WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), today announced that several Iowa colleges and universities will receive a total $825,750 for the creation and continuation of programs that support nurse faculty and disadvantaged students.  The funding comes from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

"Investing in Iowa's colleges and universities means investing in the future of our state and its residents," said Harkin.  "Education is a major rung in the ladder of opportunity and with this funding, we strengthen that opportunity.  In addition, Iowa has some of the strongest health training programs and best health professionals in the country, and by making further investments in educating Iowa's healthcare workforce we will keep our state a leader for generations to come."

Harkin is Chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds HHS.  He is also Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

The funding is as follows:

Allen College, Waterloo
$31,278.00 in new funding through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.
$17,733.00 in continued funding through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.

St. Ambrose, Davenport
$408,404.00 in new funding through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.

University of Iowa
$98,566.00 in new funding through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.
$131,540.00 in continued funding through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.

Indian Hills Community College
$81,744.00 in new funding through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.

Clarke College, Dubuque
$56,485.00 in continued funding through the Nurse Faculty Loan Program.

Advisory for Iowa Reporters and Editors

Friday, July 1, 2011

During his weekly video address, Senator Chuck Grassley discusses the status of the deficit-reduction talks and the importance of not leaving a legacy of debt to the next generation.

Click here for audio.

The text of the address is available below.

Grassley Weekly Video Address:

Deficit-Reduction Talks

The President is finally involved in the deficit-reduction talks, where $2.4 trillion in savings over 10 years is needed in order to offset about that level of an increase in the federal debt ceiling.  August 2 is the operational deadline, at this point.

The President's posture is very combative, and the pressure that's coming from the White House and Senate Democrats to raise taxes to increase revenues ignores two very important facts, separate from the harm it would do to the economy where job creation is still so weak.

First, Americans sent a clear message in the last election that they want government spending reined in.  They know it's morally wrong to make the next generation pay the bills for the way we live today, and that the problem isn't that people are taxed too little but that Washington spends too much.  In just the last two years, government spending increased by 22 percent.

Second, if history is a guide, then an increase in taxes is really a license for Congress to spend more money.  Professor Vedder of Ohio University has found that since World War II, for every dollar in tax increases, Washington has spent $1.17.

Serious spending reforms are needed for the sake of America's fiscal well-being.

One of those reforms is a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.  The federal deficit is 15 times bigger today than it was in 1997, the last time there was a vote in Congress on a balanced budget amendment.  It's time to bring it up again.  I'm a cosponsor of legislation and have formally asked Senate leaders to hold hearings on a balanced budget amendment.  Forty-six of 50 states have a balanced budget requirement, and there should be one at the federal level.

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WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - June 30, 2011 - Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), the state's largest grassroots farm organization, sees progress through passage of several IFBF-supported measures in the 2011 legislative session.  IFBF members are pleased that lawmakers took steps towards achieving a more fiscally-responsible, sustainable budgeting process, which will ensure the state's future economic health, as well as bring significant property tax relief to Iowans.

Farm Bureau members have insisted that the state fully fund its promised share of education, which was under-funded by across-the-board cuts in recent years.  As Farm Bureau members feared, three years of under-funding the state's share of schools pushed the burden onto the backs of Iowa property taxpayers.   Farm Bureau members are pleased that this year lawmakers passed measures that will backfill the nearly $160 million that was not previously funded in the budget, creating significant property tax relief, said IFBF President Craig Lang.

The state legislature also adopted measures to prevent the practice of using one-time money for on-going expenses: a change in practice Farm Bureau supports.  "Iowa lawmakers created the Taxpayer Trust Fund, which automatically takes the first $60 million of the state ending fund balance off the table and directs it towards tax relief.  In years before, this money was rolled into the next year's General Fund budget to cover on-going expenses," said Lang.  Additionally, almost $300 million of one-time federal stimulus money was removed from the budget, another step which helps create a sustainable and fiscally-responsible budget.

Another Farm Bureau priority passed by lawmakers this year results in the transfer of the Water Resources Coordinating Council (WRCC) to Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.  The objective of the WRCC is to improve the coordination of watershed and water quality programs, making water quality programs more effective in Iowa.  IFBF members believe this new change in responsibility will improve coordination of conservation and water quality programs in Iowa.

Work will continue on other IFBF priorities which didn't gain passage in this session, including regulatory reform, overturning a controversial ruling by Iowa's Electrical Examining Board which requires inspections of electrical installations on farm buildings and House File 589, the Agriculture Protection Bill.  Under new Farm Bureau-supported language, an amended HF 589 would make it a crime when people make false statements about their motives, or have a "hidden agenda" for gaining access to Iowa crop or livestock farms.  The revised bill has the backing of many Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, and did not include language prohibiting video recordings.  "It's unfortunate a revised HF 589 didn't get to the Senate floor this year, because this bill is about something very important, not just to Farm Bureau members, but to all Iowans; it's about misrepresentation of character," said Lang.  "In a post 9/11 world, transparency is important for farmers and consumers alike.  Responsible farmers take good care of their land and livestock and want to employ honest, hardworking people that have the welfare of their livestock as their top priority.  The newly-worded HF 589 would've created penalties for those who make false statements to gain access to a farm to hide their intended misconduct or purpose.  I think that's something that all Iowans believe in."

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NOTRE DAME, IN (06/30/2011)(readMedia)-- Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind., named Katherine Kautz to the Dean's List for the spring 2011 semester. Katherine is the daughter of Ann and Gregory Kautz of Bettendorf, IA. To earn academic honors at Saint Mary's, a student must achieve a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.6 on a 4.0 scale, have at least 12 graded credit hours, no incompletes, and no grades lower than a C.

About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women's institution offering five bachelor's degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary's College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges" in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary's is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

On the web: http://readabout.me/achievements/Katherine-Kautz-Named-to-Deans-List-at-Saint-Mary-s-College/2754747.