Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that five Iowa counties will receive a total of more than $124,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)  Counties receiving the grants include Appanoose, Des Moines, Johnson, Scott, and Wapello.  This funding will help Iowa's social service agencies feed and shelter those who are hungry and homeless.  EFSP funds are used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage, and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies.

"Far too many Iowans are trying to get back on their feet, and many still find themselves in need during these difficult times," said Loebsack.  "It is important to assist those who are struggling, and this funding will better equip our local social service agencies to do so."

Details of the funding are below:

• Appanoose County       $4,236
• Des Moines County      $14,232
• Johnson County            $33,106
• Scott County                $59,087
• Wapello County           $13,520

Are you a public or private school K through 12 teacher, youth organization leader, informal education professional or other organization delivering STEM education programming? Bring one or more of 12 specially selected STEM Scale-Up Programs to your local school, club, informal learning center and/or other educational entity to make a direct impact on children by allowing hands-on experiences with math, science, technology and engineering right in their community.

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Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Lt. Gov.  Kim Reynolds and UNI President Ben Allen today announced the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Scale-Up applications of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council are ready and available for educators, both formal and informal, to apply to bring one or more of these programs operating into a club or classroom this fall.

"This is a great opportunity to bring STEM to areas of the state that may not have had the ability to participate in STEM programming before due to lack of money or lack of staff," said Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds. "All Iowa youth should have access to programs like these - FIRST LEGO League, KidWind and others on this list - to spark passion for math and science as well as open their eyes to jobs and career choices in STEM they might not have thought of otherwise."

The 12 selected STEM Scale-Up Programs will be distributed through Iowa's STEM Regional Hubs. Scale-Ups were selected based on their demonstrated evidence of improving achievement and inspiring interest among pre-K through 12 learners as well as ease to replicate programming anywhere in the state. Educators will work with STEM regional managers to take these programs to their communities. [The programs are listed at the end of this release]

The application deadline is September 14, 2012. Those educators selected to receive programming will be notified by October 1, 2012 and can implement the programming immediately this fall.

The Iowa STEM Network is centered on six STEM regional network hubs, lead by a regional manager. The regional managers are charged with disseminating STEM programming, increasing STEM awareness and building education, business and community partnerships. The creation of the STEM Network and the ability to offer a menu of STEM programs to educators that would immediately impact children across the state are the first major actions of the one-year-old Governor's STEM Advisory Council, a public-private partnership whose overarching goal is to create greater student achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and a stronger STEM workforce.

"A STEM-ready workforce and STEM-savvy citizenry has been and can, again, be Iowa's brand on the competitive national and international economic landscape," said Jeff Weld, executive director of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council. "We are fortunate to have six unrivaled partners in our STEM Hubs, each ready to roll out the best our state has to offer for the benefit of learners across their region. Iowa is in a very strong place regarding STEM education."

The Scale Up Programs application, a map of Iowa's six STEM Regions, contact information for the STEM Regional Managers and a list of the 12 Scale Ups can be found at  www.IowaSTEM.gov.

For more information about the Governor's STEM Advisory Council go to www.IowaSTEM.gov

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ABOUT IMSEP: The Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) is the operations arm of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, dedicated to building a strong STEM education foundation for all Iowans. For more information about IMSEP or the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, go to www.IowaSTEM.gov.

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1.      A World in Motion (AWIM) - AWIM provides mathematics, science and technology curriculum and professional development to increase student performance, engagement and interest K-12 school students.  Website: http://www.awim.org/

2.      Fabulous Resources in Energy Education (FREE) - FREE allows anyone willing to educate about energy to borrow materials to teach about energy efficiency, energy basics, solar and wind energy, and hydrogen fuel cells.  Website: http://www.uni.edu/free-ceee/

3.      FIRST LEGO League -  LEGO robotics competition for children creates an environment where young people discover the fun in STEM while building self-confidence, know-how and valuable employment and life skills.  Website: http://www.isek.iastate.edu/fll/

