DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the layoffs of 69 Iowa Workforce Development employees and 111 Iowa Department of Public Defense (Iowa National Guard) workers due to the shutdown:

"The consequences of these layoffs are appalling. At Iowa Workforce Development these layoffs will result in only three people being left to respond to work place fatalities and injuries for our entire state. Work places will be less safe, which will result in more dangerous accidents on the job. Job assistance for veterans is also being heavily impacted by these layoffs. Workforce Development employees working in information technology and labor market information are also being laid off and will face financial hardship.

"At the Iowa Department of Public Defense, hardworking maintenance workers, custodial workers, and others are receiving layoff notices. These laid-off state workers, along with a thousand furloughed federal employees of the Iowa National Guard, are facing severe financial stress on their families.

"I have to ask Congressmen Latham and King if their plan to hold the federal government hostage is really worth it. Do Congressman Latham and Congressman King really want to continue to compromise worker safety, fail to honor our veterans, and threaten the economic security of public employees and their families? I strongly urge them to do the responsible thing and end this insanity before it causes any more damage to Iowa communities."

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Iowa Supreme Court Justices to meet with Fort Dodge Area Students

Des Moines, IA,  October 4, 2013– On Thursday, October 10, members of the Iowa Supreme Court will visit five Fort Dodge area high schools and the community college to meet with students and discuss the role of the courts. In Fort Dodge, the justices will visit Senior and St. Edmond high schools and Iowa Central Community College. Justices will also visit Webster City, Eagle Grove, and Storm Lake high schools.

High School/Community College visit schedule for Thursday, October 10, 2013

Justice Edward Mansfield will visit Eagle Grove High School at 8:10 a.m.

Justice David Wiggins will visit Fort Dodge Senior High School at 9:00 a.m.

Justice Bruce Zager will visit Webster City High School at 9:00 a.m.

Justice Thomas Waterman will visit St. Edmond High School at 9:40 a.m.

Justice Daryl Hecht will visit Storm Lake High School at 8:15 a.m.

Chief Justice Mark Cady will visit Iowa Central Community College at 11:30 a.m.

In addition to the school visits, the supreme court will hold a special session in Fort Dodge on Wednesday evening, October 9. During the special session, the court will hear oral arguments in two cases in the new Fort Dodge Middle School auditorium, 800 N. 32nd Street. The session begins at 7 p.m. As always, oral arguments are open to the public. A public reception with the justices, sponsored by the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, will follow the oral arguments in the auditorium lobby.

Special Session

Wednesday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m.

Fort Dodge Middle School auditorium

800 N. 32nd Street

Fort Dodge, Iowa

The Iowa Supreme Court will hear lawyers argue in two cases:

Iowa Farm Bureau, et al. v. Environmental Protection Commission, et al.

Iowa Farm Bureau challenged the validity of new water quality regulations on the grounds that two of the commissioners on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) improperly participated in voting on the regulations. Petitioners also contend the district court's application of the common law de facto officer doctrine to uphold the validity of the EPC's regulations is inconsistent with the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act.

In re the Detention of Anthony Geltz

Respondent was adjudicated a delinquent at age 14 for the offense of second-degree sexual abuse. Upon Respondent's 18th birthday, the State filed a petition to have him civilly committed as a sexually violent predator. On appeal, Respondent argues the district court erred in ruling that his previous adjudication of juvenile delinquency for sexual abuse is a "conviction" for purposes of proving him to be a sexually violent predator subject to civil commitment pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 229A.

 

For more information about the oral arguments

Attorneys' briefs for the two cases and a "Guide to Oral Arguments" are posted on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at:

http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Offsite_Oral_Arguments.

 

Note to news media

News media are invited to attend the oral arguments. Court rules apply regarding still camera, video camera, and audio recording devices used during the oral arguments. Information on expanded media coverage is available on the Iowa Judicial Branch Website at: http://www.iowacourts.gov/For_the_Media/Expanded_Media_Coverage.

