(DES MOINES) - More than 25 years ago, Governor Terry Branstad led the effort to build the new State Historical Building, where Iowans and visitors interact with historic artifacts and engage in educational and cultural experiences.

On the 25th Anniversary in December, Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds will serve as honorary chairs for the State Historical Building 25th Anniversary Gala, an event to celebrate this milestone and to raise funds for new exhibits in the State Historical Museum.

"I love Iowa and I love Iowa history," Governor Branstad said today during his weekly press conference. "In the late 1970s, when I was Lieutenant Governor, it was very clear that we needed to build a new historical building. After I became Governor, we took on that challenge and I'm now very pleased to celebrate this anniversary. I encourage all Iowans to join Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and me in supporting Iowa history."

The Gala will be at 7 p.m., Friday, December 14, 2012, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. RSVPs are required by contacting the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs at 515-281-7471 or HistoricalGala@iowa.gov. Holiday cocktail attire requested. Tickets are $100 per person or $75 per young professional (35 and younger). Gala Presenting Sponsors include Frantz-Hobart Management Services, Hy-Vee, John Deere, MidAmerican Energy and Musco Lighting.

As part of the Gala, an exhibition of 25 objects from the State Historical Museum's permanent collection will be on display - one artifact representing each year of the building's past 25 years. Photos, video and archived materials will be shown throughout the night to give Iowans a look a back, and two new interactive exhibits 99 Counties and Iowa History IQ also will be on display.

In addition, the Gala will feature Iowa entertainment including performances by Hot Club of Des Moines, Flying Pig Fiddle & Banjo and Decoy, while artists Gabriel Lueders and Van Holmgren will showcase works. Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds will offer remarks, and legendary opera singer Simon Estes will give a special performance during the evening.

The State Historical Building opened in December 1987 and is home to the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its two divisions - the Iowa Arts Council and the State Historical Society of Iowa, along with the State Historical Museum, the State Historical Library & Archives, the State Historic Preservation Office, the State Records Center and eight historic sites across Iowa.

Since its construction, the building has been a catalyst for investment and improvements in Des Moines' Historic East Village, bridging the capitol complex to the river and igniting the development of businesses and neighborhoods.

It also serves as a forum for cultural and civic engagement and is a hub for hands-on educational opportunities. It has hosted presidents and politicians, advocates and enthusiasts, and learners of all ages. And, it is a one-of-a-kind destination where Iowans and other visitors engage in meaningful experiences rooted in history and the cultural arts.

"Over the past 25 years, the State Historical Building has provided Iowans and other visitors with a wide range of resources ranging from academic and genealogical research materials to educational programs and cultural arts performances," DCA Director Mary Cownie said. "Today, however, people are searching for and receiving information in new and exciting ways. That presents challenges and opportunities for how we document and present Iowa history, and how we nurture and support the cultural arts throughout Iowa.

"Our goal with this celebration is to create a new platform that incorporates modern technologies into interactive museum exhibitions and programs," Cownie said. "We also want to engage students and other Iowans through the cultural arts in ways that ignite their imaginations and encourage them to be more innovative in thinking of the next big thing that will position Iowa as a leader in this highly competitive global environment."

More information about the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, the Iowa Arts Council and the State Historical Society of Iowa can be found on-line at www.culturalaffairs.org.

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The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state's interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.

It's doubtful that the country will be popping bottles of champagne on January 1, 2013?we can't afford it. But we will be throwing confetti printed by the Federal Reserve over a cliff.

As of November 27, 2012, the country's debt was $16.279 trillion?just $115 billion below the $16.394 trillion statutory ceiling. The Treasury predicts that borrowing will reach the current limit near the end of December 2012. Right around the Mayan calendar "end date" of 12-21-12.

