Waterloo woman appointed to new Autism Council
Cathy Young of Waterloo
was recently appointed by Governor Chet Culver to serve on the newly created
Iowa Autism Council.
The council will address the needs of Iowans with autism, including
early identification and appropriate intervention, integration and
coordination of support systems, general and special education services,
in-home services, training, enhancement of community agency responsiveness,
financing options, and data collection.
Each year, high school juniors and seniors from across Iowa work as Pages at
the Iowa Capitol during the legislative session, which runs from January
through early May.
This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn
first-hand about government, work with elected officials, and see how ideas
for a better Iowa
become law.
Job duties include responding to requests from legislators
and staff, assisting legislators during committee meetings, and distributing
and organizing materials and supplies.
Pages work 40 hours per week and are paid $8.57 per hour. They may
also arrange for academic credit with their high school.
The application deadline for the 2009 session is October
3. For complete details and an
application, go to www.legis.state.ia.us/PageInfo
or give me a call.
All over Iowa,
people and organizations are working hard to recover from this summer’s
floods and tornadoes.
At the state level, members of the Rebuild Iowa Office and
Advisory Commission have toured damaged areas, studied the causes and
effects, listened to suggestions at public meetings, and are determining how
we can rebuild safer, stronger and smarter than before.
On September 2, the Commission is scheduled to report on
the extent of the damage and the immediate steps that should be taken to help
Iowans recover from these natural disasters. After that, the focus will be on
long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts.
By early October, we should know how much the U.S.
Congress will commit to Iowa’s
recovery and rebuilding. Though we’re
making progress, we know we must work in partnership with the federal
government because the magnitude of this year’s disasters is far too great to
handle on our own.
Right now, all legislators—Democrats and
Republicans—should be working with Governor Culver to redirect state spending
so that more resources go to disaster recovery. Our first priority should be ensuring that
displaced Iowans have safe housing before winter.
As we work together on recovery efforts, several funding
options should be considered.
First, it’s important to note that Governor Chet Culver
has broad authority to redirect state resources and waive certain regulations
during natural disasters.
Second, there is a proposal to suspend plans for a new
state office building in Des Moines
and redirect the resources to help Iowans hit hardest by flooding and
tornadoes. In recent years, the Legislature approved about $70 million for
the planning and construction of the proposed building near the State
Capitol. Nearly all of that $70 million is unspent.
Third, we should consider dipping into the state’s rainy
day funds. We’ve worked hard to grow Iowa’s rainy day funds
to more than $150 million, the largest amount ever. This fund was set aside for emergencies and
now is the time to use some of it.
Fourth, assistance is available from the American Red
Cross and other nonprofit relief organizations. In addition, the 2008 Iowa
Disaster Fund has raised more than $5.5 million from individuals, businesses
and organizations. The money is being
distributed to local nonprofit groups and local governments to help Iowans
who’ve been affected by this year’s floods and storms. For more information, call
515-447-4222 or visit www.desmoinesfoundation.org/page10002693.cfm.
Finally, we must continue to put pressure on federal
government agencies to release hundreds of million of dollars in disaster
recovery funding that was approved by Congress and signed by the President in
June. This money should be released to provide immediate assistance to help
more Iowans recover.
If you have ideas for how we can redirect state dollars
for rebuilding, I’d like to hear them.
Call me at 319-296-2947 or e-mail me at bdotzler@athenet.net.
For complete details on the state’s recovery efforts,
visit the Rebuild Iowa Web site at www.rio.iowa.gov
or call (515) 242-5004.
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Senators Bill Dotzler and Roger Stewart talk with
Microsoft General Manager Mike Manos at the Statehouse Aug. 21. The
software giant announced it will create a $550 million data center in West Des Moines that
will employ approximately 75 workers at an average salary of $75,000 a
year. As chair of the Economic Development Budget and floor-manager
of the legislation that lured Microsoft, Dotzler played an integral part in
bringing these high-quality good-paying jobs to Iowa.
