EAST PEORIA, IL (02/15/2012)(readMedia)-- Kiefer Miles Matheny, of Davenport, IA, graduated from Illinois Central College, East Peoria, with a/an Associate in Arts and Science Degree. More than 800 students met the graduation requirements for the Fall 2011 semester. The commencement ceremony was held December 17 in the ICC CougarPlex on the East Peoria campus.

Started in 1967, ICC is a comprehensive public community college that provides transfer programs for students who intend to pursue a bachelor's degree at a four-year college or university as well as career programs for students who plan to gain knowledge and skills to enter a career field.

Prepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

Hearing on Energy and Economic Growth for Rural America

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

 

I appreciate the Chairwoman setting this hearing today.  The rural development and energy programs administered by the Department of Agriculture are important to rural America and Iowa.

Rural utility programs help provide vital infrastructure and services for rural Iowans.  In addition, we have some very important rural water programs that give assistance to communities for access to safe and affordable drinking water.  And, there are wastewater programs that help small communities deal with requirements placed upon them by the Clean Water Act.

People all too often forget the people in rural America are largely responsible for producing this nation's food.  Rural Development programs help preserve the way of life in these small communities so young people who grow up and live in these communities can become the next generation responsible for feeding this nation.

I appreciate the Secretary's comments regarding the importance of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  The REAP program has helped expand market access for renewable fuels as this country continues to look for ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

In addition, the topic of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program has been discussed in today's hearing.  The Secretary and I discussed the BCAP program a couple weeks ago, and I appreciated him taking the time to discuss some of my concerns.  I trust the Department of Agriculture is continuing to do what it can to resolve the concerns I raised, and I thank the Secretary for his attention to the matter.

In the Secretary's prepared comments, he noted there is an opportunity for Congress to streamline some of the farm bill programs.  It never ceases to amaze me how many programs USDA has to administer.  While most of them serve a very good purpose, we have a responsibility to cut redundancies and inefficiencies and bring common sense and thoughtfulness to some of the programs. I am confident this committee is up for this task.

One example where we may need to focus more attention is the Broadband Initiatives Program under the Rural Utility Service created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  There is a need for rural America to be wired so broadband can be made available.  We need to focus more on unserved areas and be very careful about allowing taxpayer loans to be disbursed to underserved areas where there is already a network funded with private capital.

I and many others are concerned with the funding of duplicative broadband networks and the costs this incurs. I have learned the Rural Utility Service is looking at revising the Broadband Initiatives Program financial models to reflect the changes in the Federal Communication Commission's 2011 Universal Service Fund Reform Order.  Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Rural Utility Service to revive its approach regarding loans to areas where private providers are already offering broadband service.  I hope this leads to helpful steps to ensure the Broadband Initiatives Program keeps to the original goal of bringing broadband to unserved rural America.

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DES MOINES, IA (02/15/2012)(readMedia)-- Christopher Whalen of Bettendorf graduated from Drake University at the conclusion of the 2011 fall semester with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Entrepreneurship.

Drake is a private, independent university in Des Moines, Iowa, with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 full-time undergraduate students from 50 states and 50 countries. Drake University's mission is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments and responsible global citizenship. The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.

DES MOINES, Iowa - A Davenport man won the first top prize of $10,000 playing the lottery's "PAC-MAN™" instant-scratch game.

Frank Reyes claimed his prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. He purchased his winning ticket at Casey's, 222 Front St. in Buffalo.

PAC-MAN™ is a $2 scratch game. Players scratch each play. If "PAC-MAN™" goes from start to finish without meeting a "ghost," players win the prize shown. If they find a "cherry" symbol, they win $10 instantly. If they find the "strawberry" symbol, they win $50 instantly. Overall odds for winning in the game are 1 in 3.94.

Twelve top prizes of $10,000 are still up for grabs in PAC-MAN™, as well as 880 prizes of $100.

Players can enter eligible non-winning scratch tickets online to earn "Points For Prizes™" points. The point value will be revealed to the player on the website upon successful submission of each eligible valid ticket. There is a limit of 30 ticket entries per day. To participate in Points For Prizes™, a player must register for a free account at ialottery.com. Registration is a one-time process. Merchandise that can be ordered by using points will be listed on the website in the Points For Prizes™ online store. Players can choose from items in categories such as apparel, automotive, jewelry, sporting, tools and more.

Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.8 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.

 

PAC-MAN™ & ©NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. 

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Tree Hugger Trivia

Friday, March 2nd 2012

At The Rock, 302 First Street Coal Valley, Il.

