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    Statehouse News

    January 20, 2012

    National Guard Addresses the Legislature
    Need for National Guard Education Assistance Being Addressed
    Employee Stock Ownership Plan Under Consideration
    Iowa Agriculture Driving Iowa’s Economy
    ‘Write Women Back Into History’ Essay Contest
    Radon Action Month
    Transportation Commission

    National Guard Addresses the Legislature

    This week, Major General Timothy Orr, the Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard updated the Iowa Legislature on the Condition of the Guard. For the first time since 2001, the Iowa National Guard has no units deployed overseas. Over the past ten years, 15,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen have been deployed overseas.

    Last year, the Iowa National Guard had its largest single deployment since World War II, when nearly 3,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen, or one third of the of the National Guard force, were deployed to Afghanistan. These soldiers and airmen successfully completed many dangerous mission, trained Afghan soldiers and police officers, provided educational agricultural information, evacuated wounded soldiers from combat areas, and other important missions during their deployments.

    On the home front, the Iowa National Guard provided assistance to combat flooding along the Missouri River. The response missions was one of the longest, lasting more than 100 days, and using nearly 1,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen. The soldiers and airmen assisted local personnel with monitoring and mitigating the flooding, assessing infrastructure issues, and evacuating civilians from their homes for their safety.

    As the Iowa National Guard moves forward it will continue to be ready to take on any mission and challenge presented, whether in Iowa or overseas.

    Need for National Guard Education Assistance Being Addressed

    With 3,000 guard members returning from duty last year, legislators moved forward with a bipartisan plan to prevent tuition hikes for National Guard members heading to college this spring.

    Because of high demand, members of the National Guard were informed last month by Adjutant General Timothy Orr that awards for the spring semester tuition assistance would be cut to 50% of tuition costs, or $1,604, instead of the 90% students received in the first semester.

    Action was taken to appropriate an additional $1.3 million to bring the amount of assistance back up to 90% of tuition costs. Called the National Guard Education Assistance Program, it is administered by the National Guard and the College Student Aid Program.

    The State established the National Guard Education Assistance Program in 1999 as a way to bolster Iowa’s National Guard membership. The program provides grants to Iowa National Guard members who have not completed a baccalaureate degree to attend college. The grant is up to the cost of tuition at one of the state universities and may be used at a state university, community college, or an Iowa private college.

    Employee Stock Ownership Plan Under Consideration

    In an effort to keep Iowa-based businesses open, the House is considering a bill to help business owners near retirement transition their companies to employee ownership.

    Called an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), the idea is to maintain local ownership of businesses and enable employees to share in the profits. It allows a business owner to use ESOP as part of their retirement plan, similar to a 401k. By educating businesses on the benefits of ESOP plans, state leaders hope Iowa business owners near retirement will transition ownership of the companies to their employees and not move the business out of state or close down entirely.

    The proposed bill would appropriate $1 million from the state general fund to help employers with technical assistance while transitioning to an ESOP. In addition to the state appropriation, the bill would also allow the owners selling the business an exemption from the capital gains tax. The tax break is designed to help owners mitigate risk when selling to employees as oftentimes owners have to cover employee debt when making the sale.

    There are approximately 300 employers in the State of Iowa sponsoring ESOP’s. The bill, House Study Bill 516, will be considered by the House Economic Growth Committee.

    Iowa Agriculture Driving Iowa’s Economy

    Twenty-two percent of the total Iowa gross domestic product is agriculture, value-added agricultural manufacturing, and other ag-related manufacturing. Seventeen percent of Iowa’s total workforce is related to agriculture and more than one of every four dollars of Iowa’s total industrial output is derived from agriculture and ag-related industries.

    Members of the House Agriculture Committee heard these statistics from Iowa State University economists and the head of the ISU College of Agriculture. These speakers noted that Iowa has nation-leading rankings in corn, soybeans, pork, eggs, and biofuels. And, in the total value of ag products sold, Iowa is #3 in the nation.

    One missed opportunity, according to the speakers, is value-added processing. Processing brings more jobs to Iowa. Processing commodity products produces food, feed, fiber, and fuel to meet global and local markets. Processing of biomass or other raw materials creates high-value chemicals, plastics, and other similar materials. One suggestion is to develop a plan to not only increase processing opportunities in Iowa, but to enhance the entire supply chain of agricultural products.

    The ISU speakers noted that China could be a major trade country for Iowa’s farmers. If China imports corn and soybeans it drives up feed costs in Iowa. If China continues to buy parts of Iowa pork it actually reduces the cost of producing US loins and other muscle cuts. If China imports pork shoulders, the US pork industry will need to expand.

    ‘Write Women Back Into History’ Essay Contest

    Students in grades 6-9 are invited to enter the 28th annual “Write Women Back Into History Essay Contest.” It is designed to give students a deeper and more relevant appreciation of women’s roles in history and to celebrate March as Women’s History Month. It is sponsored by the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, the Iowa Department of Education, and the State Historical Society.

    Through the contest, students are encouraged to choose a woman, preferably from Iowa, from any historical period, past or present, and write about the accomplishments of her life and how she has made a difference to the student and to society. Winners will be honored during a ceremony at the State Capitol in March. Cash prizes are available. All entrants will receive a certificate of participation.

    Guidelines can be found at the Women’s History Page through the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women at http://www.women.iowa.gov/about_women/womens_history/essay_contest.html, or by contacting Lori Schrader-Bachar at 515-281-4470 or 800-558-4427. Deadline for the contest is January 27th, 2012.

    Radon Action Month

    Iowa is considered a high risk area for a silent but deadly toxin. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the natural decay of uranium and radium in the soil. Radon gas seeps into a house through cracks in the foundation, floor or walls; through hollow-block walls; and through openings around floor drains, pipes, and sump pumps.

    Because of the way many houses and other buildings are built, radon can collect indoors at higher concentrations than outside. Seven in ten Iowa homes contain elevated levels of radon and the average radon level in a house in Iowa is at six times the national average level.

    Exposure to elevated radon levels increases the risk of developing lung cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States are due to radon, making it the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

    Despite the seriousness of elevated radon levels, testing and mitigating the radon in a house can be simple and cost effective. A do it yourself short term radon test kit can be purchased at most hardware stores or from the American Lung Association. Radon levels can vary from house to house. Even if your neighbor has low levels, your house may not be the same.

    If elevated results are found, a credentialed radon mitigation specialist can install a mitigation system. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) credentials radon mitigation specialists; a list of can be found on the IDPH website: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/eh/common/pdf/radon/mit_county.pdf.

    January is Radon Action Month. To find out more about radon visit the IDPH website on radon at: www.idph.state.ia.us/eh/radon.asp. To purchase a low cost short term radon test kit, contact the American Lung Association at 1- 800-383-5992.

    Transportation Commission

    At their January meeting, the Transportation Commission approved grants from programs such as Safe Routes to School, recreational trails, transportation enhancement projects, and Iowa’s Clean Air Attainment Program.

    The transportation enhancement projects support projects in one of three areas: trail and bicycle facilities, scenic and environmental, or historic and archaeological. Eleven projects were awarded close to $5 million in federal funds. More information about these awards can be found at www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2012/01/iowa-transportation-commission-approves-statewide-transportation-enhancement-program-funding.html.

    The $4.7 million awarded to eleven projects in the Clean Air Attainment Program will be used for the purpose of reducing transportation-related congestion and air pollution. Details on these awards can be found at www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2012/01/iowa-transportation-commission-approves-iowas-clean-air-attainment-program-funding.html.

    Safe Routes to School A total of $1.5 million was approved for 14 Safe Routes to School projects, which is a federal program designed to increase the number of children safely walking and bicycling to school. Five of the grants were for educational and promotional materials and nine projects were awarded to cities across the state for items such as sidewalk repairs and crossing improvements. For a list of recipients, please visit http://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2012/01/iowa-transportation-commission-approves-safe-routes-to-school-program-funding.html.

    Recreational Trails Just over $1 million was approved for six trails projects funded from the federal recreational trails program, which funds the developing and maintaining of recreational trails for both motorized and nonmotorized users. For a complete listing of recipients, please visit http://www.news.iowadot.gov/newsandinfo/2012/01/iowa-transportation-commission-approves-federal-recreational-trails-program-funding.htmll.