News

July 28, 2009

harkin secures $7.7 million for eastern iowa education, job training and flood repair initiatives

Bill also provides additional $12 million for statewide programs, including Harkin School Construction Grants

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that he has secured $7.7 million for vital education, job training and flood repair initiatives across eastern Iowa.  The funding is included in the Fiscal Year 2010 bill, which the subcommittee approved this afternoon, and will be considered by the full Appropriations Committee later this week. 

The bill directs $7.7 million to eastern Iowa to boost education, job training and flood repair initiatives that make a difference in the lives of Iowa families.

Statewide, Harkin’s bill provides nearly $12 million for specific Iowa initiatives, including $7 million for the Harkin School Grants program, which helps Iowa schools construct, repair and modernize facilities.

“This legislation is about looking to the future – a future where all kids have a chance to get a good education and attend a safe and modern school, where all Americans have a chance to develop the skills necessary to get a good job and where the most vulnerable Americans have access to the help they need, whether it is energy assistance or substance abuse treatment,” Senator Harkin said.  “This bill includes $7 million to repair and build new schools in Iowa – this will create jobs and help kids learn.”

"This bill also recognizes that we must spend the public’s money wisely, and includes investments to detect waste and fraud in the unemployment benefits program, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and in Social Security.  It also includes funds to expand programs that have proven to be effective and weed out those that haven’t."

In addition to funding Iowa priorities, the bill invests in national programs that focus on addressing the nursing shortage and emphasize national service.

A full list of eastern Iowa and statewide initiatives that would receive funding in Harkin’s bill is below.

EDUCATION

  • National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque County Historical Society, Dubuque: $500,000 for exhibit fabrication and installation. The exhibit will explore the history and environment of the Mississippi River and other rivers of America.          
  • Orchestra Iowa Music Education for Children (formerly Cedar Rapids Orchestra), Cedar Rapids: $400,000 to staff, create and supply the Orchestra Iowa Music Education Program.          
  • Palmer College, Davenport: $400,000 to expand a model integrative health care program for the treatment of pain.
  • University of Dubuque, Dubuque: $400,000 to provide aviation flight students with a high end Flight Training Device (simulator).                         
  • University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City: $2,000,000 for site preparation and equipment for an advanced biomedical research institute focused upon chronic and acute health conditions related to cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurosciences including vision sciences and aging.                                     
  • University of Iowa, Iowa City: $165,000 for the National Institute for Twice-Exceptionality, which would be a unique resource for gifted students who have disabilities, assisting students in receiving evaluations, implementing large-scale research projects, and serving as a clearinghouse for materials related to twice-exceptional learners, and offer web-based and on-site professional development opportunities.  There is currently no other organization that focuses attention on twice-exceptional students, so the institute would bring the issue to the forefront.  Funds would be used to pay for salaries and train faculty.           
  •  University of Iowa, Iowa City: $1,000,000 for site preparation, equipment purchase and salaries for a public health academic facility.                    
  • University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls: $750,000 for preliminary work on a proposed Center Literacy, Language & Disability Studies in Early Childhood Education to be located at the University.                  
  • Waterloo Fire Rescue, Waterloo: $150,000 to keep current fire safety education programs running in the community.    


JOB TRAINING

  • Northeast Iowa Ironworkers-Cedar Rapids Local 89, Cedar Rapids: $250,000 to train over 100 new apprentices in the year to help meet the demand for skilled labor in commercial and industrial construction industry. 
  • Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo: $400,000 to develop a simulation center training workers in the high-demand fields of industrial maintenance, automated systems technology, and fabrication. 
  • Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta: $300,000 to provide educational training programs in wind turbine maintenance, and repair and chemical technician training and to develop curriculum, purchase needed equipment, and provide faculty.        


FLOOD REPAIR

  • Cedar Rapids Public Library, Cedar Rapids: $500,000 to replace and upgrade the library's Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) system, due to losses during the 2008 flood.  All equipment for the RFID system was destroyed in the flood.  
  • Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, National: Cedar Rapids: $500,000 to restore damage caused during the June 2008 Flood in Cedar Rapids. 


STATEWIDE INVESTMENTS

  • HARKIN GRANTS: $7 million for the repair, construction and modernization of Iowa schools.  Harkin's school construction demonstration program is intended to show that a modest infusion of federal resources can significantly contribute to the repair needs of school districts across the state.  These are the only federal funds available for this purpose in the country.  Since the beginning of this program, Harkin has secured more than $127 million to repair and modernize Iowa schools.  Since 1998, 295 Iowa school districts have received Harkin Grants.
     
  • IOWA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS: $3.55 million to continue to provide administrators, teachers, students and parents in schools and school districts with the tools they need as well as guidance and expertise, to put essential standards and accountability in place to realize the goals of the No Child Left Behind.  
  • IOWA RADIO READING INFORMATION SERVICES (IRIS) FOR THE BLIND AND PRINT HANDICAPPED, INC.:  $100,000 to provide digital receivers to the end users, allowing IRIS's blind reading service audio to be broadcast digitally on Iowa Public Television's digital transmission.  
  • AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE, EDUCATION AND CHARITY, AND THE AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION: $90,000 to support the InfantSEE program in the State of Iowa to provide professional eye care for infants.  
  • FREE CLINICS OF IOWA: $350,000 to continue the statewide support to provide assistance to member free clinic operations.  Funds would also be used for a specialty referral program coordinated through Polk County Medical Society.
     
  • IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: $133,000 to provide Iowa’s students and educators with a variety of opportunities to explore and analyze the challenges and issues surrounding international trade and globalization from multiple perspectives.  The program will focus on the interdependence of political, social, and economic factors. 
  • PE4LIFE FOUNDATION: $300,000 to assist in the promotion of health life style skills, started at early ages and to encourage the use of these health life skills through every stage of life. 
  • IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: $750,000 to support collaborative research projects between Iowa State University and University of Iowa faculty and supply requisite materials, supplies, animals and support bio-containment the both institutions.  Funds will also be used for salaries, laboratory equipment and graduate students.  
  • DELTA DENTAL OF IOWA: $150,000 for dental student loan repayment and recruitment. 
  • IOWA HEALTHCARE COLLABORATIVE: $500,000 to create a multi-state learning collaborative focused on the deployment of LEAN IN Initiative and other process improvement tools to assist with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare.