Names Bob Flider to Head Department of Agriculture

SPRINGFIELD - February 15, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today named Bob Flider director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Today's action is the latest in a series of appointments Governor Quinn has made as he continues to fulfill his commitment to creating jobs, fostering economic development, and increasing efficiency and accountability in all areas of state government.

"It is important that our Agriculture agency is led by someone who understands the key role of agri-business in our economy," Governor Quinn said. "Throughout his career, Bob Flider was a tireless, effective leader for rural farming communities and global agri-business leaders. He served his district with distinction, and I am pleased he will continue to serve all the people of our state."

Bob Flider served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003 through 2011. As a legislator, Flider worked on a number of agriculture issues, serving on the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee, the Energy & Environment Committee and the Ethanol Production Oversight Committee. Flider also served as chairman of the House Electric Generation & Commerce Committee and vice chairman of the House Renewable Energy Committee. He was named an "Agriculture Certified Legislator" by the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2004, and he was named a "Friend of Agriculture" by the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2006, 2008 and 2010.

"Bob has a thorough understanding of the issues facing agriculture and agri-business, and he will be a strong advocate for all the state's agricultural sectors as Director," said Chris Olsen, Vice President of Community and Government Affairs at Tate & Lyle.

"After spending the last several years advocating for people in our farming communities and agribusiness, I look forward to continuing that work on a statewide level," Flider said. "I appreciate the opportunity to serve in this important position and I look forward to working closely with our state's agriculture and agribusiness leaders to help Governor Quinn double Illinois' exports by 2014."

Flider brings a variety of management, agriculture and economic development experiences to the Department of Agriculture. Since March of 2011, he has been Director of Broadband Impact -- promoting technology access in rural Illinois communities -- at the not-for-profit Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He also serves on the board of directors for United Way of Illinois and is an associate member of the Macon County Farm Bureau. He is a past board Director of the Decatur-Macon County Economic Development Corporation and member of the Mt. Zion Chamber of Commerce. He served as mayor of Mt. Zion from 1995 until 2003, and started his career as a news reporter with the Mattoon Journal Gazette and Charleston Times-Courier.

Flider received a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Eastern Illinois University in 1979. He resides in Mt. Zion with his wife, Jean. They have three adult children and one grandchild.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) regulates Illinois agribusiness to protect both producers and consumers of raw and processed agricultural products from mislabeled, contaminated or diseased commodities. Agency programs help to protect our state's natural resources through regulatory oversight and financial incentives. The department also promotes Illinois agriculture by conducting state fairs, providing grant assistance to 4-H clubs, funding county fairs, marketing Illinois agricultural products and providing assistance to develop new, value-added agricultural ventures.

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Prepared Statement of Ranking Member Chuck Grassley of Iowa

U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Hearing on "Protecting Those Who Protect Us: The Bulletproof Vest

Partnership Grant Program"

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today's hearing.  Law enforcement officers across the country risk their lives every day to ensure that our neighborhoods and communities are safe.  Unfortunately, the tragic reality is that law enforcement officers are often placed in situations confronting dangerous criminals that are intent on harming anyone who tries to stop them.  Last year alone 164 law enforcement officers were lost in the line of duty, there were another 162 officers lost in 2010.  We owe these men and women, and their families, a debt of gratitude.

This hearing is to discuss the reauthorization of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program at the Justice Department.  The program was created by Congress in 1998 and was designed to provide federal matching funds to law enforcement agencies across the country to purchase body armor.

By many measures, the program has been successful in getting body armor to state and local agencies that request the matching funds.  The program has reimbursed law enforcement agencies with nearly $247 million that has purchased nearly 1 million vests.  This is important because these vests save lives, not just from bullets, but from other injuries, such as car accidents and assaults that occur in the line of duty.

Any program that helps save lives of law enforcement officers is important and should be reauthorized.  However, that does not mean that we should simply write a blank check on the taxpayers dime without determining what is and what isn't working in the program.