Apocalyptic prophecies aside, there are a number of things that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2012. One is the Medicare "Doc Fix," which postponed until Dec 31 the day that the rates at which Medicare pays physicians will decrease by 27 percent. Another is the "Bush tax cuts." On January 1, all income tax, estate, and capital gains tax rates will go up substantially, and millions more people will be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Then there are new taxes, compliments of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ObamaCare), some of which take effect in 2013. These include the Medicare surtax on so-called millionaires and billionaires, i.e., individuals making more than $200,000 a year ($250,000 if married), and a new 3.8% tax on capital gains and dividends, interest, and other passive income. The now infamous penalty-that-is-really-a-tax kicks in for those who don't buy government-approved health insurance in 2014. Another revenue-raising measure is a cap of $2,500 on previously unlimited Flexible Spending Accounts. This discourages Americans from taking personal responsibility for medical spending instead of relying on third-party payments.

And January 2 could ring in sequestration, that is, automatic budget cuts. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) authorized the President to increase the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion in exchange for some $917 billion in cuts, from 2012 to 2021, in "discretionary"?that is, nonentitlement?programs such as defense, education, national parks, the FBI, the EPA, low-income housing assistance, medical research, and many others. Unless Congress and the President agree to modify or repeal the BCA, spending reductions of some $109 billion per year with half coming from defense budget and half from nondefense are triggered. Sequestration for Medicare payments to health care providers and health plans is limited to 2%.

The President does not want cuts to his signature law, the inappropriately named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). It is, however, a financial disaster. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has projected a cost of $1.4 trillion over 10 years, but if we look at history, such projections are meaningless. In 1967, the House Ways and Means Committee said Medicare would only cost $12 billion in 1990. The actual cost was $110 billion. In 2010, total Medicare expenditures were $523 billion. Medicare spending has been forecasted by the CBO to increase to $922 billion in 2020.

Just the IRS and HHS costs to implement the PPACA, $20 billion over 10 years, exceed the House's initial estimate for all Medicare spending. And how can we afford a vast new entitlement when the CBO admits in an Oct 1 report, CRS Report R41390, that "even maintaining current funding levels for existing programs with an established appropriations history may prove a challenge under growing pressure to reduce federal discretionary spending."

In the PPACA, there are about 100 new programs with noble-sounding names or goals: for example, the program to facilitate shared decision making, culture change (to patient-centered care), the Elder Justice Coordinating Council, the Offices of Minority Health, and the Offices on Women's Health. But none have been evaluated for effectiveness before we start pouring money into them. Under the circumstances, I think we should add more funds to the newly minted Centers of Excellence for Depression.

Fortunately, the PPACA's discretionary provisions are subject to the congressional appropriations process, which can potentially defund a program. Additionally, appropriations are needed for administrative costs associated with even exempt programs. Thus, Congress has the power to back off from the PPACA contribution to the cliff, if it has the will to do so.

The cliff, however, is not going away. Cliff diving, anyone?

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http://www.aapsonline.org/

New Law Saves Taxpayer Dollars, Sets General Election on April 9 to Coincide with Local Elections

CHICAGO - December 2, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to allow the upcoming special general election to fill the 2nd Congressional District seat formerly held by Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., to coincide with previously scheduled local elections on April 9, 2013. The new law will save taxpayer dollars and empower voters as they elect a new representative to the 113th Congress. The governor proposed the change last week, and lawmakers passed legislation including the proposal during the recent veto session.

"I want to thank the General Assembly for acting swiftly to ensure that this special election is fair to the electorate and as economical as possible for taxpayers," Governor Quinn said. "This new law will save taxpayer dollars and help encourage greater participation on Election Day as voters choose their next leader to represent Illinois' 2nd Congressional District."

The new legislation ensures that both the special general election and special primary election for the 2nd District seat will take place on days when local elections are already being held, allowing for substantial taxpayer savings. Under previous law, the governor was required to issue writs of election within five days of a congressional resignation, setting a special election within 115 days of the writs being issued. In the case of the 2nd Congressional District seat, that timing made it impossible to set the special general election for April 9, the date for which local general elections were already scheduled.