4.      FIRST Tech Challenge - FTC is a challenging exploration of real?world problems using robotics and STEM concepts (i.e. computer programming, center of gravity, trigonometry, algorithms, calculus).  Website: https://sites.google.com/site/ftciowa/

5.      HyperStream - Technology Hub for Iowa's Students - HyperStream is a program that partners education and business, combines acareer awareness initiative with hands-on, real-world tech projects that students choose and develop. HyperStream is very focused on the project-based learning approach that education is prominently promoting moving forward.  Website: http://hyperstream.org/

6.      iExploreSTEM - iExploreSTEM is a series of coordinated free, hands-on, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) festivals that have the look and feel of a street fair or county fair planned to be held annually throughout the State. With the assistance of the iExploreSTEM team, communities will build local partnerships representing a diversity of stakeholders to produce a local STEM festival scaled to the resources of the community.  Website: http://www.iexplorestem.org/

7.      KidWind - The KidWind Challenge program in Iowa works with educators using WindWise Education curriculum in PD workshops, engages students in design and creates STEM interest and understanding at challenges or events, and connects teachers and students to careers related to wind power at the events.  Website: http://learn.kidwind.org/

8.      Project HOPE (Healthcare, Occupations, Preparation and Exploration) - Project HOPE (Healthcare, Occupations, Preparation, and Exploration) is a STEM-based curricular intervention that integrates academic and vocational opportunities designed to connect minority and low socioeconomic middle school students to the health science professionals early in their education including a curriculum designed for 8th grade science, career or social studies classes, teacher/counselor training, and parent workshops.  Website: No website

9.      The CASE for Agriculture Education in Iowa - CASE (Curriculum for Agriscience Education) hopes to increase STEM awareness and rigor and relevance of agriculture, food and natural resource subject matter through teacher professional development, student exposure to technology and a curriculum padded with 21st century skills, critical thinking and practice opportunities.
Website: http://www.case4learning.org/

10.    State Science + Technology Fair of Iowa - The SSTFI serves as a place where student researchers meet with professional researchers and communicate their findings from their own research or engineering projects and communicate their understanding of the research process.  Website: http://www.sciencefairofiowa.org/

11.    Partnership for Engineering and Educational Resources for Schools (PEERS) - PEERS, a business-guided program divided into four implementation levels for students (exposure, experience, mentoring, and potential employment), is geared to increase awareness of STEM careers and to increase the number of engineering and technology majors and professionals in the state.
Website: http://www.peersprogram.com/

12.    Corridor STEM Initiative (CSI) - CSI intends to increase the number of Iowa students that enter and succeed in the Iowa workforce by engaging students in exciting, inquiry-based, hands-on STEM programs that extend the classroom learning experiences.
Website: http://www.corridorstem.org/

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Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Loebsack toured farms affected by the drought to speak with farmers about how they have been impacted.  After viewing the conditions firsthand, Loebsack called on Speaker John Boehner to call Congress back into session to pass a long-term farm bill.  The current farm bill expires on September 30th and the House of Representatives has yet to take action on a measure to provide certainty to farmers and livestock/poultry producers.  Loebsack has called on Congress to stay in session multiple times to get critical work done.

"I call on you to immediately bring the House back into session and pass a reformed farm bill that reduces the deficit and also contains disaster relief for farmers and livestock/poultry producers," wrote Loebsack.  "I have been walking the rows with farmers since the heat wave and drought began to affect Iowa and now nearly all the counties I represent are experiencing extreme drought.

"Rural communities and small businesses throughout Iowa are heavily dependent on agriculture thriving - everything from coffee shops to manufacturers to equipment dealers.  A reformed farm bill that also addresses rural development is critical to the farm economy's prosperity and its contribution to economic recovery."

To view a copy of the letter click here.

