25 Mar 2010

Grassley addresses Child Nutrition Bill, Health Care Reform, Obama's Trade Agenda

By Sen. Charles Grassley

SEN. CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, R-IOWA, HOLDS A NEWS TELECONFERENCE

MARCH 23, 2010

GRASSLEY:  Tomorrow, our Agriculture Committee is going to start consideration of what's called the child nutrition bill.  This bill is a -- is going to bring into consideration a number of improvements and heavy investment in programs that gives kids healthier meals and learn more nutritious habits.  Some of the improvements that are expected in the bill, changes in current law include making science-based nutrition standards based on dietary guidelines for all foods sold in the schools.  It encourages wellness, physical activity at child care centers, a nice improvement to help get kids off of the couch and actively take part in their own health.  And the bill would give the first increase in reimbursement rates to schools in more than 30 years.  There are some concerns about using EQIP money as an offset to pay for nearly half the bill.  Some will argue that not all the EQIP dollars were spent last year, but the problem with that argument is that the funds are lost from the baseline for the 2012 farm bill yet to be negotiated.  I look forward to seeing amendments offered in committee to improve the bill without increasing the deficit.

Tom Rider?

QUESTION:  Good morning, Senator.  Senator, I was visiting with the Iowa cattlemen.  They're quite concerned about that EQIP money.  Will you be offering any amendments yourself to try to restore that funding?

GRASSLEY:  I don't -- I haven't reached a decision on that yet, but my guess is that I probably would not, but I think that others are, and then I've got to look at what they substitute as a source of revenue on that point to whether or not it'd be EQIP or other dollars.

Tom Steever?

QUESTION:  Good morning, Senator.  Even though the House-passed version of health care came on Sunday, there is still some more work to be done in the Senate on health care.  What -- do you see any problems coming up with -- with that?

GRASSLEY:  Well, I hope there's a lot of problems coming up with it, because I don't support the bill.  You know, I voted -- the bill the president's going to sign today I voted against just before Christmas.   Now, this reconciliation bill is supposedly changing some things in that bill that got it enough votes so the bill the president's signing could pass the House.  And so I don't see things in this bill changing my mind and probably would vote against it, but I intend to offer some amendments.  One amendment I would offer is that this bill, the president's a very strong proponent of it, but he's not covered by it.  So I'm going to offer an amendment that the president, cabinet members, not executive branch civil servants, but political appointees and their staff and the president, the White House be covered by it.  And that's a follow-on to my amendment that I got adopted in the Finance Committee that will be in the bill the president's signing this morning that members of Congress and their staff get their health care insurance through the exchange.  It should be the same for the president.  The president thinks this is such a good program, then shouldn't he get his health care the same way that members of Congress would get their health care under this bill, through the exchange?  I just think it's -- that's one of the things.  Then there are some things on rural health care and reimbursement for low reimbursement states that I'm going to be offering amendments on, as well.  And naturally, I hope that these amendments carry, and that's why they're being offered.

Bob Quinn?  Dan Skelton?

QUESTION:  Good morning, Senator.  The administration has become more active on trade.  We've seen the deals with Russia on pork and China on pork in recent weeks.  Can you give us an update?  What's the status of Isi Siddiqui as chief ag negotiator?  Is there any movement on that nomination?

GRASSLEY:  No.  And there isn't.  It's being held up.  But I can tell you this, that a real litmus test of the president moving on trade ought to be judged from the standpoint, is he pushing Colombia, Panama, and South Korea?  Those are all negotiated.  They're all under fast track.  That's a real litmus test.  Now, I know he's put out a lot of other things.  And I don't oppose what the president wants to do in these other areas, including what you just give him credit for accomplishing, but a real test of the seriousness of this administration ought to be -- the benchmark ought to be Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.  Until I see those being pushed by this administration -- and I'm going to help them -- I have serious doubts about whether or not they ought to be given much credit for pushing trade.

Stacia?  Gary, Arkansas?

QUESTION:  Senator, first, I would like to go back, again, to the Child Nutrition Act and EQIP.  Why isn't all the EQIP money being spent?

GRASSLEY:  I would only guess that it's getting approval.  I wouldn't say that there's not enough applications.  But -- but it's -- it's crimped by appropriations.

QUESTION:  My theory has always been that, in particular, Stenholm and Combest had sought a large amount of EQIP money because they feared EPA was going to clam down on large livestock operations.  This would have been, you know, 2002.  EPA didn't do that, and the EQIP money wasn't needed.  Do you see any -- any reason to believe that?