 

The Iowa Court Rules regarding cameras and other electronic devices in the courtroom are on the Iowa Legislature website at:

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/DOCS/ACO/CR/LINC/09-27-2013.chapter.25.pdf (the first page is blank)

 

# # #

Senator Grassley was at the National World War II Memorial with veterans from the Quad Cities visiting through the Honor Flight program when the Capitol Hill shooting incident occurred.   He stayed at the memorial, as scheduled, with the Senate office buildings on lockdown, and his staff "sheltered in place" in the Senate office buildings, as police directed.  No Iowans were visiting his office in the Hart building at the time of the lockdown.  Senator Grassley and his staff have high regard for the police officers who protect members, staff and visitors around the clock.

THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS ALREADY HURTING IOWA FAMILIES BY SHUTTING DOWN PARTS OF IOWA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTS OF THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC DEFENSE

DES MOINES - AFSCME Iowa Council 61 President Danny Homan issued the following statement regarding the effect of the federal government shutdown on state government and Iowa families:

"As a result of the government shutdown, employees of Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Public Defense (Iowa National Guard) are being sent home without pay. I am aware of 69 Iowa Workforce Development employees and 111 Iowa Department of Public Defense (Iowa National Guard) employees who are being sent home.

"Iowa Workforce Development employees promote economic growth in our state by assisting workers and businesses. So in addition to the shutdown hurting our Iowa economy by sending these employees home to their families without pay, important services that Iowans rely on are not being performed because of the shutdown caused by an extreme faction of US House Republicans.

"Employees of the Iowa National Guard, both military and civilian, keep our state safe through both their service abroad and their work in defense of Iowa during natural disasters. It is absolutely shameful that they are being treated this way due to the actions of an extreme faction of the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives.

"Some Republicans in the US House are beginning to see that House Republicans' demands are simply not reasonable. Representatives King and Latham should join them. Congressman Latham and Congressman King need to take their jobs seriously and stop supporting their political party's plan that holds the operations of the federal government hostage to unreasonable demands that the American people opposed at the ballot box last November."

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Alivio Medical Center Founder to Retire After 25 Years of Providing Health Care to Underserved Communities

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today proclaimed "Carmen Velásquez Day" throughout Illinois in honor of the pioneering public health advocate who founded Alivio Medical Center. The Governor praised Carmen Velásquez for her 25 years of serving those in Latino communities with little or no health insurance at an event celebrating Latino Heritage Month at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.

"As the State of Illinois embarks upon Get Covered Illinois, the Official Health Marketplace, we honor a true pioneer in public health policy and health care affordability," Governor Quinn said. "As the immigrant population in the Pilsen neighborhood grew in the 1980s, Carmen Velásquez was among the first to see the crying need for a health clinic, so she went out and built Alivio Medical Center. Hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans are alive today thanks to her, proving that one person truly can make a difference."

Velásquez, who recently announced plans to retire, founded Alivio Medical Center in 1988 as a nonprofit community health center. It has since grown to six locations, with two more clinics slated to open later this year, serving some 25,000 patients annually.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants - her father harvested beets in South Dakota before coming to Illinois to start a successful jukebox business - Velásquez earned degrees from Loyola University Chicago and the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico. Before founding Alivio, she advocated for universal health care and immigration reform as a community organizer. She was also a social worker and bilingual education specialist; it was during her time in bilingual education that she first saw the need for basic health care services in the immigrant community.

Velásquez was recently recognized at halftime by the Chicago Bears with the NFL's Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, and has been honored with the MALDEF Lifetime Achievement Award, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership Award, and Premio Ohtli, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico on an individual for service to Mexicans living abroad.

Governor Quinn is also honoring Carmen Velásquez as the Latino Heritage Month "Trailblazer of the Day" on his website LatinoHeritage.illinois.gov. The Governor's website also outlines the "Changing Face of Illinois Latinos", offers a sketch of each Latino group's history in Illinois, details the Governor's successful trade missions to Mexico and Brazil, and explains the many services provided by the Governor's Office of New Americans.

