Legislation Boosts Enrollment;
Increases Agricultural Exposure to Urban Communities

CHICAGO - February 6, 2012. As part of his commitment to strengthening education in Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn today visited Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) to discuss recently adopted legislation that will allow more students in urban areas to pursue opportunities in Illinois' vital agricultural economy.

"One of Illinois' biggest economic engines is our mighty agriculture," Governor Quinn said. "Our urban students and those who live in rural communities should have the educational opportunities to prepare them for jobs in an industry that keeps food on our tables and makes our state more competitive in the global economy."

The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences is a public magnet school that was opened by the Chicago Public Schools in 1985 with the goal of bringing agricultural education to urban students. The 72-acre campus includes a 40-acre working farm that allows students to get hands-on experience as well as summer internships in agricultural-related fields, which leads to many entering college to pursue agricultural and food science fields. Students are selected for the school via a lottery that chooses 150 students out roughly 1,000 applicants each year for the freshman class.

Senate Bill 1226, sponsored by Sen. Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) and Rep. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) changes the enrollment cap for the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences from 600 to 720 students and requires that 50% of enrollment reside within a 2.5 mile radius of the school, which is located on a 72-acre campus on the far South Side.

As highlighted by Governor Quinn in his State of the State Address, Illinois exports rose 30 percent in 2010 and the state is on track to double its exports by 2014. In 2010, Illinois' farm economy had total cash receipts of $15 billion, supporting for tens of thousands of jobs. Agriculture exports alone supported nearly 50,000 jobs in 2010.

Here is information about Senator Grassley's schedule this week in Washington.  The Senate is in session.

·         Senator Grassley will meet during the week with Iowans from Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, the Iowa Association of School Boards, the National Child Support Enforcement Association, the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa, Job Corps, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the American Wind Energy Association, the National Association of FSA County Office Employees, the University of Iowa and the Iowa State University Colleges of Engineering, Habitat for Humanity, and the Iowa State Education Association.

·         Senator Grassley will meet with an Iowa family visiting Washington from New Hampton.

·         Senator Grassley will be a guest on public affairs programs hosted by Cindy Kohlmann on KDTH Radio in Dubuque, Scott Voorhees on KFAB Radio in Omaha, and Mike Savage on KBUR Radio in Burlington.  He also will be a guest on AgriTalk, an agriculture-focused public affairs program that airs live on 13 radio stations in Iowa.

·         On Monday, February 6, at 3:30 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will meet with community leaders and city officials traveling to Washington with the Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty Chamber of Commerce to discuss economic development initiatives and other public policy matters.

·         On Tuesday, February 7, at 10 a.m. (ET), there is a Budget Committee hearing on the outlook for U.S. monetary and fiscal policy.  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify.  Senator Grassley is a senior member of the committee.

·         On Tuesday, February 7, at 3 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in a business meeting of the Senate Finance Committee on the Highway Investment, Job Creation and Economic Growth Act of 2012.

·         On Tuesday, February 7, at 4:30 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will meet with Major General Timothy Orr of the Iowa National Guard regarding the Iowa impact of the Air Force budget reduction recommendations announced Friday, which would retire the 21 F-16 fighter aircraft assigned to the 124^th Fighter Squadron, Iowa Air National Guard in Des Moines.  Senator Grassley has expressed concerns about the Air Force strategy of targeting the Guard for cuts, as the Guard is more cost effective for missions such as a fighter squadron than Active Duty, and Guard pilots tend to be more experienced since they stay in the service over a long period of time.  On Thursday, February 9, at 1:30 p.m., Senator Grassley will host a meeting for the Iowa congressional delegation with Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley to discuss the recommendations.

·         On Wednesday, February 8, at 12:30 p.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will speak at a Capitol Hill event of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.  CADCA is the leading national drug abuse prevention organization representing more than 5,000 community anti-drug coalitions in the country and focusing on local, targeted solutions to prevent drug abuse.  Senator Grassley founded the FIT Coalition in Iowa more than 15 years ago.  FIT stands for Face It Together.  The organization, today part of the Iowa Drug-Free Partnership, networks employers, schools, parents and community-based organizations to help address local substance abuse problems.