GRASSLEY:  Well, that may be the reason, but you can't count on this EPA in this administration, not in the future, being tough on -- on any livestock operation, large or small, and -- and so consequently, the need for more EQIP money.

QUESTION:  OK.

GRASSLEY:  Jean?  Oh, go ahead.

QUESTION:  I also wanted to ask about climate change, because you're hearing talk that the three senators working on a compromise proposal may release it by the end of the month.  Are there any items in it that you find appealing?

GRASSLEY:  I will wait until it's released and then answer your question at that time.  But if you -- if it is released and you anticipate a question like that down the road here, after we get back from spring break, let my staff know so I'm prepared to answer it for you, because I -- I do want to be able to answer that for you.

QUESTION:  OK.  Do you see any likelihood that any climate legislation...

GRASSLEY:  No.

QUESTION:  ... may pass this year?

GRASSLEY:  No.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

GRASSLEY:  And, obviously, that's what I hope for, Gary.

Jean, Agrinews?  Matt Wilde, Waterloo Courier?

QUESTION:  Morning, Senator.  I have a question dealing with flooding issues and farm policy.  In northeast Iowa, we've endured two major floods in 15 years.  And the Cedar River and other waterways, as you know, are out of their banks again (ph).  Some people believe that modern grain production, farm policy, and intensive tiling of farm ground is to blame or partly -- or mostly to blame for floods.  It's suggested to me that the government payments force farmers to predominantly raise corn and beans, which don't exactly help hold back the water, and -- and then, of course, we don't have the native grasses like we used to have.  So are lawmakers in Washington concerned about this?  Is that -- is ag policy partly to blame?  And what can be done to change this?

GRASSLEY:  I don't policy-makers in Washington are concerned about that for the most part.  And to some extent, not necessarily just answering the hypotheticals that you bring up, but I would have to say that any government program, whether it's a farm program or some other program, whether it's an expenditure or which you could call a subsidy or whether it's a tax incentive, they -- they do tend to influence the marketplace.  Some of them are meant to influence the marketplace.  Most cases are meant to influence it positively.  In -- in -- in the case of agricultural programs, I would say that -- that I doubt if you would say the northern half of Iowa that this would apply to, but I think in the 1960s, '70s and the '80s, you had a lot of grassland that would be better used for cow calf operations in southern Iowa, probably plowed up because of the incentives of the farm program.  But I believe that -- that the extent to which the concept of a safety net for agriculture is very important.  And by safety net, I mean just a minimum amount to get people, farmers over humps that are beyond their control, like natural disaster, international politics, you know, war, a lot of things that affect farming, that the farmer has no control over, that -- that we have a safety net to protect those farmers from catastrophic drops (ph) in prices beyond their own control.  But the extent to which farm programs have gone beyond that and helped a very small percentage of the farmers that maybe don't need subsidy because of high income and big operations, they can get over these humps themselves.  It has subsidized them to get bigger.  But except for within the -- then getting back to within the concept of a safety net for small- or medium-sized farmers, I think that -- that you can't take these considerations that cause your -- your question to be raised very seriously because what we're talking about is a farm program to maintain the continuity of food supply.  And -- and that's done for two reasons, one, for the national security of our country, and the other one is for the social cohesion of our society, because you've got to have food for your military, and Germany and Japan learned in World War II they didn't have enough food, so that's why they protect their farmers to a great extent.  The United States ought to learn that lesson.  And then social cohesion.  You know the old saying, you're only nine meals away from a revolution.  So if we don't have a stable food supply, we'd have a more chaotic society.  So those two considerations have to override the issues that you brought up.

QUESTION:  OK.

GRASSLEY:  Are you plowing up -- are we growing too much grain?  I'll bet some of these very people that raise those questions would be the first to cry out that if we didn't have enough food when they go to the supermarket.

QUESTION:  OK.  Thank you, Senator.

GRASSLEY:  All right.  Hey, I see Ken Root down here.  Ken, are you on there?

QUESTION:  Yes, but nothing to get excited about, sir.  I'm not on the air until next week on WHO-TV, so I'm just monitoring this week, but I want you to be prepared for a question next week, sir.

GRASSLEY:  Well -- well, I'll be prepared.  You bet.

