December 4, 2012
Harkin Supports Ratification of Disability Treaty
by Harkin Press Staff
In advance of the Senate vote on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, Senator Harkin, Senate author of the ADA, spoke in support of ratifying the treaty.
November 29, 2012
Republican Obstruction of UN Disability-Rights Convention is Shameful
Senator Harkin today expressed his disappointment in Senate Republicans’ obstruction of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. As the lead Senate author of the ADA, Harkin said it was shameful that this effort, which has bipartisan support, is being held up.
November 27, 2012
Harkin Staff Logs 100,000th Constituent Case
Today, Senator Harkin’s staff reached a milestone, logging their 100,000th constituent case. In honor of this achievement, Senator Harkin recorded a video to thank those who have reached out to his office and to congratulate his staff. For the past 28 years, Iowans have counted on Senator Harkin’s office to assist with issues such as housing, veterans benefits, Social Security and Medicare.
November 7, 2012
***New Office Location for Cedar Rapids***
Senator Harkin’s Cedar Rapids office will be closed Thursday, November 8, 2012 as the office moves to its new location in the U.S. District Courthouse. The office will reopen on Friday, November 9th, 2012. There will be no change in the phone or fax numbers for the office. Iowans in the Cedar Rapids area in need of assistance with a federal agency on Thursday may still call (319) 365-4504.
August 23, 2012
Praise for Harkin Proposal to Solve the Retirement Crisis
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin recently unveiled a report entitled “The Retirement Crisis and a Plan to Solve It.” The report includes a proposal to provide universal access to innovative, privately-run, hybrid pension plans called Universal, Secure, and Adaptable (“USA”) Retirement Funds. Policy experts and advocates have weighed in to applaud Harkin’s plan to rebuild the private pension system and improve retirement security for the middle class.
July 25, 2012
Harkin Report Details National, State-by-State Impact of Sequestration on Education, Health, and Labor Programs
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies, today released the first comprehensive report on the potential impact of sequestration on dozens of education, health and labor programs under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction. The report provides national and state-by-state estimates of the number of jobs that could be lost and the number of individuals who could be affected by cuts in services if sequestration went into effect on Jan. 2, 2013.
May 11, 2012
Audio: Harkin Discusses Meeting with Des Moines Partnership
In this radio actuality, Senator Harkin describes his Capitol Hill meetings with the Des Moines Partnership. The Senator said he enjoyed meeting with leaders from Central Iowa each year and outlined their discussion about the importance of investing in Iowa – both its infrastructure and its people.
April 20, 2012
Harkin: U.S. House of Representatives Budget Plan
Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan for 2013. The plan proposes large tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations while slashing a wide range of core government functions, including health, education, research, transportation, and assistance to local governments. The House budget would cut taxes for individuals making over $1 million by roughly $150,000 per year while crippling improvements in our nation’s infrastructure and dismantling the safety net for seniors, children, and persons with disabilities. This plan is a direct affront to ordinary Americans and falls well outside the mainstream of modern political thought about the appropriate role of the federal government. It also displays a remarkable lack of understanding of the role that public investments in key areas like education and infrastructure have played in enabling America to excel in a global economy. Because I believe it is important that Iowa’s civic leaders and public officials be aware of what’s happening in Washington, here is some additional information about the House budget proposal and the impact it would have were it to become law.
April 3, 2012
Harkin Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators in Urging FTC to Reduce Information Technology Theft
Senator Harkin, a member of the Senate Small Business Committee, joined a bipartisan group of 16 Senators in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In the letter, the lawmakers urged commissioners to promote American manufacturing competitiveness by working with the state Attorneys General to fight the growing problem of theft and use of stolen information technology (IT) and intellectual property (IP) by foreign manufacturers.
March 30, 2012
Ryan Budget: Detrimental to Iowa
On Thursday, March 29th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan on a largely party line vote. Analysis shows that the budget proposal will have a detrimental impact on Iowa.
March 1, 2012
GAO Continues to Tout Savings of Dollar Coin Legislation
In its 2012 Annual Report: Opportunities to Reduce Duplication, Overlap and Fragmentation, Achieve Savings, and Enhance Revenue; the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that Senator Harkin’s dollar coin legislation saves the government money over time. Harkin introduced this bipartisan legislation in January.