Country supergroup Rascal Flatts brings a high-energy fan experience to movie theaters nationwide with Rascal Flatts-CHANGED: One Night Exclusive Theater Event on Thursday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:00 p.m. PT (tape delayed). NCM Fathom, Big Machine, and AEG Network Live present this in-theater concert and all-access event that will feature exclusive concert performance footage of the group's biggest hits, along with new music from their upcoming album entitled Changed. Additionally, fans will get a peek backstage for rare interviews with band members Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus. The event will also include a special Q&A session with the band, featuring questions submitted in advance by their fans via social media networks.
Tickets for Rascal Flatts-CHANGED: One Night Exclusive Theater Event are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.
Rascal Flatts-CHANGED will be playing at the following theaters in your area:
RVE Davenport 53 18 with IMAX 3601 E 53Rd St Davenport IA 52807 7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Iowa Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have today joined with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to introduce legislation that revives vital civil rights protections for older workers that were limited following the Supreme Court's decision in Gross v. FBL Financial.  Harkin is Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee while Senators Leahy and Grassley are the Chairman and ranking member respectively of the Senate Judiciary Committee.


In Gross, the Supreme Court overturned established precedent that had applied standards of proof the Supreme Court first set out in interpreting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA).  The Court held that because Congress did not amend the ADEA to include this standard when it codified the standard for race, sex, national origin, and religion claims as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the standard did not apply to age claims.  As a result of this discrepancy, the opinion has also had reverberations in a wide range of civil cases in addition to age discrimination, including discrimination based on disability.   

"Jack Gross's story is unique, but sadly, is not uncommon," said Senator Harkin.  "Prior to the Court's decision in Gross, the same standard of proof applied equally to all workers, regardless of the type of invidious discrimination they faced.  Ignoring these consistent standards, the Court's decision established a far higher standard of proof for age than for discrimination based on race, sex, national origin and religion, without any rationale or justification.  The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act will reverse the Court's decision and restore the law to what it was for decades so that Jack Gross and all older workers in this country enjoy the full protections of the law."

"The decision in the Gross case has had a major impact on employment discrimination litigation across the country.  It's time we clarify the law to ensure that other people like Jack Gross aren't put in similar situations.  Older Americans have immense value to our society and our economy and they deserve the protections Congress originally intended," Grassley said.

"This bipartisan legislation reaffirms the contributions made by older Americans in the workforce and ensures that employees will be evaluated based on their performance and not by arbitrary criteria such as age," said Senator Leahy.  "In these difficult economic times, hardworking Americans deserve our help.  We must not allow a thin majority of the Supreme Court to eliminate the protections that Congress has enacted for them."

"The Supreme Court's decision in my case significantly undermined well-established protections against discrimination for older workers," said Jack Gross, the Des Moines man whose case prompted the legislation.  "I am also concerned that this decision, with my name on it, is being used as precedent to undermine workers' rights under other civil rights laws, too."

"I am grateful and proud to have two tenured and highly-respected senators from my home state of Iowa leading the charge on this bipartisan bill to restore longstanding legal standards.  Congress has a long history of working together, on a bipartisan basis, to create a level playing field in the workplace, and I hope they will enact this legislation as soon as possible."

The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act will restore fundamental fairness.

  • The Act reverses the Gross decision and restores the law to what it was for decades before the Court rewrote the rule.  The Act makes clear that when a victim shows discrimination was a "motivating factor" behind a decision, the burden is properly on the employer to show it complied with the law.
  • The Act is modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis 93-5.  Among other things, the Civil Rights Act of 1991 codified the "motivating factor" framework for race, sex, national origin and religion discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • The Act makes clear that this "motivating factor" framework applies to all anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws involving race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability - treating all workers, and all forms of discrimination, equally.


The bill is supported by the AARP, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Partnership for Women and Families, and National Senior Citizens Law Center.

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Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary

"The Freedom of Information Act:  Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure

Information and the Public's Right to Know."

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

 

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing during Sunshine Week.