  • Doors open at 6 with Fast and furious trivia starting at 7.
  • 10$ per person-8 people per team/table
  • Mulligans and a round doubler available for purchase at the venue.
  •  Please do NOT use your cell phone during rounds of play.
  • You are encouraged to bring whatever food and snacks that strike your fancy - however all beverages must be purchased from the Rock.
  • Proceeds will support local environmental  education efforts and youth projects
  • Eagle View Group of Sierra Club are tonight's hosts.
  • Silent Auction and raffle items will be offered as well
  • Sign Up your Team Today!
  • Treehugger7@mchsi.com or by calling JD Zimmerman 309-737-7058

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Darrell Issa today asked the independent U.S. Office of Special Counsel to investigate the Food and Drug Administration's monitoring of personal email accounts used by nine employees to communicate safety concerns about medical devices to Congress.

"The law is intended to prevent exactly what this agency is accused of doing," Grassley said.  "A federal agency can't interfere with an employee's communications with Congress.  An agency can't retaliate against employees for communicating with Congress.  And an agency's right to access an employee's personal email without a subpoena is limited to messages transmitted through or accessed from a government computer. An independent review is necessary to determine how much of the agency's conduct was legal and how much was illegal."

"FDA owes its employees and the public a full explanation of how and why it accessed personal email accounts of employees who were whistleblowers about potential concerns they had regarding FDA operations and public safety," Issa said. "FDA must explain why its managers potentially broke the law by conducting illicit surveillance of protected communications between whistleblowers, Congress, and the Office of Special Counsel."

Three years ago, the Food and Drug Administration scientists and researchers raised concerns with Congress and the White House about the safety and effectiveness of certain medical devices used to detect diseases including breast and colon cancers.  The agency is under fire for monitoring the employees' email accounts for communications with Congress and to the extent it retaliated against the employees for the communications.  Such communications between agency whistleblowers and Congress are expressly protected by law.

Six of the nine employees have filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the FDA relied on information it collected through secret surveillance to "fire, harass or pass over for promotion at least six doctors and scientists who communicated with Congress."

The FDA also is reported to have monitored emails between the employees and the Office of Special Counsel.  Employee communications with the Office of Special Counsel are legally protected as confidential.

The duration, extent, and technical details of the agency's monitoring of the emails are unclear.  Whether the agency's interception and collection of personal emails was lawful depends on when, why, and precisely how the agency obtained the emails.

The agency was quoted as saying it did not begin the targeted monitoring of the employees' email until April 2010.  However, an internal memo from the FDA about the lack of trustworthiness of one of the employees contains an email from the employee's personal account to Congress from January 2009.

Grassley and Issa asked the Office of Special Counsel "to examine (1) whether the monitoring occurred in retaliation for protected whistleblowing activities and thus may constitute a prohibited personnel practice, and (2) whether the monitoring may have violated any other  law, including the Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 2701 - 2712) as an unauthorized access of stored electronic communications or as a failure to provide notice to the subscriber of court-approved access."

Grassley sent a letter to the FDA commissioner last month, asking for an accounting of the email monitoring and the intentions behind it.  Issa sent a separate letter earlier this month.

Today's Grassley-Issa letter to Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner is available here.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency.  Its "primary mission is to safeguard the merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially reprisal for whistleblowing," according to its website.

Grassley is Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with jurisdiction over computer privacy statutes, and a longtime advocate for whistleblowers who has conducted extensive oversight of FDA processes.  Issa is chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

 

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Prepared Statement for the Record of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

House Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement

"Safeguarding the Integrity of the Immigration Benefits Adjudication Process"

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Congressional oversight is often an overlooked function for members of Congress.  It's not always glamorous and it's a lot of hard work.  However, it's an important responsibility for the legislative branch that helps our government work more efficiently for the American people.

I commend the House Judiciary Committee for having a hearing today to discuss the shortcomings of our immigration benefits adjudication process. Oversight of this process is crucial to ensuring that our immigration system works for all people, including foreign nationals who wish to live and work in the United States.

The Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security issued a report in January of this year entitled, "The Effects of USCIS Adjudication Procedures and Policies on Fraud Detection by Immigration Services Officers."  The report provides an insightful look through the eyes of agents on the line.  The Inspector General issued this report after I expressed concern about fraud detection efforts by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

While I have long been interested in fraud prevention and rooting out abuse in many visa programs, I jumped into the benefits adjudication process in the fall of 2010.  Immigration officers in the field reported to me that they were being subject to pressure to approve applications and petitions because that was the message of managers in headquarters.  Many officers felt intimidated and pressured.  Some were being relocated.  Some were being demoted.  The stories were similar, and it appeared that people in Washington were preaching a "get to yes" philosophy when it was apparent that the answer should have been "no."

