"Ask Your Senator" will be broadcast live from Washington, DC, and can be seen on local cable TV stations or through Grassley's website.
?Iowans can ask questions or express concerns during the show by calling toll-free 800/736-8255.
?Questions also can be e-mailed in advance to AskYourSenator@saa.senate.gov
?To access the program on-line, Iowans with access to an Internet-ready computer that can play sound and video should go to http://grassley.senate.gov, and click the link to start the show.
"I want as many Iowans as possible to call in to ask questions or give me common-sense suggestions," Grassley said. "Hopefully, callers and viewers get a good sense of what's going on in Washington and how they are affected by the legislation we're considering."
Since the last show, Grassley, who chairs the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, held a hearing on the movement of heroin from the inner-city to the suburbs. To respond to the problem, he introduced The Drug Prevention, Treatment and Research Act. The legislation strengthens existing anti-drug efforts locally by providing additional resources and encouragement to anti-drug coalitions and parent groups. It adds stability to the budget of the National Guard Counter Drug Directorate. It also strengthens research efforts concerning how to better treat individuals trapped by drugs and it provides support for critical intervention in long-term treatment for juvenile users.
Grassley also introduced a bill to break down complex regulations in telemedicine care and improve access for Medicare patients to benefit from the technology. "We need to change the rules that keep Medicare patients in rural areas from access to quality care through telemedicine," he said. "The technology exists and we should make sure seniors have access to the care they need, even if it's far from home."
Also, as chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, he announced legislation designed to halt the outrageous theft of Social Security benefits by government-appointed representatives. Grassley held a hearing on the subject called "Inviting Fraud: Has the Social Security Administration Allowed Some Payees to Deceive the Elderly and Disabled?". The Committee heard about the hundreds of elderly and disabled individuals who have lost their benefits to bad actors.Grassley explained that 6.5 million Americans receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income and need help managing their money. When they have no friends or family to help, the government appoints an organization to handle their benefit checks. More than 750,570 beneficiaries have an organization serving them in this capacity.