From this week’s House Republican Newsletter:

House Passes Disaster Relief Bill

On Tuesday evening the legislature passed HF 64 by a vote of 98-0. The bill appropriated $56 million to the flood relief victims and codified the establishment of the Rebuild Iowa Office. Some of the specifics of the bill are below.

Jumpstart Plus The legislature appropriated $24 million to the Jumpstart program while at the same time expanding the eligibillity of the program. The current program is designed to assist home owners making 100% of the area median average and landlords. The bill assists those individuals making up to 150% of the area median average however it then limits the grant size to $24,999.

The legislature also established a priority process for distribution of the funds.

Read more…

Iowa residents and business owners who suffered damages from the tornados and flooding in disaster-declared counties now have until October 31 to register for federal and state disaster assistance.

Disaster assistance can include: funding for temporary disaster housing assistance; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans for individuals and business owners to repair or replace real or personal property; replacement grants to help meet serious disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs; and, disaster unemployment assistance.

There are two easy ways to begin the registration process.

Continue reading to learn how to apply…

The Rebuild Iowa Office is now producing a newsletter called the Iowa Recovery Times. You can view the first issue, dated October 15, 2008, here.

Future issues should be available at the RIO website, http://www.rio.iowa.gov

Today House Republicans voiced their disappointment with Gov. Culver for not calling for a special legislative session to deal with the disasters that struck Iowa this summer. The governor, who has been contemplating a special session since June, hinted that he will not be calling a special session.

According to the Associated Press, “Culver has virtually ruled out the possibility of calling the Legislature into special session to craft a flood relief package.” (Article Here)

“People across the state are speaking out, begging for a special session to put their cities back together, their businesses back on track and their lives moving forward again,” said Minority Whip Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha). “These people are not asking for a handout, merely a hand up.”

Full Press Release Here

Governor Culver held a press conference at noon today (Friday) to announce a new state flood-related program and why he feels he does not have to call a special session.

He said two important thresholds were met this week. First, the state reached the threshold for a 90/10 split with FEMA on most FEMA programs. While the Governor took credit for this (and gave some of the credit to Witt and Associates – his high-priced consultants), this was due to the dollar amount of damage and had nothing to do with any pressure exerted by Culver or his consultants. Second, the $85 million in Community Development Block Grant funding approved earlier this summer will be coming to the state “in short order”. (He had previously said if FEMA denied 90/10 – which under law they cannot do – or the $85 million was held up by red tape, he would call a special session.)

Culver then announced a new $40 million state program called Jumpstart. It will have two $20 million components – housing and small business.

Read more…

Last Friday the House Republican Caucus met on the campus of Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids to discuss issues that might come up in a special session of the House this fall and to tour flood damaged areas of Cedar Rapids.

  Republican Leader Christopher Rants addresses other members of the Republican Caucus at a caucus meeting in Cedar Rapids to discuss flood recovery issues.

Read more here…

(DES MOINES)—A group of Republicans representing areas affected by the summer floods and tornadoes have today called on the governor to convene a special session of the Legislature to help the victims. The group has also unveiled several ideas that could be debated during the session.

“We’re playing a guessing game on what the governor is going to do. Our constituents need help now,” said Minority Whip Kraig Paulsen. “Reallocating funds in the time of crisis is an absolute necessity because we don’t want to pile a fiscal disaster on top of a natural disaster. Several members of the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission have already called for a special, we’re standing with them today.”

The group which consists of Reps. Kraig Paulsen (Hiawatha), Sandy Greiner (Keota), Tami Wiencek (Waterloo), Dawn Pettengill (Mt. Auburn), Tom Sands (Columbus Junction), Jeff Kaufmann (Wilton), Dan Rasmussen (Independence), Bill Schickel (Mason City), and Pat Grassley (New Hartford) called on the federal delegation to push the House and Senate to approve a second supplemental disaster assistance bill before congressional adjournment at the end of September. They also asked the governor to use as much Community Development Block Grant funds as possible to match FEMA dollars – as was the case in 1993.

Full Press Release Here

(DES MOINES)—House Republican Leader Christopher Rants (R-Sioux City) and Minority Whip Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) toured the flood-damaged towns of Cedar Rapids and Palo yesterday.

The leaders toured the area with Cedar Rapids City Councilman Chuck Wieneke and were shown firsthand the levees, damage to the Cedar Rapid’s downtown area, and the destruction of thousands of homes.

“The pictures of the damaged area do not convey the extent of the devastation the people of Cedar Rapids and Palo are facing. I would encourage other lawmakers to see the destruction firsthand,” said Rants. “We know there are more towns across Iowa who are facing severe flood damage and we want to be prepared to help.”

Full Press Release Here

Residents and workers in twenty-four counties are now eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) through Iowa Workforce Development. The counties eligible for DUA are: Adams, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Delaware, Fayette, Floyd, Hardin, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Louisa, Marion, Muscatine, Page, Polk, Story, Tama, Taylor, and Winneshiek.

The benefits cover self-employed workers not usually entitled to unemployment insurance, including Iowa farmers. People applying for Assistance need to provide proof of past earnings, such as business records or bank statements and their most recent income tax form, at the time they file their claim. Any Iowa Workforce Development Center can accept DUA claims or individuals can file on the Workforce website – www.iowaworkforce.org – at “file an unemployment claim”.

Claims for benefits need to be filed by July 17, 2008. For Black Hawk, Buchanan, and Butler counties, the deadline is July 7.

For More Info, Click Here

As the state prepares to deal with the aftermath of this year’s flooding, it’s helpful to take a look back at some historical documents about the Flood of 1993 on the Legislative Service Agency’s website.

The documents can be found here.