In September of 2010, I wrote a letter to USCIS Director Mayorkas.  I was unsatisfied with his response to issues that whistleblowers brought up to me.  Since he refused to answer the allegations, I took the issue to the Secretary and the Inspector General.  I told the Secretary that, after many interviews, the evidence suggested that Director Mayorkas was fostering an environment that pressures employees to approve as many applications as possible.

According to several USCIS employees, Director Mayorkas was less concerned about fraud and more about making sure officers were looking at petitions from the perspective of the customer. Some said that USCIS leadership expressed a goal of "zero complaints" from "customers," implying that approvals were the means to such an end.  The Department of Homeland Security conducted a human capital survey where USCIS scored low because employees felt pressured by upper management to approve applications. Many said that USCIS leadership "cultivated a culture of fear and disrespect."

So, the Inspector General agreed to investigate.  He said that the "integrity of the benefit issuance process is vital," inappropriate pressure on the adjudications process must be avoided.  Nearly 52 percent of respondents in their survey said that USCIS policy is too heavily weighted toward promoting immigration.  The fact that a quarter of the immigration service officers surveyed felt pressure to approve questionable applications is alarming.  There are all kinds of pressure, including from supervisors and outside attorneys.  There's also pressure to approve in order to meet agency performance goals.

It's no secret that USCIS officers have been judged on quantity, not quality of their work.  For many years, adjudicators have felt pressure to approve so many cases in an hour or a day.  Moreover, according to the Inspector General, 90 percent of respondents felt they didn't have sufficient time to complete interviews of those who seek benefits.  The Inspector General said that "the speed at which immigration service officers must process cases leaves ample opportunities for critical information to be overlooked."  Adjudicators are more apt to approve a petition because it takes less time, and they fear getting behind if they have to put a lot of effort into a case.

I applaud the Director for initiating new performance measures so that there's more focus on fraud and security.  However, like the Inspector General noted, many employees will continue to feel as though their work hinges on numbers.  Despite the new measures, immigration service officers and supervisors are concerned that production remains the focus.  They feel this way because of "the perception that USCIS strives to satisfy benefit requesters in a way that could affect national security and fraud detection priorities."  The new performance measures may not be perfect.  They may need to be massaged.  I hope the Director takes comments of agents into consideration as this issue evolves.

Unfortunately, however, I am concerned that the agency is not taking seriously the Inspector General's recommendation to develop standards to permit more time for review of case files.  In fact, USCIS did not concur with this recommendation and said that additional time is not the solution to addressing national security and fraud concerns.  Director Mayorkas should reconsider the department's initial response to this recommendation and create an environment that ensures a thorough and complete analysis of all applications.

The Inspector General also recommended that USCIS develop a policy to establish limitations for managers and attorneys when they intervene in the adjudication of specific cases.   This recommendation was made because it appeared that certain high-ranking employees at USCIS headquarters were inserting themselves into specific cases, and in one case, putting pressure on adjudicators to approve an application when the individual clearly wasn't eligible.    The report also discusses how private attorneys and other parties contacted USCIS managers or attorneys to request a review of a case that an immigration service officer had denied.  The perception for many officers was that outside attorneys had too much influence in the process.  While the Director of USCIS does not support special treatment for complainants, it's concerning that the agency did not fully concur with the recommendation to issue a policy that ends any informal appeals process and the special review of denied cases.

Overall, this report is eye-opening.  The Inspector General discussed the adjudications process with many officers in the field, and brought these issues to light.  He made many thoughtful and serious recommendations that should not be ignored.

Unfortunately, despite what the Inspector General has reported, there are still nay-sayers.  People within the agency want to discredit the research and findings of the Inspector General.  I'm told that some aren't taking this report seriously.  That's why leadership on this issue is crucial to enacting any true reform.

In 2008, I was glad to hear the president-elect talk about making this the most transparent government ever.  Unfortunately, up to this point, this administration has been far from transparent.

And, it's clear that for the current administration, the rule of law is more about perception than reality.  They've circled the wagons, made denials and generally been non-responsive to constitutionally proper inquiries by members of Congress.

Since the founding of our country, our immigration laws have been a source of discussion.  We were born a nation of immigrants.  We have welcomed men and women of diverse countries and provided protection to many who flee from persecution.

