Friday Facts, February 24, 2012, Vol. 132

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

Friday Facts, March 9, 2012, Vol. 133

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

Chef Charles Says..., March 2012

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, March 2012

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Friday Facts, March 16, 2012, Vol. 134

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Don’t Let a Contractor “Put the Fix in” on YOUR Home Repairs & Improvements!, April 2012

The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division receives hundreds of calls and consumer complaints every year. Follow these tips to avoid unexpected expense and disappointments. This record is about: Don’t Let a Contractor “Put the Fix in” on YOUR Home Repairs & Improvements!

Friday Facts, March 23, 2012, Vol. 135

Bureau of Nutrition and Health Promotion part of the Iowa Department of Public Health produces of weekly newsletter about the Iowa WIC Program for the State of Iowa citizen.

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, March 23, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 6

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Iowa Animal Industry News, 2012, Vol. 13, no. 1

Newsletter produced by Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship about the animal industry in Iowa. Previously titled Animal Industry News.

Reforming the Iowa Civil Justice System, January 30, 2012

Executive Summary I. Survey The Task Force conducted a wide-ranging survey of more than 9,000 licensed Iowa attorneys and judges to obtain their input on a variety of civil justice system topics. The survey results helped inform the Task Force of problem areas in Iowa’s civil justice system. II. Two-Tier Justice System The Task Force recommends a pilot program based on a two-tier civil justice system. A two-tier system would streamline litigation processes—including rules of evidence and discovery disclosures—and reduce litigation costs of certain cases falling below a threshold dollar value. III. One Judge/One Case and Date Certain for Trial Some jurisdictions in Iowa have adopted one judge/one case and date certain for trial in certain cases. The assignment of one judge to each case for the life of the matter and the establishment of dates certain for civil trials could enhance Iowans’ access to the courts, improve judicial management, promote consistency and adherence to deadlines, and reduce discovery excesses. IV. Discovery Processes Reforms addressing inefficient discovery processes will reduce delays in and costs of litigation. Such measures include adopting an aspirational purpose for discovery rules to “secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action,” holding discovery proportional to the size and nature of the case, requiring initial disclosures, limiting the number of expert witnesses, and enforcing existing rules. V. Expert Witness Fees The Task Force acknowledges the probable need to revisit the statutory additional daily compensation limit for expert witness fees. Leaving the compensation level to the discretion of the trial court is one potential solution. VI. Jurors Additions to the standard juror questionnaire would provide a better understanding of the potential jurors’ backgrounds and suitability for jury service. The Task Force encourages adoption of more modern juror educational materials and video. Rehabilitation of prospective jurors who express an unwillingness or inability to be fair should include a presumption of dismissal. VII. Video and Teleconferencing Options When court resources are constrained both by limited numbers of personnel and budget cuts, it is logical to look to video and teleconferencing technology to streamline the court process and reduce costs. The judicial branch should embrace technological developments in ways that will not compromise the fairness, dignity, solemnity, and decorum of judicial proceedings. VIII. Court-Annexed Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) Litigants and practitioners in Iowa are generally satisfied with the current use of private, voluntary ADR for civil cases. There is concern, however, that maintaining the status quo may have steep future costs. Court-annexed ADR is an important aspect of any justice system reform effort, and the Task Force perceives benefits and detriments to reforming this aspect of the Iowa civil justice system. IX. Relaxed Requirement of Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law A rule authorizing parties to waive findings of fact and conclusions of law could expedite resolution of nonjury civil cases. X. Business (Specialty) Courts Specialty business courts have achieved widespread support across the country. In addition, specialty courts provide excellent vehicles for implementing or piloting other court innovations that may be useful in a broader court system context. A business specialty court should be and could be piloted in Iowa within the existing court system framework of the Iowa Judicial Branch. Appendix included as a separate document, is 176 pages.

Footnotes, March 2012, Vol.37, no.1-3

Monthly newsletter of State Library

International Update March/April 2012

International Business news from the International Trade Office of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Taipei, FIGAP/VIV, PTAP, Product Trade Asisstance Program,

Customer Focus Newsletter, Spring, 2012, Vol. 9, no. 1

A bi-monthly bulletin to keep the department/agency management teams of state government better informed. We hope to consolidate most of the service update messages we send throughout the month and keep you updated about the work of the Customer Councils. If yours is one of the many departments who participated in the second annual DAS customer satisfaction survey recently, we thank you for taking the time to give us this important feedback. We look forward to sharing survey results with you, and pledge to consider responses carefully as we work to determine benchmarks and set future priorities.

Executive Order Number Seventy Six, March 30, 2012

This act declares that the Long Term Care Ombudsman program is and shall remain an independent voice for Iowans in long-terms care facilities and shall continue to meet all requirements for the Federal Older American Act, but shall be housed with and administratively supported the Department of Again. ATTENTION: This is not an official copy of the executive order due to the lack of no seal or signature.

LSTA Five Year Plan Evaluation Report 2008-2012, March 29, 2012

The evaluation’s overarching question was “Did the activities undertaken through the state’s LSTA plan achieve results related to priorities identified in the Act?” The evaluation was conducted and is organized according to the six LSTA priorities. The research design employed two major methodologies: 1. Data sources from Iowa Library Services / State Library of Iowa2 as well as U.S and state sources were indentified for quantitative analysis. These sources, which primarily reflect outputs for various projects, included: Statistics from the Public Library Annual Survey Statistics collected internally by Iowa Library Services such as number of libraries subscribing to sponsored databases, number of database searches, attendance at continuing education events, number of interlibrary loan transactions Evaluation surveys from library training sessions, professional development workshops and other programs supported by LSTA funds Internal databases maintained by Iowa Library Services Impact results from post training evaluations conducted by Iowa Library Services 2010 Iowa census data from the U.S. Census Bureau LSTA State Program Reports for the grant period 2. Following the quantitative analysis, the evaluator gathered qualitative data through interviews with key employees, a telephone focus group with district library consultants and two surveys: LSTA Evaluation Survey (Public Libraries) and LSTA Evaluation Survey (Academic Libraries). Both surveys provided sound samples with 43 representatives of Iowa’s 77 academic libraries and 371 representatives of Iowa’s 544 public libraries participating. Respondents represented libraries of all sizes and geographical areas. Both surveys included multiple choice and rating scale items as well as open-ended questions from which results were coded to identify trends, issues and recommendations.