QUESTION:  OK.  And I may have the WHO people ask it to you again on the television piece that you do.  Don't you do that at 1 o'clock on the same day?

GRASSLEY:  Yes, I do.  I do.

QUESTION:  OK, so sharpen up your -- you know, your wit, if you wouldn't mind, sir.

GRASSLEY:  Well, I welcome you back.

QUESTION:  Well, thank you very much.

GRASSLEY:  And just in case the rest of you people didn't know Ken Root was still alive, he's alive.  OK.  Anybody else want to jump in?  OK.  Thank you all very much.

QUESTION:  Thank you, Senator.

END

23 Mar 2010

With President's Signature, Comprehensive Health Reform And Harkin-Led Prevention Investments Become Law

By Randy Stalsberg

National menu labeling effort will also take effect soon


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement after President Obama signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate-passed comprehensive health reform measure approved by the House earlier this week.  Harkin, as Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, was on hand at the White House to witness the bill signing.

"It's been a long debate and a hard-fought battle, but today, the hundred year struggle to provide affordable, quality health care coverage is over.  In signing this bill into law, President Obama today rewrote history, and in doing so, made access to health care available to millions of Americans. I've been on hand for a number of White House bill signings, but witnessing this particular event has been one of the most poignant of my career," said Harkin.

"I am most encouraged that with this reform, we will begin to recreate America as a genuine wellness society - a society focused on healthful lifestyles and preventing the chronic diseases that take such a toll on our bodies and our budgets.  And make no mistake, this bill doesn't just tinker around the edges; it changes the paradigm."

The Prevention and Public Health title of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates incentives to prevent chronic disease and rein in costs across the full health care spectrum.  At the federal level, creating a new inter-agency council to develop a national health strategy, creating a dedicated funding stream to support these efforts; at the clinical level with doctor training and coverage of preventive services and the elimination of co-pays and deductibles for these services; and at the grassroots level with grants for community initiatives that will support more walkable communities, healthier schools and increased access to nutritious foods in safe environments.

The legislation also includes a bipartisan compromise brokered by Harkin and others to provide mandatory disclosure of calories on menus and menu boards to help reduce rising obesity rates by enabling Americans to make healthier food choices.  The compromise combines key elements of the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act, sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and the Labeling Education and Nutrition (LEAN) Act, sponsored by Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). 

"A critical component of the just passed federal menu labeling is that the nutrition information is right on the menu or menu board next to the name of the menu item, rather than in a pamphlet or in tiny print on a poster, so that consumers can see it when they are making ordering decisions," concluded Harkin.  "It's a common-sense approach that's also a step toward good public health."

Prevention and wellness provisions of the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will:

  • Provide $15 billion in mandatory spending to support prevention and wellness activities.
  • Eliminate cost sharing on recommended preventive services delivered by Medicare and all insurance plans available in the Health Insurance Exchange.
  • Support two independent, advisory task forces ? the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (TFCPS) ? to strengthen and coordinate these bodies' efforts to conduct rigorous, systematic reviews of existing science and recommend the adoption of proven and effective services.
  • Support investments in the science of prevention to further expand the base of information available for evaluation by the task forces.
  • Provide coverage under Medicare, with no co-payment or deductible, for an annual wellness visit that includes a comprehensive health risk assessment and a 5-10 year personalized prevention plan.
  • Deliver clinical preventive services by  covering 100% of the cost of USPSTF-recommended preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries, providing enhanced federal Medicaid matching funds to states who offer USPSTF-recommended services, requiring coverage of tobacco cessation services for pregnant women in Medicaid and by making clinical preventive services a required benefit of insurance available in the Health Insurance Exchange.
  • Deliver community preventive services by investing in state, territorial and local public health infrastructure and by providing grants to implement recommended services.
  • Require chain restaurants to put calorie counts directly on their menus and to make other nutritional information available so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat.
23 Mar 2010

Harkin: GAO Report Suggests Common Sense Fixes to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program

By Sen. Tom Harkin
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) commented today on the findings of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he requested on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA).  The EEOICPA provides compensation to workers and their survivors for occupational diseases arising from toxic and radiation exposure in the government's nuclear weapons program.  Several Iowans who worked on the Department of Energy's Line 1 are currently pursuing claims with the Department of Labor (DOL) through the EEOICPA. 