For example, one of the biggest concerns with purchasing body armor has been ensuring that the vests purchased are actually worn by the officers on the street.  We can authorize as much funding as we want, buy as many vests as the taxpayers can afford, but if the vests aren't on at the moment they are needed, those purchases don't matter.  For this very reason, the Bureau of Justice Assistance has a mandatory wear policy on vests that are procured through the program.

This is an important provision and one that makes sense, but according to testimony we'll hear from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this mandatory wear policy only applies to vests funded under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program.  It does not apply to body armor purchased through other programs like the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program.  This is an inconsistency that needs to be addressed to ensure that officer safety is a priority when federal funds are used to purchase body armor.

In addition to reviewing the program to ensure vests are worn, we also need to take a look at how this program is being managed by the Justice Department.  According to GAO's testimony, and a report released today in conjunction with the hearing, the Department's management of this program needs to be improved.

Specifically, multiple grant programs can be used to purchase body armor with federal funds, yet the programs have differing requirements on matching funds, wear policies, and standards for purchasing approved body armor.  These inconsistencies should be fixed to ensure that minimum standards for both programs are uniform.

GAO also found that the Justice Department needs to address the financial bookkeeping of this program.  GAO found that the Department has consistently failed to deobligate expired money in the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program for over a decade.  Some of these funds trace back to Fiscal Year 2002 and have not been expended.  All in all, GAO found that there is $27 million in balances from grants awarded from FY2002-FY2009.

Further, GAO found that in 2009, there was an additional $14 million in funds from the program that were officially deobligated and used to pay down a recession in the Department's budget.  So, according to GAO, funds Congress specifically appropriated for the program to purchase body armor were never used to actually purchase vests.  This is a serious matter and one that needs to be addressed immediately.

Unfortunately, according to GAO, the Department has said that they don't yet know what they'll do with the $27 million available for de-obligation and they may not know what to do with it until September 2012.  Any reauthorization of the program should ensure that the Department uses these funds to buy more vests, or pay down the national debt, not just sit on them for another decade.

Officer safety is paramount and we should do all we can to make sure officers on the street have body armor.  However, we must also ensure that taxpayer dollars are monitored and managed effectively by the Justice Department.  We can and must do both.  Reauthorizing this program affords us that opportunity.

I look forward to working on this reauthorization and to hearing the testimony of the witnesses.  I thank all the witnesses for being here today.  I also want to thank the GAO for expediting the release of their report so that we could discuss it here today.

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Legislation seeks to attract top-notch medical talent to veterans' care facilities

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) introduced the Veterans Access to Care Act today, legislation that seeks to expand veterans' access to quality healthcare by helping the Veterans Administration and state veterans' homes recruit more highly-qualified doctors, nurses, and mental health providers to provide services to America's veterans.

The legislation would make veterans' care facilities eligible to hire National Health Service Corps fellows, helping attract recent medical school graduates to careers helping veterans.

Braley said, "The Veterans Access to Care Act will allow veterans' healthcare facilities to hire from a top-notch pool of medical talent committed to practicing in the public interest.  This will improve veterans' quality of care by encouraging the nation's best and brightest young doctors to work in veterans' healthcare facilities.

Braley continued, "The National Health Service Corps is a program with a well-established track record of attracting high quality medical professionals who have chosen to give back to their country by serving those who are most in need.  What better group of people to have caring for our veterans, who share this commitment to service?"

The National Health Service Corps is a national scholarship program operated by the US Department of Health and Human Services that pays medical school expenses for future doctors, nurses, and health practitioners who agree to work in medically underserved areas after graduation.  Braley's bill would simply add Veterans Administration facilities and state veterans' homes as eligible "underserved areas" in which graduates would be eligible to serve.

Dr. Douglas Steenblock, Director of Mental Health Services at the Iowa Veterans' Home in Marshalltown, approached Braley with the idea for the bill.  Steenblock is himself a former fellow of the National Health Service Corps.

