Celebrating Union Paci?c's 150th Anniversary

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Paci?c Railway Act 150 years ago, establishing the Union Paci?c Railway Company and connecting the nation. On Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15, Lauritzen Gardens, the Union Paci?c Railroad Museum, The Durham Museum, Joslyn Art Museum, the RailsWest Railroad  Museum, and the Historic General Dodge House are coming together to celebrate Union Paci?c's sesquicentennial and explore this region's rich railroad heritage at Railroad Days 2012!

Each participating venue will offer a variety of family-friendly activities in addition to the venues' ongoing programs and exhibits. A $15 family pass allows admission to and transportation between all six locations. A $5 pass is also available for one additional adult with the purchase of a family pass. While supplies last, each child will also receive a coloring book complements of Union Paci?c. Additional information is available at
www.OmahaRailroadDays.com.

Railroad Days is made possible thanks to the generous support of Union Paci?c Railroad and a grant provided by the Iowa West Foundation. Media support provided by KETV. Printing support provided by Elman & Co.

At Lauritzen Gardens, experience a stunning collection of Mother Nature's ?nest in incredible, vivid, living color. Enjoy 20 inspiring gardens- each a welcoming place of surprise and wonder that change with the seasons and evoke a sensory experience. During Railroad Days, botanical meets mechanical at Lauritzen Gardens.

Visit the model railroad garden to discover seven bridge-chugging, tunnel-zooming G-scale train lines winding through replicas of Omaha's favorite landmarks. Look closely- all bridges, trestles and buildings are made of natural bark, twigs, acorns and seeds. Amazing! Stop by the control shed to meet our friendly engineers.

Fun is just around the bend with free rides through the garden on board the popular Union Paci?c miniature train, a scale model of a 900-series locomotive. Children can also enjoy complimentary rides on a classic 1949 King Amusement Company On-Track Train Ride as it chugs along tracks through the scenic festival garden patio.

Join the Union Paci?c Railroad Museum in celebrating Union Paci?c's 150th anniversary with our newest exhibit "Building America". Since opening in 2003, the Union Paci?c Railroad Museum's ?rst ?oor has been dedicated to sharing the experience of building the Transcontinental Railroad. The new exhibit takes the telling of this story to an entirely new level. With a new immersive design and cutting-edge technology, visitors will be transported to the 1860s as they learn about the monumental work needed for constructing the railroad and the communities that were created along its route. Showcasing over 200 artifacts, some dating back to the 1860s many of our larger collections will be on display for the ?rst time; including 55 ?rearms, 60 railroad lanterns and 64 stereographic images from the building of the transcontinental railroad.

Housed in a historic Carnegie library, the Union Paci?c Railroad Museum features one of the oldest corporate collections in the nation. Here, you'll journey through more than 150 years of history, experiencing the transcontinental railroad's construction; the Lincoln Collection, featuring artifacts from President Abraham Lincoln's rail car and funeral; the "America Travels by Rail" exhibit, which celebrates the height of passenger travel; and the technology and innovation that sustain Union Paci?c as a railroad industry leader.

On January 15, 1931, Omaha's Union Station opened its doors to the public and was recognized as one of the ?nest examples of art deco architecture in the Midwest. In its heyday, the station served over ten thousand passengers daily. Today, Union Station is home to The Durham Museum, one of the country's most vibrant and beautiful hands-on museums. Visitors can explore exhibits that preserve the areas rich history including an extensive train car exhibit with steam engines, a Pullman car, Lounge cars, and a caboose. There is also an impressive 100-foot O gauge model train layout representing Union Paci?c's double track main line during the 1950s. Be sure to stop by the museum's original soda fountain for decadent ice cream treats.

During Railroad Days, see the original Paci?c Railway Act signed by Abraham Lincoln in July 1, 1862. This national treasure is on loan to The Durham Museum from the National Archives. There will also be many activities for children including a puzzle station with images from The Durham's Photo Archive, temporary tattoo stations, and crafts including design your own name train and create your own postcards.

Joslyn Art Museum is a major regional resource for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the visual arts. The Museum was a gift to the people of Omaha from Sarah Joslyn in memory of her husband, George - both were involved Omaha citizens and generous philanthropists. The Museum's original 1931 building is one of the ?nest examples of Art Deco architecture in the nation, with 38 types of marble from seven countries.

