Sacramento, CA - January 21, 2011 - Small, non-farm businesses in 33 Iowa counties and the neighboring counties in Illinois and South Dakota are now eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). "These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the severe storms with excessive rain, flooding, flash flooding, hail, high winds and tornadoes that occurred in the following primary Iowa counties from May 1 through September 30, 2010," announced Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA's Disaster Field Operations Center West.

Primary Iowa counties: Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Louisa, Madison, Scott, Sioux and Washington;
Neighboring Iowa counties: Adair, Benton, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Des Moines, Dubuque, Guthrie, Henry, Jefferson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, Lyon, Muscatine, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Polk, Poweshiek, Tama, Union and Warren;
Neighboring Illinois counties: Carroll, Henderson, Jo Daviess, Mercer and Rock Island;
Neighboring South Dakota counties: Lincoln and Union.

"SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster," Judd said.

Small, non-farm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, non-profit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.

"Eligibility for these loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4% for businesses and 3% for private, non-profit organizations, a maximum term of 30 years, and are available to small businesses and most private, non-profits without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship," Judd said.

By law, SBA makes EIDLs available when the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. Secretary Tom Vilsack declared this disaster at the request of Governor Terry Branstad.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency (FSA) about the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance made available by the Secretary's declaration.

Information and application forms are available from SBA's Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Hearing impaired individuals may call (800) 877-339. Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

The deadline to apply for these loans is September 19, 2011.

For more information, visit SBA's Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
SBA Field Operations Center - West, P.O. Box 419004, Sacramento, CA 95841

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WASHINGTON - January 21, 2011 - Senator Chuck Grassley said the Environmental Protection Agency has done the right thing in expanding eligibility for its E15 waiver, which lets ethanol be blended with gasoline at 15 percent.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson called Grassley this morning to say that a decision had been made to grant the waiver to vehicles going back to model year 2001.  This expands the agency's decision of last October, which applied the waiver to model year 2007 and newer vehicles.

"I've been frustrated with the amount of time it's taken the EPA to reach these decisions, and I'd still like to see a waiver for E15 use in all vehicles, but I also appreciate that the EPA Administrator has made certain to base the decisions on sound science, which puts the waiver decision in a very strong position against court challenges from opponents," Grassley said.

Grassley has been a leading advocate for increasing blends of ethanol in gasoline.  He's met personally with the EPA Administrator about the merits of the waiver request from a group of ethanol producers, and he's urged President Obama to take action to grant the waiver request.

Domestic ethanol producers have concluded that a complete waiver for E15 would reduce America's dependence on fossil fuels by replacing 7 billion gallons, or five percent, of fossil fuels with ethanol.  Replacing this much fossil fuel with ethanol would also create an estimated 136,000 jobs in the United States.

Grassley supported legislation passed by Congress in 2007, creating the Renewable Fuels Standard, which calls for 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be used by 2022.

"It's important to expand opportunities for ethanol use to meet this goal and to help develop advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol.  These initiatives are aimed at greater energy independence for the United States and the savings and security that comes with energy independence, along with the opportunity to create jobs by expanding an important domestic industry," Grassley said.

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To mark its 25th Anniversary the Quad City Youth Conference, welcomes MWAH! as its keynote speaker. MWAH! (Messages Which Are Hopeful!) is a 12 member group of young performing artists from the Chicago, Illinois area which combines drama, hip hop, dance, and various genres of songs written and produced by troupe members as well as cover songs. A common thread is choices and the importance of continually striving to make the right ones.

The one-hour issues oriented and audience interactive performance will be the keynote on both Monday and Tuesday, January 24-25, 2011, at 9:00 a.m. in the Mississippi River Hall at The River Center, located at 136 E. 3rd Street in Davenport. Nearly a thousand students from 28 Illinois and Iowa high schools and junior high schools are expected to attend this 2011 edition of the Quad Cities Youth Conference - high school students on Monday and junior high students on Tuesday.

Following the keynote presentation, the Quad City Youth Conference also offers students a choice of three workshop sessions. Nearly 20 different community agencies have come together to offer workshops to enhance decision-making skills necessary for living in a socially complex world. In addition to the keynote presentation, MWAH! will also be offering three workshop sessions on both Monday and Tuesday that will deal with issues that relate to teenagers in 2011.

Additional information on the MWAH! Troupe is available on its website at www.mwah.net. The troupe may be reached by phone at 630-993-0003. The Quad City Youth Conference is the only event of its kind in the Quad Cities and one of the few nationally. For 25 years, local schools and human service agencies have joined hands to plan and present the annual Quad Cities Youth Conference, an event that is focused on positively impacting area youth.

...Legislation Bolsters Economy Without Adding To The Deficit

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011) - A bipartisan group of Senators will introduce patent reform legislation when the Senate returns to session next week, Senate Judiciary Committee Members Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced Thursday.  The Judiciary Committee has worked to advance patent reform legislation since 2006.  Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has included the Patent Reform Act of 2011 on the Committee's first executive business meeting agenda.  Hatch is the Committee's senior Republican member and a former Chairman, and Grassley is the panel's incoming Ranking Republican.

The Patent Reform Act of 2011, which will be introduced on Jan. 25, mirrors key improvements to the long-pending legislation that were announced last March as part of an compromise reached by the bill's lead sponsors with then-Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), and others.  The legislation will make the first significant changes to the nation's patent system in nearly 60 years, creating jobs without adding to the nation's deficit.  The legislation remains based on the original version introduced in the 109th Congress by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Congressman Howard Berman (D-Calif.).

"Patent reform is a commonsense, bipartisan effort to protect jobs and bolster the economy," said Leahy.  "The Patent Reform Act of 2011 is the product of years of careful consideration and compromise.  Promoting economic growth continues to be a top priority for both Democrats and Republicans, and patent reform is part of that effort.  This has always been a bipartisan, bicameral effort, and I look forward to working with Senator Hatch, Senator Grassley and others and with Chairman Smith in the House to enact meaningful reform this year.  This will be the first piece of legislation considered by the Judiciary Committee this year, and I hope the Senate will act promptly on this job-creating bill.  Action by Congress can no longer be delayed."

"Reforming our patent system is a critical priority whose time has more than come.  It is essential to growing our economy, creating jobs and promoting innovation in our nation," said Hatch.  "Working alongside Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, I know we can move this critical legislation forward."

"The United States is the most innovative country in the world," said Grassley.  "An efficient patent system is a necessary component to continuing and enhancing this job creating ingenuity and entrepreneurship. I look forward to working with Chairman Leahy and Senator Hatch to move this important legislation forward."

The Patent Reform Act makes changes to first-window post-grant review, inter partes review, willfulness, interlocutory appeals, Patent and Trademark Office funding, and supplemental examinations.  The legislation will also transition the nation's patent system to a first-inventor-to-file system and will provide certainty in damages calculations.  The legislation will also include important provisions to improve patent quality.

The compromise legislation on which the patent Reform Act of 2011 is based was supported by the Obama administration and by industries and stakeholders, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the United Steelworkers, the National Venture Capital Association, the American Association of Universities, and companies representing all sectors of the patent community who have been urging action on patent reform proposals for years.

This will be the fourth consecutive Congress in which comprehensive patent reform legislation has been introduced.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has held eight hearings in the last three Congresses examining the need for patent reform.  The Senate Judiciary Committee approved patent reform legislation in 2009.  That bill was cosponsored by 15 Senators.  In September, 25 Senators joined together to urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to schedule floor time to consider the legislation.

The text of the Patent Reform Act of 2011 is available online.

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