"I requested an audit of this program after constituents reported delayed compensation, difficulty navigating the program and inconsistencies with the adjudication process," Senator Harkin said. "Some claimants had to wait three years just for the government to rule on their case, and that's unacceptable.  The recommendations the GAO makes in this report will help the DOL be more responsive to affected workers, and I am currently looking at the best way to implement these fixes."

Three agencies coordinate efforts to implement the EEOICPA: The DOL issues compensation payments and determines whether workers should be compensated for exposure to toxic substances; the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates workers' exposure to radiation for purposes of compensation decisions and determines when workers should receive presumptive compensation without need for a radiation dose estimate; and the Department of Energy (DOE) provides records and historical information used by both NIOSH and the DOL under their authorities.

In its report, the GAO noted that Congress has established a Presidential Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health which regularly evaluates the quality and scientific soundness of radiation dose assessments, site profiles, and presumptive compensation evaluations that are conducted by NIOSH.  However, there is a "gap" because there is no comparable body to oversee the "quality, objectivity and consistency of [DOL] consultant physicians' work and no independent expert review of the scientific soundness of the detailed information in site exposure" matrices used in screening cases for compensability.

The GAO also found that while Congress established a DOL Ombudsman to assist claimants and to report on problems encountered by claimants through annual reports to Congress, "Labor has not publically responded to these concerns, nor developed formal plans for addressing the issues." As a result, "claimants have little knowledge that their concerns are heard or that they are being addressed."

GAO also noted that the Labor Department does not release its site exposure matrices due to concerns about releasing national security sensitive information.  By comparison, NIOSH has released extensive documentation on radiological conditions at nuclear facilities. GAO found that transparency would facilitate greater understanding on the part of claimants, and help improve the accuracy of the site exposure matrix used in decision making.  GAO recommended that DOL and DOE establish a "formal action plan" to facilitate a clearance process to make information on the site matrices public.

A full copy of the report GAO #10-302 can be found here: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10302.pdf.
22 Mar 2010

Grassley says health care reform should apply to President Obama, top administration officials

By Randy Stalsberg
WASHINGTON - Monday, March 22, 2010 - Senator Chuck Grassley today said he will offer an amendment during Senate debate on the health care reconciliation bill this week to apply the reform legislation to the President, Vice President, cabinet members and top White House staff.

"It's pretty unbelieveable that the President and his closest advisors remain untouched by the reforms they pushed for the rest of the country.  In other words, President Obama's health care reform won't apply to President Obama," Grassley said.  "Last December, the effort to apply any new law to administration political leaders was rejected by the Senate Majority Leader.  But there's no justification for the double standard, and I'll continue to work to establish fairness."

The Senate legislation passed last night by the House of Representatives includes an amendment Grassley sponsored and got adopted by the Finance Committee last fall to have members of Congress and their staffs get their health insurance through the same health insurance exchanges where health plans for the general public would be available.  During the closed-door negotiations on the bill late last year, the Senate Majority Leader carved out Senate committee and leadership staff from this requirement.

Subsequently, Grassley and Senator Tom Coburn attempted to offer another amendment to restore the requirement during Senate debate on the health care bill, but the Senate Majority Leader would not let their amendment to fix this loophole even come up for a vote.  In addition to Senate committee and leadership staff, the amendment Grassley and Coburn filed during the Senate debate would have made the President, the Vice President, top White House staff and cabinet members all get their health insurance through the newly created exchanges.  It would not have applied to federal employees in the civil service.

Grassley said, "It's only fair and logical that top administration officials, who fought so hard for passage of this overhaul of America's health care system, experience it themselves.  If it's as good as promised, they'll know it first-hand.  If there are problems, they'll be able to really understand them, as they should."

Grassley said the motivation for his amendments is simple:  public officials who make the laws or lead efforts to have laws changed should live under those laws.

"This is the same principle that motivated me to pursue legislation over 20 years ago to apply civil rights, labor and employment laws to Congress," Grassley said.  Before President Clinton signed into law Grassley's long-sought Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, Congress had routinely exempted itself.

The Congressional Accountability Act made Congress subject to 12 laws, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Veteran's Employment and Reemployment Rights at Chapter 43 of Title 38 of the U.S. Code, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1989.

Today, Grassley is working to make sure Congress lives up to the same standards it imposes on others with legislation such as his Congressional Whistleblower Protection Act.