See the exhibition The Great West Illustrated: Celebrating 150 Years of the Union Paci?c Railroad, organized by Joslyn in collaboration with the Union Paci?c Railroad Museum. While visiting Joslyn during Railroad Days, hear Toby Jurovics, Chief Curator and Richard and Mary Holland Curator of American Western Art, give an introduction to The Great West Illustrated in the Museum's lecture hall at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm each day. Younger visitors will enjoy making "train art" by decorating their own 2-D train car and adding an easel backing to make it stand. We'll line them up and see how far the train stretches! Live music will be performed outdoors in the garden throughout the weekend to keep everyone's toes tappin'. An array of self-guided activities, from the Kids Can Do art station and Art Packs to sculpture garden and gallery scavenger hunts, will also be available.

Perhaps one of Council Bluffs' most famous residents, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge has been called "the greatest railroad builder of all time." A Civil War veteran, Dodge's involvement in political, ?nancial and military affairs made him an associate of many of the most in?uential Americans of his time and counsel to presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

In 1869, Dodge built his handsome Victorian home at 605 Third Street at the cost of $35,000, a lavish sum for that day. The fourteen-room, three-story mansion stands on a high terrace overlooking the Missouri Valley, and displays such architectural features as parquet ?oors, cherry, walnut and butternut woodwork, and a number of "modern" conveniences quite unusual for the period.

During Railroad Days, the Historic General Dodge House will unveil its newest exhibit, Dodge's Tracks and Ties in the eight lower level display cases. Follow the footsteps of General Dodge from his early years in Massachusetts, traveling to Iowa with the railroad, his business ventures, military career and friendships with such notable people as Lincoln and Grant. Civil War re-enactors will also be present on the grounds.

The RailsWest Railroad Museum, located in the historic Rock Island Depot, features displays and artifacts from the numerous rail lines that passed through Council Bluffs. The museum is home to an extensive H.O. scale model train layout operated by the Greater Omaha Society of Model Engineers that is a must see for rail fans of all ages. Outside in the train yard visitors are invited to climb aboard the old steam engines and take a ride down memory lane or just sit back and relax in the Omaha Club car that ran between Chicago, IL and Lincoln, NE with a stop in Council Bluffs. Visitors can imagine themselves riding along behind the train in the 1918 cupola style caboose or in the 1967 bay window style caboose. For a challenge, try your hand at sorting mail in the mail car and learn  some interesting facts about the men and women that worked the rails. There is always plenty to see and do while visiting the RailsWest Railroad Museum.

During Railroad Days, visitors will be treated to live music by Perry Burkum and other talented local bands. Vendors will be on hand with mouthwatering hamburgers, hot dogs, and refreshments and there will be plenty of fun and games for the whole family.

Senate Bill 1313 a Step in Restoring Fiscal Stability to Illinois

CHICAGO - June 21, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law to help ensure that state of Illinois retirees will continue to receive access to quality health care, while also lowering the cost to taxpayers. Illinois currently offers free health insurance to retirees after 20 years or more of service, at a time when no other state offers a healthcare benefit of this size.

"Those who have faithfully served the state deserve access to quality health care, and insurance costs should be more balanced and based on actual retirement income," Governor Quinn said. "We also have a duty to taxpayers to ensure these plans are cost-efficient and put Illinois on the path to fiscal stability."

Introduced at the request of Governor Quinn, Senate Bill 1313 passed the General Assembly with bi-partisan support. Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), SB 1313 was also supported by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego).

The purpose of the new law is to increase fiscal responsibility by requiring all state retirees to help with the cost of health care based on their ability to pay. Currently, retired legislators receive free health insurance after four years, retired judges after six years, and retired state and university employees after 20 years of service. The result is that approximately 90 percent of retirees are not contributing anything for the cost of their health insurance. The annual cost to taxpayers is nearly $800 million. This law ensures the state will be able to continue offering quality healthcare coverage for retired employees, while making healthcare benefits more affordable for taxpayers.

Many Midwestern states, including Iowa and Minnesota, do not provide any subsidy for retired employees. Instead, they provide access to their plans and leave the entire cost to be paid by the retiree. Other states offer a very limited subsidy. For example, Florida offers retirees a monthly subsidy of $150, while the retiree covers the remaining cost. While some states utilize a formula similar to Illinois', where the amount of the subsidy is based upon years of service, no comparable state offers free health insurance after 20 years. This law allows Illinois to continue offering affordable health insurance that is based on a retiree's ability to pay and length of state service.

While the bill goes into effect July 1, final decisions on rates will be made following labor negotiations and approval by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Please see the attached document for quotes from the bill's sponsors, as well as General Assembly leadership.