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The availability of highly educated and skilled workers continues
to be the number one factor in attracting new business investment and
expansion opportunities to Iowa. Here’s an update on measures I’m supporting
to make sure more Iowans have the skills needed for good jobs at good wages.
Iowa’s
63 workforce centers help Iowans find jobs and improve their skills. They also help businesses find new employees
when they expand. Unfortunately, the
future of many of these local centers has been uncertain for almost a decade.
This year, the Legislature improved the long-term
prospects for these local centers by committing more
than 5 million additional dollars to help Iowans get the local training they
need to fill the jobs available with Iowa employers.
Iowa’s
community colleges are the pathway to a better life for thousands of Iowans. Unfortunately, beginning in the mid-1990s,
the Legislature failed to adequately support our community colleges. The
resulting tuition increases made the cost of attending Iowa’s community colleges the highest in
the nation.
Community college is now much more affordable because of
improved state support. In 2008, I
supported successful legislation that:
- Provided
$4 million for the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship, which includes a
$2,500 grant for first-year community college students;
- Increased
basic funding for Iowa’s
community colleges by $10.6 million;
- Committed
$2 million to buildings and computers;
- Invested
$5.5 million in Accelerated Career Education, which offers vocational
programs and training to employees of partner businesses; and
- Approved
$4.5 million in job-training programs at our community colleges.
Expanded All Iowa Opportunity
Scholarship
The All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship is a needs-based
program that helps Iowa
students improve their skills and pursue their dreams. During the 2007/2008 school year, 189
students received these scholarships.
This year, the Legislature approved $4 million for the
program, which will help 627 Iowa
students meet their college expenses with an average award of $5,083.
This scholarship can be used to pay for tuition, room, board and books.
The deadline for applying is October 1. For more information, go to the Iowa College
Student Aid Commission’s Web site at www.iowacollegeaid.gov
or call 1-877-272-4456.
This
summer, the Iowa Power Fund Board has awarded $1.4 million to research and
events that will move the state forward in its quest for energy independence.
Four
projects have received grants through the Power Fund, which was created in
2007 to expand Iowa’s
renewable energy, alternative fuel, and clean technology industries. They are:
I-Renew Energy & Sustainability Expo:
The Iowa Renewable Energy Association (I-Renew) in Iowa
City received $41,000 for its 2008 Expo on Sept. 13-14 at the University of Northern Iowa. The event will include workshops, green
exhibitors, and demonstrations of wind power, electric and alternative fuel
cars, solar power and solar hot water.
This is a great opportunity for Iowans to learn how to use alternative
energy in their daily lives. Get more
details or register to attend at www.irenew.org/expo/.
Growing the Bioeconomy Conference: This
event was awarded $12,500 for its 6th annual conference to be held at Iowa State
University on Sept.
8-9. The conference will feature
demonstrations, tours and workshops on how we can become more energy
independent. Learn more and register
at www.bioeconomyconference.org.
Biodiesel Alternative
Feedstock Research
Center: The Renewable Energy
Group in Ames
received $740,000 to develop a biodiesel research center that will study how
to improve biodiesel production and reduce biodiesel transportation
costs. Further information can be
found at www.regfuel.com
Tallgrass Prairie
Center: The University of Northern
Iowa was awarded $612,300 to research the use
of prairies for renewable energy production, while preserving the need for
wildlife cover and other uses. To
learn more, go to www.tallgrassprairiecenter.org.
Funding
for these awards comes from the Legislature’s investment of $25 million a
year over four years in the Iowa Power Fund.
Our
efforts are ensuring that Iowa
remains a worldwide energy leader by encouraging the production of home-grown
energy that can help our family farmers become more profitable, strengthen
our national security, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Information
about the Iowa Power Fund and the state’s Office of Energy Independence can
be found at www.energy.iowa.gov.
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