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D.C. and District Talk

· E-911 Legislation Sent to President Bush
I am happy to announce that late on Wednesday, December 8th, the United States Senate passed H.R. 5419, legislation to improve our nation’s emergency response infrastructure. The bill included language from a bill that I had sponsored previously, the E-911 Enhancement Act.

This legislation establishes a grant program to speed up the availability of wireless 9-1-1, as most 9-1-1 public safety answering points do not have the technology to precisely locate a cell phone caller’s location. The legislation also establishes a link between federal, state, and local emergency communications systems, public safety, and the telecommunications carrier. These groups all need to be in sync in order to provide safety and security services, as well as to implement the use of 9-1-1 wireless service.

In order to receive federal funds, states and localities currently collecting a wireless 9-1-1 tax or fee must use those funds for their intended purpose; otherwise they could face penalties under this legislation. States, like Illinois, have been raiding wireless 9-1-1 accounts to pay for other government services, putting those in need of emergency responders at risk.

The Federal Communications Commission would also be required to report back to Congress on the difficulties rural wireless carriers have in getting full area coverage, which is needed in order to pinpoint the 9-1-1 caller’s location.

I believe that it is important that wireless callers have the same access to the 9-1-1 emergency system, as many people are now using a cellular or wireless device as their only telephone.

I was joined by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D, California) and Senators Hillary Clinton (D, New York) and Conrad Burns (R, Montana) in introducing the original legislation and setting up the federal wireless 9-1-1- program. I applaud them for their hard work in getting this legislation passed and hope to work with them again in the future.

For more information please visit http://www.nena9-1-1.org/.

· Intelligence Reform Bill Sent to President

I am pleased to see that legislation that will implement part of the 9/11 Commission Report has passed both the House and the Senate and is awaiting the signature of the President.

While I continue to have concerns regarding some areas of the final bill, the conference committee was able to reach an agreement, that with President Bush’s support, will implement many reforms in our nation’s intelligence community. I know that this reform is essential to improve our nation’s ability to fight terrorism.

This legislation creates a Director of National Intelligence, who will advise the President and be the head of all intelligence programs. The legislation also creates a National Counter Terrorism Center that will coordinate across departmental lines.

I did have concerns about the ability of the military to carry out their duties without hampering decision making. Those concerns have been resolved, as this legislation preserves the existing chain of command. I am also concerned about some other issues that were not addressed or resolved by this legislation such as granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

Additional provisions in this legislation are:

o doubling the number of border patrol officers to 10,000 over the next five years and

o making numerous changes regarding passports, visas, and deportation.

This is the first step in implementing the full 9/11 Commission Report. Next year we will continue to work to improve issues that surround additional border security and illegal immigration measures. I will likely support those additional measures that will protect our nation and its citizens from any future terrorist attack.

Constituent Corner

· Open Office Hours

As part of my ongoing effort to make myself as accessible to my constituents as possible, I will be holding Open Office Hours in several cities next week. I encourage you to drop by and share your problems and concerns with me. Appointments are not required, though they are appreciated in order to give me time to adequately address your concerns. If you would like to make one, please call (618) 344-3065.

Here are the locations and times:

Taylorville: http://www.taylorville.net/

On December 14th, I will be at the Christian County Farm Bureau http://www.ilfb.org/CountyPages/ from 11:00 am-12:30 pm. The Farm Bureau is located at 400 West Market in Taylorville.

Shelbyville: http://www.shelbyville-il.net

On December 14th, I will be at the City Hall Conference Room from 2:00 pm-3:30 pm. City Hall is located at 170 East Main in Shelbyville.

Flora: http://www.city-data.com/city/Flora-Illinois.html

On December 15th I will be at the Flora City Hall in the City Council Chambers located at 131 East 2nd Street from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Salem: http://www.ci.salem.il.us/

On December 15th I will be at the Salem City Hall in the Council Chambers located at 101 South Broadway from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

For more information on Open Office Hours, please visit my web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/openoff.htm. Hope you drop by and chat with me!

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· On January 4th, 2005 the 109th Congress will reconvene to swear in the newly elected and reelected members of the House and Senate. For more information on the freshmen class of the House of Representatives please visit: http://clerk.house.gov/members/electionInfo/2004/new_members_109th.pdf/.

· In addition, the Majority Whip http://majoritywhip.house.gov/ Congressman Roy Blunt of Missouri, has announced the legislative calendar for 2005. You may access the calendar at http://majoritywhip.house.gov/calendar.

· Want to know more? Keep an eye on the Office of the Clerk’s web site: http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/index.html. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

· New .kids.us Website Tells Story of Real Santa Claus

A new website that is specially geared for children has just recently been posted. It tells the story of the original Santa Claus and St. Nick and encourages the spirit of giving during the Christmas season. You can access the site at http://stnicholas.kids.us/.

Thank you for the interest in my newsletter! Remember to tell your friends about it as well--they can sign up on my web page at http://www.house.gov/shimkus.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Shimkus

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