We have been a generous nation.  Yet, we have seen our country face many challenges.  During these struggles, it is important for lawmakers to bear in mind that the policies we make should benefit our country over the long term and that we must be fair to current and future generations.

People in foreign lands yearn to be free.  They go to great lengths to be a part of the United States.  It's a privilege that people love our country and want to become Americans.  At the same time, however, we must not forget one great principle that our country was founded on.  That is the rule of law.  We want to welcome new Americans, but we need to live by the rules that we've made.  We cannot let our welcome mat be trampled on and we cannot allow our system of laws to be undermined.

For years, USCIS has seen themselves as a service-oriented agency.  They strive to make their customers happy.  Unfortunately, this "get to yes" culture is a direct contradiction to our number one priority of protecting the homeland.  USCIS must do more to ensure that fraud, abuse, and national security are a higher priority than appeasing its customers.  It is going to take a strong-willed and determined leader to change this culture.

Reform shouldn't be a bad word.  It should be embraced so that immigrants continue to feel welcomed in America and receive the best service possible when trying to navigate the bureaucratic process.

Again, I commend the committee for discussing the integrity of our immigration system, including our benefits adjudication process.  With constant vigilance, we can root out fraud and abuse, and enact reforms that will be meaningful for future generations of new immigrants.

 

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Neal Boortz Tags Herman Cain as Guest Radio Show Host

(Atlanta) Listeners of the Neal Boortz Radio Show who enjoy Herman Cain's twice-weekly chats with Boortz get an extra treat this week from the golden voice. The businessman and former presidential frontrunner will command the Boortz microphone for a full three hours this Friday, February 17.

Mr. Cain will guest-host for Boortz from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST, based at the Atlanta studios of News/Talk WSB and heard by more than 4 million people on 250 radio stations nationwide.

"Mr. Boortz may be the 'Mighty Whitey', but as his listeners know I'm the 'The Dean of the University of Common Sense.' and I'm color blind," joked Cain of his old friend and radio colleague. "I spent three years hosting my own talk show at WSB. It will be good to be back 'home'. I promise that Boortz's listeners will not be disappointed."

In fact, listeners will be treated to Mr. Cain's startling take on President Obama's newly proposed budget. "I have this budget pegged for the atrocity that it is, in just three numbers," Cain said. "And they're not 9-9-9.

Be sure to mark your calendars as well in March. Mr. Cain will again guest host the Neal Boortz Radio Show March 1st, 3rd, 19th and 20th.

Don't miss these opportunities to hear the opinions, analysis and solutions that made Mr. Cain so popular on the campaign trail and in even more demand now. If you cannot tune in via radio, there are many other ways to listen in:

  • Click here to listen live on your computer
  • Click here to find stations that carry the Boortz Show
  • Click here to download an app to listen to the Boortz Show on your mobile device

In addition to his Monday and Friday appearances with Boortz, Mr. Cain's golden voice is heard twice a day on WSB with two-minute nuggets of commentary and political analysis to the theme of "We are not stupid", highlighting ways in which government seeks to distort, distract and disarm the American people.

Mr. Cain is also currently working to help the American people -- 'we the people' -- take back our government through Cain's Solutions Revolution. Discover how these solutions will come to life - across the nation, in our states and in our local communities by visiting www.cainconnections.com.

Floor Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley

"We Must Stop the Spread of Synthetic Drug Use"

Delivered Wednesday, February 15, 2012

In the fall of 2010, I came to the floor to speak about my growing concern of synthetic drug use in this country. Specifically, I raised concerns about a popular new drug known as K2 or Spice after a constituent of mine, named David Rozga, committed suicide. David killed himself shortly after smoking a package of the drug he and some friends bought at a local shopping mall. At the time, David's death in June 2010 was one of the first deaths associated with what was a new and very dangerous drug craze.  Now, nearly two years after David's death, the use of synthetic drugs like K2 has exploded and is becoming a major problem across the country.

In 2009, the American Association of Poison Centers reported only 13 calls concerning synthetic drug use. In 2010, over 1,300 calls were made to poison centers about synthetic drugs. Last year, there were over 12,000 calls to poison centers regarding synthetic drugs. The Monitoring the Future survey, a survey of high school youth, asked students for the first time last year if they ever tried synthetic drugs. Roughly one in nine high school seniors responded that they had used synthetic drugs in the last year. These numbers are an astonishing increase in just two year, and this illustrates how rapidly the use of these drugs has come on the scene.

