(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced that they will travel to Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Friday, March 6, 2015 to recognize five new Home Base Iowa Communities and three new Home Base Iowa Certified Higher Academic Military Partner (CHAMPs).

The following communities will be announced as Home Base Iowa Communities Friday: Webster County, Hancock County, Humboldt County, Carroll County and Clay County. The communities will join Union County, Mitchell County, Dubuque County, Greene County, Howard County, Clarke County, Floyd County and the City of Marion as current Home Base Iowa Communities.

The following academic institutions will become Home Base Iowa CHAMPs on Friday: Mercy College of Health Sciences, Iowa Central Community College and Eastern Iowa Community College. These institutions will join The University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, Hawkeye Community College, University of Dubuque, Upper Iowa University, Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Mount Mercy University as Home Base Iowa CHAMPs.

"The Home Base Iowa initiative aims to ensure that members of the military leaving the service are met with an abundance of career and academic opportunities right here in Iowa," said Branstad. "Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I continue to be impressed by the outpouring of support for the Home Base Iowa initiative through the Home Base Iowa Community and Home Base Iowa CHAMPs programs."

"With thirteen Home Base Iowa Communities and twelve Home Base Iowa CHAMPs institutions, it is clear that Iowans are ready to welcome veterans and their families to our great state," said Reynolds. "I encourage all Iowa communities and higher education institutions to consider joining our Home Base Iowa initiative."

The following event is open to credentialed members of the press:

Friday, March 6, 2015

11 a.m.         Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds announce additional Home Base Iowa Communities and Home Base Iowa CHAMPs

Heartland Communications - Fort Dodge

1003 Central Avenue

Fort Dodge, IA

Learn more about Home Base Iowa at www.HomeBaseIowa.org.

Background:

Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds launched the Home Base Iowa initiative in November of 2013 at the Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge. Branstad and Reynolds named Congressman Leonard Boswell and Casey's CEO Bob Myers the co-chairs of the initiative.

The Home Base Iowa Act was signed into law on May 26, 2014. It passed the Iowa Senate 46-0 and the Iowa House 94-2. The Home Base Iowa initiative does the following:

• Fully exempts military pensions from state income tax.
• Gives veterans, their spouses and dependents in-state tuition at Iowa's colleges and universities.
• Allows Iowa's licensing boards to adopt rules allowing credit for military training and experience in the licensing process.
• Allows private-sector companies to follow the public sector's lead by allowing a preference in hiring and promoting veterans.
• Eliminates the special plate issuance fees charged for plates associated with military service.
• Expands eligibility for the Military Homeownership Assistance Program, which provides $5,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance.  Additional funding for the program is provided in a separate appropriations bill.

In addition to the Home Base Iowa Act, Branstad also signed Senate File 2352 in 2014.

Senate File 2352 an Act relating to the additional homestead credit for certain disabled veterans and including effective date and applicability provisions.

HOME BASE IOWA COMMUNITY criteria

1. Ten percent of the businesses with potential to hire in the designated area become Home Base Iowa Businesses.
2. The community develops its own welcome/incentive package for veterans.
3. The community prominently displays the Home Base Iowa Community designation.
4. The community obtains a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body.

HOME BASE IOWA CHAMPs criteria

To become a Home Base Iowa CHAMP campus, education institutions must meet three of the four criteria in each of the three categories below:

1.       On-Campus Veteran Resources

a. Full Time Veterans Services Coordinator or Veterans' Representative and office.
b. Veterans Center/study space dedicated to veteran student population with possibility of computers to sign up for benefits or meeting area for Vet Club.
c. Veterans' Services Support Group (made up of Veterans' Representative, Advisors, Faculty, Staff) to address issues veterans face and encourage veterans clubs and meetings.
d. Career placement assistance

2. Mindfulness of Service Member Transitions

a. Consistent credit honored for all of the established military training and schools (Joint Services Transcript, Community College of the Air Force credit, ACE recommended credit, CLEP, DSST).
b. Advanced/Preferential registration dates for student veteran population.
c. Offer veterans sections for new student orientation.
d. College President Signature on Principles of Excellence laid out in Executive Order 13607

3. Financial Considerations

a. Automatic in-state tuition for former active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, spouses and children domiciled in Iowa, regardless of residency requirements.
b. Deferred billing options to ensure timing of VA benefit payments does not hinder academic success.
c. Deferred billing or options to assist student veterans in purchasing books, tools and supplies required for vocational programs.
d. Specific scholarship for transitioning service members and/or their dependents.

Those interested in becoming Home Base Iowa Communities or Home Base Iowa CHAMPS should contact Kathy Anderson, Home Base Iowa Program Manager at 515.725.3149 or kathy.anderson@iowa.gov.

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Money worries can lead to sleepless nights for just about everyone, but surveys routinely reveal that women more than men feel the anxiety from a rocky financial situation.

In a 2014 Money Magazine survey, for example, two-thirds of women said they were worried about their financial outlook, compared with 54 percent of men.

Recent studies also found that women tend to be overwhelmed by debt more frequently than men, says financial strategist Donna M. Phelan, author of "Women, Money and Prosperity: A Sister's Perspective on How to Retire Well" (www.donnamphelan.com).