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Legislator Quotes

"This is a year for difficult choices, and passing this bill is the first of many. While I take no joy in the loss of a benefit for hard working retirees, I am proud of our efforts to stabilize the state budget for now and the future," said Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago).

"I have a lot of compassion for those people who retired anticipating a certain benefit that now may be changed somewhat," said Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont). "Having said that, this is a step Illinois must take to right the financial ship. Without critical reforms, the current structure is unsustainable, and taxpayers are on the hook for programs they cannot afford. Senate Bill 1313 is critical to accomplishing the goal of fiscal stability."

"This important step was absolutely necessary to protect the quality and affordability of health insurance for retirees from public employment, particularly those living on fixed incomes who have no other coverage," said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), who was the sponsor of SB 1313.

"Close to 80,000 state retirees do not pay a premium for their healthcare; we simply cannot afford that anymore," said Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego). "I commend the Governor and other leaders in the General Assembly for supporting this important reform that will bring more fiscal stability to the state. These new premiums will be negotiated by the administration and labor unions, who will come to an agreement that is fair for the taxpayers and the retirees."

The U.S. Grains Council today expressed thanks to the National Corn Growers Association, the National Sorghum Producers, the National Barley Growers Association, and other allied organizations for their successful support of the Market Access Program (MAP) during Senate debate on the pending Farm Bill.

The 2012 Farm Bill (S. 3240) is currently under consideration in the Senate and is drawing heated debate.  Among the many amendments was one that called for slashing MAP funding by 20 percent ($40 million annually). The amendment would also have imposed arbitrary limitations on which international marketing activities could utilize the remaining funds. Thanks to effective advocacy by a wide range of groups supportive of U.S. export promotion efforts, the amendment was defeated today by a vote of 30 ayes to 69 nays.

"MAP funding in conjunction with other smaller funding programs has been an important contributor to the success of U.S. coarse grain and DDGS exports worldwide. U.S. agriculture trade is one of the few U.S. trade areas that maintains a surplus. Without MAP funding, U.S. grains exports will face a much tougher uphill battle," said Dr. Wendell Shauman, USGC chairman.

Trade enhances global prosperity, expands U.S. exports, and promotes jobs and economic growth at home.  Many U.S. companies, trade associations, and federal, state, and local governments work to increase opportunities for U.S. exporters.  Some of these efforts promote the sale of particular products or brands. Others are broader in scope and promote entire industry sectors or a "made in the USA" brand.

MAP is a longstanding program through which the Foreign Agricultural Service has partnered with "co-operator" organizations to work jointly on projects of mutual interest.  The U.S. Grains Council has utilized MAP funding for a variety of programs that expand and defend export markets for U.S. corn, sorghum, barley, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and other value added products.  The Council's current programs encompass more than 50 countries.

• Capacity building programs assist foreign dairy, cattle, swine, and poultry producers in modernizing their operations, expanding local demand for their products, and thus increasing demand for U.S. sourced feed grains and DDGS.
• Trade servicing programs assist foreign importers in navigating the complexities of international financial, regulatory, and trading systems.
• The Council also works aggressively on trade policy questions including international acceptance of new production technologies, implementation of trade agreements to reduce tariff and other barriers to U.S. exports, and fair enforcement of existing trade agreements to discourage unfair foreign subsidies and create a more level playing field.

Global corn production continues to rise as technology drives yield increases and new competitors such as Brazil, Argentina, and the Ukraine ramp up production for export.  Global grains markets are intensely competitive.  MAP is an important tool in assisting U.S. producers and agribusinesses in developing and defending export markets.

Agriculture is an often-underappreciated hero of the U.S. international trade balance, one of the few sectors in which the U.S. consistently earns a major trade surplus.  As the global middle class continues to grow, as world food demand increases rapidly, and as international export competition intensifies, the importance of agricultural export promotion will continue to grow.  The U.S. Grains Council is committed to defending and increasing U.S. market share, and the Council is appreciative of the help of allied organizations in preserving essential market development tools like MAP.

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The U.S. Grains Council is a private, non-profit partnership of farmers and agribusinesses committed to building and expanding international markets for U.S. barley, corn, grain sorghum and their products. The Council is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 9 international offices that oversee programs in more than 50 countries. Financial support from our private industry members, including state checkoffs, agribusinesses, state entities and others, triggers federal matching funds from the USDA resulting in a combined program value of more than $28.3 million.

The U.S. Grains Council does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital/family status. Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information, should contact the U.S. Grains Council