Photos

	Sen. Tom Courtney sponsored Senate Resolution 163, recognizing May 2008 as Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month. Huntington's disease, first described in 1873, is a hereditary, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that gradually robs its victims of their intellect, their emotional well-being, and their control of movement.
	On March 6, Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington met with students from 12 high schools in southeast Iowa. The students are taking college credit while still in high school through Southeastern Iowa Community College's M-Power U concurrent enrollment program.
	Students from Burlington Community High School visited their state senator, Tom Courtney, in the Senate Gallery on March 5.
	Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington met with members of the Burlington Board of Realtors at the Statehouse Feb. 26.
	Representatives from Black Children's Hospital spoke with me Feb. 12 about kids' health issues. As a father and grandfather, keeping our children healthy and strong is one of my top priorities. From left: Dr. Jennifer Groos, I, pediatrician Dr. Pete Hetherington, Senator Staci Appel of Ackworth, and Alissa McKinney, director of development at Blank Children's Hospital.
	Governor Chet Culver signed a bill increasing the state's contribution to local schools by 4 percent on Feb. 12. The appropriation, which passed the Legislature last week, provides our K12 schools with an additional $222 per student. The money is used for textbooks, heating bills, technology and other necessities that help make students, teachers and schools successful.
	On Feb. 5, Resource Conservation & Development advocates from around Iowa visited the Statehouse to talk with legislators about their efforts to create jobs, protect the environment and improve the quality of life in rural communities. For more information, go to www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/rcandd.html. Pictured from left: Jeff Heland, a Des Moines County supervisor representing the Geode RD&D, and Sen. Tom Courtney of Burlington.
	I talked with members of the Polk County Medical Society at the Iowa Statehouse on January 30. We discussed their ideas for recruiting new physicians to Iowa, as well as ways to increase the affordability and access to high-quality health care here in Iowa. From left: Dr. John Sweedman, Dr. Roger Kinkor, and I.
	The proven benefits of doing more with less energy was a hot topic this week at the Iowa Statehouse. I talked with Bill McAnally, chair of Industrial Technology at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, and Simon Lindner, a 2007 graduate of his carpentry program. The two were in Des Moines to testify before a Senate committee about how modern building techniques result in new homes that use 65% less energy than older homes. We talked about how saving energy is creating jobs and improving the budgets of businesses and families across Iowa. To learn more, contact Bill at McAnally@iowacentral.edu. From left: McAnally, Lindner, and I.
	Members of the Columbus Junction chapter of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) visited with State Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington at the Statehouse on January 28. Courtney gave the students a tour of the Senate Chambers and talked with them about the leading role Iowa agriculture is playing in the world-wide renewable fuels boom. From left to right: Alex Edwards, Elyssa McFarlane, Katie Lewis, Bret Carlson, and Sen. Courtney.
	Helping Iowa children learn to read was much discussed at the Statehouse on January 24. Sen. Tom Courtney of Burlington met with Donna Rempe of the Great Prairie AEA, a teacher trainer for the Reading Recovery program, a year-long professional development program for classroom teachers. The Reading Recovery program involves short-term one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders, focusing on developing a student's vocabulary and comprehension. Great Prairie Area Education Agency serves much of southeast Iowa.
	Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington opened the 2008 legislative session January 14 at the Iowa Statehouse with his wife, Donna, who also serves as his clerk. Courtney said his primary goal this year is to keep making progress on commitments made last session to improve teacher pay, expand access to quality child care, limit increases on college tuition, make health care more affordable, and boost the state's economy through the Iowa Power Fund initiative.
State Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington met Oct. 29 with Robert Shireman, a national expert on college student debt. Shireman was at the Iowa Statehouse to speak with the Legislative Oversight Committee about high debt among Iowa college students. Shireman, president of the Institute for College Access and Success in California, told Courtney, who chairs the Oversight Committee, that high student debt in Iowa is primarily caused by insufficient grants for low income students at Iowa’s public universities and high tuition at community colleges. Shireman said high levels of student debt discourage students from making their home in Iowa and from entering teaching, law enforcement and other occupations. Shireman discusses his findings in a three-minute video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoB7FjNtE9g. A transcript of Shireman’s complete testimony before the Government Oversight Committee is at www.legis.state.ia.us/lsadocs/SC_MaterialsDist/2008/SDMAT011.PDF. Further information for students and their parents can be found at www.projectonstudentdebt.org.