Iowa

June 18, 2009 -- DES MOINES -- Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Congressman Bruce Braley announced today that more than $8.5 million in federal and state funds have been identified and are in final approval for disaster recovery efforts around the state. These funds are part of the effort to help rebuild infrastructure following the historic floods of 2008.

“I am proud to announce this new funding for the Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District,” said Governor Culver. “This is one more sign that Iowa’s rebuilding efforts are continuing one year after the devastating floods and storms of 2008. Our work is far from finished, and I look forward to working with all Iowans as we build a stronger, safer, smarter Iowa.”    » read more »

Governor Culver Discusses I-JOBS With Nation’s Top Bond Rating Agencies

June 10, 2009 -- DES MOINES – In a sign that the I-JOBS Initiative is moving forward, Iowa Governor Chet Culver today joined with State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald and state budget officials to hold conference calls with the nation’s three leading bond rating agencies to discuss the I-JOBS Bonds. The state is expected to issue $590 million in special obligation bonds in the coming weeks to help pay for part of the infrastructure investment and job creation program.    » read more »

Iowa Governor Culver Announces More Than $10 Million In Disaster Housing Tax Credits; Housing tax credits aid counties impacted by natural disasters of 2008

June 10, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced that the state is awarding $10,615,880 million in federal Housing Tax Credits to projects in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Des Moines. The Housing Tax Credits will provide financing for the creation and rehabilitation of 142 units of affordable housing in areas impacted by the natural disasters of 2008. The awards were made with a special allocation of Housing Tax Credits that Iowa received in response to the natural disasters of 2008.    » read more »

Harkin Announces $600,000 For Rural Development Projects In Kossuth And Pocahontas Counties

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that $600,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be coming to Iowa for two economic development projects.

The USDA Rural Development project funds will provide grants to rural utilities program borrowers, which will be used to benefit the Kossuth Regional Health Center and the Pocahontas Area Community School District. Harkin is Chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.    » read more »

Commission also approves $120,000 grant for Perry

June 9, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver has announced the Iowa Transportation Commission approved the FY2010-2014 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program at its meeting today in Cedar Falls. The program sets the five-year investment priorities for the state’s multimodal transportation system, which is enhanced thanks to the I-JOBS initiative as well as federal recovery funds    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- DES MOINES -- Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Congressman Dave Loebsack today announced that more than $10 million in federal and state funds have been identified and are in final approval for disaster recovery efforts around the state. These funds are part of the effort to help rebuild infrastructure following the historic floods of 2008.

“No one will ever forget the devastation caused by the floods of 2008 in these three counties,” said Governor Culver. “But rebuilding continues, and one by one, communities are returning to normal. I appreciate the help of our federal partners, and I am proud to join with Congressman Loebsack in our common efforts at helping people who remain in need.”    » read more »

June 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley today continued his efforts to keep meth off the streets and out of the homes of Iowans. Legislation he co-sponsored with Senator Dianne Feinstein to help control meth precursor chemicals, passed the Senate tonight by unanimous consent. It will now be sent to the House for consideration.

“Iowa has been hit harder than most states by the meth epidemic. Passage of the Combat Meth Act in 2006 provided us with a good deal of success in reducing the domestic meth supply, but it’s tough to stay a step ahead. So, we’re looking to do more to get this dangerous drug out of the hands of people across the country,” Grassley said.    » read more »

Federal Recovery Funds to help Iowans stay competitive in the workplace, strengthen Iowa’s Unemployment Trust Fund

June 4, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced that the US Department of Labor has certified $70.8 Million in federal Recovery Act funds to the state of Iowa. Iowa became eligible for these funds as a result of the Governor’s signature of Senate File 197, the law modernizing Iowa’s unemployment insurance system.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver issued the following statement today after John Deere announced plans to lay off nearly 700 employees in the coming months at their facility in Ottumwa.

STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CULVER

“Today we received the disappointing news that hundreds of employees at the John Deere facility in Ottumwa will lose their jobs. This is just one more sign that the global economic challenge continues to affect Iowans.

"I have been in contact with officials from Iowa Workforce Development, and as a result of the Deere's announcement, a Rapid Response Team has been dispatched to the plant tomorrow to work with those employees who have been affected, and determine what steps they can take to get back to work.    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today applauded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $755,000 in funding for the Bear Creek Watershed Project in Winneshiek County. The funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the Recovery Act, and will help to provide the financial and technical assistance necessary to construct flood control dams in the area.

Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry as well as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and helped to secure these funds in the final version of the Recovery Act.    » read more »

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for schools will save jobs, help drive reform

June 2, 2009 -- DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today the U.S. Department of Education has approved Iowa’s application for the first $316 million in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds available for public education through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).    » read more »

Study shows Iowa outpaced national economy in the year 2008; state ranks 9th in nation for economic growth

June 2, 2009 -- DES MOINES – The Bureau of Economic Analysis today released new statistics that show Iowa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 2.12% in 2008, placing Iowa ninth in United States in GDP growth, and more than two percent higher than the national GDP.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Iowa Governor Chet Culver and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced a $4.6 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) investment to St. Luke’s Health Care Foundation and Coe College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to help build an energy efficient, natural gas, steam heating plant that will restore permanent heating capacity to the hospital and college following flood damage inflicted in 2008. St. Luke’s Hospital and Coe College employ more than 3,000 workers.

The announcement comes after Governor Culver met with Secretary Locke in Washington, D.C., to discuss ongoing recovery efforts after last year’s natural disasters.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC — In his development of a comprehensive national biofuels strategy to reduce America’s dependence on imported oil, President Barack Obama invited Iowa Governor Culver and other members of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition to partner with key members of his administration to achieve his vision for energy independence. Governor Culver and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven serve as the Coalition’s vice chair and chair respectively.    » read more »

Governor visits Washington, Quebec to discuss Iowa’s economy

June 1, 2009 -- DES MOINES – This week, Governor Chet Culver will travel to the east coast to discuss Iowa’s economy and job creation.

The Governor will be in Washington, DC today, where he will hold two separate meetings with Obama Administration officials. The Governor’s first meeting will be with Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu to discuss Iowa’s leadership in wind energy and biofuels. Later that afternoon, Governor Culver will meet with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, where they will talk about the department’s role in Iowa’s disaster recovery and efforts to expand broadband access across the state.    » read more »