Steenblock said, "It can be difficult to attract medical professionals to work in the unique environment of a veterans' facility, particularly those outside of our major metropolitan areas.  The Iowa Veterans' Home Mental Health Department hasn't been fully staffed since September 2010 despite ongoing efforts to hire new personnel.  The National Health Service Corps has proven to be a powerful incentive to recruit and retain quality providers in underserved areas.  It could be easily adapted to do the same for veterans' facilities."

The bill introduced by Braley today is similar to a proposal he introduced in 2010.  The text of the bill can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/QGP

No More Roughing It: International Expeditions Makes Getting Off the Beaten Path Luxuriously Simple

HELENA, Ala., February 15, 2012 - More and more travelers are craving destinations that offer under-the-radar appeal, active excursion options and authentic connections to the local people and environment. In fact, adventure travelers now constitute 26% of the traveling population, according to the Adventure Travel Trade Association's Adventure Tourism Marketing Report, and are more likely to seek out new destinations before mainstream travelers. Appealing to this increasing demographic of discerning and adventurous explorers, nature travel pioneer International Expeditions is offering travel to remote destinations like Guyana, Madagascar and beyond.

"Many travelers who used to be comfortable with a 'do-it-yourself' approach to travel planning have discovered the value in allowing a tour operator like IE to handle all of the logistical details involved with exploring remote destinations," said Bill Robison, IE's Director of Program Development. "The backpacker generation of the 1970s still want an authentic sense of discovery, but they now have less time and higher standards ? no more bunk beds and hostels!"

For 2012, International Expeditions is expanding their line-up and pioneering upscale travel to spot exotic wildlife, hike through pristine trails and sample tantalizing cuisine in destinations where few tour operators go. Plus, IE takes care of details such as airport transfers, most tips and the entire pre-trip planning process to ensure a seamless adventure. IE's hallmark is its comprehensive itineraries featuring engaging activities, authentic encounters with the local people and passionate world-class naturalist guides who enhance each experience with their knowledge of the destinations visited.

On IE's Guyana & Trinidad tour, travelers combine Guyana's pristine nature with three days at Trinidad's world famous Asa Wright Nature Center. Guests on this rustic adventure journey deep into the heart of one of Earth's last untouched tropical rainforests and have the chance to spot more than 800 bird species. Chartered flight to and from remote Kaieteur Falls set this itinerary apart from what travelers can arrange with scheduled flights.

"The scheduled flight to Kaieteur is unreliable and is often just cancelled altogether if enough seats aren't sold," said Robison. "Traveling with a seasoned tour operator provides a safety net if unexpected changes occur."

Island life takes on new meaning as travelers set foot on Madagascar, where lemurs cavort in the shade offered by lush forests and charming Malagasy people welcome guests to Earth's oldest island. On IE's new Madagascar safari, guests spend 17 days on naturalist-guided hiking and boating excursions looking for unique endemic wildlife. Accompanying IE guests is Cassiano "Zapa" Zaparolli, a seasoned expedition leader who has guided for such groups as National Wildlife Federation and Smithsonian. Joining Zapa will be a Malagasy expedition leader and local naturalists.

"Frankly, travel to Madagascar can be difficult if you aren't in the hands of an experienced travel provider," said Robison. "Flight delays and last-minute changes are part of traveling there, but IE guests travel with an expedition leader and guides who look after them every step of the way. "

International Expeditions can also help travelers harness their inner "backpacker" with a fully customized trek on the Salkantay Trail. A less-touristy alternative to the Inca Trail, Salkantay passes through stunning Andean scenery before ending at Machu Picchu. Although the excitement and surroundings are reminiscent of rugged mountain climbs, the accommodations are anything but rustic. After a day of guided hiking along the trail, IE guests spend their evenings at boutique mountain lodges, where warm showers and cold drinks greet them at day's end.

Celebrating 32 years of nature travel, International Expeditions specializes in small-group journeys to Earth's most exhilarating destinations. For more information or a brochure, call IE at 1-800-234-9620, e-mail nature@ietravel.com, or visit www.IEtravel.com.

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