###

22 Mar 2010

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Water System Projects to Improve Health and Sanitation In Communities in 20 States

By Tom Vilsack

Recovery Act Funds Safeguard Groundwater, Replace Aging Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the funding of projects in 20 states designed to protect public health by improving water quality and public sanitation services. The projects, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), are expected to provide construction jobs and create infrastructure needed to support community growth.

"Water and wastewater projects are moving forward in rural communities across the country and thanks to the Recovery Act, investments in water and wastewater infrastructure will help deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment throughout rural America," said Vilsack. "Through these projects, we are advancing the Obama Administration's economic recovery goals to rebuild and revitalize the nation's infrastructure. They will create urgently needed jobs when they are built and will support more job creation through rural economic development for years to come."

For example, the town of Norway, Maine, has been selected to receive a $385,000 loan and $1.1 million grant for wastewater system alterations that will improve sewer system efficiency, protect public health and safeguard groundwater quality. The project will replace ageing clay pipes, service lines and manholes. The new waste water system will reduce the waste water discharge from the Norway treatment facility into the Little Androscoggin River.

In Pitt County, N.C., the town of Bethel has been selected to receive a $256,000 loan and a $2.4 million grant to replace an aging water system that is constructed of iron, galvanized steel and asbestos-laden cement pipes. The tap water has a high iron level and is discolored. Pitt County is designated a Persistent Poverty County, with over 22 percent of the town's population below the poverty level. The project will improve water quality and boost water pressure.

The loan and grant funding announced today supports 60 projects and totals $159 million. To date, USDA has announced $2.3 billion in Recovery Act funds for water and environmental projects. The Recovery Act was signed into law by President Obama one year ago.

The funding announced today is being administered by USDA Rural Development's Water and Environmental Program which provides loans and grants to ensure that the necessary investments are made in water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment in rural areas.

Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the terms of the loan or grant agreement. Below is a complete list of award recipients, by state:

Alaska

  • Matanuska Susitna Borough: $48,000 loan and $714,500 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Georgia

  • City of Reynolds: $2,025,000 loan and $3,975,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

Illinois

  • Fayette Water Company (Herrick): $1,125,000 loan and $1,124,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Fayette Water Company (Laclede): $1,000,000 loan and $941,500 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • City of Lawrenceville: $6,040,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • City of Roodhouse: $5,470,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Iowa

  • City of Bronson $311,000 loan and $239,600 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Southern Iowa Fixed Based Meters: $1,488,000 loan and $3,433,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Southern Iowa RWA Corning/Creston: $1,971,000 loan and $774,900 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Southern Iowa SW Cass Water System: $1,794,000 loan and $5,373,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • City of Hastings: $493,000 loan and $682,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service Systems Commission: $373,000 loan and $694,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Regional Utility Service Systems Commission: $419,000 loan and $1,064,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

Kansas

  • Consolidated RWD #5 Atchison Co.: $3,200,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • City of Nortonville: $622,000 loan and $493,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Maine

  • Boothbay Harbor Sewer District: $342,000 loan and $250,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Mars Hill Utility District (Sewer): $70,000 loan and $180,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Mars Hill Utility District (Water): $750,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Norway: $385,000 loan and $1,105,000 grant. The funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

Minnesota

  • City of Pine City: $1,481,000 loan and $439,000 grant. The funding will be used for water system and wastewater system improvements.

Missouri

  • City of Caruthersville: $1,500,000 loan. The funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • City of Essex: $845,000 loan and $833,900 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Pike County PWSD #1: $2,732,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • City of Clarkton: $1,505,000 loan and $1,500,000 grant. The funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • City of Grandin: $364,000 loan and $216,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • New Madrid County PWSD No. 6: $1,066,000 loan and $948,600 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Montana

  • Wolf Creek WSD: $399,000 loan and $1,162,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

New York

  • Village of Angelica: $500,000 loan and $347,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Avon: $212,000 loan and $488,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of LeRoy: $55,000 loan and $140,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Middletown: $475,000 loan and $708,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Oakfield: $420,000 loan and $338,200 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Stafford Water District #5: $404,000 loan and $496,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Village of Granville: $4,700,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

North Carolina

  • Town of Bethel: $256,000 loan and $2,426,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Black Creek: $349,000 loan and $146,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Carteret County: $1,046,000 loan and $1,515,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Morehead City: $4,932,000 loan and $4,869,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Belfast-Patetown Sanitary District: $1,608,000 loan and $1,392,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Eastern Wayne Sanitary District: $2,164,000 loan and $1,811,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Southeastern Wayne Sanitary District: $3,529,000 loan and $2,971,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Town of Princeton: $333,000 loan and $458,800 grant; the funding will be used for water system and wastewater system improvements.