Governor Quinn has worked to improve life for Illinois' Latino community since taking office. In 2011, Governor Quinn signed the Illinois DREAM Act, which increases education opportunities to children of immigrants in Illinois. He has also signed legislation ensure sure that all immigrants are able to have a valid driver's license and to boost minority participation in state construction projects. The Governor has also more than doubled the number of Welcoming Centers, which provide a wide range of services to newcomers.

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CARBONDALE - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will celebrate the life and legacy of the late President John F. Kennedy by delivering the keynote address at "Remembering JFK."

"John F. Kennedy visited southern Illinois during a time in our nation when people hungered for change and as the fight for civil rights raged throughout the country. While there is still work to do before true equality can be realized, we are making amazing progress," said Simon. "It has been more than 50 years since JFK's visit, but his legacy lives on."

The event takes place 53 years to the day that presidential candidate John F. Kennedy visited southern Illinois. On Oct. 3, 1960, thousands of residents flocked to see Kennedy at stops in Carbondale, Marion Harrisburg and later Venice, IL and Springfield. During his visit, Kennedy spoke to huge crowds about issues still being debated today: equality, jobs, and economic development and access to high-quality educations.

DATE: Thursday, Oct. 3

TIME: 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Ballroom B, SIU Student Center, 1255 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale

NOTE: Media availability to take place prior to the event.

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Dear Friend,

As you have probably heard, due to the reckless brinksmanship in Washington, the federal government has needlessly been shut down.

During this shutdown, my number one priority as your Representative is making sure your needs continue to be met. Just because it remains closed, does not mean that problems with federal agencies don't arise. My offices are open and ready to help any Iowan.

CLICK HERE IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE DURING THE SHUTDOWN.

I will continue to work to help mitigate the impact that any dysfunction in Washington may have on you. I taped a short video to tell you about the various ways to get in touch with my office.

Click here to watch the video and find out how my office can help you.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Sincerely,

Dave Loebsack
Iowa's Second District

Prepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee

Hearing on "Continued Oversight of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act"

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today's hearing on the continued oversight of the FISA intelligence gathering programs that have been the subject of ongoing media attention.

Although the government has been partially shut down due to partisan differences over various issues, we are continuing our bipartisan oversight of this important matter here today.

We last held a hearing on this topic a few months ago, in late July.  At that time, I expressed the view that the reports in the media had called into serious question whether the law and other regulations currently in place strike the right balance between protecting our civil liberties and our national security.  This was especially so concerning the public revelation that under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the government is collecting Americans' phone records in bulk.

Additional public disclosures since our last hearing have underscored my concern.

Indeed, since that time, the Administration has declassified legal opinions reflecting significant errors by the government before the FISA court in implementing both the Section 215 and 702 authorities.  The good news is that these appear to have been, for the most part, unintentional mistakes that the government brought to the court's attention on its own accord.  The bad news is that, even with all the checks and balances built into the system, these kinds of errors can still occur.

Even more unsettling, other reports since July have suggested that there have been cases of intentional and willful misuse of intelligence authorities by NSA employees to spy on their spouses and neighbors.

These disclosures have created a broader crisis of trust in the legitimacy of our intelligence gathering methods generally.  In my view, had these programs been more transparent from the start, this trust deficit wouldn't be as severe as it is now.

This brings me to the President's response to this crisis, which has been baffling.  The President held a news conference in early August in which he defended the bulk collection of phone records as "an important tool in our effort to disrupt terrorist plots," and suggested some areas for reform.  Since then, as far as I know, he hasn't said a word in public about these issues.  If the President truly believes in the importance of these programs, he should be publicly defending them as part of our national debate.  He shouldn't be contracting out that job solely to the intelligence community.  Simply put, as in so many other areas, the President is failing to lead where he wants others to follow.

In any event, I'm pleased that we've taken a number of steps to follow up on some of these disturbing reports since July.  A bipartisan group of members of this committee requested that the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community conduct a thorough review of the implementation of these authorities.

Additionally, I wrote to the NSA Inspector General and received a public accounting of the handful of documented instances where NSA employees intentionally abused their authorities.  It was heartening to see how few cases of intentional misconduct exist.  But on the other hand, it is alarming to know that the possibility of employees engaging such behavior is very real.

The NSA Inspector General's response to my letter reflected that many of these cases were referred to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution.  I was planning on following up about how those referrals were handled with Deputy Attorney General Cole at this hearing.  However, the Chairman chose not to invite an Administration witness to provide a legal perspective on these matters.  Therefore, I will be following up with the Department of Justice about these cases with a letter to the Attorney General today.

The balance between protecting individual liberties and our national security is a delicate one.  Reasonable people can disagree about precisely where that balance is best struck.  I probably don't agree one hundred percent with any member of the two panels of witnesses we have with us today, including Professor Cordero, whom I have invited to share her valuable perspective as a lawyer with hands-on experience in the intelligence community.  But I welcome them all, and I'm pleased to hear their views as we consider various reforms to FISA and related surveillance authorities.

Thank you.

-30-

Visit http://loebsack.house.gov/shutdown to receive assistance during the shutdown

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that his office is open and stands ready to serve all Iowans during the federal government shutdown. His district offices in Iowa City and Davenport, along with his Washington, D.C. office, are currently open and staffed during normal business hours. His toll-free phone number (1-866-914-IOWA) will be answered during normal business hours. Iowans can also visit http://loebsack.house.gov/shutdown to seek assistance.

"My number one priority as a Representative is making sure the needs of Iowans continue to be met even during a shutdown," said Loebsack. "Just because the government remains closed, does not mean folks don't need assistance dealing with federal agencies and working families don't need support. In order to work on everything from ensuring seniors receive their Social Security checks to fighting for legislation to support the men and women working at the Rock Island Arsenal, my offices are open in order to best represent Iowans. I will continue working to mitigate the impact dysfunction in Washington has on Iowans during this time."

Contact Information for Congressman Loebsack

Toll Free Number:

1-866-914-IOWA (4692)

Davenport District Office:

(563) 323-5988

Iowa City District Office:

(319) 351-0789

Washington, DC Office:

(202) 225-6576

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Grassley Presses Park Service to Open Memorials on National Mall

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is questioning why open air public memorials on the National Mall are being closed to the public due to the partial government shut-down.

"These veterans who fought to save Americans' freedom and liberty are being denied maybe the only chance they have to see their memorial.  The barriers should not have been placed to prevent these veterans from seeing the monument to their sacrifice," Grassley said.  "The federal government's closure shouldn't impact an open air monument that is available at all times of the day.  It just doesn't meet the common sense test."

In a letter to the Secretary of the Interior this morning, Grassley wrote that a flight of World War II veterans from Iowa were told by the National Park Service to continue with their flight to Washington, D.C.  The trip, arranged by the Story County Freedom Flight Committee, is set up to honor Story County veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  Grassley had the opportunity to see the veterans at the World War II Memorial after the barricades had already been breached.

Here's a copy of the text of Grassley's letter to the Interior Secretary.

 

October 1, 2013

The Honorable Sally Jewell

Secretary of the Interior

1849 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20240

 

Dear Secretary Jewell,

I was astounded to learn today that the National World War II Memorial and other public memorials on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., were being barricaded off from the public today, ostensibly due to the government shutdown.

A flight of World War II veterans from Iowa is current en route to Washington, D.C., for what is likely for most their last chance to see THEIR memorial.  They called the National Park Service yesterday inquiring whether they should cancel their flight, but were given assurances that they should go forward.  Now, I understand that when they arrive, they will find that the National Park Police have pro-actively barricaded this public memorial to prevent their entrance.

I understand that buildings and parks may need to close do to the lack of appropriations, but public, open air, outdoor memorials that Congress intended to be open to all Americans should not be closed.  Please let me know immediately what you plan to do to allow these national heroes access to THEIR memorial.

Sincerely,

 

Charles E. Grassley

United States Senator

 

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