Provision passed by House paves way for Pentagon to provide benefits to Iowa National Guard troops

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) today announced that his Guaranteed Benefits for Our Troops Act (HR 1222) was included in the final FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House today by a vote of 281-146.  The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for passage and then onto President Obama to be signed into law.

Braley's fix will ensure that hundreds of Iowa National Guard members are provided benefits they were promised under the Department of Defense's Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA) program, commonly known as "Respite Leave."  Over 20,000 Army National Guard members across the country - including almost 800 members of the Iowa National Guard - did not receive benefits they earned due to delay between the announcement of the leave program by the Department of Defense and the implementation of the program by the individual services.

"Today brings us one critical step closer to ensuring that National Guard troops across the country receive the benefits they earned and deserve," Braley said.  "Iowa National Guard troops have served some of the most grueling and lengthy deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we owe it to them to provide these long overdue benefits immediately.  I'm looking forward to seeing President Obama sign this important legislation into law, and seeing Iowa National Guard troops finally receive the benefits they have long been promised by the Pentagon."

Respite Leave was designed to provide service members deployed to places like Iraq and Afghanistan for longer than established rotation cycles additional help to reintegrate back to civilian life, as well as to improve the retention of service members who had experienced especially long tours of duty.

Once the Respite Leave program was announced, however, there were significant delays before its implementation.  The Department of the Army, for example, didn't issue its corresponding policy for implementing Respite Leave until more than six months after the Pentagon's January 2007 announcement of the program.

Because of this gap, thousands of soldiers from the Army National Guard did not receive proper Respite Leave compensation.

Braley first introduced the Guaranteed Benefits for Our Troops Act in July 2008.  The bill, which will allow the Pentagon to retroactively grant up to $200 per day to affected troops, has previously passed the House as part of the FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act and as part of a Department of Defense appropriations bill.

The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for passage and then onto President Obama to be signed into law.

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In addition to the Pumpkin Festival held at Fejervary Park on October 24th, the City of Davenport Parks & Recreation Department has focused their efforts in supporting the men and women of the U.S. armed forces by organizing Operation Tee Off To Iraq. Operation Tee Off To Iraq is an organized effort to collect and distribute donated golf supplies overseas to inspire the men and woman of the armed forces to keep up their efforts during demanding times.

To further support our efforts, inspired donations of used golf clubs, balls, tees, and monetary donations for shipment are greatly appreciated.

Donation table will be present at the front gate of the Pumpkin Festival at Fejervary Park on October 24th.

Interested donors not able to participate in Pumpkin Festival, please contact: Polly Delange -Senior Clerk, Davenport Parks & Recreation at 563-326-7816.

WASHINGTON- On Friday, October 2, representatives from faith communities nationwide met with Reverend Joshua DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to voice concern about the conflict in Sudan. Members of the Interfaith Sudan Working Group delivered a letter to President Obama, signed by 1,410 Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy, including Seminarian Josh Ebener and Henry Karp from Davenport.

The letter emphasized the decades of war, famine, and marginalization inflicted upon the Sudanese, and urged the Obama Administration to:

· Continue efforts to enforce the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between North and South Sudan

· Work with the international community to bring lasting and sustainable peace to Darfur

· Ensure that the 2006 agreement in Eastern Sudan is upheld

The letter concluded with a message underscoring the group's diverse religious background, unity around Sudan and Darfur, and support for President Obama's international leadership on the issue.

Dr. Stephen Colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops delivered the letter to Rev. DuBois. "When I delivered the letter to Rev. DuBois, I emphasized the support for Sudan that the faith community can offer. The letter signed by over 1,400 clergy underscores our commitment to working with President Obama to bring lasting and sustainable peace to Darfur and Sudan," Dr. Colecchi said.

During the meeting, the faith leaders asked Rev. DuBois to convey their message to President Obama that Sudan should be a priority for his administration. The group also asked administration officials to incorporate important policy recommendations from the Interfaith Sudan Working Group when they convene regular meetings prior to the 2010 Sudanese elections and 2011 referendum. Violence against women, which has been reported in staggering numbers recently, was also an area of concern for the faith leaders.

To view the letter, please visit: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20491444/Clergy-Letter-for-Moved-by-Faith.

· Ruth Messinger: President, American Jewish World Service

· Galen Carey: Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals

· Reverend Gloria White-Hammond: AME Pastor; Co-Founder, My Sister's Keeper

· Alissa Karg: Deputy Regional Director for Africa, Lutheran World Relief

· Pastor Cindy Lapp: Representative, Mennonite Central Committee; Pastor Hyattsville

· Dr. Stephen Colecchi: Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

· Bishop David Jones: Bishop, Virginia, Episcopal Church

· Imam Mohamed Magid: Vice President, Islamic Society of North America; Director, ADAM'S Center

· Archbishop Vicken Aykazian: Archbishop, Armenian Church of America.

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Bettendorf Family YMCA Hosts Family-Friendly Fall Celebration

October 8, 2009 - Bettendorf, IA - Quad City area families are invited to experience the tastes and sounds of the German tradition known as Oktoberfest, at the Bettendorf Family YMCA on Friday, October 16.

This family-friendly event is for children of all ages and will celebrate our community's German heritage through live music, food and crafts.  Participants will be able to enjoy a hot bratwurst and sauerkraut along with a fresh draw from the root beer keg.   After their tummies are full they can sit back and enjoy the live music or learn how to Polka.  For those who want to sing along, the YMCA will host a yodeling contest and the kids can learn how to make their own lederhosen.

The Bettendorf Family YMCA's Oktoberfest runs from 5:30-8pm, on Friday, October 16.  Admission to the event is $5 per person or $15 per family.  The YMCA is located at 3800 Tanglefoot Lane, Bettendorf.  For more information call 563-359-9622.