26
Feb
2002
• MidCoast Fine Arts last week was recognized with the Arts Build Communities Award for Arts Organization representing the entire state of Iowa. The award was presented by the Iowa Arts Council as part of the 2002 Iowa Arts Awards at a ceremony on February 20 in Des Moines. MidCoast had already been recognized with an Arts Organization award for the eastern part of the state. For more information about the awards, visit (http://www.culturalaffairs.org/iac).
• The Iowa Department of Management's Revenue Estimating Conference has announced the biggest drop in corporate-income-tax revenue that Iowa has ever seen, and that has contributed to the state's first official estimate of declining annual revenue and a $121 million shortfall in the current budget year. Receipts from the corporate income tax have dropped 23 percent since last year. Analysts say many states are having trouble because they are heavily dependent on income-tax revenues, which are cyclical because of progressive tax rates: When individuals and companies earn more, they are taxed at higher rates, but when they earn less, their tax rates drop, compounding the lost revenue to government. The drop in corporate income taxes, along with the low growth in personal-income-tax revenue, led the conference to officially declare that Iowa has a $121 million revenue shortfall in the budget year that ends June 30.
• The Shays-Meehan campaign reform bill passed February 14 by the U.S. House would be the most dramatic change in campaign-finance law in almost thirty years. The bill bans unregulated "soft money" donations to political parties and restricts political ads in the final weeks before elections. The bill passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 240 to 189. It goes to the Senate, where opponents promise a battle with the threat of a filibuster.
• The Iowa Transportation Commission has scheduled four public meetings around the state this year. The meetings will give Iowans opportunities to present ideas and comments directly to the commissioners concerning transportation policies and programs. The public-input meetings are slated for April 9 in Bettendorf, June 18 in Des Moines, August 6 in Iowa Falls, and November 7 in Manchester. For more information or to request a time to speak, contact the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Program Management at (515)239-1148 or by e-mail at (donald.tebben@dot.state.ia.us). Please include the time period you prefer and the general topic you wish to discuss. These meetings are not intended to address issues regarding specific projects or projects under construction. Statements, presentations, suggestions, or questions should be 20 minutes or less.
• As this is being written, it's Funnel Week at the Iowa statehouse, when bills must be passed out of committee to have much chance of becoming law. This can provide for some interesting situations. The House State Government Committee, for example, passed a 136-page bill on restructuring state government without having seen the bill. A copy of the bill, which would establish a department of administrative services, never made it in front of committee members, yet it passed 14-6.
• If your house number isn't visible and easy to see, ambulance, police, and fire personnel might not be able to find your address in an emergency. While the problem hasn't resulted in any tragedies yet, there have been some uncomfortably close calls. Please make sure that your house numbers can be seen easily from the street. The time saved by emergency personnel might make a difference.
• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that the 809 area code scam that originated in 1996 has recently resurfaced. Scam artists are leaving phone numbers with the 809 area code on answering machines, faxes, e-mail messages, and pagers, and telling recipients about a family emergency, a prize, or a job offer. When the call is returned, expensive international charges apply, often $25 a minute or more. The BBB recommends that no matter how you are approached, if asked to respond to an 809 area code, either investigate further or simply disregard the message.
• The IRS now has more enforcement personnel than the Environmental Protection Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms; the Occupational Safety & Health Administration; the Food & Drug Administration; and the Drug Enforcement Agency combined, with a workforce of 115,000. Economist James L. Payne claimed in a 1993 book entitled Costly Returns that the total cost to collect our federal taxes, including the effects on the economy as a whole, is 65 percent of all the tax dollars received.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging is accepting nominations for the Older Iowans Legislature until March 8. There are two delegate positions open this voting cycle. The representatives who are elected will be entitled to write and introduce bills, serve on legislative committees, offer opinions, and vote during the full session. For more information about becoming an Older Iowans Legislative delegate, call Catherine Pratscher-Woods at Generations, (563)324-9085 or (800)892-9085.