These drugs are having a terrible effect on those who use them. Emergency room doctors across the country are reporting increasing cases of synthetic drug users coming to the hospital. My staff heard from one such doctor from upstate New York about what she has seen. Dr. Sandra Schneider, from Rochester New York, reported that users in her ER experienced psychotic episodes, rapid heart rate, very high blood pressure, and seizures. In some cases users, many of whom were in their teens and twenties, suffered heart attacks and strokes, and died as a result. Other cases involved users who tried to kill themselves, harm others, or got into car accidents while high on these drugs.

How did we get here? The people who manufacture and sell these drugs have circumvented the laws to easily sell synthetic drugs online, at gas stations, in novelty stores at the local shopping malls, and in tobacco stores and other shops. Many of the drugs are manufactured overseas in counties like China and imported into the United States. They spray chemical compounds that have not been tested on humans and were not intended for human consumption on dried leaves. They package and market these drugs to appear as legitimate products like incense, bath salts, plant food, and snow remover. They slap a label on these packages stating that the product is not for human consumption to get around FDA regulation.

Over 30 states have passed laws to ban various synthetic drug compounds. The Drug Enforcement Administration has also acted to stop these drugs. Although the DEA has used its emergency scheduling powers to control seven chemical compounds, there are too many on the market now for the DEA to go through the long and laborious process to schedule each and every one. The makers of these drugs know this too well and have altered their chemical formulas, some as little as a molecule, to get around existing state and federal laws.

This is exactly the case in my home state of Iowa. Iowa passed a law last year that banned many chemical compounds; however, the law only listed a specific set of chemical compounds and the drug makers altered their formulas. Recently, two Iowa youths have become victims of the new drugs. One is a Polk County teenager who got into a high speed crash after smoking a product called "100% Pure Evil." This teen had two other passengers in her car. After smoking this product, the driver became agitated and stated she wanted to kill herself. She started driving her car into several trees. When paramedics arrived on the scene they reported that everyone was badly hurt and the driver was vomiting blood. Thankfully, all passengers survived the crash.

Another teen in Central Iowa experienced a near death experience after smoking the same product. This teen purchased the product "100% Pure Evil" at a local store and started convulsing and vomiting shortly after smoking the drug. Once paramedics got this boy to a hospital he fell into a coma. He, however, woke from the coma the next day but had failed to recognize his mother or grandmother at the hospital. Thankfully, this boy has since recovered his memory. Now he suffers occasional anxiety attacks. When the boy's mother told the police about the product and where he got it, she reported that the police told her there was nothing they could do about it because it was not known what was in the product and it may be legal. This product is still being reviewed to see if any compounds fall under Iowa's ban.

Nearly a year ago, I introduced legislation, named after David Rozga, with Senator Feinstein, that bans the chemicals that comprise K2/Spice. We designed the legislation to capture a wide variety of compounds so it would not be so easy to circumvent this law by altering a molecule. In fact, the Iowa Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy is crafting new legislation, based on the legislation I introduced last year that captures more substances. My legislation was unanimously passed out of the Judiciary Committee last July. It is currently being prevented from consideration by the full Senate by one Senator. The House of Representatives passed its version of the Synthetic Drug Control Act overwhelmingly last December with more than 70 percent of representatives supporting scheduling these drugs.

Many of the opponents of this legislation stated on the House floor that by scheduling these compounds, we are preventing scientific research. That is far from true. Any scheduled substance, even current schedule I drugs like cocaine and heroin, can be researched. Any scientist can apply to be registered by the DEA to research any drug. Just because we are removing the drugs from the store shelves does not mean we can't study them.

It is time for the Senate to take action. We cannot let the will of just one senator obstruct the will of many. I believe if our legislation received a vote and a fair debate, this body would pass it overwhelmingly. I urge my colleagues to support our efforts to get these drugs off the store shelves and off the streets. I urge the Senate leadership to allow a debate and vote on this issue. The American people, people like the Rozga family and others who have been victims of these drugs, want to see this poison removed from their communities.

 

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Becky Wright of Mt. Pleasant, IA will return to GAHC for an encore
program featuring more details on her beloved Civil War quilt and the
man who made it, Union soldier and German immigrant Christian Staffinger,
who crafted it while recovering from battle wounds.

 

Becky was a sell-out presenter in June of 2011, and during that very program
she had the opportunity to meet descendents of Christian Staffinger right
here at GAHC!  It was history in the making!  She has since had the opportunity
to learn more and will share the newest details with us - don't miss it!

 

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012   2:00 p.m.
Come early for best seating!

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