Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). This award recognizes a lawmaker’s outstanding contribution to the progress of electric cooperatives and the public power program in the United States. Grassley will meet with members of Iowa’s electric cooperatives next week as part of the NRECA virtual legislative conference and congressional visits.
“I’m honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the National Electric Cooperative Association this year. These co-ops play a critical role in communities both in Iowa and across the country. And I oftentimes remind my colleagues that many of these smaller communities play a big part in feeding and fueling the world,” Grassley said. “I look forward to speaking with members of the Iowa co-ops next week and continuing to advocate for their important work.”
Grassley was recognized for his unwavering support for America’s electric cooperatives throughout his six decades of public service, including his hometown co-op, Butler County REC. He played a leading role in advancing key electric co-op policy priorities, including enactment in 2019 of the RURAL Act, which saved co-ops from losing their tax-exempt status if they received government grants surpassing 15 percent of their non-member income. This legislation saved electric co-ops millions of dollars in federal taxes that now go directly toward serving co-op consumer-members.
Grassley also championed legislation to repeal the “Cadillac Tax” imposed on health care benefits that cooperatives provide for their employees. NRECA estimated that its member cooperatives would save more than $30 million a year in pension insurance premiums because of this legislation.
“Sen. Grassley is an exemplary friend to electric co-ops and understands well the important role they play across the nation,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said. “He has helped pave the way for co-op priorities on Capitol Hill, always with the goal of improving the quality of life in rural communities. I commend Sen. Grassley for his unwavering focus on the needs of his constituents and his commitment to ensuring the continued availability of affordable and reliable power.”
“Butler County REC is proud to be Sen. Grassley’s hometown cooperative,” Butler County REC CEO Craig Codner said. “We appreciate his advocacy for cooperatives. From his support of legislation to his morning run with Iowa Youth Tour participants, his dedication is evident. We congratulate Sen. Grassley on his much-deserved Distinguished Service Award.”
“We are honored that NRECA has recognized Sen. Grassley with this important award,” Chuck Soderberg, executive vice president, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, said. “Throughout his decades of public service, Sen. Grassley has gone above and beyond to fight for co-ops, their employees, their communities, and the cooperative business model. We are incredibly grateful to have Sen. Grassley serving the state of Iowa and especially grateful that we can call him a true friend of America’s electric cooperatives.”
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape.
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