"Iowa will benefit greatly from this all-encompassing bill. These projects impact our young and old, our farm families, and diverse communities in Iowa." Grassley said.
Grassley said the conference committee also developed a new plan to target disaster assistance to farmers. "Disaster assistance for farmers is the priority, but I'm disappointed that the appropriators couldn't find a different way to fund the assistance. We need to make sure family farmers have the opportunity to participate in conservation programs. Unfortunately, the need for immediate disaster assistance outweighs the desire to have a nationwide conservation incentive program fully funded over the next ten years," Grassley said.
A conference committee has been meeting to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate version of the fiscal 2003 spending bill. The Senate passed its version of the bill on Jan. 24.
Here are the new projects included in the conference report.
Save America's Treasures projects in Iowa ? Save Americas Treasures, a program run by the National Park Service, provides funds to historic structures, collections, works of art, maps and journals that illuminate the history and culture of the United States.
$250,000 for the historic preservation of the Grand Opera House in Dubuque. The Grand's live theatrical productions enhance the quality of life for over 70,000 people who attend the Grand and nearly 1,200 performing artists who practice their craft on the Grand stage each year. Funding will be used to restore and prevent any further structural decay of the theater's fly space, wiring and fire safety issues, lead-based paint, and asbestos.
University of Northern Iowa
$700,000 for the Youth Fitness and Obesity Institute ? This program studies the effectiveness of movement programs on the health of preschool children as well as enhances programs and professional practice related to physical activity and weight management for youth.
$375,000 for UNI's Immigration Services for Iowa's Communities ? This program provides consultation to communities and employers, provides training to churches and policy makers and conducts research on methods to integrate immigrants into the workplace. Last year, Grassley worked to obtain $250,000 for this program.
$325,000 for UNI's Center for Applied Gerontology ? This center will serve as a resource for businesses and community service provides to address research questions these professionals may ask as they develop their emerging roles serving older and soon-to-be-older Iowans.
$300,000 for the National Mass Fatalities Institute at Kirkwood College ? The National Mass Fatalities Institute educates federal, state and local officials to properly respond to incidents involving mass fatalities. The funds will be used to help establish an area-wide Emergency Operations Center and maintain current operations. Grassley has helped secure federal funds for this project in the past two years.
$100,000 for Sowing the Seeds of Hope ? This program is a collaboration of Midwest states that provide mental health support for distressed farm families. Sowing the Seeds of Hope is based in Harlan and provides prevention and crisis intervention services to ease the emotional strain of family farming in today's agricultural business environment.
$200,000 for the Iowa and Israel: Partners in Excellence partnership ? This program aims to enhance mathematics and science opportunities to rural Iowa students. The University of Iowa's Belin-Blank Center will implement an innovative and comprehensive curriculum that has proven effective in Israel and bring it to rural Iowa using both traditional and technologically new methods of instruction.