Senate Bill 3338, sponsored by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), modifies the 115-day timing requirement to allow the 2013 special general election to coincide with previously scheduled local general elections set for April 9, 2013. Last week, Governor Quinn set the special primary election for February 26, 2013 to coincide with a day on which polls were already set to be open for local primaries in many of the 2nd Congressional District's county precincts. The governor will issue amended writs of election on Monday. Had this law not passed, holding a separate general election would have cost taxpayers an estimated $2.5 million, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

The 2nd Congressional District is comprised of 263 precincts in suburban Cook County, 169 precincts in Chicago, 85 precincts in Kankakee County and 27 precincts in Will County. Approximately 420,000 registered voters reside in the district, of which more than half are in suburban Cook County.

In addition, Senate Bill 3338 also makes a change to election law that gives candidates more time to file petitions for the 2013 consolidated election and provides local governments more flexibility to accept petitions. Previously, the final date to submit petitions fell on December 24, 2012. While Christmas Eve is not a state holiday, some local election authorities are traditionally closed, potentially hindering timely petition filing or resulting in additional unplanned expenses to local authorities. The new law increases efficiency and reduces costs by extending the final date to file petitions to December 26, 2012.

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Federal Funding will Upgrade Health Information Technology for 1,600 Providers Across the State

CHICAGO - December 1, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that $1.3 million in federal funding was awarded to three Illinois not-for-profit organizations to help them upgrade health information technology services in underserved areas of the state. The grants made possible by the Illinois Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) as part of its White Space Grant Program will connect providers in the Metro-Chicago area, Central and Southern Illinois. The OHIT anticipates the grants will enable more than 1,600 individual providers to connect with more than 48 health care organizations serving hundreds of thousands of patients every year.

"Upgrading our health information technology network is a critical part of our efforts to transform our health care system into one that focuses on wellness and keeping people healthy through better preventive care," Governor Quinn said. "Improving communication among providers is a key to this transformation. These grants are another important step in the direction of a fully connected Illinois and better patient care."

Federal health officials refer to "White Space" health care providers as those who are practicing in areas that are currently underserved by health information technology infrastructure.

The three grants totaling $1.3 million will be awarded to:

1.  Heartland Health Outreach, the Alliance of Community Health Services and the Chicago Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (CHITREC) in Chicago. Grant amount: $500,000.

2.  The Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network in Princeton. Grant amount: $495,120.

3.  Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale. Grant amount: $338,600.

Funding for these grants is made possible through the $18.8 million in federal funding awarded to Illinois in 2010 under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act as part of the HIE Cooperative Agreement Program. Illinois is using the funding to implement the Illinois Health Information Exchange (ILHIE), a network for the secure sharing of clinical and administrative data among health care providers across the state.

The ILHIE will allow for better care coordination among providers, reduced medical errors and duplicative tests, controlled health care costs, and improved health outcomes. The White Space grants will fill in gaps throughout Illinois and connect organizations to health information exchange services that would not otherwise be able to connect.

"Illinois' health information exchange network is only as strong as the volume and geographic diversity of providers connected to it," OHIT Director Laura Zaremba said. "Through these projects we are connecting providers in communities that need our assistance the most."

"Illinois is in an outstanding position to be a national leader in health information exchange for many years to come, " added ILHIE Authority Executive Director Raul Recarey, who will be working closely with these and other providers all across Illinois. "This is an opportunity to leverage our federal funding in a way that promotes connectivity and improves health care quality and care coordination among providers."

For additional information about health information exchange in Illinois please visit the ILHIE website at http://hie.illinois.gov.

About the Illinois Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT)

and the Illinois Health Information Exchange (ILHIE)

The Illinois Health Information Exchange (ILHIE) is a statewide, secure electronic transport network for sharing clinical and administrative data among health care providers in Illinois. The ILHIE allows providers to exchange electronic health information in real time and in a secure environment to improve health care quality and patient care. The Illinois Office of Health Information Technology  (OHIT) is working with the ILHIE Authority to support its development.