 

Open government and transparency are essential to maintaining our democratic form of government.  Our Founding Fathers knew this, as James Madison once said -- "a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

 

The Freedom of Information Act codifies this fundamental principle which our Founders valued so dearly.  So it's important to talk about the Act and the need for American citizens to be able to obtain information about how their government is operating.

 

Although it's Sunshine Week, I'm sorry to report that contrary to President Obama's proclamations when he took office, after three years, the sun still isn't shining in Washington, D.C.

 

Based on my experience in trying to pry information out of the executive branch, I'm disappointed to report that agencies under the control of President Obama's political appointees have been more aggressive than ever in withholding information from the public and from Congress.

 

There's a complete disconnect between the President's grand pronouncements about transparency and the actions of his political appointees.

 

On his first full day in office, President Obama issued a memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act.  In it, he instructed executive agencies to

"adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government."

 

Unfortunately, it appears that in the eyes of the President's political appointees, his proclamations about open government and transparency -- are merely words, which can be ignored.

 

Indeed, FOIA requestors appear to have reached the same conclusion. For example, when recently asked about President Obama and FOIA, Katherine Meyer, an attorney who's been filing FOIA cases since 1978, said, that the Obama administration

"is the worst on FOIA issues. The worst. There's just no question about it... This administration is raising one barrier after another. ... It's gotten to the point where I'm stunned – I'm really stunned."

 

The problem is more than just a matter of backlogs with answering FOIA requests.  Based on investigative reports, we've learned of inappropriate actions by the President's political appointees.

 

In March of last year, two weeks after this committee held a hearing on FOIA, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a 153-page report on its investigation of the political vetting of FOIA requests by the Department of Homeland Security.  The committee reviewed thousands of pages of internal emails and memoranda and conducted six transcribed witness interviews.

 

The committee, under Chairman Issa, learned that political staff under Secretary Napolitano corrupted the agency's FOIA compliance procedures, exerted pressure on FOIA compliance officers, and undermined the federal government's accountability to the American people.  The report's findings are disturbing.  I'll just summarize four of them.

 

First, the report finds that by the end of September 2009, copies of all significant FOIA requests had to be forwarded to Secretary Napolitano's political staff for review.  The career staff in the FOIA office weren't permitted to release responses to these requests without approval from political staff.

 

Second, career FOIA professionals were burdened by an intrusive political staff and blamed for delays, mistakes, and inefficiencies for which the Secretary's political staff was responsible.  The Chief Privacy Officer, herself a political appointee, did not adequately support and defend career staff.  To the contrary, in one of her emails, she referred to her career staff as "idiots."

 

Third, political appointees displayed hostility toward the career staff. In one email, political staff referred to a senior career FOIA employee as a "lunatic" and wrote of attending a FOIA training session organized by the career staffer for the "comic relief."  Moreover, three of the four career staff interviewed by the committee have been transferred, demoted, or relieved of certain responsibilities.

 

Finally, the report finds that the Secretary's office and the General Counsel's office can still withhold and delay significant responses. Although the FOIA office no longer needs an affirmative statement of approval, the Secretary's political staff retains the ability to halt the release of FOIA responses.

 

The conduct of the political appointees at Homeland Security involved the politically motivated withholding of information about the very conduct of our government from our citizens.  In particular, it was the withholding of information about the administration's controversial policies and about its mistakes.  This was a direct violation of the President's orders.

 

I'm disappointed that there wasn't more coverage of Chairman Issa's report and the inappropriate conduct by political appointees at Homeland Security.  I'm also disappointed that the Justice Department hasn't conducted an investigation of this scandal.

I have to say that I'm a bit surprised that some open government and privacy groups appear to be accepting the dramatic regulatory power that Homeland Security and Secretary Napolitano will have under the Lieberman-Collins' cybersecurity bill and under President Obama's proposal.  Given the FOIA scandal at Homeland Security, I'd have thought that they'd have more reservations.