• The Riverboat Development Authority (RDA) has announced that applications for the authority's spring round of grants are now available. The fastest place to pick one up is on the Internet at (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). Applications can also be found at public libraries, city halls, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, Center for Active Seniors in Davenport, and at the RDA office at the Blackhawk Hotel at 200 East 3rd Street in Davenport.
• The Iowa Department of Management's Revenue Estimating Conference has announced the biggest drop in corporate-income-tax revenue that Iowa has ever seen, and that has contributed to the state's first official estimate of declining annual revenue and a $121 million shortfall in the current budget year. Receipts from the corporate income tax have dropped 23 percent since last year. Analysts say many states are having trouble because they are heavily dependent on income-tax revenues, which are cyclical because of progressive tax rates: When individuals and companies earn more, they are taxed at higher rates, but when they earn less, their tax rates drop, compounding the lost revenue to government. The drop in corporate income taxes, along with the low growth in personal-income-tax revenue, led the conference to officially declare that Iowa has a $121 million revenue shortfall in the budget year that ends June 30.
• The Shays-Meehan campaign reform bill passed February 14 by the U.S. House would be the most dramatic change in campaign-finance law in almost thirty years. The bill bans unregulated "soft money" donations to political parties and restricts political ads in the final weeks before elections. The bill passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 240 to 189. It goes to the Senate, where opponents promise a battle with the threat of a filibuster.
• The Iowa Transportation Commission has scheduled four public meetings around the state this year. The meetings will give Iowans opportunities to present ideas and comments directly to the commissioners concerning transportation policies and programs. The public-input meetings are slated for April 9 in Bettendorf, June 18 in Des Moines, August 6 in Iowa Falls, and November 7 in Manchester. For more information or to request a time to speak, contact the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Program Management at (515)239-1148 or by e-mail at (donald.tebben@dot.state.ia.us). Please include the time period you prefer and the general topic you wish to discuss. These meetings are not intended to address issues regarding specific projects or projects under construction. Statements, presentations, suggestions, or questions should be 20 minutes or less.
• As this is being written, it's Funnel Week at the Iowa statehouse, when bills must be passed out of committee to have much chance of becoming law. This can provide for some interesting situations. The House State Government Committee, for example, passed a 136-page bill on restructuring state government without having seen the bill. A copy of the bill, which would establish a department of administrative services, never made it in front of committee members, yet it passed 14-6.
• If your house number isn't visible and easy to see, ambulance, police, and fire personnel might not be able to find your address in an emergency. While the problem hasn't resulted in any tragedies yet, there have been some uncomfortably close calls. Please make sure that your house numbers can be seen easily from the street. The time saved by emergency personnel might make a difference.
• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that the 809 area code scam that originated in 1996 has recently resurfaced. Scam artists are leaving phone numbers with the 809 area code on answering machines, faxes, e-mail messages, and pagers, and telling recipients about a family emergency, a prize, or a job offer. When the call is returned, expensive international charges apply, often $25 a minute or more. The BBB recommends that no matter how you are approached, if asked to respond to an 809 area code, either investigate further or simply disregard the message.
• The IRS now has more enforcement personnel than the Environmental Protection Agency; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms; the Occupational Safety & Health Administration; the Food & Drug Administration; and the Drug Enforcement Agency combined, with a workforce of 115,000. Economist James L. Payne claimed in a 1993 book entitled Costly Returns that the total cost to collect our federal taxes, including the effects on the economy as a whole, is 65 percent of all the tax dollars received.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging is accepting nominations for the Older Iowans Legislature until March 8. There are two delegate positions open this voting cycle. The representatives who are elected will be entitled to write and introduce bills, serve on legislative committees, offer opinions, and vote during the full session. For more information about becoming an Older Iowans Legislative delegate, call Catherine Pratscher-Woods at Generations, (563)324-9085 or (800)892-9085.
• The Riverboat Development Authority (RDA) has announced that applications for the authority's spring round of grants are now available. The fastest place to pick one up is on the Internet at (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). Applications can also be found at public libraries, city halls, the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, Center for Active Seniors in Davenport, and at the RDA office at the Blackhawk Hotel at 200 East 3rd Street in Davenport.
