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Taxpayers could save
million if the state of Iowa uses technology more
efficiently. As a member of the State Government
Reorganization Commission, I recently had the chance to
speak with Colonel Ben Corell, Quartermaster for the Iowa
National Guard, who will serve as the Guard’s liaison to the
Governor and Legislature during the upcoming legislative
session. I believe the Guard’s experience working with
unified information technology could help guide the state’s
decisions for improving efficiencies. To learn more about the work of the Commission, go to
www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/
Committees/Committee.aspx?id=487. |
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I joined some of my Senate colleagues around
the state recently, as we met with local residents to
discuss the Legislature's great
accomplishments for Iowa veterans.
On May 22, I visited Winterset with State Senator Staci
Appel.
We're pictured here with DAV Commander Dave Thornburg, DAVA
Chaplain Christine Henry and Madison County Veterans Affairs
Executive Director Kay Billeter at the Winterset Public Library. |
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Governor Chet Culver signed House File 311 at
the Statehouse on April 24. This new law will help Iowans
with disabilities by making sure insurance covers their
prosthetics. In recent years, insurance coverage of
prosthetics has declined, leaving many Iowans to pay
substantial costs entirely out of pocket. This legislation
will reverse that trend, and ensure prosthetic coverage for
all Iowans who need it. On hand for the bill signing were,
from left: Governor Chet Culver; Senator Pat Ward; Rod
Cheney of American Prosthetics & Orthotics;
Senator Bill Dotzler; Drew Wall, a 12 year old from Cedar
Rapids who lost his leg last year due to cancer; Gary Cheney
of American Prosthetics & Orthotics; Representative Bob
Kressig; Representative Janet Peterson; Representative Dave
Jacoby; Senator Steve Warnstadt; Senator Bill Heckroth; and
Senator Amanda Ragan. |
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On Wednesday, in the Governor’s office, Senator
Warnstadt hosted Michael T. Franken, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy. He
is a native of Sioux Center, Iowa, and was at the Statehouse to
make a presentation on the current work of the Navy. He is
Deputy Director, Strategy, Plans & Policy (J5), U.S. Central
Command, stationed at MacDill AFB, Tampa, Florida. Also pictured
is Senator Danielson of Cedar Falls, and next to Senator
Warnstadt is Senator Beall of Fort Dodge. |
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Senate President Jack Kibbie of Emmetsburg and Senator Steve
Warnstadt of Sioux City congratulate George Waller for his
generous land gift during "Gift to Iowa's Future Day" at the
Statehouse April 6. |
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I met with a busload of Sioux City
ABATE members on March 25 at the Iowa Statehouse. ABATE stands
for A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education and focuses on
educating about motorcycle issues. I helped in these efforts by
voting to require "Share the Road" motorcycle awareness training
in every Iowa driver’s education class. |
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On March 24, Timothy Orr was unanimously confirmed by
the Iowa Senate as the new Adjutant General of the State of
Iowa. |
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On March 3, I talked with Ryan Lally of Envirotech Systems in
Lawton. Lally was at the Capitol with the Institute for Physical
Research & Technology, which helps Iowa companies solve
technical problems, create new products, and increase
productivity and quality. |
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Richard Hunsaker of the Association of Iowa Workforce
Partners was at the Statehouse on
February 25. |
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I attended the Iowa Association of RSVP
Directors legislative breakfast at the Statehouse recently. The association promotes volunteerism to Iowans 55 and
over. I am pictured here Michelle Hull, director of
the RSVP program in Boone and Green counties. |
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I talked with Sioux City
resident Nathan Kalaher when he visited the Statehouse for Great
Places Day. As part
of Sioux City's "Great Places" application, Nathan led the effort to have
Iowa State University establish a School of Design in Sioux
City, which is now housed in a building in the Historic Fourth
St. District that had previously sat vacant. Sioux City was one
of the first 3 "Great Places," and now, ISU students work from
Sioux city part of the year and provide a fresh perspective on
building a more dynamic community while adding to the students
professional profiles. This mix of community wide projects,
integrating government and nonprofits, students and others
across a spectrum of
entertainment, quality of life and economic development is a
prime example of why the Great Places program was established.
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Three community college students visited the
State Capitol on Wednesday to thank lawmakers who supported
Iowa’s wind energy expansion efforts. The trio talked with State
Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City, encouraging him to
continue supporting Iowa’s community colleges and the Iowa Power
Fund. A two-year program at Iowa Lakes Community College in
Estherville to train students to learning to build and maintain
wind turbines will grow from 71 students this year to 102
students next year. Graduates typically receive 10 to 20 job
offers when they complete their courses. |
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On January 22, I talked with members of
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sioux City. They
were at the Statehouse for Mentoring Day on the Hill.
PiPictured from left: Abbie Groepper, Mary Beth Braunger, I, Camilla Shimonek,and Jill Colling.
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I met with Carl Voss and Mark Wyatt at the Capitol on January 22. They were
in Des Moines for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition's
legislative breakfast to discuss the benefits of bicycling.font> |
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Balancing public records laws with the need to protect citizens
from new threats of identity theft is a a challenging issue
we're working on at the Iowa Statehouse. During 2008, I co-chaired an interim committee
that is
working to update Iowa’s current laws to reflect new challenges
created by the easy collection and exchange of information
available on the Internet. The bipartisan committee is
expected to recommend legislative changes for consideration
during the 2009 legislative session. During a break in our
December 2 meeting, I spoke with Bill Brauch (right), director of the
Consumer Protection Division in the Iowa Attorney General's
office. ill Brauch (right), director of the
Consumer Protection Division in the Iowa Attorney General's
office. |
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