Essential Estrogen

Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg will set off on his annual bike tour of District 19 on Saturday, June 2, with a few friends joining the fun. State Representatives Tyler Olson and Art Staed and Cedar Rapids City Councilman Tom Podzimek will travel the length of the tour. Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran plans to join the group for at least a portion of the ride.

The bike tour will take place between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. with the riders making the following scheduled stops:

• 10:00 a.m. - Fox Trail Park (off of Council St. NE north of 74th St. NE)
• 10:30 a.m. - Noelridge Park (along Council St. NE north of 42nd St. NE)
• 11:00 a.m. - Pierce Park (off of Wenig Road NE north of 42nd St. NE)
• 11:45 a.m. - Tomahawk Park (off of E Avenue NE south of 20th St. NE)
• 12:30 p.m. - Bever Park (along Bever Ave. SE east of Memorial Dr. SE)
• 1:15 p.m. - Cottage Grove Parkway Park (at Sac and Fox Trail off of East Post Road SE)
• 2:30 p.m. - Cedar Valley Park (south of Memorial Dr. SE and Otis Road SE)

Participants are welcome to ride along or meet the group at any of the above stops.

Earlier this month Sen. Hogg spoke to a Linn County Kiwanis Club and shared a list of "70 Accomplishments for 2007" (copied in full below).

"Overall, I was pleased with our accomplishments," he said. "We had some headline successes - like raising the minimum wage, raising teacher pay, creating the Iowa Power Fund, and protecting public health by raising the tobacco tax. And, overall, we made steady progress on key issues including education, public safety, health care, energy, and economic development. "I was also particularly pleased that we were able to finish the year with the state's best fiscal condition in my five years in the Legislature - a full Cash Reserve Fund, $444 million; restoration of the Economic Emergency Fund, $138 million; and a significant repayment to the Senior Living Trust Fund, $146 million. We still have more to do to improve financial security, but 2007 provided significant steps in the right direction."

When looking forward to 2008, Hogg says some of the issues on his list include improving math and science education, further expanding health care coverage, adopting "green building" standards and incentives, encouraging better energy efficiency and conservation, promoting property tax reform to help Iowa businesses and seniors living on a fixed income in their own homes, and supporting downtown and riverfront revitalization efforts in Cedar Rapids.

70 ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2007

EDUCATION

1. Preschool ($15 million per year) (HF877)
2. 4% allowable growth for schools ($108 million) (SF109)
3. Teacher pay (approximately $4,000 per teacher) (SF277)
4. Grants for “supplemental strategies” to reach grade level ($2.5 million) (SF588)
5. More aid for private school students and school tuition organizations (SF588/SF601)
6. Math and science initiative ($200,000 grant) (HF829)
7. Before and after school programs ($1 million) (HF907/SF588/SF601)
8. Record level of support for community colleges
   A. $12.4 million general aid increase (SF588)
   B. $2 million dedicated for community college faculty salaries (SF601)
   C. $4.5 million dedicated for renewable energy workforce (HF927/HF911)
9. New biorenewable research facility at Iowa State (HF911)
10. New institute for biomedical discovery at University of Iowa (HF911)
11. Bonding for new chemistry building at Iowa State (HF920)
12. Bonding for new college of public health building at Iowa (HF920)
13. Additional $25 million for university operations and tuition control (SF588)
14. Increase in Iowa Tuition Grant Program ($1.8 million increase) (SF588)
15. Create All-Iowa Opportunity Grants for college aid (SF588/SF601)

HEALTH CARE

16. Raise tobacco tax (SF128)
17. Funding and outreach to add 10,750 children for health coverage (HF909)
18. Funding to add nearly 6,000 low-income parents under Medicaid (HF909)
19. More funding for tobacco prevention & cessation (~$12 million) (HF907/HF909)
20. Allow additional stem cell research (SF162)
21. Authorize small business health insurance pooling (HF790)
22. Require insurers to accept uniform health insurance applications (SF346)
23. $17 million in new funding for county mental health/disability programs (HF909)
24. 3% provider increase for all child welfare providers ($3.2 million) (HF909)
25. Lead testing for students by age 6 (HF158/HF909)

ENERGY AND ECONOMY

26. Create Iowa Power Fund ($25 million for four years) (HF927/HF918)
   A. State energy plan including policy recommendations (HF918)
   B. Climate change advisory council (SF485)
   C. Renewable energy workforce programs ($2.5 million) (HF927)
27. New transportation funding formula (HF932)
28. Expand historic preservation tax credits from $6.4 million to $20 million (SF566)
29. Create Iowa film industry incentives (HF892)
30. Targeted industries expansion, including workforce, lean manufacturing (HF829)
31. Fund state and local housing trust funds ($2.5 million) (HF911)
32. Extend the community attraction and tourism program to 2013 (SF601)
33. Additional funding for tourism ($250,000) and Main Street ($400,000) (SF562)
34. Additional funding for small business development centers ($250,000) (SF562)
35. Recreational Trails - $2 million (HF911)
36. REAP funding - $4 million increase (SF551)
37. Expand civil rights protections (SF427)
38. “Generation Iowa” Commission (HF617)

PUBLIC SAFETY

39. Keg registration (HF650)
40. Expand child abuse prevention programming ($200,000) (HF909)
41. Trooper overtime pay (SF601)
42. Opened new Oakdale prison facility and added 37 correctional officers (SF575)
43. Create drug court in Linn and Johnson Counties (SF575)
44. Community corrections mental health facility in Cedar Rapids (HF911)
45. Hire additional OSHA inspectors to comply with federal guidelines (SF562)

“ZERO POVERTY” INITIATIVES

46. Raise the minimum wage (HF1)
47. Cap interest rates for car title loans (HF5)
48. Authorized new short-term, small-dollar loans by credit unions (SF347)
49. Fully funded legal aid ($2 million) (SF575/SF601)
50. Expanded the earned income tax credit ($10 million) (SF590)
51. Assessment and resolution program for energy assistance ($400,000) (HF909)
52. Fully fund child care assistance to avoid waiting list ($16.4 million increase) (HF909)

FAMILY AND SENIOR ISSUES

53. Fund office of substitute decision-maker (HF909)
54. Alzheimer’s training and task force and dementia care training (SF489/HF909)
55. Continue funding for case management for the frail elderly (HF909)
56. Continue phase out tax on social security and increase in filing threshold
57. Grandparent and great-grandparent visitation (HF909)
58. Foster care sibling visitation (SF480)
59. Funding for the Chief Justice’s Children’s Justice Initiative (SF563/SF575)

VETERAN ISSUES

60. Veterans homeowner assistance program (SF95/SF601)
61. Injured veterans grant program (SF95)
62. Vietnam Veterans Bonus (June 30, 1973 to May 7, 1975) (SF578)
63. Expand charitable bingo and raffles (SF414)

ELECTION ISSUES

64. Same day election voter registration (HF653)
65. Voter verified paper trails (SF369/HF911)

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

66. Fill the cash reserve fund ($444 million projected)
67. Restore the economic emergency fund ($138 million projected)
68. Repay the senior living trust fund ($144 million projected)
69. Fully funded the state Medicaid program (HF909)
70. School sharing and reorganization incentives (SF447)