They are more likely to carry over a credit card debt from one month to the next, as well as pay only the minimum required by their lender.

"That can lead to the misconception that women are bad with money, but that's not necessarily the case," Phelan says. "Emergencies arise. Children need school supplies. Elderly parents can need medication. The list can go on and on."

Women don't need to remain in perpetual state of anxiety, Phelan says. She offers seven tips for developing a fear-free plan of action:

•  Learn financial basics. Go online or to the library and read financial articles, books and newspapers. Also, Phelan says, seek the help of a financial advisor who can assess your situation, suggest ways to improve and create a financial plan that could get you on track for retirement.

"Many women avoid going to see a financial advisor because they don't have any money or are deep in debt and believe they can't afford it, but that's precisely when you should see a financial advisor," Phelan says.

•  Get organized. Rid yourself of clutter and set up systems to keep track of paperwork. If the task seems overwhelming, take it a step at a time, such as cleaning out just one desk drawer a week, Phelan says.

Balance your checkbook regularly, too. Do it weekly or bi-weekly if possible, Phelan suggests, but never go more than a month. "This isn't a chore most people enjoy, but it's necessary for a healthy budget," she says.

•  Use cash instead of credit. Credit cards distance us from the effect purchases have on our bank accounts, at least until the bill arrives. "Cash, on the other hand, is an immediate reminder of the financial consequences of that purchase," Phelan says. "Sometimes a reminder is a good thing."

One away to wean yourself off credit is to carry and use your checkbook and leave the credit cards at home, Phelan says.

•  Track your spending. Write down everything you spend money on for one week, Phelan says. Then look in your checkbook and credit-card statements and write down everything you spend money on for one month. "You will be amazed at how much you spend and where the money goes," she says.

The next step is to create a spending plan. Write down how much income you have each month and decide how you want to spend it. Pay yourself first, Phelan suggests, by saving a certain percentage each month. After that, list all your mandatory bills and find ways to cut non-essentials.

•  Look for ways to increase your income. When you can't pay your bills each month, you have two options. Increase your income or reduce expenses. "It's likely some combination of the two will be necessary," Phelan says. "No matter how you view it, you need to start looking for ways to open up new income streams."

•  Develop new retirement strategies. Women should create what Phelan refers to as Stackable Income Streams to Empower Retirement Security, or SISTERS. Essentially, they need to "stack" enough dependable income streams to meet their monthly spending needs in retirement. Women should consider non-traditional residence sharing, such as renting out empty rooms, getting a roommate or downsizing, she says. They could create profitable home-based businesses from their hobbies. Women should consider delaying their retirement start date and working part-time in retirement, Phelan says.

•  Talk with other women. What are your friends doing to better manage money and prepare for retirement? Phelan suggests women form a SISTERS club that meets regularly to discuss retirement planning. They might discover that they have ideas, talents and resources to share with other women, which might enhance the retirement planning experience and success of a larger scope of women.

About Donna M. Phelan

Donna M. Phelan is the author of "Women, Money and Prosperity: A Sister's Perspective on How to Retire Well" (www.donnamphelan.com). Donna has spent 19 years at some of Wall Street's largest and most prestigious investment firms. She holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut, and provides personal finance advice to clients in 20 states coast to coast. She has been featured in USA Today, Yahoo Finance.Com, CNBC.Com and The Houston Chronicle, among others. Donna has lectured at conferences nationwide on a broad range of financial topics and is the author of numerous articles on investments, retirement and financial planning. Donna was formerly President of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Connecticut state chapter and was active in the Financial Women's Association (FWA) in New York. She is currently a member of the South Bay Estate Planning Council in Los Angeles. Prior to working on Wall Street, Donna was Principal of a jewelry design and manufacturing company whose customers included Tiffany & Co, C. D. Peacock, and Cartier, for whom she did freelance design.

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have asked a federal court to reject a request by health officials to dismiss a Fourth Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of a 37-year-old disabled man who was wrongfully arrested, strip searched, handcuffed to a table, diagnosed as having "mental health issues," apparently because of his slurred speech and unsteady gait, and subsequently locked up for five days in a mental health facility against his will and with no access to family and friends.

In asking the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to reject a motion to dismiss filed by the Valley Community Services Board (VCSB) and one of its mental health screeners, Rutherford Institute attorneys argue that the screener violated clearly established law protecting citizens from unjustified mental health seizures when she allegedly recommended that Gordon Goines, a resident of Waynesboro who suffers from a neurological condition similar to multiple sclerosis, be committed as mentally ill and dangerous. A subsequent hearing showed that Goines has no mental illness and should not have been confined. The lawsuit alleges that the VCSB should be held responsible and liable for the deprivation of Goines' Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights because it allows unqualified persons to make mental health examinations.

The Institute's complaint in Gordon Goines v. David Shaw et al., is available at www.rutherford.org.

"By giving government officials the power to declare individuals mentally ill and detain them against their will without first ensuring that they are actually trained to identify such illness, the government has opened the door to a system in which involuntary detentions can be used to make people disappear," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of the award-winning book A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. "Indeed, government officials in the Cold War-era Soviet Union often used psychiatric hospitals as prisons in order to isolate political prisoners from the rest of society, discredit their ideas, and break them physically and mentally."

This press release is also available at www.rutherford.org.