiably outraged at this new Springfield money grab.

"Here's another fee that will prove to be ineffective and irresponsible in our current economic condition. The budgets of hard working families and businesses are already stretched to their limits," said Rep. Morthland. "To make matters worse, this tax unfairly punishes rural residents and other downstate folks who only have access to the coverage that satellite television affords."

Proponents of HB5440 claim it will raise about $75 million, which would be used to bolster education funding. Rep. Morthland questions that revenue projection number, noting that an already struggling economy conflates projections and provides for decreasing tax revenues. Furthermore, Morthland claims that the tax is a thinly veiled attempt by Cable Television companies to unfairly hurt their competitors.

"Adding the tax to satellite TV bills would be like charging toll-way fees to airline passengers," said Morthland. "These customers are doing business miles and miles above the infrastructure that traditional Cable companies interact with. This tax is fundamentally unfair and misdirected"

HB 5440 passed the Senate on vote of 30-27. The bill is likely to be brought for a vote on the House floor during the upcoming January session.

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My Orchestra will be playing on New Year's Eve this year at the Rhythm City Casino.  This will be our first time performing at the casino, but definitely not the last!  The Rhythm City has hired my full orchestra to play the first Saturday of every month, starting in February.  We'll be debuting new music at each show, as well as playing our favorites from the 1920's and early 30's.  We'll also be debuting our new band name, so lots of great changes happening in 2013! 

Here are the details incase you're interested in coming out on NYE to hear my group.  Our last song will be Auld Lang Syne, just like the original version that everyone is so familiar with from years ago.

What:  Josh Duffee & His Orchestra's New Year's Eve Performance
When:  Monday, December 31st 2012
Where:  The Rhythm City Casino, Downtown Davenport Riverfront
Time:  8:00pm to Midnight
Age Limit:  21 and over
Cost:  FREE!
http://davenport.isleofcapricasinos.com/happenings-entertainment.aspx

The Rhythm City Casino food section will be open so you can have some dinner while we're playing.  Make a date of it and come out and have some dinner while you listen to us play some hot jazz from the 20's and early 30's! 

We hope to see you on New Year's Eve, and we hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too!

Sincerely Yours,

Josh Duffee

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

As some of you may have heard, circumstances have developed with Rev. Ron Quay's health such that he has felt the need to retire at the end of 2012. Ron is currently the Executive Director of Churches United, and had originally planned to retire at the end of 2013. He has devoted 10 years of his life to Churches United, and for that we are deeply appreciative.

One of his major accomplishments was his willingness to open Winnie's Place in December of 2006, which expanded the ministry of Churches United to women and children in need of shelter. A second major accomplishment was to lead the way for interfaith dialogue and understanding, which expanded Churches United's relationships with other people of faith through our six year radio show "Faith Talks" and by reaching out to non-Christian faith communities. We wish Ron all the best as he focuses on his retirement, his health and the healing process.

We would also like to share with you that Anne Wachal, who currently is the Associate Director and Program Manager for Churches United, has been asked by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors to lead Churches United as the Acting Executive Director during this transition time. Please keep Anne and her family in your thoughts and prayers as she graciously takes on additional responsibilities at Churches United.

We assure you that all of the Churches United ministries will remain intact as we continue to meet the needs of the community, but you may see a few changes taking place as we journey through this transition period together. It is our intent to continue to be a Christian ecumenical organization in ministry in the Quad City Area for another 50 years, and beyond.

Please keep the Churches United staff and the Board of Directors in your thoughts and prayers during this adjustment time. We are all looking forward to an exciting 2013!!

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement after the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was voted on by the House of Representatives.  Loebsack authored a bipartisan amendment that blocked retirement of the Iowa National Guard's 132nd Fighter Wing in the House-passed version of the bill and fought against allowing the proposed cuts to move forward in the final bill. For the first time, Loebsack did not sign the conference report and opposed passage of the bill. Click here to view Loebsack's floor speech.

"The men and women of the 132nd have fought for our nation time and again and are one of the most experienced and cost-effective units in the country.  When the Pentagon initially announced their short-sighted plan to retire the F-16s, I spearheaded the bipartisan effort to stop it because they could not demonstrate why it was a good deal for taxpayers or our national security. They still have not provided that justification.  I strongly opposed this decision and therefore could not support the bill.

"I am also strongly opposed to a provision that would affect the Pentagon's civilian workforce, possibly including positions such as those at Rock Island Arsenal.  The men and women at Rock Island Arsenal work every day in support of our troops and make essential and cost-effective contributions to our national security.  While savings and efficiencies can be found in the defense budget, arbitrary reductions without strategy or analysis, like what this proposal calls for, undermines national security efforts like those at Rock Island Arsenal and hurts good jobs and the local economy in the Quad Cities.

"While I cannot support the underlying bill because of these misguided proposals, I am proud to have worked to include many provisions that will support our military families, National Guard and Reserve, and the Rock Island Arsenal."

Specific Loebsack initiatives in the bill include :

Stops BRAC

• Congressman Loebsack fought against the approval of new BRAC rounds since the proposal was first announced.  The final bill prevents DOD from carrying out new BRAC rounds.

Rock Island Arsenal Workload

• Congressmen Loebsack worked to include language that directs DOD to identify the critical manufacturing capabilities provided by arsenals and determine the amount of work that is required to maintain them in peacetime which will be incorporated into a national security strategy for our industrial base.  It also requires the creation of a strategic workload plan to maintain arsenals' critical capabilities.

Housing Benefits Fix for National Guard

• Also included in the NDAA, was Loebsack's legislation that prohibits reductions in the rate of Basic Allowance for Housing for members of the National Guard who transition from full time National Guard duty to active duty or from active duty to full time National Guard duty. Under current policy, some National Guardsmen who make this transition see their benefits reduced at a time when they and their families can least afford it because of a policy that changes how their benefits are calculated.  This issue was raised with Loebsack by the Iowa National Guard Officers and Enlisted Associations and he acted to fix it.

National Guard Counterdrug Schools

• The legislation reauthorizes the National Guard Counterdrug Schools like the Iowa Guard runs at Camp Dodge (the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center). The Center provides critical training to local law enforcement from across Iowa and the country to help keep drugs off of our streets.

Travel Benefits for National Guard and Reserve Retirees

• The legislation includes a provision similar to bipartisan legislation Loebsack co-introduced to allow expansion of full Space Available travel benefits on military aircraft to "gray area" retirees (National Guard members or Reservists who are eligible for retirement but under the age of 60) and surviving spouses. This issue was also raised with Loebsack by the Iowa National Guard Officers and Enlisted Associations, and Loebsack has worked on a bipartisan basis to provide these benefits.

Pay Raise for troops

• As a member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, Loebsack worked to provide a 1.7 percent pay increase in pay for our troops.

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