Flood Recovery Continues

Flood recovery efforts continue around the state. The Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission continues to gather information from effected communities, business and individuals.

The state is working to develop a plan for how to best invest the first $85 million in CDBG funds coming to Iowa. I attended the recent meeting on the Commission in Wapello. I also recently toured flooded Iowa City neighborhoods and visited with recovering homeowners. There is much work to do. I will be working to get as much federal and state funding to our cities for property buy-outs and flexibility for a variety of reconstruction efforts.

This week I attended the final meeting of the Affordable Health Care Commission in Des Moines. The Commission held it’s final meeting to get an update on the progress being made to implement the legislation passed earlier this year to provide access to health care to every Iowa child.

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Iowa Citians Honored for Heroism

On Aug. 8, Gov. Culver held his annual Lifesaving Awards Ceremony at the Iowa State Fair. Among those honored were Steve McGuire and Josh Shepherd of Iowa City. They received the Lifesaving with Valor award for helping to save a mother and her two children after she lost control of her vehicle on an icy road and plunged into the Iowa River on December 14, 2007.

Also honored were Iowa City residents Michael Stevens, who received a Lifesaving with Valor award, and Christy Stevens, who received a Meritorious Award, for rescuing a woman from her burning SUV on July 15, 2007.

Congratulations to these heroic Iowans!!

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Flooding in Iowa: A Responsible Response

Census Data Show Need to Target Help to Low-Income Flood Victims

The Iowa Fiscal Partnership this week launched a series of reports offering guidelines and important perspectives to be considered in public policy responses to Iowa’s disastrous flooding of 2008. Links to the first two reports are below:

June floods that devastated many parts of Iowa particularly affected low-income residents in the Cedar Rapids area, showing a need for targeted policy responses by the state. News Release

Efforts to rebuild from Iowa's devastating floods demand guidance from three principles: Public policy responses must be timely, targeted and transitional. Backgrounder

Low-income families lived disproportionately in the areas hardest hit by flooding in the Cedar Rapids area. Backgrounder

Tax policy is likely to fail as an efficient or effective response to Iowa's flooding disaster and moves to rebuild. Property tax responses, especially, miss the mark on key principles that should guide policy makers. See the Report and News Release.

The Iowa Fiscal Partnership is a joint policy analysis initiative of two nonpartisan, nonprofit Iowa organizations, the Iowa Policy Project in Iowa City/Mount Vernon and the Child & Family Policy Center in Des Moines.

New UI College of Public Health Dean Sue Curry and I attended the Affordable Health Care Commission meeting in Des Moines on Wednesday (Photo credit: Kris Bell)

August 1 was Curry’s first day as dean. She takes the reins from the college’s founding dean, James A. Merchant, who remains a faculty member. Though this is Curry’s first experience as a dean, her resume and accomplishments reflect a career marked with purpose and collaboration.

Most recently, Curry served as director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy and professor of health policy and administration in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As director, she had an outstanding track record of fostering cross-campus collaboration on health research, faculty mentoring, partnering with colleges and departments for faculty recruitment, and developing infrastructure that supports affiliated centers and programs.

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India Bazaar – Saturday, August 23

Enjoy food, arts, crafts, henna painting, music and dance and help the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic. The event is being sponsored by People To People. All profits from the event will go to Iowa City Free Medical Clinic/Dick Parrott Free Dental Clinic.

The Bazaar will take place on Saturday, August 23 from 11 am to 4 pm at the Johnson County 4H Fairgrounds, Iowa City, Bldg.C

For more information visit www.freemedicalclinic.org.

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How to Contact Me

Joe Bolkcom

728 2nd Avenue

Iowa City, IA 52245

319.337.6280

joe@joebolkcom.org

www.joebolkcom.org

www.iowasenatedemocrats.org

www.legis.state.ia.us

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About The Networker

The Networker provides brief summaries of some of the things that I am working on, work of the General Assembly, as well as political perspectives on issues. I also use it to announce meetings and share information about where to find useful information about state government. If you would like to be removed from this list, please let me know. If you know someone that might like to receive The Networker send her or him my way.