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I attended the ground breaking for the new Jones County
Regional Medical center at Anamosa recently. This facility will provide new
opportunities for health care providers to deliver state-of-the-art services.
Many folks involved worked tirelessly to make this project a reality.
Coleen and I attended the
Anamosa Firefighters & Camp Courageous breakfast recently.
The Legislature was able to get some funding for the new
kitchen at the Anamosa corrections facility. I visited last week to see
progress firsthand. The facility should be much more efficient as a result of
this project.
Dubuque County receives Urban Youth Corps grant
The Iowa Department of Transportation has approved an
Urban Youth Corps grant for the Dubuque County Conservation Board. Urban Youth Corps provides
transportation-related employment and training to youth between 16 and 21 who
face barriers to employment, while accomplishing improvements to
transportation facilities.
For more information, go to www.sysplan.dot.state.ia.us/Urban_Youth_Corps.htm,
or contact Rebecca Law at 515-239-1738 or rebecca.law@dot.iowa.gov.
Low-income individuals affected by flooding in Jones County are eligible for assistance as
a result of the Governor’s recent disaster proclamation.
Iowans with household incomes of up to 130 percent of
federal poverty guidelines may apply for a grant of up to $3,300 to help
recover from flood damage. This is a
reimbursement program, meaning that applicants must include receipts when
applying for help.
The grant application and step-by-step instructions can be
found at www.dhs.iowa.gov.
Look for the words "Storm Help”, or call toll-free (877) 937-3663 to find
out more.
Our county emergency managers work hard and often don’t
get the recognition they deserve.
Brenda Leonard has been doing a bang-up job in Jones County
with the excess water issues. I
stopped by and visited with the new owner of the Walnut Acres Campground in Monticello, which has
sustained quite a bit of damage.
Tom in Dubuque County and
Mike in Delaware
County are also
top-notch directors. Their needs outweigh their resources, and they respond
to many issues that never make headlines. Thank you to our local EMA
directors for all you do for us.
I believe that bipartisan efforts in the Legislature gave
us a productive year that honored our commitments on healthcare, education,
jobs and the environment. At the same
time, we put together a fiscally responsible state budget.
One of the highlights of the 2008 session is the effort to
make healthcare accessible to all Iowa
kids within three years. This will
make Iowa the first state to bring
affordable coverage to all of its youngsters and is one of the reasons Iowa has become a
national leader in healthcare reform.
This year’s successes are many. Here are some at the top of my list:
- Completing
a three-year effort to increase average teacher pay to 25th in the
nation, up from 42nd
- Jump-starting
Iowa’s
energy economy by funding the second year of the four-year Iowa Power
Fund initiative
- Legislation
that kick-starts the rebuilding of Iowa’s roads and bridges
- Significant
new investment in school buildings, infrastructure and property tax
relief
- New
consumer protections, including the state consumer insurance advocate, a
mortgage scam crackdown and identity theft protection
- $67
million in income tax relief for working Iowans and seniors by exempting
federal rebates from state taxes
- Ensuring
veterans keep their jobs when returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan
- Setting
aside a record amount of money in the state’s “rainy day” accounts
- Restoring
the Senior Living Trust Fund so that Iowa seniors can continue living in
their own homes
A majority of all Senators approved these efforts because
Republicans and Democrats worked together to craft initiatives important to
all Iowans—education, jobs, health care, and renewable fuels.
Citizens right here in our area also played a part in the
process. I appreciate the time many
people in the district took to contact me during the session. Your ideas, suggestions and priorities are
reflected in many of the bills that made it to the Governor’s desk.
Throughout the interim, please stay in touch. You can meet me at local listening posts
and other events, or you can just contact me directly. My home phone number is (563) 876-3219. E-mail me at thancock@mchsi.com.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the Iowa
Senate.
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