We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, which were established on July 30, 1965.Today, Medicaid provides free or low-cost health coverage to just over a half million Iowans who are some of the most vulnerable people in our state. This includes families and children, ...
The distance from Chicago to Dubuque, or Clinton, or Davenport is around 200 miles. It's almost 250 from Burlington. Yet recent and proposed actions by the federal government are making Eastern Iowa part of the "greater-Chicago area."The expanding federal nanny state has decided that our river ...
Q: How has the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) shaped American society?A: The landmark civil rights law this summer observes 25 years since President George H.W. Bush signed the bill on July 26, 1990. Iowans will recall that one of the key architects of the legislation was my long-time ...
WASHINGTON-Small towns and rural areas may soon get more attention from the U.S. Postal Service, following several years of post office and mail sorting facility closings. The Senate Appropriations Committee this week ordered new examination of the on-time arrival of mail outside urban areas. ...
Q: How does Social Security measure up 80 years after being signed into law?A: Generations of Americans have been protected against poverty thanks in large measure to this social safety net signed into law 80 years ago on August 14, 1935. Without question, Social Security is tightly woven into ...
Public Interest Institute works to focus on issues pertaining to transparency and specifically tries to focus on Iowa issues. In December of 2014, we reported on the status of the state of Iowa's specially developed transparency Website. We were glad to report that Iowa was officially at an ...
As part of ongoing efforts to improve mental health services, we voted this year to make it easier for Iowans to receive mental health and substance abuse treatment closer to home. This included a bipartisan plan to keep all four of Iowa's mental health institutes (MHIs) operating.Republican ...
The United Nations Security Council recently heard firsthand testimony from the victims of a chemical-weapons attack in Syria. A Syrian doctor spoke of his frantic efforts to treat more than 100 people who were hit by chlorine-filled bombs in the town of Sarmeen.These kinds of attacks are ...
Editor's Note: Iowa school board elections are on Sept. 8, 2015. The candidate filing period is July 6-30.The Iowa Association of School Boards urges Iowans who are passionate about education to consider running for election to their local school boards, in order to ensure a bright future for ...
I was asked to lead a trade delegation to Taiwan in July. Taiwan is one of Iowa's biggest markets for ag exports. This relationship has developed over the years through sister-city and sister-state relationships with Taiwan. The strong ties we have are good for the Iowa economy.I am also ...