·         On Thursday, February 9, at 10 a.m. (ET), Senator Grassley will participate in the weekly business meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  The committee is scheduled to take action on legislation sponsored by Senators Grassley, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, John Cornyn of Texas, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Chuck Schumer of New York.  Senator Grassley's bill, S.1945, would permit the broadcast and televising of Supreme Court proceedings.  It builds on sunshine legislation Senator Grassley has sponsored for more than 10 years to grant federal judges the authority to allow cameras in other federal courtrooms.  Over the years, Senator Grassley has successfully pressed the Supreme Court to release audio recordings of its proceedings.  The court did so in 2000 in the Bush v. Gore case, and last year the court began releasing audio at the end of each week.  In 1947, the Supreme Court said that what transpires in the courtroom is public property.  In Iowa, there has been broadcast coverage of state-level courts for more than 30 years, including online archived streams in recent years.  The federal-level Southern District Court in Iowa is part of a three-year pilot program to evaluate the impact of cameras in courtrooms.

Jordan Catholic School Celebrates Student Appreciation Day during Catholic Schools Week with Pajama Day.  Mrs. Lavell said, "Don't you want to go to school here?!"

From Left: Art Teacher Mrs. Jacqui Dodson, 4th grader Megan Tanghe, and 4th grade teacher Mrs. Karen Lavell.

Increase to Earned Income Credit and Personal Exemption
to Help Working Families and Stimulate Local Economies

CHICAGO - February 4, 2012. As families across Illinois prepare their taxes this season, Governor Pat Quinn today visited a tax assistance center organized by the Center for Economic Progress at Truman College to encourage working families across Illinois to learn about tax relief passed by the Governor earlier this year and how to apply for the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit. The law doubles the state's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) over two years, saving low-income workers an extra $105 million per year. The new law also benefits all Illinois taxpayers by raising the value of the personal exemption and indexing it to inflation.

"Illinois took a step forward this year in helping working families keep more of what they earn," Governor Quinn said. "We must get the word out to our friends, family and neighbors about who is eligible and how to apply for this tax relief that will help every day people and grow our economy."

To benefit from Illinois' EITC, also known as the Earned Income Credit (EIC), taxpayers must include it on their tax returns. While more than 2.5 million state residents benefited from the Illinois EITC in 2010, many people who are eligible for EITC don't file for it. The not-for-profit Center for Economic Progress (CEP) estimates that between 10 and 20 percent of eligible taxpayers did not file for EITC last year.

To help working families achieve the maximum savings on their taxes, the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) partners with the CEP Tax Counseling Project to provide free tax preparation assistance at tax assistance centers across the state. The services are provided free of charge to families making less than $50,000 annually and to individuals with yearly incomes under $25,000. More than 28,000 Illinois taxpayers filed returns through the program in the 2010 tax season, with more than $50 million in state and federal tax refunds returned to clients.

DHS also funds the Tax Assistance Program (TAP), which recruits tax professionals to volunteer to assist low-income families in 23 locations in Chicago and the suburbs. DHS also works with its clients and those who found jobs and have left DHS programs to educate them about tax preparation programs and ways to ensure they receive the maximum refund on their tax returns.

For more information on the Tax Counseling Project, contact the Center for Economic Progress in Chicago at 312-630-0273, or its toll-free statewide number 888-827-8511 or its website www.economicprogress.org. For information on the Tax Assistance Program call 312-409-1555 or 312-409-4318 (Spanish). Details are also available on the IDHS website at www.dhs.state.il.us and the Department of Revenue website at www.revenue.state.il.us. Information about filing federal taxes online can be found at www.irs.gov.

About the New Illinois EITC Law:

The new law marked the largest increase in Illinois' EITC since its inception in 2000, by phasing in a 5 percent increase over two years. The law boosts the state's EITC from its current level at 5 percent of federal EITC, to 7.5 percent in tax year 2012 and 10 percent of federal EITC in tax year 2013. More than 2.5 million state residents benefited from the Illinois EITC in 2010.

Under the new law, a single mother with one child, earning minimum wage ($12,800 a year), will save $154 on her taxes. A married couple with three children earning $30,000 a year will save $199 on their taxes this year.

Uniquely pro-growth and pro-family, the EITC is available only to those with earned income and provides incentive to work as well as much-needed tax relief to the lowest-income families. EITC also boosts local economies through increased consumer demand. A 2006 Brookings Institution study found that every dollar a family saves through this tax credit translates into $1.58 of activity in local economies.

The law also improves the value of the standard personal exemption for all taxpayers in Illinois and ties its continued growth to the rate of inflation. The personal exemption will increase by $50 (to $2,050) in tax year 2012, and the value of the exemption will be indexed to the cost of living adjustment each tax year thereafter. The personal exemption change benefits all taxpayers, regardless of income.

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