REP. LOEBSACK SECURES FUNDING FOR SCHOOL MODERNIZATION IN HOUSE PASSED RECOVERY BILL

Iowa Will Receive Over $72 Million For School Modernization, Green Renovation, and Repair

January 28, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues in support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, to address the economic crisis facing our country that has left millions out of work, families struggling, and businesses closing their doors.  In order to immediately jump-start the economy, create jobs, and help struggling families and communities, this legislation provides assistance for states struggling to provide critical services, unemployed workers looking for jobs, and provides robust investments in education, clean energy, infrastructure, health care, technology, and tax relief for workers.

“People at home in Iowa are concerned about our economy, they are scared they may lose their jobs, and every day we hear more troubling news,” said Congressman Loebsack.  “This recovery package is in direct response to our nation’s economic crisis, because if we do not act boldly and swiftly to address this crisis, this situation could become dramatically worse.  By working together, Democrats and Republicans, in partnership with President Obama crafted a package that contains robust accountability measures to ensure the funding provided is spent prudently to create new jobs here at home, help families struggling to pay the bills, support small businesses, spur economic growth, modernize our economy, and lay the foundation for long-term growth.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act aims to reverse the downward economic spiral by creating over 34,000 jobs in Iowa and providing billions of dollars in targeted investments, including $14 billion to states for school modernization and repair that was based on the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which Congressman Loebsack authored with his colleagues in the 110th Congress.

School modernization and green updates will not only provide our students with improved learning environments, but will also create new jobs, spur local investment, and create long term cost savings for schools.  Additional provisions in the legislation aimed at creating jobs, stabilizing our economy, helping families, and promoting future economic growth include:

• Transforming our economy with clean, efficient, American energy and innovation and technology that will create more than 1 million  jobs nationally
• Lowering health care costs by funding aggressive adoption of health information technology, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and broadening coverage by helping those who cannot afford health care in these tough times.
• Modernizing roads, bridges, transit and waterways to create 1.5 million American jobs
• Tax cuts of up to $1,000 to make work pay for 1,100,000 families here in Iowa and more than $20 billion for businesses, large and small, to spur job creation
• Helping Workers Hurt by the Economy, including 77,100 of Iowans that are out of work, those who have lost their health care
• Keeping drugs off our streets by saving local Drug Task Forces by providing Iowa with an additional $28,807,913 in Byrne-JAG funding

The Recovery Plan also provides for a historic level of transparency, oversight and accountability to help guarantee taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and Americans can see results for their investment.  In many instances funds are distributed through existing formulas to programs with proven track records and accountability measures already in place.  Additionally, there are no earmarks in this package.