Quad Cities - Safe Kids Quad Cities shares the newest research report on Halloween safety to Quad Cities area; a key finding showing that only one third of parents talk to their children annually about Halloween safety. This is a first-of-its kind study on Halloween-safety, which was commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a poll of 935 parents with children ages 12 and younger to assess their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to Halloween safety.

"Given children's limited attention spans, repeated and consistent messages about safe behaviors are key to preventing injuries," says Keene Hart. "By following the basic safety tips provided by Safe Kids, Halloween can be a fun and safe night for children of all ages."

On average, twice as many child pedestrians are killed while walking on Halloween compared to other days of the year. On this potentially dangerous night of the year for child pedestrians, Safe Kids Quad Cities strongly recommends that parents prepare children to behave safely and for drivers to take extra precautions.

While most of the parent participants in the study have talked to their children about Halloween safety at some point, many have not made it an annual conversation. Safe Kids Quad Cities urges parents to engage in repeated discussions with each child, every year to reinforce safety messages and safe behaviors because of the risks they face on Halloween.

According to the study, 40 percent of parents allow their child to use one or more unsafe item on Halloween such as a mask, loosing fitting clothing, and / or a sharp object - any of which could contribute to falls, burns or pedestrian injuries. These are preventable hazards that could be avoided by following Safe Kids Quad Cities safety tips.

Another key finding of this report shows twelve percent of children five years of age or younger are permitted to trick-or-treat alone. Not only should these young children be accompanied by an adult, but it is also recommended by Safe Kids that no child under 12 years of age spend Halloween night navigating the streets unsupervised. This recommendation was made to protect children who often lack the maturity and cognitive ability to make appropriate decisions to accurately judge speeds and distance.

"It is alarming to hear that children ages five years and younger are trick-or-treating without adult supervision," added Keene Hart. "If they are old enough and mature enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, parents should make sure children go out in groups and stick to a predetermined route with good lighting."

In preparation for Halloween, Safe Kids Quad Cities will team up with Walk This Way program sponsor FedEx to provide kids with reflective materials to promote visibility, including zipper tags that can be attached to costumes and trick-or-treat bags, as well as important safety information to children, parents, and drivers. The Halloween study was made possible through funding provided by FedEx.

To ensure a safer celebration of Halloween, Safe Kids Quad Cities and FedEx recommend the following tips to parents and caregivers:

Trick-or-Treating Safety:

• Children under 12 should trick-or-treat and cross streets with an adult.

• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, choose light colored costumes that fit properly and avoid carrying sticks, swords, or other sharp objects.

• Check treats for signs of tampering before children are allowed to eat them. Candy should be thrown away if the wrapper is faded, torn, or unwrapped.

What Drivers Need to Know:

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.

• Anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on early in the day so you can spot children from greater distances.

• Remember that costumes can limit children's visibility and they may not be able to see your vehicle.

• Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley today said that legislation to strengthen and update the Whistleblower Protection Act unanimously passed the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

Grassley is one of the primary authors of the bill, known as the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.  The bill was introduced on April 6.  The legislation is sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii and is cosponsored by Grassley along with Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Carper of Delaware, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Ben Cardin of Maryland, and Chris Coons of Delaware.

"Whistleblowers come forward when it isn't easy.  They risk their livelihoods to bring the truth to light.  Yet, they are often vilified by their supervisors and coworkers for doing the right thing and revealing fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government," Grassley said.  "Moving the bill through committee is a step in the right direction, but further improvements, like adding timelines for the Attorney General to address FBI whistleblower retaliation cases, are necessary to make sure these cases don't languish at the Justice Department, as two have for more than 5 years."

The legislation would:

• clarify that "any" disclosure of gross waste or mismanagement, fraud, abuse, or illegal activity may be protected, but not disagreements over legitimate policy decisions;
• suspend the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals sole jurisdiction over federal employee whistleblower cases for five years;
• extend Whistleblower Protection Act coverage and other non-discrimination and anti-retaliatory laws to all employees of the Transportation Security Administration;
• clarify that whistleblowers may disclose evidence of censorship of scientific or technical information under the same standards that apply to disclosures of other kinds of waste, fraud, and abuse;
• codify the anti-gag provision that has been part of every Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill since 1988;
• allow jury trials under certain circumstances for a period of five years;
• provide the Merit System Protection Board with authority to consider and grant summary judgment motions in Whistleblower Protection Act cases for a period of 5 years;
• clarify that employees protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act may make protected classified disclosures to Congress using the same process as Intelligence Community employees;
• establish protections for the Intelligence Community modeled on existing whistleblower protections for FBI employees;
• establish a process within the executive branch for review if a security clearance is allegedly denied or revoked because of a protected whistleblower disclosure;
• establish Whistleblower Protection Ombudsmen to educate agency personnel about whistleblower rights; and
• provide the Office of Special Counsel with the independent right to file "friend of the court" briefs, or amicus briefs, with federal courts.

A long-time advocate for whistleblowers, in addition to co-authoring the 1989 whistleblower law, Grassley sponsored changes made in 1986 to the President Lincoln-era federal False Claims Act to empower private sector whistleblowers.  Since the 1986 amendments were signed into law, the False Claims Act has brought back more than $27 billion to the federal treasury, and has deterred even more fraudulent activity. In 2009, in coordination with Senator Patrick Leahy, Grassley worked to pass legislation to shore up whistleblower protections in the False Claims Act that had been eroded by the courts after years of litigation by defense and healthcare contractors.

Grassley is also the author of legislation that would give whistleblower protections to employees in the legislative branch as provided already to employees of the executive branch of government. He recently won approval of an amendment that would give whistleblower protections to employees in the judicial branch.  The amendment was added to a bill considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Report ranks Iowa bridges among most "deficient" in the country 

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement after a report by the nonprofit group Transportation for America released today said Iowa has the third worst bridges in the United States in terms of their condition and upkeep:

"For four summers in college, I worked for the Poweshiek County Roads Department fixing roads and bridges.  Iowa's economy moves on its roads.  If they're crumbling, our ability to attract new jobs and new businesses to Iowa will crumble too.

"We can create jobs in the short-term and make a lasting boost to economic growth - not to mention keeping Iowans safe - by investing in new highways and proper maintenance of our bridges and roads.  We spent billions rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan - it's irresponsible not to make the same investment here at home."

The report says that nearly 22 percent of Iowa's bridges statewide are considered structurally "deficient."  The only states ranking below Iowa were Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

The full report can be found at the following link: http://t4america.org/