  • Town of Rose Hill: $1,585,000 loan and $1,736,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Vance County Water District Phase 2A: $2,196,000 loan and $1,622,800 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Vance County Water District Phase 2B: $3,937,000 loan and $1,987,450 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Ohio

  • Adams County Regional Water District: $736,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Pennsylvania

  • Ligonier Township Municipal Authority: $3,171,000 loan and $6,773,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

South Dakota

  • Town of Oldham: $132,000 loan and $221,000 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • City of Hoven: $311,000 loan and $216,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system and wastewater system improvements.

Tennessee

  • City of Dyer: $405,000 loan and $71,000 grant; the funding will be used for water and wastewater system improvements.

  • Hampton Utility District: $695,000 loan and $288,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • North Utility District of Rhea County: $660,000 loan and $420,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Utah

  • Central Utah Water Conservancy District: $5,000,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Sigurd Town: $620,000 loan and $2,266,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Vermont

  • Canaan Fire District No. 2: $491,000 loan and $1,386,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Virginia

  • Washington County Service Authority: $2,755,000 loan; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

  • Wythe County Old School Road Water: $640,000 loan and $426,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

West Virginia

  • City of Keyser: $4,500,000 loan and $3,100,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

Wisconsin

  • City of Kewaunee: $4,904,000 loan and $2,086,500 grant; the funding will be used for wastewater system improvements.

  • Village of Gilman: $550,000 loan and $155,000 grant; the funding will be used for water system improvements.

President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17, 2009. It is designed to jumpstart the nation's economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov.

22 Mar 2010

Iowa is Second State in the Country with Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting program

By David Bryan


(Kansas City, Kan., March 10, 2010) - Iowa has become the second state in the country to be federally authorized to administer and enforce the federal Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RPP) program. Wisconsin was the first state to be certified.

The Renovation, Repair and Painting rule mandates training and certification in lead-safe work practices for construction contractors, property managers and others that work in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. Governor Chet Culver has certified Iowa's program as it will be administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health.  States have to certify that their programs are at least as protective as EPA's and provide adequate enforcement.

"Iowa's proactive approach to prevent lead poisoning will allow Iowa citizens to be more aware of the dangers and protect children from lead-based paint hazards in their homes," said Regional Administrator Karl Brooks.

Effective April 22, 2010, anyone performing renovations or repairs for compensation must be trained and certified, and follow lead safe work practices.  Because lead-based paint in the home is a major cause of childhood lead poisoning, the RRP rule places new requirements on property management companies, landlords, contractors, renovators and painters for lead safe work practices to reduce the lead exposure of children.  

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children. Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978.

Lead exposure can cause reduced IQ, learning disabilities, development delays and behavioral problems in young children.

Learn more about protecting your family from lead-based paint and EPA's lead program at http://www.epa.gov/lead or by contacting the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD (5323).

For more information about Iowa's new program, including information on applying for certification or training, contact the Iowa Bureau of Lead Poisoning Prevention at (515) 281-3479 or 1-800-972-2026, or visit the state Web site at  http://www.idph.state.ia.us/eh/lead_poisoning_prevention.asp .

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11 Mar 2010

USDA Launches Apps for Healthy Kids Competition as part of Let's Move! Campaign Contestants Will Compete for $40,000 in Prizes As They Develop New Tools to Help Raise a Generation of Healthier Kids

By USDA Office of Communications

WASHINGTON, Mar. 10, 2010 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture joined First Lady Michelle Obama today in announcing the innovative Apps for Healthy Kids competition to Americans as part of the Let's Move! initiative. Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers, students, and other innovators to develop innovative, fun, and engaging tools and games that help kids and their parents to eat better and be more physically active.

"First Lady Michelle Obama has challenged America to tackle the issues of child nutrition and obesity and she knows that the Federal Government cannot do it alone - which is why we are launching this challenge, to tap America's ingenuity by enlisting the most creative, talented, and kid-savvy innovators across the nation to put their skills to the cause of empowering parents and inspiring kids to get active and eat healthy," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Apps for Healthy Kids competition entries will leverage the recently-released MyPyramid 1,000 food database to create web or mobile-based apps in two categories. The first set of prizes will be awarded to digital games that best engage and motivate kids to eat healthy and be physically active. The second set of prizes will be awarded to the most creative tools for parents striving to make the right choices for their kids. So when they are planning meals, at the grocery store, or picking up dinner on the way home from work, parents can instantly access easy-to-understand nutritional information they can trust.

