The State of Iowa has teamed up with Iowa’s minor league baseball teams thissummer to honor parents who’re meeting their obligation to their kids. Thebaseball teams provide free game tickets for that event that Bob Brammer, aspokesman for Iowa’s Attorney General, calls “Step Up to the Plate.” He says”Step Up to the Plate” is designed to honor parents who don’t have custodyof their kids, but still support them emotionally and financially. Brammersays there are a lot of parents in Iowa who strike out when it comes tochild support. The Department of Human Services has about 150-thousandcases of court ordered child support they’re working on — and those arejust the cases that’re reported. Brammer says this issue should concern alltaxpayers. They pick up the tab for kids who go on public assistance becausea parent isn’t paying child support. The next event is at tonight’s IowaCubs game in Des Moines. They’ve already had “Step Up to the Plate” days inWaterloo and Clinton and will have others in the Quad Cities and Burlington.Interested parents can get tickets for tonight’s event at the gift shop ofSec Taylor Stadium. The game is at 7:05 p-m.
