?On Monday at 1 p.m. (ET), Sen. Grassley spoke to the Farm Bureau Council of Presidents regarding growing concentration in agriculture and his legislation to help ensure a competitive marketplace for family farmers. The Agriculture Competition Enhancement Act he introduced in March would require the USDA to review all ag mergers, give the agency the same ability as the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to challenge a merger, and grant the USDA expanded authority to prohibit anti-competitive practices in agribusiness. Presidents from each state's Farm Bureau attended the luncheon.
?On Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. (ET), Sen. Grassley will chair an Aging Committee hearing to educate older Americans about the increasing number of living trust scams. As the nation ages, more Americans are planning their estates and living trusts are a popular way to do that. Living trusts allow heirs to avoid probate court, which can be time-consuming and/or costly. Living trust scams take a variety of forms. A scam artist may sell someone expensive but useless products. Or he may use the living trusts to access financial information and steal from the consumer. In Iowa, some consumers have gone out of state for estate planning seminars. They've come back with living trusts that, unbeknown to them, are useless under Iowa law. With this hearing, Sen. Grassley wants to help protect innocent people who are trying to get their affairs in order before they pass away.
?Also Tuesday morning, Sen. Grassley will promote the bill he introduced last month to build fairness into Medicare's treatment of Iowa hospitals. He will do so in testimony before a Senate subcommittee on rural development. Right now, Medicare's formula for paying hospitals for wages penalizes Iowa because the wage formula used presumes that labor costs are a greater percentage of Iowa's hospital costs than they actually are. This presumption drives down Medicare payment rates. The problem plagues low-cost parts of the country, and Iowa is at the top of the list. Grassley's solution is to base the wage payment calculation on each hospital's actual labor costs instead of using a general, arbitrary number. His legislation will require the formula change to reflect true need, and it would mean more money for Iowa hospitals upon enactment.
?On Tuesday evening, Sen. Grassley will attend a reception honoring 30 University of Iowa students who are working in Washington this summer. Sen. Grassley will also attend a reception honoring two Iowa high school students who were selected to attend the 60th annual session of the Junior Statesmen Summer School at Georgetown University. Megan Johnson, of Clinton, and Laura Matter, of Decorah, are among the honorees.
?On Wednesday at 10 a.m. (ET), Sen. Grassley will conduct a hearing to promote Senate consideration of a bill he introduced with Sen. Kennedy in March to improve the health services available to children with multiple medical needs and ease financial hardships on their families. The bill has the support of 51 senators, both Republicans and Democrats. It would let states offer Medicaid to families of children with disabilities. The bill would benefit thousands of families nationwide who are forced to turn down job promotions and pay raises, and sometimes even face the threat of relinquishing custody of their children, in order to stay eligible for Medicaid. Sen. Grassley's leadership on this issue was inspired in great part by a woman from Red Oak who has faced tremendous challenges and hardships in caring for her son who has a rare birth defect.
?On Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Grassley will introduce a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help employers who want to offer phased retirement programs. The legislation is the direct result of an Aging Committee hearing he conducted last spring on employing older workers. By making changes to the federal tax code, it would encourage employers to let employees partially retire and receive a partial salary and partial pension benefit while the retirement nest egg continues to grow.
?On Friday morning, Sen. Grassley will conduct a hearing of the International Trade Subcommittee to look at how U.S. agricultural trade interests can be promoted at the upcoming G-8 economic summit. Sen. Grassley is chairman of the Senate trade subcommittee.
?Also this week, Sen. Grassley will make a formal appeal to congressional appropriators to increase the level of funding given to the Drug Enforcement Agency to help state and local governments clean up methamphetamine labs in Iowa and other parts of the country. Sen. Grassley is chairman of the Senate narcotics control caucus and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee.
