Washington, D.C -  Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced a resolution in the Senate honoring baseball great Bob Feller who passed away on Wednesday.  Feller, a Van Meter native, was known as a great Iowan, a great baseball player and a great patriot.   The resolution was cosponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), George Voinovich (R-OH) and Jim Bunning (R-KY).

"This week we lost a great American," said Harkin. "Bob Feller was one of the greatest baseball players in history, but also a decorated soldier who willingly interrupted that career to enlist in the military to serve in World War II.   We do not just honor him because of his athletic achievements, we recognize him as a great American and patriot."

"Bob Feller knew the honor and duty of being an American, and he took that responsibility very seriously.  When his country needed him, he was the first to leave his professional baseball career and answer the call.  And, though most will remember him for his curveball, Bob Feller most wanted to be recognized for his service in World War II defending the United States from totalitarian powers and promoting liberty and freedom around the world," Grassley said.  

Feller started his baseball career as pitcher for Van Meter High School.  He went on to play 16 seasons in the major leagues, during which he had 2,581 strikeouts and 266 wins.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.  Feller also served our Nation in the Navy during World War II, enlisting two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.   Due to his service, he lost four baseball seasons, but has said he never regretted his choice.

A copy of the resolution can be found here.

Friday, December 17, 2010

President Obama today signed into law an extension of tax relief.  The bipartisan package extends a series of provisions Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa sponsored and shepherded into law as chairman of the Finance Committee in 2001 and 2003 and as a leading supporter of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.  The Finance Committee has exclusive Senate jurisdiction over taxes.  Grassley made the following comment on the President's signing of the bill into law.

"This will be good for taxpayers and the economy.  Raising taxes would have been the worst thing we could do with unemployment at nearly 10 percent. Continued tax relief gives people the ability to keep more of their money to use as they see fit, whether it's buying groceries or investing in their small business.  Sending more money to Washington would just result in more spending, which is the last thing the country needs.  The restoration of the biodiesel tax credit and continuation of the ethanol tax credit, along with 49 other tax incentives for different sectors of the economy, are part and parcel of job retention and creation.  Biodiesel has lost nearly 23,000 jobs because the credit lapsed.  Ethanol has 112,000 jobs at stake.  These industries offer the most effective alternative to expensive foreign oil from unfriendly countries."

The Grassley-sponsored tax-relief bill enacted in 2001 was the biggest in a generation.  It lowered marginal rates and created the 10-percent bracket.  It made tax-free savings plans for college a permanent part of the tax code, created the deduction for tuition, and secured the tax deductibility of interest on student loans.  If this tax relief wasn't extended in 2010, on average, Americans' tax bills would have gone up by 10 percent.  Without action:

--the tax deduction for college tuition would have gone away

--the expanded part of the tax deduction for interest on student loans would have gone away

--the 10-percent tax bracket for low-income workers would have ended

--six million very low-income taxpayers removed from the tax rolls altogether in 2001 would have been taxed again

--the tax-free treatment of employer-provided educational assistance would have gone away.  Across America, one million workers who go to school at night or part-time benefit from this tax relief.

--the tax benefit for certain bonds to improve and build schools would have gone away

--the tax-preferred expanded part of education savings accounts would have gone away

--there would have been a higher tax penalty for marriage

--the child tax credit would have been cut in half (from $1,000 to $500)

--the refundable child tax credit for many people who don't pay taxes would have gone away

--savers, investors and seniors would have paid higher taxes on dividends and capital gains

--the estate tax would have come back in full (to a 55 percent tax rate and $1 million unified credit exemption amount).

For more information on the biodiesel and ethanol tax credits enacted today, click here.

DES MOINES, IA (12/16/2010)(readMedia)-- Gift cards top many people's holiday wish lists again this year, and State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald wants Iowa consumers to protect the value of those cards by following a few basic tips. "Some of those gift cards will never be redeemed, and nobody can afford to let money go to waste," stated Fitzgerald. "Whether you are giving or receiving gift cards this year, these tips can help ensure that they will be an enjoyable holiday present."

TIPS FOR GIFT CARD PURCHASERS:

• Verify if the card has an expiration date or fees that reduce the card's value overtime.

• Include the original receipt and disclosure information to the recipient in the event it is needed to replace a lost or stolen card.

