Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is proud to announce that a new room will be open to the public when the mansion reopens for guided tours on March 1, 2011. The Preschool Room, located on the mansion's third floor, will be the first room added to the tour in nine years. Used as a preschool for the family and neighborhood children in the 1910s and a guest room in the 1930s, this addition will reveal the way a room's use changes throughout history and provide new levels of enrichment to the tour.

The decision to renovate and open this room to the public was made when the "Bachelor" furniture set was donated to Brucemore in 2009. Irene Douglas, the matriarch of the Douglas family, originally purchased the furniture in 1934 to furnish a guest room for the groom of her youngest daughter Barbara for their wedding. Beyond describing the education provided in the preschool room, the furniture's history will allow the tour to discuss one of the largest social events in Cedar Rapids' history: Barbara Douglas' wedding to Gail Burck in 1934. Over 600 guests attended the reception on Brucemore's First Avenue lawn and other community members joined the celebration for free ice cream distributed at the estate's gates.

"Opening a new room is an exciting opportunity to add depth to our interpretive tour and display objects that have been in collection's storage," said April Kamp-Whittaker, Director of Learning and Museum Projects. "Hopefully it will encourage people to visit either for the first time or to return and see the changes which have been made to the house and tour over the years."

Interpretive guided mansion tours are offered March through December, Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 3:00 p.m. Tours are on the hour and last approximately 50 minutes. Admission is $7.00 per adult, $3.00 per student, and free to Brucemore and National Trust members. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. Handicap accessible, please call for details. For more information, call 319-362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.

Brucemore, an 1880s Queen Anne style mansion on a 26-acre park-like estate, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.

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Governor Issues State Disaster Declaration Ahead of Storm

SPRINGFIELD - January 31, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that state agencies are working together to prepare for a large winter storm expected to hit the Midwest region starting today. Governor Quinn also issued a disaster declaration for the entire state in advance of the heavy snow, ice and blizzard conditions that are expected over the next few days.

"The entire Midwest region of the country is expected to be hit with a serious winter storm over the next few days, and it is important that we are prepared so that Illinois residents are safe and warm in the days ahead," said Governor Quinn. "We will be increasing efforts to make sure that our roads are clear and that our most vulnerable residents are staying indoors and staying warm."

Governor Quinn activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield this afternoon to coordinate the state's response to the storm. Representatives from more than a dozen state agencies will man the SEOC 24 hours a day throughout the storm.

"We're working closely with local emergency management officials throughout the state to monitor conditions and be ready to provide whatever assistance they may need," said Joe Klinger, interim director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA). "But it's also important that people prepare themselves for this storm by stocking their homes with food, water, flashlights, radios and other necessities."

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Illinois State Police are encouraging drivers to use extra caution on roads and will be increasing efforts to keep motorists safe as driving conditions across the state become hazardous. Motorists can check the condition of Interstates by calling 1-800-452-IDOT (4368); or by visiting www.gettingaroundillinois.com and clicking on "Winter Road Conditions."

The Illinois Department of Aging (IDoA) is taking steps to ensure the safety of senior citizens throughout Illinois. The department has notified providers that they should check on older adults to make sure they have food, water and medication in the event that the storm causes power outages. The IDoA also alerted provider agencies that have generators to make sure that they have fuel on-hand to run them.

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) will provide alternate sites for clients if their regular local office is inaccessible. The department also encourages Illinoisans to take advantage of more than 120 state facilities that serve as warming centers. For a list of participating centers, please visit www.keepwarm.illinois.gov. For information on facility closures, people should call ahead to their local offices for a pre- recorded instructional message. Patient facilities will continue operations throughout the storm.

For additional information about winter storm preparedness measures and important updates throughout the storm, visit the Ready Illinois Web site at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

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Six Appointees to Help Lead Administration's Continued Efforts to Reform State Government, Address Fiscal Challenges

CHICAGO - January 31, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today made six appointments to his executive cabinet. Today's actions begin a series of appointments Governor Quinn will make over the first quarter of 2011 as he continues fulfilling his commitment to creating jobs, recovering our economy and making state government more efficient and accountable to the people of Illinois.

Today Governor Quinn re-appointed Director Rocco Claps to the Department of Human Rights, Director Brian Hamer to the Department of Revenue, Director Julie Hamos to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Secretary Gary Hannig to the Department of Transportation, Director Erwin McEwen to the Department of Children and Family Services and Secretary Michelle R.B. Saddler to the Department of Human Services.

"I am proud to appoint these trusted members of my cabinet to continue their dedicated service to the people of Illinois," said Governor Quinn. "Over the course of my administration they have shown themselves to be unparalleled stewards of the public trust, and I look forward to their continued service."

As Director of the Department of Human Rights, Rocco Claps has led efforts to establish civil unions, prevent sexual harassment on college campuses, reduce bullying in schools and increase gang prevention. Prior to his appointment to head the department, Claps served as deputy assessor for Cook County and held a number of positions within the administration of President Bill Clinton. He previously worked in the Illinois House of Representatives and is a graduate of Illinois State University.

Brian Hamer has led the Department of Revenue's efforts to save Illinois millions of dollars by boosting electronic filing of tax returns as well as collecting tens of millions of dollars from gasoline tax evaders. He also administered the state's 2010 tax amnesty program. He is a former deputy director of the Chicago Department of Revenue and previously served in Chicago's corporation counsel office. Prior to his work in government, Hamer graduated from Yale University and earned a law degree from Columbia University, where he edited the school's law review journal.

As Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Julie Hamos is leading the state's implementation of national healthcare reform, and negotiated and led passage of Illinois' historic Medicaid reform law. Hamos previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1999 to 2010, representing the 18th District. Prior to her election to the General Assembly, Hamos worked as the legislative counsel and policy advisor to then-State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, before being appointed director of the Child Support Division, which oversees more than 300,000 child support cases each year. Hamos earned a Bachelor's degree from Washington University and a law degree from George Washington University.

As Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Gary Hannig is leading implementation of Illinois Jobs Now!, the largest capital construction and job creation plan in Illinois' history. Previously, Hannig served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 2009, representing the 98th district, eventually becoming Deputy Majority Leader. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in accounting.

Prior to his appointment to head the Department of Children and Family Services, Erwin McEwen served as child welfare administrator at Lakeside Community Committee, where he oversaw four core child welfare programs. He has committed 20 years of service to youth and families in the Illinois social services community, serving at Kaleidoscope, DCFS, Hull House and Lakeside. McEwen has also served as a member of the Illinois Statewide Foster Parent Advisory Council, the Illinois Child Care Association Board of Directors, the Child Welfare Advisory Committee on Performance-Based Contracting, and the African American Family Commission's Monitoring and Oversight Committee.

Secretary Michelle R.B. Saddler has led the Department of Human Services since October 2009, except during a time when she served as Governor Quinn's Chief of Staff from August 2010 to December 2010. Saddler led implementation of the state's nationally-recognized Put Illinois to Work program, which put more than 26,000 people to work throughout the state, giving them valuable job experience to ensure that they are competitive in the workforce. Her  past positions include Vice President for International Adoptions for the Lifelink Corporation and Executive Director of the Illinois Metropolitan Investment Fund. She also served as Director of Investments with then-Illinois State Treasurer Quinn and is a Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Protestants for the Common Good.

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In one of the first orders of business of the 112^th Congress, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a good government measure I've pursued for more than a decade.

In a move that will pull back the cloak of secrecy that effectively hog-ties the people's business in the U.S. Senate, anonymous "secret holds" will no longer be allowed.

A hold is a request by individual senators to their respective party's leader in the Senate to object on their behalf as a sort of proxy.   Until now, senators didn't have to disclose their identities when placing a hold.  Now, under the reform I co-authored, the Senate is under a binding resolution that automatically will trigger public disclosure of who is behind an objection to legislation or a nomination pending before the U.S. Senate. Specifically, the senator's identity will be published in The Congressional Record within 48 hours. Previously, lawmakers could bear no public accountability.

My reason for ending secret holds is simple: If a lawmaker finds it necessary to delay action on a pending bill or nomination to build consensus, gather more information or argue for a different approach or policy, he or she should have the guts to make the hold public. Requiring a non-negotiable end to the anonymity of holds will bring better, more effective transparency to the legislative process.

A hold is effective because much of the Senate's business operates by unanimous consent.  The reform will still allow each senator to exercise his or her prerogative to withhold consent on legislation or a nomination.  It's important to preserve senators' rights to represent their constituents and work for the best interests of the country.  But now such holds must withstand the light of day. The public has a right to know what their senators are objecting to and why.

In the U.S. Senate, I have championed many reforms in Washington that improve good governance and keep an important distinction in mind.  As stewards of the public purse, lawmakers work in Washington for the people. The people don't work for Washington. That's why I work year after year to hold office holders and the federal bureaucracy accountable.

Today I'm building on a crusade launched more than 20 years ago to bring Congress under the same laws it passes for people on Main Street. President Clinton signed my reform legislation into law in 1995. The Congressional Accountability Act applies a dozen federal workplace, employment and civil rights laws from which Congress routinely exempted itself, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Veteran's Employment and Reemployment Rights at Chapter 43 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1989.

I'm also fighting to end another double standard that flies in the face of integrity and good governance. In the last Congress, the President and Democratic congressional leaders pushed through a sweeping federal health reform law that makes significant changes to the nation's health insurance system. Despite my efforts to ensure the new law would apply to the White House and those who drafted the bill in Congress, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 exempts the West Wing and congressional leadership staff from key elements of the law.

Talk about hogwash. Public officeholders who make the laws that apply to the rest of the country ought to have to taste their own medicine. That's why in January I reintroduced my legislation that would require the President, members of his cabinet and top congressional staff to obtain their health coverage through the same health insurance exchanges as many other Americans when health plans for the general public are made available.  The special carve-out sends an arrogant message to grass roots America:  It says health care reform is good enough for you, but not for us.

Another way I'm working to get Congress started out on the right foot is legislation several other senators and I have reintroduced to stop automatic pay raises for federal lawmakers. Although I helped to block the automatic pay raises for 2010 and 2011, it's time for Congress to swallow a permanent dose of common sense. Workers in the private sector don't have the luxury of receiving an automatic pay raise year after year. Neither should members of Congress. Our bill would require a public roll-call vote in the U.S. Senate before a pay raise is approved.

Making sure Washington lives by the same standards that apply to the rest of the country will dismantle cavalier policymaking that can be arrogant and uninformed. Conducting the people's business with transparency and holding public officeholders to account will help restore public confidence and improve public services. Bringing my Iowa-tested reality check back to Washington week after week sure helps me separate the wheat from the chaff.

Monday, January 31, 2011