 

I'm also sorry to say that the Department of Homeland Security isn't alone when it comes to questionable actions.  Recently, the National Security Archive gave its annual Rosemary Award to the Department of Justice for the worst open government performance in 2011.

 

The charges the Archive makes against the Justice Department include:

(1)               proposing regulations that would allow the government to lie about the existence of records sought by FOIA requesters, and that would further limit requestors ability to obtain information;

(2)               using recycled legal arguments for greater secrecy, including questionable arguments before the Supreme Court in 2011 in direct contradiction to President Obama's presumption of openness; and

(3)               backsliding on the key indicator of the most discretionary FOIA exemption, Exemption 5 for deliberative process.  In 2011, the Justice Department cited Exemption 5 to withhold information 1,500 times.  That's up from 1,231 times in 2010.

According to the Archive, the Justice Department edged out a crowded field of contending agencies that seem to be in "practical rebellion" against President Obama's open-government orders.

So there's a disturbing contradiction between President Obama's grand pronouncements and the actions of his political appointees.  The Obama administration doesn't understand that open government and transparency must be about more than just pleasant sounding words in memos.  Ultimately, the President is responsible for the conduct of his political appointees, especially after three years in office.  Both he and Attorney General Holder certainly know what's been going on.

 

Throughout my career I've actively conducted oversight of the Executive Branch regardless of who controls the Congress or the White House.

 

Open government isn't a Republican or a Democrat issue.  It has to be a bipartisan issue.  It's about basic good government and accountability–not party politics or ideology.

 

I started out my remarks by quoting James Madison, the Founding Father who is one of the inspirations for Sunshine Week.  Madison understood the danger posed by the type of conduct we're seeing from President Obama's political appointees.  He explained that --- "[a] popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both."

 

So I'm looking forward to hearing the testimony of the witnesses.  Their experiences and expertise should be helpful.  I want to thank all of the witnesses for coming in and for taking the time to prepare their testimony.

 

I also want to thank Sargent Ensminger for his service to our country.  I'm very sorry about the loss of your daughter.  I'm a cosponsor of the Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act, which was introduced by Senator Burr.  That bill will help to provide medical treatment and care for service members and their families, who lived at the camp and were injured by the chemical contamination.

 