Federal report details health, economic status of older Americans

Today's older Americans enjoy longer lives and better physical function than did previous generations, although, for some, an increased burden in housing costs and rising obesity may compromise these gains, according to a comprehensive federal look at aging. The report, Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well-Being, tracks trends at regular intervals to see how older people are faring as the U.S. population grows older.

In 2010, 40 million people age 65 and over accounted for 13 percent of the total population in the United States. In 2030, the number and proportion of older Americans is expected to grow significantly?to 72 million, representing nearly 20 percent of the population said the report, by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics.

Older Americans 2012, the sixth report prepared by the Forum since 2000, provides an updated and accessible compendium of indicators, drawn from official statistics about the well-being of Americans primarily age 65 and older. The 176-page report provides a broad description of areas of well-being that are improving for older Americans and those that are not. Thirty-seven key indicators are categorized into five broad areas?population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. This year's report also includes a special feature on the end of life.

Highlights of Older Americans 2012 include :

• Increased labor force participation by older women - Participation of older women in the labor force has increased significantly over the past 40 years. In 1963, 29 percent of women aged 62-64 worked outside the home; in 2011, that had increased to 45 percent. In 1963, 17 percent of women aged 65-69 were in the labor force; in 2011, that had increased to 27 percent. For women 70 and older, 6 percent worked in 1963, increasing to 8 percent in 2011. Some older Americans work out of economic necessity. Others may be attracted by the social contact, intellectual challenges or sense of value that work often provides.

• Declines in poverty, increases in income since 1974 - Older Americans are in better economic shape now than they were in 1974. Between 1974 and 2010, the proportion of older people with income below the poverty thresholds (less than $10,458 in 2010 for a person 65 and older) fell from 15 percent to 9 percent. The percentage with low income (between $10,458 and $20,916 in 2010 for people 65 and older) dropped from 35 percent to 26 percent. There were also notable gains in income over the period, as the proportion of people 65 and older with high income ($41,832 and above in 2010) rose from 18 percent to 31 percent.

• Increased housing problems -The most significant issue by far is housing cost burden, which has been steadily increasing over time. In 1985, about 30 percent of households with householders or spouses age 65 and over spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities. By 2009, the proportion of older people with high housing cost burden reached 40 percent. For some multigenerational households, crowded housing is also fairly prevalent.

• Rising rates of obesity - Obesity, a major cause of preventable disease and premature death, is increasing among older people. In 2009-2010, 38 percent of people age 65 and over were obese, compared with 22 percent in 1988-1994. In 2009-2010, 44 percent of people age 65-74 were obese, as were 29 percent of those age 75 and older.

• More use of hospice -The percentage of older people who received hospice care in the last 30 days of life increased from 19 percent in 1999 to 43 percent in 2009. The percentage of older Americans who died in hospitals dropped from 49 percent in 1999 to 32 percent in 2009. The percentage who died at home increased from 15 percent in 1999 to 24 percent in 2009. In 2009, there were notable differences in the use of hospice services at the end of life among people of different race and ethnicity groups.

Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well-Being is available online at http://www.agingstats.gov.

The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics was established in 1986 to improve the quality and utility of federal data on aging. This report assembles data to construct broad indicators of well-being for the older population and to monitor changes in these indicators over time. The effort is designed to inform the public, policy makers, and researchers about important trends in the aging population. The 15 agencies represented in the Forum include the Administration on Aging, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Veterans Affairs, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Health Statistics, National Institute on Aging, Office of Management and Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (Department of Health and Human Services), Social Security Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well-Being is available online at http://www.agingstats.gov and in limited quantities in print. Supporting data for each indicator, including complete tables, PowerPoint slides and source descriptions, can be found on the Forum's website. Single printed copies of Older Americans 2012: Key Indicators of Well-Being are available at no charge through the National Center for Health Statistics while supplies last. Requests may be made by calling 1-866-441-6247 or by sending an e-mail to nchsquery@cdc.gov. For multiple print copies, call 301-458-4460 or send an e-mail request to agingforum@cdc.gov.