Contestants will compete for $40,000 in cash prizes and the chance to shine before USDA's all-star panel of judges, including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, Inc.; Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga Game Network, Inc.; Michael Levine, Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop; Mike Gallagher, President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association; Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and David Lazarus, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture.

In addition to medal winners, the judges will announce a Popular Choice Award, which will go to the contestant with the most public votes. Members of the public can register and vote at www.AppsforHealthyKids.com, between noon on July 14 to noon on August 14.

All winners will be honored at a White House event in Washington, DC. Importantly, Apps for Healthy Kids gives game developers and other innovators the chance to help give kids the healthy lives they deserve.

Entries must be submitted between March 10, and June 30, 2010. Official rules may be found at www.AppsForHealthyKids.com.

The U.S Department of Agriculture is an active member of the Let's Move! team, alongside the Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information on the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative visit www.LetsMove.gov. The Apps for Healthy Kids competition is a collaborative initiative of the White House Office of the First Lady, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service and the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

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11 Mar 2010

Walkers "Join the Movement" to Create a World Free of MS

By Rick Martin

Bettendorf, IA - The North Central States Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society will hold its annual walk MS in the Quad Cities on Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at Veterans Memorial Park.

More than 700 walkers are expected to come out and help raise the goal of $57,500.  Funds raised will support direct services for the more than 8,000 people with MS and their families in the North Central States Chapter area and national MS research to find a cure for this chronic disease of the central nervous system.

We encourage families to come out to this event. Adults & children of all ages are welcome to participate, and enjoy some fun.  Walk MS: Quad Cities Walk will be entering its 9th year. Walkers will participate in a 3 mile walk, and the festivities will take off and end at the Veteran Memorial Park in Bettendorf with lunch being served following the walk. Registration will open at 8:30 am and the walk will begin at 10:00 am. People can participate in walk MS individually, as a team, or as a virtual walker.

A special thanks to our 2010 walk MS sponsors: Wal-Mart, Mike & Monique Gorsline, WHBF, Golden Corral, & Starbucks.

  • WHAT: walk MS: Quad Cities Walk to benefit the North Central States Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • WHEN: Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 10:00 am
  • WHERE: Veterans Memorial Park
  • REGISTRATION: Visit www.myMSwalk.org, call 319-447-1800 or email emily.hoover@nmss.org.
  • WHY: Proceeds raised will benefit the North Central States Chapter of the National MS Society.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

  • The National MS Society helps each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50-state network of chapters.
  • Through our home office and 50-state network of chapters, we fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world.
  • The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS.  We are people who want to do something about MS now.  Join the movement at www.nationalmssociety.org.

About Multiple Sclerosis

  • Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.
  • Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.  The advancement, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.
  • Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease.
  • MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million worldwide.

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11 Mar 2010

Drink This, Not That!

By Aaron Conklin

MADISON, Wis.?The human body is composed of about 70 percent water. Take that as a hint.

Water is at the top of the list of things you should be drinking plenty of, says Dr. Kristina Penniston, a clinical nutritionist with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH).

Penniston, who works primarily with kidney specialists, says what you choose to drink, and in what quantity, has a huge impact on the health of your kidneys and other parts of your body. Every day, the average American guzzles several quarts of liquid --everything from good old H20 to drinks like coffee, soda, juice and alcohol.

Water is best, but you don't necessarily have to heed the old saw that suggests you drink a full eight glasses a day.

"Our need for fluids varies so much, and there's really no one-size-fits-all amount," says Penniston. "Everything depends on what you're doing?are you sweating during physical activity or are you sitting at a desk being sedentary?"

If you're looking to avoid kidney stones?and given the pain they can cause, you should be?both lemonade and orange juice both contain a citrate that helps prevent the buildup of calcium oxylate, the substance that forms kidney stones.

That's a good thing. But there's also a drawback: both beverages are laden with sugar and calories.

"We don't drink eight ounces of pure lemon juice, which is what actually provides the protection," says Penniston. "We dilute it with water and sugar, and that changes the equation of how healthy it is fairly significantly."

