January 28, 2012

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Final legislative approval of $56 million disaster relief package

January 28, 2009 By

The governor promises to quickly sign a bill that provides $56 million in state disaster relief. The bill passed the House on Tuesday evening and cleared the senate tonight by unanimous vote.

Senator Bill Dotzler of Waterloo says his daughter’s home was destroyed by the March 25th tornado, then floodwaters hit his own home a few weeks later. "What this bill is about is to help people who have (fallen) through the cracks," Dotzler says. "I know that any senator or representative who have been affected by this knows that state programs and federal programs have a lot of rules within them and they don’t necessarily match up perfectly with individuals and their personal problems."

The bill does change eligibility standards so more Iowans qualify for home and individual assistance from the state. Senator Rob Hogg is from Cedar Rapids where officials estimate last spring’s flooding caused a billion dollars in damage.

"One of the things that’s really been hard for me to convey about our disaster…is to try my hardest to help people understand that it’s not just numbers," Hogg says. "Every home, every business, every building has a story to tell — and the people who lived there or worked there or had some connection there have a story to tell."

According to Hogg, for many it’s been a story of "economic and emotional devastation."

"These stories have to have a happy ending," Hogg says. "This is a day of hope and I hope throughout this 100 day session we are able to provide 100 days of hope to the people of Iowa who have been do devastated and who yearn to recover from this epic disaster."

The plan approved in the senate tonight offers assistance to city and county governments which were hit by last spring’s natural disasters as well as assistance to individuals.

Governor Culver issued a statement a few moments ago:  "After last night’s 98-0 vote in the House, I want to thank the members and leadership of the Senate for their quick, bipartisan vote on and passage of the Rebuild Iowa bill. Since these disasters began, more than $1.5 billion in state and federal aid has gone towards rebuilding Iowa, and the $56 million in this legislation will help move us further down the road to recovery.

"Though the floodwaters have receded, our collective work is far from finished. We are united in our commitment to help Iowans rebuild safer, stronger, and better than before. This bill is one of many steps we will take together during this legislative session to rebuild the state we all love. Now that this bill has passed both chambers, I look forward to signing it, and bring additional relief to thousands of Iowans." 

 


Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Weather Tagged With: , , , ,

Iowa agribusinessman contemplates run for governor

January 28, 2009 By

An agribusinessman who runs the nation’s third-largest ethanol-producing company is contemplating a run for governor in 2010. Bruce Rastetter of Iowa Falls — a Republican — is C.E.O. of Hawkeye Energy Holdings which operates four ethanol plants in the state.

"I grew up a Democrat and I think what has clearly changed me is the whole class warfare that the Democraticy Party does today," Rastetter says, "that discourages people from getting a better educatiob, taking risks, investing in a business, creating jobs."

Rastetter is a big benefactor of Republican causes, donating almost $59,000 to the state and national parties, as well as various G.O.P. candidates in 2008.  "We ought to think about if we agree on 80 percent of what we believe, then we ought to be inclusive in the party and we certainly ought to make sure that we broaden our tent rather than narrow it," Rastetter says. "…We ought to be about a party that is solution making to solve problems rather than just want lower taxes or less government or a better business climate."

Rastetter says he believes in all those things, as well as the "sanctity of life," but he argues it’s time for Republicans to offer new ideas to fix problems in education and the economy.

Rastetter is a well-known philanthropist, too, recently donating $2 million worth of seed money to Iowa State University for an ag entrepreneur program.

Jim Nussle, the Iowa Repubican party’s 2006 candidate for governor, kicked off his campaign with an event at Rastetter’s ethanol plant in Fairbank, Now, Rastetter is contemplating a run of his own, but he’s not yet ready to say he wants to be governor. "I don’t know that I, today, can say that I do for sure, but what I would say is that there is always opportunity in tough times or in good times to make a difference," Rastetter says.

According to Rastetter, people "sometimes listen better" when times are tough. Rastetter was at the statehouse today, soon after Democratic Governor Chet Culver revealed details of his budget plan which would cut most state agencies by six-and-a-half percent. Rastetter says he’s no fan of across-the-board cuts. "There isn’t a household in Iowa that is cutting their budget that doesn’t discriminately look at their budget and say, ‘You know, maybe we don’t need to go out for dinner tonight,’ but they don’t make across the board cuts," Rastetter says. "…That’s just an easy way out."

Rastetter argues state officials should "aggressively" review the state budget, close some programs and leave alone others that help Iowans "during these tough times."

Rastetter has held political office once before. He was elected to the Alden School Board just after he graduated from college. In 2004 — a year after he co-founded Hawkeye Renewables — Rastetter sold his previous business, a livestock operation known as "Heartland Pork."

 

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Grassley raises questions about porn viewing at NSF

January 28, 2009 By

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on Congressional leaders to take another look at money for the National Science Foundation in the economic stimulus bill after an agency report said a senior official spent 20% of his working hours surfing porn on the internet.

Grassley, a Republican, spoke about the issue on a Fox News cable show today. Grassley says the employee had on-line chats of "sexually explicit" conversations and "you wonder who is watching the shop there." The report says the value of lost time for that one person was $58,000.

Grassley says he wants to know who else was surfing porn while they were supposed to be working. Grassley says this was just from one computer server and report says there is more than one person involved and he doesn’t know how many others might be involved. Grassley says he’s asking for more information from N-S-F so those in charge of the appropriation in Congress can take a closer look.

