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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has awarded $12,326,000 to Iowa’s drinking water revolving loan program funds to help finance improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment

An Eastern Iowa businessman who failed to pay over employment taxes and violated the Clean Water Act by causing ethanol to be discharged into a tributary of the Maquoketa River, was sentenced today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to 15 months in federal prison, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sean R. Berry of the Northern District of Iowa

Mercy Loan Fund (MLF), a leading Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) today announced that it has provided a loan to Chesapeake Community Advisors (CCA) and Trinity Village Non Profit Housing Corp. (Trinity) for the acquisition of Cedar River Tower, an 85-home community for seniors with low incomes in Waterloo, Iowa.

Led by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, 41 Senate Republicans today wrote to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew encouraging the Treasury Department to abandon proposed regulations that would significantly increase the estate tax burden on family farms and businesses. The proposed regulations, if finalized, would contradict long-standing legal precedent and greatly discourage families from continuing to operate and grow their farms and businesses for eventual transfer to future generations.

Sen. Chuck Grassley today asked the Government Accountability Office to review whether the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is taking effective steps to comply with the federal law making fugitive felon status grounds for termination from living in public housing.

The Cedar Rapids Home Builders Association presented Sen. Chuck Grassley with the “Defender of Housing” award on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for being a “forward-thinking federal legislator who recognizes housing’s significant role within the U.S. economy.”

Gov. Terry E. Branstad announced today that he has appointed Camille Valley to the Iowa Property Assessment Appeal Board. Valley’s term on the Iowa Property Assessment Appeal Board begins Friday, August 26, 2016 and ends April 30, 2019. Valley, who resides in Johnston, will be eligible for a full six-year appointment in April 2019 at the conclusion of her partial appointment announced today

Sen. Chuck Grassley is asking the Department of Housing and Urban Development to explain its policies for allowing wanted fugitive felons to live in public housing after a report suggested the agency takes a weaker approach than federal law requires

Iowa Congressman David Young today announced the City of Des Moines will receive $8,000,000 in grant funding through U.S. Department of Transportation’s (US DOT) TIGER Grant Program.

The Branstad, Reynolds Administration announced an innovative homeownership month campaign hosted by the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Association of REALTORS® and the Iowa Mortgage Association, at their regular weekly press conference. The 2,500 Bucks campaign encourages Iowa home buyers to visit IowaHouseHunt.com throughout the month of June to learn about all aspects of purchasing a home in Iowa, including a $2,500 down payment assistance grant and a chance to win $2,500.

Home Sale prices rose 4.2 percent in First Quarter of 2016 and homes sold were up 1.7 percent over this period compared to last year. According to the Housing Trends Report by Iowa Association of REALTORS®, the median sale price for the first quarter of 2016 was $135,500 as compared to $130,017 in the first quarter of 2015.

The Senate Appropriations Committee this week approved language championed by Sen. Chuck Grassley that will ensure transparency and promote accountability in public housing authorities’ use of more than $350 million in federal tax dollars. The Grassley language, which was incorporated into a committee report that accompanies an annual spending bill, will ensure that federal funds transferred to housing authorities will retain their federal designation and be subject to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversight

U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be distributing nearly $90 million in grants for a variety of projects aimed to build and improve flood-prone structures in communities across south Louisiana

Under pressure from Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released updated salary data for the top executives at public housing authorities nationwide. The state and local housing authority executives are prohibited from exceeding a congressionally imposed cap on the amount of federal money that can be used for salaries. HUD announced it is seeking reimbursement from six housing authorities that exceeded the 2014 federal salary cap of $157,100. The cap for 2016 has been increased to $160,300. Grassley made the following comment on HUD’s action.

EPA Region 7 reached a proposed administrative settlement of Clean Water Act violations by the City of Osceola, Iowa, that requires the city to stabilize stream banks of a tributary flowing into White Breast Creek, and pay a cash penalty of $8,400.