Calls on FCC to Support Rural Broadband

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement regarding the announcement that President Obama will make broadband construction along Federal roadways cheaper and more efficient.

"The future of rural development in Iowa and across the country depends, in large part, on the access to internet and specifically broadband.  I have met with many small businesses, farmers, and rural telecommunication companies who have told me the importance of expanding high speed internet access to rural areas.  This is critical to rural economic development, job growth, businesses, farmers, and families.

"While I applaud today's announcement, I also call on the Federal Communications Commission to commit to expanding broadband for all Iowans by supporting broadband growth in rural communities so that this critical economic development tool is available for all Iowans, regardless of where they live."

Specifically, the announcement will ensure that agencies charged with managing Federal properties and roads take specific steps to adopt a uniform approach for allowing broadband carriers to build networks on and through those assets and speed the delivery of connectivity to communities, businesses, and schools.

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Majority passes funding bill with no cut to Congressional office budgets

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement after House Republicans passed legislation to provide funds for Congress in FY 2013 that did not include a reduction in member office budgets.  Loebsack voted to cut Members' of Congress' budgets in both FY 2011 and FY 2012.  Members of Congress' budgets were cut by 13.5 percent over those two years.

"Once again, the House majority missed an opportunity to do its part to have a personal stake in our nation's recovery and help reduce the budget.  I have voted in the past to cut the budget to congressional offices because it was simply the right thing to do.  When families and small businesses are making tough decisions about their finances, it is important that Congress do the same thing.  Unfortunately the House Majority declined to make the same sacrifices in this year's bill that families and employers across Iowa are making every day."

Since coming into office, Loebsack has set out to change the culture of Washington.  He has worked to pass the biggest ethics reform since Watergate, ended insider trading by members and helped get Congress' own fiscal house in order.

He has also pushed to cut member's pay, which hasn't been done in 77 years, end the revolving door between lobbyists and Congress, get budgets passed on time, and fought to hold members of Congress accountable for actually doing what they were sent to Washington to do.

Additional information on Loebsack's work is included below.

Loebsack's Work to Ensure Members of Congress Have a Personal Stake in the Nation's Recovery 

No Budget, No Pay

Loebsack was the second Member of Congress to cosponsor the No Budget, No Pay Act. This bill would stop Members of Congress' pay if a budget is not enacted on time.  Members of Congress would not receive this pay retroactively; it would be permanently cut.  Given Washington's track record of partisan gridlock, measures must be put in place to ensure Congress does its job. If Congress doesn't do its job, it shouldn't get paid.

Stop the Revolving Door 

Loebsack was the second Member of Congress and first Democrat to co-sponsor the Stop the Revolving Door in Washington Act, which would more than double the length of the lobbying ban for former Members of Congress.  However, he supports going even farther and was the first Member of Congress to co-sponsor legislation, HR 3491, that would impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former Members of Congress.  Violators of the ban would be subject to penalties of up to $50,000 in fines and a year in prison.

End Insider Trading by Members of Congress
Members of Congress work for their constituents - they are not elected to make money and trade on the information they get as part of the work they do for the American people.  Congressman Loebsack was the fourth Member of Congress to co-sponsor the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, which prohibits Members of Congress and their staff from profiting from non-public information they learn as part of their official positions by requiring them to play by the same rules as everyone else.  He has also urged House Leadership to get the strongest possible final STOCK Act to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Cut Congressional Pay
Members of Congress should demonstrate a personal commitment to getting the Nation's fiscal house in order.  That is why Congressman Loebsack and former Congresswoman Giffords co-introduced the Congressional Pay Cut Act, which would cut Members of Congress' salaries by 5 percent and would end the automatic pay increases that occur unless Congress votes to stop them.  This pay cut would mark the first time in 77 years that Congress' salaries will be reduced.  Loebsack also co-sponsored legislation in 2010 and 2011 that successfully blocked the congressional pay raise.

Shrink Congress' Budget
Loebsack has voted to cut Members of Congress' budgets, including his own office's budget, by 11% over the last year.  Loebsack helped pass legislation to cut Members of Congress' budgets by 6.4 percent for FY 2012.  That bill also cut the budget of Congressional Leadership offices, the Library of Congress and the Government Printing Office, among others.  He also voted to cut Congressional office budgets in FY 2011, and they were reduced by 7.1 percent. Small businesses throughout Iowa are struggling to make it through this downturn, and this was a small step toward restoring common sense and discipline to congressional spending.