"Because when you’re appropriating  $3-billion for an agency that only gets six billion and that’s stimulus, you wonder whether or not if they really need the money if they aren’t using the $6-billion as effectively as they ought too when its wasted, with a senior officials wasting $58,000 of his time for sexually explicit pornography," Grassley says.

The agency’s semi-annual report also said the employee charged more than 40-thousand dollars to his own credit card to look at porn while at work. Grassley has asked the National Science Foundation to turn over documents about this case and other situations like it at the foundation.

You can view part of the N.S.F. report here . 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Rebuild Iowa wants to hear stories from tornadoes and floods

January 28, 2009 By

Iowans that want to share their story related to the tornadoes and floods of 2008 can now do so through the state’s primary disaster recovery website. Tina Potthoff, with the Rebuild Iowa Office, says people can upload their photos and videos, which will be screened before they’re posted on-line.

The images could be used to help state officials in the battle for more federal funding. "If someone sends in a video or story, don’t be surprised if we contact you in return to see if we might get some additional details and even use the story…to just make the argument that Iowans are still in need at a federal level," Potthoff said.

The Rebuild Iowa website was launched last July. Potthoff says a lot of Iowans are clearly interested in sharing their experience living through the storms of last May and June.

"Once we sent out this press release, we already had people submitting their stories within a matter of minutes," Potthoff said. The RIO website is already connected to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing Iowans to view press releases, photos or other materials immediately after they are posted. 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Weather

Wind farm proposed for Northwest Iowa

January 28, 2009 By

A massive wind energy farm is being proposed for northwest Iowa by Governor Culver. Culver, speaking in Sioux City on Tuesday, says the sour economy may be boosted by a large-scale wind energy complex.

State officials are considering a $700-million bonding plan to aid flood recovery in eastern Iowa, but diverting $17-million from that amount to support a wind energy park on a 400-acre tract of land south of Sioux City.

The governor says: "We’ve had a lot of interest here from wind energy companies. I expect it’s just a matter of time before we land a very exciting opportunity in the renewable energy field. You’re positioned really well here." If plans come together, the complex could create 1,500 permanent jobs. 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Trooper given suspension for sending e-mail

January 28, 2009 By

Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Eugene Meyer says State Trooper Rod Hicok of Webster City will be suspended for 30 days and attend a training program after sending a questionable e-mail from a state computer. Meyer said that Sergeant Hicok has been with the State Patrol for 27 years.

Prior to this incident, his record was unblemished with not a single complaint filed against him. The investigation shows Hicok was at home and off-duty when he forwarded the inappropriate e-mail from a state-issued laptop computer. Meyer further stated that Hicok was making a political statement and not a racial statement but regardless he violated the state Public Safety Department’s e-mail policy.

The e-mail in question pertains to jail mug shots of people wearing Barack Obama t-shirts. In a written statement today, Hicok said he is deeply sorry for his actions and apologized to all members of the Department of Public Safety for any embarrassment that he caused to his family, the citizens of the community and the Iowa taxpayers.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Culver says budget cuts "not a game"

January 28, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver reveals details of budget cuts. Governor Chet Culver says there will be "significant layoffs" in the state government workforce in the coming year as agencies deal with budget cuts.

Culver this morning revealed more details of his state budget plan for the fiscal year which begins July 1st, and bristled when Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen questioned whether the cuts were deep enough.

"I don’t know how much further you want us to go, David," Culver said during a news conference in his statehouse office. "We’ve cut $580 million. It represents the largest cut in decades, if not ever."

Culver ordered an across-the-board cut as well as selective cuts in the current year’s budget which amounted to about $180 million. The governor’s outline for next year pares another $400 million.

"This is not a game. We’re doing what we have to do by law to balance the budget," Culver said. "…We’re doing the responsible thing and to suggest that six-and-a-half percent is not enough, which represents perhaps the largest cut ever in our state, coupled with the $180 million, is just wrong."

Culver is proposing a six-and-a-half cut in the operating budgets for most state agencies, along with a $200 million withdrawal from the state’s cash reserve so the cuts don’t go deeper. However, some public safety and programs which provide health care and job search services won’t be cut as dramatically and will be allowed to hire workers, as needed.

The rest of state government has been under a hiring freeze since mid-December.  "Significant layoffs are very likely," Culver says. "Anytime you cut $580 million out of a budget, you’re going to have layoffs."

Charlie Krogmeier, Culver’s chief of staff, says the state will continue to fulfill its obligations, doing things like safety inspections of elevators and amusement rides and patrolling the highways, but Iowans will likely notice a reduction in some state services. "I don’t think in most cases, frankly, that departments are going to be able to absorb these cuts and not see some change in services," Krogmeier says.

The governor and his staff say the budget plan Culver unveiled this morning spends about $88 million less than what’s being spent in the current year.

Culver has said he wants to balance the budget without raising taxes, and again today Culver voiced his opposition to raising the gas tax. "I don’t know how much more clear I could be. I do not think raising the gas tax during a recession is a prudent thing to do during a recession. Period," Culver said. "However, if 150 legislators want to keep talking about it, they have that right."

The state of Iowa could receive millions, if not a couple of billion dollars from the federal stimulus package. Culver’s budget outline does not include any of that federal money in his budget, as the governor says the stimulus package is still going through revisions.

Click here to view the budget documents the governor forwarded to lawmakers today.  Click on the audio link below to listen to the entire 43 minute news conference.

AUDIO: news conference (mp3 runs 43 min)

Filed Under: Business, Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,
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