Thank you.
Dear Co-conspirators in the 9-9-9 revolution:
You may have been learning over the last many weeks about the candidates for Congress who have joined on with 9-9-9 The Revolution. They pledge to become part of an "Army of Davids" and promise to go to Washington and slay our modern Goliath: The federal tax code. I just wanted to shoot you a quick follow up note, reminding you that they could use your help.
Here are the websites for some of them. Many more are on board and will be announced in the days that follow. I encourage you to take a look at their campaigns and think hard about what you can do to get them where we need them to go.
All the best,
Herman Cain
~~~~~
Craig Miller (FL-6) - http://miller2012.com/
Bill Randall (NC-13) - http://www.randallforcongress.com/
Brian K. Hill (CT-SENATE) - http://briankhill.com/
Pete Hoekstra (MI-SENATE) -http://petespenditnot.com/
Martha Zoller (GA-9) - http://marthaforcongress.com/
Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher (OH-9) - http://www.joeforcongress2012.com/
Travis Grantham (AZ-9) - http://granthamforcongress.com/
Dan Hughes (CA-SENATE) - http://danhughes2012.org/
Corrogan Vaughn (MD-SENATE) - http://vaughn4america.com/

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on the President's forthcoming announcement of a new trade case against China over export restrictions on key materials used to manufacture hybrid car batteries, flat-screen televisions and other high-tech goods.  Last week, the Administration initiated a case against India on poultry products.  A few weeks earlier, the President announced plans to create a new Interagency Trade Enforcement Center within the office of the United States Trade Representative.

 

"The President is right to bring cases against U.S. trading partners that violate their obligations.  Every member of the World Trade Organization has to follow the same rules.  But this case and last week's case against India on poultry products undermine the need for the President's planned Interagency Trade Enforcement Center.  The cases show the United States is already capable of bringing enforcement actions without a new layer of government.  It's not clear whether a new office would lead to more cases or just create redundancy."

The Moline Dispatch/Argus endorsed Jonathan Wallace, Republican candidate for State Representative.

 

The Dispatch/Argus praised Wallace's experience and expertise:

 

"Mr. Wallace, who was home-schooled while growing up in Port Byron and studied political science and economics at Augustana College, demonstrated an astute awareness and knowledge of important issues facing the state. He also was not afraid to speak out about the need for ethics reform and to end the culture of corruption and the good old boy network in Springfield."

 

Jonathan Wallace is the endorsed Republican for State Representative. The Chicago Tribune and the Illinois Home School PAC endorsed Wallace earlier this week.

 

"I am thankful for the endorsement of the Dispatch/Argus," stated Jonathan Wallace. "These endorsements and our incredible grassroots network give us the edge that we need, so that we can begin to make Illinois a better place for job creation and the next generation."

AARP Thanks Iowa Senate for Passing Legislation to Professionalize Iowa's Largest Workforce: Direct Care Workers

Des Moines, March 12, 2012–AARP thanks the Iowa Senate for passing Senate File 2298 this afternoon, the first step to professionalizing Iowa's largest workforce - Direct Care Workers.

 

"AARP thanks members of the Iowa Senate for passing Senate File 2298 today, leading the way to improve and support Iowa's largest skilled workforce so that Iowa is prepared to care to meet our state's future needs," said Kent Sovern, AARP Iowa State Director.

 

A task force made up of members of Iowa's direct care workers as well as industry providers has spent more than two years developing the recommendations proposed by Senate File 2298.  The legislation establishes core state standards for training, creates career pathways for advancement and specialization, and creates a Board to oversee these professional standards.  Currently, Iowa has professional oversight boards and requires qualitative credentialing for all plumbers, hair stylists, massage therapists and a host of other occupations, but does not require a similar credentialing for all direct care workers.

 

"AARP commends the Iowa Senate for supporting the recommendations of the Direct Care Worker Task Force and professionalizing Direct Care Workers," said Sovern.  "This is the first step toward giving Iowa's direct care workers the recognition and professional status they want and deserve, and creating the environment necessary for workers to meet the growing health care needs of our state."

 

With an estimated 73,000 direct care workers in Iowa, these paid caregivers make up the largest segment of Iowa's workforce.  Moreover, demand for direct care services is high and growing.  Iowa will need an additional 12,000 direct care workers by 2012.  High turnover is a persistent challenge.  This legislation elevates the profession by offering all Iowa's direct care workers portable training and credentials.

 

AARP hopes SF 2298 will find strong support among Iowa's Representatives to better serve Iowa's long-term care needs as it moves to the Iowa House.

# # #

Q:        What is Sunshine Week?

A:        In 2005, a group of advocates, including journalists, launched a national initiative to encourage individuals to play an active role in their government at all levels and to work to give them access to information about their government.  Sunshine Week is scheduled each year to coincide with the March 16 birthday of James Madison, the father of the U.S. Constitution.   The observance promotes a dialogue about open government in honor of Madison's founding principle that government gets its limited powers by "consent of the governed."  Transparency and the accountability that results strengthen our system of self-government.

 

Q:        What's the role of transparency and open government?

A:        Letting the sun shine in and making information public is basic to accountability.  James Madison wrote, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."  As a U.S. senator, I've championed the public's right to know with oversight and enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, fighting for disclosure by federal agencies of the people's business, and pushing for measures to protect watchdogs and whistleblowers.

For many years, I've worked to keep the people's business open for public consumption by shedding light on information from federal agencies.  The taxpaying public pays the bills and deserves to know how its government operates.  Bureaucratic stonewalling harms public confidence in our system of government.  Accountability is needed to safeguard the integrity of the rule of law.  These principles are at stake in my current oversight of the Department of Justice's Operation Fast and Furious gun walking fiasco that allowed the illegal sale of thousands of weapons in the United States which then often flowed to Mexico, for example.  They are why I'm standing up to the Federal Communications Commission to release information about a fast-tracked licensing agreement.  Responsible stewardship of public programs is on the line when the Department of Housing and Urban Development fails to oversee how federal dollars are grossly misused, and I want to make sure the problems are fixed.  My scrutiny of reports from Inspectors General about Defense Department spending also is drawing attention to egregious waste and misconduct.  With $500 billion in controversial defense budget cuts proposed, the waste described in the reports is the perfect place for the Pentagon to begin its belt-tightening.  To curb fraud and overpayments with health care dollars, I seek greater disclosure and oversight of where Medicare and Medicaid dollars are spent.  The judicial branch should be open to the public, as well, and I'm making progress on my legislative effort to allow broadcast coverage of the federal courts and the Supreme Court.

The sunshine effort has no better friend than whistleblowers.  Private citizens and government employees who come forward with allegations of wrongdoing and cover-ups risk their livelihoods to expose misconduct.  The value of whistleblowers is the reason I continue to challenge the bureaucracy and Congress to support them.  As one whistleblower said famously, they "commit truth."  Over the years, I've worked for enactment of several whistleblower initiatives to protect and empower these patriots.  Whistleblowers have made a positive difference by standing up to defense contractors and pharmaceutical companies, for example.  They've helped hold accountable the Defense Department, the FBI, the Food and Drug Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service.  Currently, I'm seeking to update the bipartisan Whistleblower Protection Act that I first authored in 1989, so that it continues to protect from retaliation whistleblowers inside the federal government, including those involved in homeland security.  This latest bill has been approved by the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and awaits action by the Senate and House.

Q:        In addition to an informed citizenry, how does our system of government establish accountability?

A:        Congress plays a major part in a system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches of our government, and restoring some of the checks and balances that have eroded is an important challenge for Congress, where the people have a voice through their elected representatives.  The Constitution vests all legislative power in Congress yet, year after year, Congress passes legislation that delegates more power to the executive branch without really assessing the full impact of those laws and how that power is used.  Federal agencies are increasingly bypassing Congress by imposing new regulations that Congress never intended.  This year, in addition to a focus on major regulations handed down from the executive branch, fundamentally important protests have been made over the President's effort to put the executive branch above the other branches of government with unprecedented appointments to high-level government positions.  The President purportedly exercised his temporary recess appointment power, despite the fact that Congress was not in a prolonged recess.  What's happened is both unconstitutional and counter-productive.  It's an approach that Americans rejected 235 years ago.  And, working to finding common ground with the elected representatives of Congress would be more productive than trying to govern by edict from the Oval Office.

As an elected representative, I'm committed to cultivating the freedoms and responsibilities of all Americans.  And, as James Madison wrote, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

Monday, March 12, 2012

SPRINGFIELD - March 12, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement regarding the state's efforts to secure federal assistance for people affected by the Feb. 29 tornado.

 

"Today I spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and informed her that we intend to appeal FEMA's denial of our request for much-needed individual assistance for the people of Southern Illinois. I urged Secretary Napolitano to reconsider FEMA's decision.  We are doing everything possible at the state level to help these devastated communities, but some of the assistance that our residents need to begin rebuilding their lives is only available through a federal disaster declaration.

 

"I met with local officials, spent time with residents and saw firsthand the devastation and damage caused by the tornado in Southern Illinois. FEMA underestimated the impact this deadly tornado had on small towns like Harrisburg and Ridgway. We have already begun work on our appeal of this decision in order to secure federal assistance.

 

"I am grateful to Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Mark Kirk and the Illinois Congressional Delegation for their vigorous support of our efforts to bring assistance to the people whose lives were ripped apart by the Feb. 29 tornado. We are hopeful our joint efforts will help FEMA understand that a full recovery from this disaster cannot happen without their support."

 

###

We've updated several events, so this file contains the most current information. If you're getting this message as a forward, you can sign up to get future newsletters directly via the Good Reads e-mail.

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