• Buy gift cards from reputable retailers where you know the recipient will shop.

TIPS FOR GIFT CARD RECIPIENTS:

• Check for an expiration date and use the gift card promptly.

• Check the disclosures for fees that can reduce the card's value.

• Keep the original receipt if it was included with the gift card.

"We encourage retailers to honor all of the gift cards they sell, even those that have expired," Fitzgerald stated. "In doing so, retailers stay on friendly terms with their customers."

Rules passed last year by Congress prohibit fees on gift cards for one year and expiration dates of less than five years from the date of purchase. Current state law requires that the expiration date and fees be clearly displayed on any gift card with such restrictions.

Consumers with questions or concerns regarding an expired gift card that a retailer will not honor because it has expired are encouraged to contact the State Treasurer's office. Please provide a copy of the gift certificate and a brief letter stating the circumstances of the complaint. The information can be sent to the address below or emailed to upreport@iowa.gov.

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley today said that he has nominated outstanding young Iowans to serve in the United States service academies.

"Nominating students to the service academies gives me the opportunity to see some of the highest caliber young men and women our state has to offer.  Every year I'm impressed with these young Iowans who are interested in serving their county," Grassley said. "I'm confident that these nominees will represent our state well, and I'm happy to nominate them."

Grassley nominates several young Iowans each year for a select few spots.  Each academy then selects students based on the number of vacancies for the 2011-2012 school year. Often, because of the high quality of nominations from Iowa, several students are selected to attend each academy.

Grassley said each of the Iowa students who applied for academy nominations were exceptional and he encouraged eligible students to consider submitting applications in the future.  "The academies are some of the best options in our country for a higher education," said Grassley.

Grassley will issue announcements when appointments to the academies are offered.

Here are Grassley's nominations.

U.S. Air Force Academy
Dylan Bechen, Woodbury Central High School, Moville

Daniel Deakins, West Harrison Community School, Mondamin

Daniel Eichman, Dulwich College (Beijing), Dubuque

Brett Heithusen, Williamsburg High School, Williamsburg

Isaac Kinrade, Maquoketa High School, Maquoketa

Felix Knutson, Hubbard

Peighton MacLeod, University High School, Cedar Falls

Jesse Phillips, North Mahaska High School, New Sharon

Alec Stenzel, Valley High School, Cumming

Mackenzie VanDenBerg, West High School, Waterloo

U.S. Military Academy
Shawn Burrows, Bondurant-Farrar High School, Bondurant

Charles Godwin, Exira High School, Exira

Levi Horsley, Carroll High School, Carroll

Travis Mallo, Mason City High School, Mason City

Jedidiah McCoy, Climbing Hill

Thomas McGuire, Gilbert High School, Ames

Kalie Plasier, Randolph Macon Academy (Front Royal, VA), Sioux Center

Sean Raes, Ballard High School, Slater

Caleb Titus, Danville High School, West Burlington

Wyatt VandeVoort, MOC-Floyd Valley High School, Orange City

 

U.S. Naval Academy
Erik Bergstrom, Johnston High School, Johnston                      

Andrew Chudzik, City High School, Iowa City

Morgan Clutter, Indianola High School, Indianola

James Cox, Jefferson High School, Cedar Rapids

Mary Dougherty, Bishop Heelan High School, Sioux City

Sarah Eikenberry, Roosevelt High School, Des Moines

Andrew Foster, West High School, Waterloo

Joseph Gallet, Iowa State University, Washington High School (Cedar Rapids), Atkins

Tyler Husar, Muscatine High School, Muscatine

Knute Klinker, South O'Brien High School, Primghar

Scott Pate, Clarke Community High School, Osceola

Alex Peschang, Waverly-Shell Rock High School, Waverly

Andrew Peterman, Bettendorf High School, Bettendorf

Andrew Pick, Dowling High School, Clive

Kristin Reichert, Indianola High School, Indianola

John Russell, St. Albert High School, Council Bluffs

Conner Sprague, Wayne Community High School, Derby

Jakob Stoner, Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls

Colton Van't Hof, Sioux Center Community, Sioux Center

Daniel Yehieli, Cedar Falls High School, Cedar Falls

 

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Tobias Gassman, Ames High School, Ames

Miranda Walz, Central High School - Elkader, Elkader

 

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