From the Capitol to You:

I hope you are all enjoying these last few days of summer before school starts again! It seems to have gone way too fast! If you happen to see a UPS employee out and about, give them a shout of thanks. As of this week, UPS employees across the nation have contributed $1billion to United Way...not an easy accomplishment!

The first article below should be of great interest to any small business owner. We passed this legislation last session after consulting with over 300 small Iowa businesses. I find it interesting that just now the federal legislature is considering the very same thing.

More good news for Iowa these past two weeks. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (that's a mouthful) ranked Iowa the 13th healthiest state in the country. Moody's Investors Service ranked Iowa's state debt as second-lowest per capita in the US.

Also, there was good news for North Iowa this past week. A total of $19 million has been awarded for I-Jobs projects in North Iowa, with over $3 million in I-Jobs projects slated for Cerro Gordo. North Iowa internet companies are receiving $36 million in federal money to improve broadband access in rural areas. This will give them the same service that urban areas receive currently, allowing for personal and business expansion.

These past few weeks have seen communities all over Iowa saying goodbye and good luck to our National Guard personnel leaving for Afghanistan soon. It is the largest deployment in Iowa's history, close to 3,500 men and women. Our thoughts and prayers go with them.

I have included two pictures of a recent tour of the library. What an improvement, it will be state of the art!

I love hearing from you! If you have a question or concern, please feel free to contact me.



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Mary Markwalter was kind enough to give me a tour of the library...renovation in progress. This is a picture of the Periodical Room. The lights are replicas of the original lights and are seen throughout the main floor.



This is a shot of the Children's Room, beautiful! Notice the lights, and the working fireplace. The entire project looks like it will come in under the projected bid! I can't wait for the grand opening, coffee shop and all!

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Help for Iowa’s Small Businesses

In an effort to create good paying jobs and help Iowa’s small business owners, a new $5 million loan program began on August 1st. The Iowa Small Business Loan Program will provide loans up to $50,000 to small businesses with under 35 employees, with an interest rate of 3.9 percent.

The Legislature created this program after meeting and discussing concerns with small business owners this past Legislative session. The “Save Our Small (SOS) Business” fund gives small businesses access to capital, which was the top concern expressed by these Iowa small business owners. Read More

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11th Annual Back to School State Sales Tax Holiday

Iowa's 11th annual sales tax holiday will begin at 12:01am on Friday, August 6th, and end at midnight Saturday, August 7th. This does not include Sunday. All businesses open these days are required to participate.

Iowa enacted its sales tax holiday in 2000, the second state to do so. Eighteen states and the District of Columbia now have similar programs. Despite recent budget woes, legislators chose not to suspend the sales tax holiday. Read More

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National School Model Combined with Iowa Standards

Three years after the Legislature raised standards in schools to boost student achievement and ensure kids are prepared for jobs in today’s global economy, the Iowa Board of Education gave unanimous approval at their July 29th meeting to combine Iowa’s Core standards with a multi-state effort to develop a “Common Core” standard.

The Iowa Department of Education’s review of the new national model of education standards shows they are aligned with 88% of Iowa’s standards for math skills and concepts addressed in the Iowa Core. In literacy or English language arts, 84% of the skills and concepts addressed in the Iowa Core are also covered in the Common Core. Read More

32 Counties Receive Presidential Disaster Declaration