Washington, DC – Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) has announced the schedule of upcoming mobile office hours. His staff will travel throughout the 17th Congressional District to meet with constituents and address any questions or concerns they may have. No appointments are necessary. A field representative will be available in the following locations at the following times:

May 2, 2012
Monmouth City Hall- Council Chambers
100 East Broadway
Monmouth, IL 61462
9:00am - 12:00pm

Albany City Hall
102 S Main St.
Albany, IL 61230
1:00pm - 4:00pm

May 16, 2012
Oquawka Village Hall
507 Schuyler St.
Oquawka, IL 61469
9:00am - 12:00pm

Aledo City Hall - Council Chambers
120 North College Ave
Aledo, IL 61231
9:00am - 1:00pm

May 23, 2012
Kewanee City Hall
401 East Third Street
Kewanee, IL  61443
9:00am - 4:00pm

Constituents are also encouraged to visit the Moline, Galesburg, Canton, and Rock Falls offices during normal office hours:

Moline District Office
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
3000 41st St., Suite B
Moline, IL 61265
P: (309) 757-7630

Galesburg District Office
Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 8:30am to 5:00pm
Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce
185 South Kellogg St.
Galesburg, IL 61401
P: (309) 343-2220

Canton District Office
Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30am - 5:00pm
8 South Main St., Suite 200
Canton, IL 61520
P: (309) 649-3307

Rock Falls District Office
Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9:00am - 4:00pm
1600 First Ave., Suite A
Rock Falls, IL 61071
P: (815) 548-9440

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The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee tomorrow will begin marking up a five-year, $480 billion Farm Bill that introduces a destructive new "shallow loss" insurance program and falls far short of even the modest budget-cutting goals set out by the White House.

While the Senate bill does eliminate some wasteful subsidies, including $5 billion a year in direct payment subsidies that are sent to agricultural producers regardless of need, it projects to save only $26.4 billion over the next decade. That's less than both the $30 billion target set out by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) and the $33 billion in cuts anticipated by President Barack Obama's budget proposal.

The bill actually increases by $3.2 billion over the next decade federal spending on the already $9 billion-a-year federal crop insurance program, which sees taxpayers pick up the tab for more than 60 percent of farmers' premiums. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office suggested that simply limiting the subsidy to $40,000 per producer would save $1 billion a year.

Rather than scale back the crop program, the Senate bill diverts most of the savings from eliminating direct payments into a new "shallow loss" insurance program that would compensate farmers if their income drops by as little as 5 percent. According to the Congressional Budget Office, repealing direct payments would save $44.6 billion over the next decade, but the new "agricultural risk coverage" adds $28.9 billion to the budget. The losses the program would compensate for need not be from floods, droughts, frosts, or other weather-related catastrophes, but would instead largely be driven by market fluctuations in the prices of commodities.

The following statement from The Heartland Institute - a free-market think tank - may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at tnash@heartland.org and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org and 312/731-9364.

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"As currently structured, the federal crop insurance program is a boondoggle that costs taxpayers billions, offers lush corporate welfare both to big agribusiness and to insurers and insurance agents, and harms the environment by encouraging converting previously wild lands for agricultural development.

"Rather than introduce a costly new shallow loss subsidy, Congress should be encouraging risk-based pricing by the Risk Management Agency and phasing out crop insurance subsidies for all but the smallest and neediest of farmers."

R.J. Lehmann
Deputy Director, Center on Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate
The Heartland Institute
rlehmann@heartland.org
202/525-5726

PRESS RELEASE

1314 Mulberry Avenue, Muscatine, IA 52761
www.muscatineartcenter.org

CONTACT: KATY DOHERTY, PROGRAM COORDINATOR

MUSCATINE ART CENTER

FOR RELEASE: APRIL 23, 2012

The public is invited to join the Muscatine Art Center in welcoming Muscatine native John Duggleby, writer and musician, as he presents a program based on his book, Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood. This event will take place Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. in the Muscatine Art Center's Music Room and is free and open to the public. There will be copies of John Duggleby's book to purchase at this event.

John has written several books for young people, including biographies on musicians John Lennon, Ray Charles, and artist Jacob Lawrence. Artist in Overalls, one of Duggleby's eight children's books, has received several distinctions including the National  Association of Christian Schools' Children's Crown Award and the Parents Council Seal of Approval. His book, Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence, was honored by the National Council for Social Studies as the Elementary Book of the Year.

Artist in Overalls reveals Grant Wood's story to audiences of all ages in a fun and interactive way. Dressed like the famous farmer in Wood's American Gothic painting, Duggleby shows how Wood's Iowa childhood observations and resolve to follow his instincts resulted in fame that has endured through this American cultural icon.

EVENT DETAILS:
What: "Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood"
Who: John Duggleby
When: Sunday, May 6
Time: 2:00 PM
Where: The Muscatine Art Center's Music Room
Admission to these programs is FREE.

Please contact Katy Doherty, Program Coordinator, with any
questions or concerns at 563-263-8282 or by email at
kdoherty@muscatineiowa.gov.

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM. Admission is FREE.

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today urged the House Republican leadership to swiftly bring up and pass legislation that will prevent student loan interest rates from doubling, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, on July 1st.  Loebsack is a cosponsor of H.R. 3826, which would ensure the increase does not occur.  If the increase were to go into effect, the average student borrower would have to pay an additional $1000.  Loebsack is a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, which has jurisdiction over this legislation.

"With tuition rising rapidly and far too many Iowans struggling to make ends meet, middle-class families are finding it more and more difficult to pay for college. I strongly believe that every student deserves the opportunity to attend college if they wish to pursue higher education," wrote Loebsack.  "I grew up in poverty, and I would not have had the opportunity to attend college without financial assistance. It is extremely important that we work to address student loan interest rates because without Congressional action, 7 million low- and middle-income families will be subject to a $6 billion interest rate hike."

As a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, Loebsack has championed numerous pieces of legislation to increase access to higher education, including:

• College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Loebsack helped craft and pass this legislation, which makes college more affordable and accessible for all Iowans by increasing the maximum Pell Grant scholarship and expanding eligibility;
• Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, H.R. 3221 Loebsack was a cosponsor of this bill, which will save American taxpayers $61 billion by making the student loan process more efficient.  The bill further expanded the maximum Pell Grant available from $5,550 in 2010 to $5,975 in 2017, granting Iowa students more than $291 million for higher education. This bill was the largest single investment in student aid in America's history, and will make college more accessible, transform the way student loan programs operate and strengthens community colleges.

A copy of the letter Loebsack sent to the House Speaker and the Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee can be seen here.

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