Iowa Republican Congressman Tom Latham will be back in Washington, D.C next week when the 112th Congress reconvenes.

Rep. Tom Latham (R) - IA

Latham told KJAN News Thursday, that after spending most of last year gathering input from Iowans and what’s important to them, he’ll present some key initiatives designed to bring “common sense” back to the nation’s capital. The number one issue he plans to address is the regulatory burdens coming out of Washington, or what he calls a “wet blanket” that smothers the creation of jobs and getting the economy moving.

Latham says he has legislation in-place that will review existing regulations, to determine which ones are working and those which provide a cost benefit to society, and get rid of the ones that don’t. Latham says he wants the private sector to have time to evaluate the rules that are created by agencies within the government before the rules go into effect. He says also, when it becomes apparent a regulation will cost the economy over $100-million, Congress itself should vote on it, and if approved, the measure should be signed by the president. Another initiative he plans to introduce next week, will say to Congress, that if they do not pass a budget, that they won’t get paid.

He says it’s been three-years since the Senate has done any basic work on the budget, and we’re spending $3.8-trillion annually, with no budget. He calls that “outrageous,” and the reason the government is $15-trillion in debt, is because there is “No framework for a budget, no way to cut spending,” and there are no constraints on spending without a budget. He says his proposal will make Congress more accountable to the people.

Latham, who grew up on his family’s farm, said he’s frustrated by the Labor Department’s attempts at writing regulation that prohibits kids from working on family farms jointly owned by their parents or other family members. He says he’s introduced a bi-partisan resolution of disapproval asking the Dept. of Labor not to move forward with the regulation, because it goes against all traditions in agriculture.

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) - IA

Latham announced last April that he will run in this November’s election for Iowa’s new 3rd district, against incumbent Democratic Representative Leonard Boswell. Latham moved from the 4th District into the 3rd District after the 2010 census numbers resulted in the elimination of the 5th Congressional District in Iowa. The move spared him from facing Representative Steve King, in a GOP primary.

New Congressional Districts beginning 2013

A climatologist who’s keeping an eye out for another potential flood in the Missouri River basin says conditions now are nearly the opposite of what they were a year ago. South Dakota state climatologist Dennis Todey says the pattern of warmer, drier weather we’ve enjoyed for weeks appears to be changing.  “We are going to be seeing a shift as January goes on to more La Nina-like conditions where temperatures will turn colder,” Todey says. “By later in January, most of the upper part of the basin will go to below-average temperatures, which will be in contrast to what we’ve seen recently.” So far, he says, none of the conditions that spawned widespread flooding in the region last year are appearing this year.

“For much of the basin, where we have very dry soil conditions in certain areas or moderately dry soil conditions, which allows the soil moisture capacity to take up any additional moisture at this point,” Todey says. “That’s quite a contrast from what we had last year where we had fairly widespread wet soil.” A year ago, heavy snow accumulation combined with an extremely wet spring to create record flooding on the Missouri. Todey, who is working with the federal government on long-range forecasts, says it simply hasn’t snowed much this winter.

“There have been a few snows that have come along,” Todey says. “Most of them have not been long-lived. They’ve melted off, so there is very little snow in the basin.” He says the weather could still break either way, above- or below-average snow and rain for the remainder of the winter.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

The Tri-Center Preschool in Neola has earn a top rating from the Iowa Department of Human Services. It’s the first such educational facility in Pottawattamie County to receive a 5-star rating. Three Tri-Center Preschool teachers made the decision to participate in the Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS), to make sure they were doing what was possible to become one of the best preschools in the area.

The Iowa QRS is a voluntary program in which providers are rated on a scale of 1-to 5, as they work to meet strict guidelines covering various criteria. Dawn Powers, QRS Specialist and child care consultan, told the Omaha World-Herald, that Tri-Center “worked very hard to receive the level 5 rating,” which demonstrates a “desire to improve the quality of care and education the children in Pottawattamie County receive.”

The QRS program was implemented in 2006, when parents went to the Iowa Legislature for help in determining preschool quality. A provider who earns 1 star has met Iowa’s registration or licensing standards. A 2-star provider has received additional training and made the first steps toward improving quality. A 3-to 4-star rating is based on professional development, health and safety, training and improvement, community partnerships and leadership, and staff evaluations.

Powers said parents should feel good about leaving their children at a 5-star childcare center, because they will be safe, sanitary and provide a quality environment for learning.