Cranberry juice has its share of sugar, too, but some recent research suggests it also has something else: a substance that may inhibit the strains of e.coli bacteria that can cause painful urinary-tract infections.

"We know that you can show in a test tube that the infectious bacteria are kept in check by cranberry juice," says Dr. Dr. Sarah McAchran, an urologist and assistant professor of urology at UW. "The question is, when you drink the juice, does the protective element excrete into the urine and the urinary tract?"

Grapefruit juice is packed with vitamins and minerals. But if you're on certain types of antidepressants, or using statins to control cholesterol, you need to avoid it, because it interferes with the body's ability to metabolize the drugs. In some cases, the interaction speeds up the body's response to certain drugs, creating a dangerous and life-threatening situation.

Then there's soda, the favorite beverage of many--if not most-- Americans. In fact, the United States is responsible for more than a third of the world's total soda consumption every year. Penniston suggests we should choose another option?or at least cut way back.

"I would really ask people to wake up to the fact that the amounts of high-fructose corn syrup found in most types of sodas are associated with all sorts of troublesome health issues, from obesity and kidney stones to gout and insulin resistance," she says.

Diet sodas don't lead to obesity, but they aren't necessarily much better. A 2009 Brigham and Women's Hospital study suggested that women who consume more than two diet sodas a day may be doubling their risk of kidney-function decline.

Vegetable juice drinks seem like a no-brainer?after all, aren't all those great vitamins in things like tomato juice cocktails wonderful for us? Well, yes. But the huge amounts of sodium that accompany some of them aren't.

"The kidneys actually mirror the heart in several ways," says Dr. Stephen Nakada, head of the division of urology at UW Hospital and Clinics. "And that includes the fact that too much sodium isn't good for either of them. High levels of sodium contribute to kidney stones, and are a risk factor for high blood pressure and heart attacks."

Sports drinks are also loaded with sodium, which makes them an odd choice for those who drink them while sitting in their cubicles rather than after a 10K run.

"It's good to remember that these drinks were formulated for elite athletes who need to replace fluids lost to sweat," notes Penniston. "The rest of us probably shouldn't drink them unless we need them." Opting for the low-sugar and low-sodium versions of these drinks is another possibility.

The bigger issue with many of these drinks, says Dr. Nakada, is actually the size of the bottles. In recent years, both soda and sports-drink bottles seem to have been put on some kind of steroid regimen?20 and 24-ounces bottles have edged out 12 and 16-ounce servings. Some companies have also begun to offer smaller-size serving options, but big bottles still dominate the shelves.

"If you're smart, you're staying away from large drinks," says Dr. Nakada. "Whatever drink you're talking about, the bottom line is you should try to avoid excesses, and simplification is best."

Dr. Penniston agrees. "The key to all of this is that your beverage intake should be diverse, and it should center on moderation. You don't want to have too much of any type of drink."

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09 Mar 2010

Genesis Earns Communitas Award For Flu-Free Quad Cities Initiative

By Craig Cooper

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- March 8, 2010 -- Communitas Awards has recognized Genesis Health System for Leadership In Community Service.

Genesis received a Communitas Award award for its Flu-Free Quad Cities project that provided seasonal influenza vaccinations to more than 10,000 elementary school children in 2009.

The Communitas Awards are an international effort to recognize exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals that are unselfishly giving of themselves and their resources, and those that are changing how they do business to benefit their communities. Nominees are evaluated on the extent and effectiveness of their efforts.

The Communitas Awards is an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). Founded in 1995, AMCP fosters and supports the efforts of its members who contribute their unique marketing and communication talents to public service and charitable organizations.

Genesis Flu-Free Quad Cities is an initiative of Genesis Health System that started three years ago with the idea to protect thousands of elementary school children against seasonal influenza.

Starting out as a pilot project in 2007 with 300 students in three schools, the program has expanded to reach 10,000 children in 82 schools throughout the Quad Cities area of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Children in elementary schools often go unvaccinated. They are not generally considered to be a high-risk group because they rarely suffer severe complications of flu, but they are very efficient carriers.  They carry seasonal flu into their homes and into the communities where they reside.  They carry the flu to baby siblings who may be at higher risk from complications and to grandparents, who also are at higher risk of complications.

Through the Genesis Health Services Foundation, more than $250,000 was raised to fund the project in 2009.

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