Guardian Glass will receive Recovery Act tax credit to re-equip manufacturing facility

Washington, DC - Rep Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) announced today Guardian Glass will receive a $900,000 Recovery Act Advanced Energy tax credit to re-equip their manufacturing facility in DeWitt.  The tax credit will expand Iowa's clean energy economy by allowing the DeWitt facility to expand its production of bent solar mirrors.

"As we continue to work our way out of the worst economic climate since the Great Depression, expanding our investments in clean energy manufacturing jobs are the key to real recovery," Braley said. "These are high-quality jobs that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen Iowa's role in the 21st century economy."

The project at Guardian will modify and enhance the existing mirror line to enable the facility to mirror glass in a single throughput on the production line, while at the same time achieving a multi-layer specialized paint coating to protect and preserve the reflective layers of copper and silver. Preservation of these reflective layers is critical to the achievement of long service lives of highly reflective solar mirrors.

For more information about Recovery Act projects in the First District, click here.

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STATEMENT FROM FORMER GOVERNOR BOB WISE, PRESIDENT OF THE ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENT EDUCATION, ON THE EIGHTH BIRTHDAY OF NCLB

Alliance President Calls for ESEA Reauthorization in 2010 to Attack Dropout Crisis that Claimed More than 7,800 of Iowa's Students in 2009

Washington, DC - Today marks the eighth birthday of the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the most recent version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Reauthorization of the law, which was due in 2007, has yet to occur. For every year that Congress fails to address the unique challenges faced by high schools through a reauthorization of ESEA, approximately 1.3 million students across the nation will drop out of school. In Iowa alone, more than 7,800 students left high school in 2009 prior to earning their diploma.

"In many ways, NCLB is a compact disc in an iPod world," said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. "It's still around, but it is in desperate need of an upgrade.

"The best birthday present for Iowa's students is for the Congress and President Obama to enact a new ESEA. It's time to blow out the candles and bake a new cake.

"NCLB rightly deserves credit for requiring schools to report data that focused attention on educational disparities for various groups of students. Unfortunately, due to shortcomings in the law's design and implementation, most improvements in learning outcomes for the nation's elementary school students have not been echoed by their middle and high school counterparts.

"In their brief tenure, President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have actively recognized the high school crisis, focused on turning around the lowest-performing schools, and called on the nation to graduate all students ready for college and careers. Over the last several years, congressional leaders have held hearings and developed legislative proposals based on research and best practice that demonstrate ways to improve the law. However, until research, discussions, hearings, and legislative proposals are actually turned into an ESEA reauthorization, none of these positive changes will reach the countless high school students and teachers in thousands of classrooms.

"This eighth birthday should be a commitment that 2010 is the year to harness the progress and increase momentum around high school reform into a reauthorized ESEA that strategically addresses the high school crisis and begins turning the more than one million dropouts a year into high school graduates who are ready for college and careers.

"Today, our message to the Congress and President Obama is, 'Don't delay. Reauthorize ESEA.'"

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"I've met with Iowans in every county, every year I've represented Iowa in the United States Senate.  It's this exchange of ideas that gives me greater insight directly from Iowans," Grassley said.  "Holding a meeting in each of our 99 counties gives me the opportunity to have an open and honest dialogue with the people I serve in the U.S. Senate."

Grassley's meetings will take him to the counties of Benton, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Van Buren and Washington.

Grassley will hold town hall meetings in Anamosa, Belle Plaine, Bloomfield, Columbus Junction, De Witt, Fort Madison, Kalona, Maquoketa, Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Sigourney, Traer and Williamsburg.

He will tour businesses and meet with employees at Greystone Logistics Manufacturing Facility in Bettendorf and GE Consumer & Industrial in West Burlington.He will also meet with students at North Cedar Middle School in Clarence.

In addition, he will speak with the Cedar Rapids Rotary in Cedar Rapids, the Grinnell Rotary in Grinnell, the Davenport Kiwanis and the Fairfield Rotary in Fairfield.

He will tour the Reach Out and Read site and speak with doctors and hospital staff at the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua.

Here is detailed information about Grassley's upcoming county visits.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Noon - 1 p.m.:  Speak with Cedar Rapids Rotary, The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ballroom, 350 1st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.:  Jones County Town Hall Meeting, Lawrence Community Center, 600 East Main Street, Anamosa

4:45 - 5:45 p.m.:  Jackson County Town Hall Meeting, Hurstville Interpretive Center, Community Room, 18670 63rd Street, Maquoketa

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.:  Clinton County Town Hall Meeting, De Witt Community Center, 512 10th Street, De Witt

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.:  Speak with students and tour new gym and commons at North Cedar Middle School, 400 Ball Street, Clarence

1:45 - 2:45 p.m.:  Iowa County Town Hall Meeting, Williamsburg Community Recreation Center, Large Meeting Room, 939 South Highland Street, Williamsburg

6 - 7 p.m.:  Speak with Grinnell Rotary, West Side Family Restaurant, 229 6th Avenue West, Grinnell

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

7 - 8 a.m.:  Tama County Town Hall Meeting, Traer Public Library, Kupka Cultural Center, 531 2nd Street, Traer

9:15 - 10:15 a.m.:  Benton County Town Hall Meeting, Belle Plaine Community Center, 1309 5th Avene, Belle Plaine

Noon - 1 p.m.:  Speak with Iowa City Optimist Club, Masonic Lodge, 312 East College Street, Iowa City

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.:  Keokuk County Town Hall Meeting, Keokuk County Health Center, Doug Adam Classroom, 23019 Highway 149, Sigourney

5 - 6 p.m.:  Washington County Town Hall Meeting, Kalona Chamber of Commerce, Meeting Room, 514 B Avenue, Kalona

Thursday, January 14, 2010

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.:  Muscatine County Town Hall Meeting, Muscatine Community College, Strahan Hall, Little Theatre, 152 Colorado Street, Muscatine

10:15 - 11:15 a.m.:  Meet with employees and tour Greystone Logistics Manufacturing Facility, 2601 Shoreline Drive, Bettendorf

Noon - 1 p.m.:  Speak with Davenport Kiwanis, Outing Club, 2109 North Brady Street, Davenport

3 - 4 p.m.:  Louisa County Town Hall Meeting, Columbus Junction City Hall, ICN Room, 232 2nd Street, Columbus Junction

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.:  Henry County Town Hall Meeting, Mount Pleasant Civic Center, Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, 307 East Monroe Street, Mount Pleasant

Friday, January 15, 2010

7 - 8 a.m.:  Meet with employees and tour GE Consumer and Industrial, 510 East Agency Road, West Burlington

9 - 10 a.m.:  Lee County Town Hall Meeting, Fort Madison City Hall, Council Chambers, 811 Avenue E, Fort Madison

Noon - 1 p.m.:  Speak with Fairfield Rotary, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, 200 North Main Street, Fairfield

2 - 3 p.m.:  Tour Reach Out and Read site and visit with doctors and hospital staff, Van Buren County Hospital, 304 Franklin Street, Keosauqua

4:15 - 5:15 p.m.:  Davis County Town Hall Meeting, Southern Iowa Electric Cooperative, Touchstone Energy Training Center, 22458 Highway 2, Bloomfield