Raise Age Congress Can Draw Pensions
Congressman Loebsack was the first Democrat to join Congressman Schilling (R-IL) in introducing legislation that would tie the eligibility for Members of Congress to draw their pension benefits to their Social Security retirement age.  Currently, Members of Congress can access their full pension benefits at age 62 after five years of service, but can be eligible at age 50 if they have served long enough.  This bill would tie Members' eligibility for their pension to their Social Security retirement age (65 or 67 depending on when they were born).

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egislation also includes initiative to boost to Rock Island Arsenal; Housing fix for the Guard; Pay raise for Troops

 

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today applauded House passage of critical provisions in the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  Included in the legislation was an amendment authored by Loebsack that would prevent personnel and aircraft from the 132^nd Fighter Wing based in Des Moines from being retired or cut. As the only Member of Congress from Iowa on the House Armed Services Committee, Loebsack also included a provision that directs the Department of Defense to identify the critical manufacturing capabilities provided by arsenals, including Rock Island Arsenal, and determine the amount of work that is required to maintain them in peacetime.

 

"The men and women who serve our nation deserve the best support, resources and care available.  While I do not support every provision in this bill, I am proud to have addressed many Iowa priorities in this bill and to have addressed critical national security challenges.  I am pleased the House voted in a bipartisan fashion to save the 132^nd fighter wing, provide a boost for the Rock Island Arsenal and provide a deserved pay increase for the troops.  The quality of work being performed, especially by the Iowa Air Guard and the highly-skilled men and women at the Arsenal, is vital to our national security and second to none."

 

Below are additional details about Loebsack initiatives included in the legislation.

 

Amendment to save the 132^nd Fighter Wing

• The bill includes language authored by Loebsack to prevent personnel cuts and retirements or transfer of Air National Guard aircraft, including the 132^nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines.  The bipartisan amendment was offered in Committee and was cosponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).

 

Boost for Rock Island Arsenal; Stops BRAC rounds

• · Congressmen Loebsack and Bobby Schilling (IL-17) worked together to include language that directs the DOD to identify the critical manufacturing capabilities provided by arsenals and determine the amount of work that is required to maintain them in peacetime.  The two also joined in fighting to ensure no there will be no BRAC rounds in either FY 2013 or FY 2015.

 

Housing Benefits Fix for National Guard

• Also included in the NDAA, was Loebsack's legislation that prohibits reductions in the rate of Basic Allowance for Housing for members of the National Guard who transition from full time National Guard duty to active duty or from active duty to full time National Guard duty. Under current policy, some National Guardsmen who make this transition see their benefits reduced at a time when they and their families can least afford it because of a policy that changes how their benefits are calculated.

 

National Guard Counterdrug Schools

• The legislation reauthorizes the National Guard Counterdrug Schools like the Iowa Guard runs at Camp Dodge (the Midwest Counterdrug Training Center). The Center provides critical training to local law enforcement from across Iowa and the country to help keep drugs off of our streets.

 

Pay Raise for troops

• As a member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, Loebsack worked to provide a 1.7 percent pay increase in pay for our troops.

 

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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack recently introduced legislation that will target rural schools to ensure they have access to the latest digital learning technologies.  The Schools of the Future Act will provide grants to transform the typical classroom experience into one that is more student-centered and provides teachers with more accurate information and feedback on student progress so that they can better address the needs of struggling students. Loebsack is co-chair of the bipartisan Rural Education Caucus.

"Technology has the power to vastly expand the educational options available to students in rural areas, providing students with a cutting-edge 21st Century education regardless of geography," said Loebsack.  "Digital technology holds great potential for rural schools, which often have trouble recruiting and retaining teachers and offering a variety of electives or advanced coursework."

This legislation builds off of the work already being done in Iowa.  For example, the Iowa Department of Education is working with the University of Iowa to develop the Iowa Online Advance Placement Academy to deliver Advanced Placement courses to high school students across the state, particularly rural and small schools that may not have the capacity to provide these courses themselves, using online technology. The Iowa Department of Education also runs Iowa Learning Online (ILO), which allows students from across the state to enroll in any number of distance education courses, including high school credit classes and post-secondary courses available through Iowa community colleges and universities.

Specifically, the legislation Loebsack introduced will provide funding for schools to implement digital learning strategies such as:

· providing expanded curriculum opportunities,

· providing accelerated or advanced coursework, or

· personalizing the learning experience by providing content that is tailored to an individual student's learning style, ability, and needs.

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