The Senate approved the Treasury, Postal and General Government Appropriations conference report by a vote of 83 to 15. The measure contains provisions for the new Cedar Rapids Courthouse, the federal building in Des Moines, and live poultry transportation. The conference report is the final version of the legislation passed by Congress before going to the White House for the president's approval.
"This is good news for Iowa," Grassley said. "Residents of Cedar Rapids will receive funding for the new courthouse, people in Des Moines will see improvements to their federal building and Iowa's farmers will be able to continue shipping live poultry."
The $32.5 billion treasury, postal bill includes $9.7 million for the new federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids and $11.9 million for repairs and alterations at the federal building in Des Moines. "The Cedar Rapids Courthouse is an exciting project," Grassley said. "Outstanding leadership at the local level has been a key factor in its success."
Grassley worked to include a provision in the treasury, postal bill that will authorize the U.S. Postal Service to require an air carrier to accept shipments of any day-old poultry and other live animals that are also allowed by the carrier's cargo service. The legislation also permits the Postal Service to assess reasonable postage surcharge on shipments of live poultry to compensate carriers for any necessary additional expenses associated with the handling of live animals.
"With the addition of the live poultry legislation to this bill, we are keeping the economic vitality of several rural communities and the livelihoods of many family farmers alive," Grassley said. "We're also ensuring the American people that the commitment of the United States Postal Service of delivering all mail, without discrimination, will not be broken."
Grassley said the legislation will keep continued availability of the U.S. mail for the shipment of day-old poultry for an additional nine months. If a compromise between the Postal Service and the airlines cannot be reached in this time, a stand-alone bill will be introduced.
The Senate on Thursday also passed the $25 billion Energy and Water Appropriations conference report by a vote of 96 to 2. The legislation contains numerous projects for Iowa including the Chariton Valley Biomass Project and health studies for workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant.
"These projects are an investment in Iowa's future. Continued study, enhancement and protection of Iowa's rivers and waterways is important environmentally and economically. And, development of our natural resources for alternative sources of energy will unlock new opportunities for rural development and smarter energy production and use," Grassley said.
Funding has been included in the Energy and Water Appropriations conference report as follows: