28 – October – 2011

Everyone welcome at education reform discussions

How can we help our students do even better? Which of Gov. Branstad’s education reform ideas will help our local schools—and which might hurt?

I want to know what you think. I’m organizing public meetings on these issues for parents, teachers, students and all interested citizens. Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of where you live.

If you can’t make it, I still want to hear your ideas and concerns. Contact me at 319-759-5334 or tom.courtney@legis.iowa.gov. Thanks for taking the time to help me better serve you.

>> Danville: November 15 from 6 to 7 PM in the Danville High School chorus room, 419 South Main Street.

>> West Liberty: November 16 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in the meeting room of the West Liberty Public Library, 400 North Spencer Street.

>> Muscatine: November 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in Strahan Hall room 27 at Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado Street.

Local schools named Safe & Supportive sites

Columbus Community, Burlington Community and Louisa-Muscatine have been chosen to participate in an effort to improve the learning environment at their schools. They will study issues such as bullying, school safety, attendance and student engagement over the next four years with support through the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe & Supportive Schools grant.

Iowa was one of 11 states to be awarded nearly $3.5 million in federal money this year, and nearly $14 million over the next four years, through the grant program. The money will be used for programs at Iowa schools that showed the greatest opportunity for improvement, according to a recent Safe & Supportive Schools survey.

Historic preservation grants for Des Moines County projects

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded funding to two local projects. A $2,580 grant will go to the Prairie Grove Cemetery Board for masonry repairs at the Prairie Grove School. In addition, $13,414 will go to the Des Moines County Historical Society for improvements to the Phelps House Museum. Funding is through the Historical Resource Development Program, which provides grants to preserve, conserve, interpret and educate the public about historical resources.

A healthy state means a healthy economy

You may have heard about a new effort to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation within five years. Our state ranks #19 right now, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

While Iowa scores well in many areas, there is room for improvement. For example, obesity is on the rise in Iowa. Two-thirds of all Iowans are overweight or obese, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Our obesity rate was 28 percent in 2010, a big increase from the 14 percent obesity rate in 1990.

A new statewide effort aims to turn this and other unhealthy trends around. The Healthiest State Initiative focuses on improving our overall health and well being. If successful, it’ll mean a better quality of life for Iowans and a stronger economy for our state. Here’s why.

The World Economic Forum estimates that healthy lifestyle changes could mean an additional $16 billion over the next five years for job creation and economic growth in Iowa. That $16 billion results from savings in health care ($11 billion) and lost productivity ($5 billion) created by improved health. After all, about 75 percent of health care costs stem from preventable chronic conditions.

As we work toward making Iowa the healthiest state, I’ll be looking at what we can do in the Legislature to build on such past successes as ensuring that all Iowa kids can see a doctor when they are sick and establishing physical education and nutrition standards for schools. I hope we can move forward on making health insurance for small businesses more affordable, continuing successful anti-smoking efforts, and improving health care for all Iowans.

We can all help make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by making healthier choices. According to the Urban Institute, 70 percent of the factors influencing our health are within our control to improve.

Check out the Iowa Healthiest State Web site. It contains resources we can all use to improve our health and well being, such as a tool to calculate life expectancy and recommendations for improving eating habits.

Improving Iowa health and health care

This year, the Legislature approved several initiatives to improve the health and well being of Iowans:

>> Protecting seniors from abuse: Iowa is among the top states in the nation for the quality of care provided to its senior citizens, according to the AARP. We want to keep it that way. That’s why we re-established 10 long-term care inspectors, three inspectors for residential care facilities and an attorney with the Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals. The AARP applauded our efforts to give Iowans improved oversight of quality standards in nursing homes. Unfortunately, the Branstad Administration has failed so far to hire the necessary inspectors, meaning there’s more work to be done on this issue.

>> Preventing brain injuries: As a result of legislation approved this year, student athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion in a game will now be removed from competition until they’ve been examined by a licensed healthcare provider. In addition, guidelines and information about the risks, signs and symptoms of concussions and brain injuries will be provided to coaches, students and parents. The National Football League and the Brain Injury Association of Iowa encouraged us to take this step to better prevent permanent damage due to sports-related head injuries among our kids.

>> Enhancing services for Iowans with disabilities: We established a special committee to provide recommendations for improving mental health and disability services in Iowa. The goal is to reorganize our system to provide higher-quality, more accessible, efficient services to Iowans who need them. The committee is meeting this fall and will draft legislation for consideration during the 2012 session. To learn more about the committee’s work, visit the Department of Human Service’s Web site.

>> Improving treatment for Alzheimer’s and epilepsy: We created task forces to study the best ways to treat Iowans suffering from Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. They will report their results to the Legislature next spring.

Remember to vote Nov. 8

I’ll be voting in our local elections on Tuesday, November 8, and I hope you will too. Iowa has a tradition of fair, clean elections and good voter turn-out at the polls.

You can vote by mail, at your county courthouse, at a satellite voting stations, or at the polls on Election Day. If you need to register to vote or to update your address, you can do it when you cast your ballot. And we make sure every vote counts: all electronic voting machines create a paper trail in case of machine malfunction.

So this November 8th, exercise your right to vote. It’s one of the great things that make us Americans.

Become an Iowa Senate intern

Do you know a high school or college student who wants to learn communication skills and gain a behind-the-scenes look at how the Iowa Legislature works? Encourage them to consider an internship with the Senate Democratic Staff. Full-time and part-time intern positions are available year around.

Interns are an integral part of our office’s communications efforts, assisting with databases, e-mail lists, news releases, news conferences, Web updates, digital photography, and the production of audio and video clips.

For more information and to apply, go to www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/internships. If you have questions, contact Rusty Martin at 515-281-5269 or rusty.martin@legis.iowa.gov.

Grants help school districts reduce diesel emissions

Through December 6, Iowa school districts can apply for a reimbursement match of $38,000 to replace a 1993 or older school bus that is still in regular use and wouldn’t otherwise be replaced with a new 2011 school bus with an EPA-certified bus engine.

In additional, school districts can get full reimbursement for the purchase and installation of up to 20 diesel oxidation catalysts and closed crankcase ventilation systems for their bus fleet.

The main goal of these efforts is to reduce childhood exposure to harmful diesel exhaust. More information is available at www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/AirQuality/BEEPSchoolBusEmissGrants.aspx.

Don’t get hooked by a phishing scam

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is reminding Iowans that crooks target us through our cell phones and computers.

These gadgets are a regular part of our daily lives, providing convenience and entertainment, but they can also make us vulnerable if we don’t take precautions.

Here are a few tips to protecting yourself from getting hooked by a telephone or e-mail scam:

>> Don’t reply to emails or phone messages that ask for personal information.

>> Never send personal information through e-mail. Use secure websites instead.

>> Watch your bank and credit card statements for unusual activity.

>> If you have disclosed sensitive information, alert your bank and the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.

To learn more about avoiding identity theft, go to www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.