Grassley Reports Gains for Iowa Projects


-- Sen. Chuck Grassley said that the Senate has approved several Iowa projects as part of a spending plan for commerce, justice, state and judiciary programs across the country.

"Federal funding for these projects is an investment in the lives of Iowans," Grassley said. "The money will support quality projects like those that encourage kids to study meteorology, help women who are recovering from domestic violence, fight illegal drug use and child pornography, and promote multi-cultural understanding."

Grassley also included an amendment in the bill that provides $800,000 to the Justice Department for the training of state and local prosecutors and police in the investigation and prosecution of child pornography and child exploitation crimes.

In addition, Grassley worked to include the following funding items in the bill:

  • $1 million for the continued development of the University of Northern Iowa Science Center for Teaching, Outreach and Research on Meteorology. The funds will be used to develop a weather science curriculum for students in kindergarten through ninth grades.
  • $100,000 for the University of Northern Iowa-Cedar Falls Russo-American Institute for Mutual Understanding.
  • $850,000 for a grant to Iowa Big Brothers and Big Sisters Rural Youth Mentoring Program.
  • $1,000,000 for the Iowa Methamphetamine Initiative.
  • $250,000 for the Iowa Tanks-A-Lock Project.
  • $1 million for upgrades to the Iowa Forensic Laboratory.
  • $500,000 to the Iowa Department of Public Health to institute a pilot program to rehabilitate nonviolent drug offenders.
  • $675,000 for a grant to the University of Northern Iowa for the Domestic Violence Services for Women project.

    In response to the devastation caused by terrorist attacks this week, the Senate also included a measure in the spending bill that expands the government's wiretap authority to include people suspected of terrorist acts.