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D.C. and District Talk

" State of the Union Address
The President gave his annual State of the Union address Tuesday January 20, 2004. The President laid out both his goals for the future and discussed the challenges that still face our country. Some of the goals President Bush hoped to achieve in the coming year included:
o Making America Safer with Decisive Action to win the War on Terror
o Keeping America on Track for a More Prosperous Future
o Strengthening Health Care for Millions of Americans
o Building a Better and More Compassionate America for All
For full coverage of the State of the Union Address, including full text and video of the speech, please visit <http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2004/index.html>.

" Honoring Paul Simon
On Wednesday January 21, 2004 the House passed a unanimous resolution honoring the late Congressman and Senator from Illinois, Paul Simon. House Resolution 489, which I sponsored along with Congressman Costello and 47 other members, passed by a vote of 394 to 0. I was lucky enough to have been given one of Senator Simon's famous bowties before he passed, which I wore both during the State of the Union and on Wednesday when H.Res 489 was passed. While we had different political ideologies, I have long believed that Paul Simon was a man who represented his constituents with a passion and integrity we don't see enough in politics anymore. He loved southern Illinois and all the people he represented. He will be missed.

" Honoring Our Fallen Heroes
Last Monday, I returned to West Point to attend the funeral service of a 1997 graduate who was killed while serving in Iraq. The officer was killed on January 2nd, when his command post was struck by shrapnel; he died instantly. He had been stationed at Balad, Iraq.

The services were held at the Old Cadet Chapel and burial took place in the West Point Cemetery. The soldier is survived by his parents and his fiancée. His plan had been to return to West Point to teach and to mentor new cadets. By all accounts, he was prepared to do an excellent job.

As one mourner observed, "He was just a great person and it is clearly a devestating loss for us and for the Army. Words cannot begin to express the depths of my current sadness. I will miss him tremendously and my thoughts and prayers are with his family."

His death reminds us of the tremendous sacrifice that so many of our men and women in uniform are prepared to make for the rest of us. Now is the time to keep them and their families in our prayers. To learn about what you can do to support our troops, please visit <http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/>.

Constituent Corner

" Rural Veterans Access to Care Act
Many veterans living in the 19th Congressional District in Illinois have been forced to travel long distances for routine medical care at a Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) medical facility. To change that, I have become a cosponsor of H.R. 2379, the Rural Veterans Access to Care Act. I believe that Veterans should be able to go to their local physician for routine health care and my hope is this bill will also help alleviate the overcrowding and long waits seen at VA facilities.

" MIT Offers Summer Program for High School Girls
The Women's Technology Program at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology is offering a 4-week summer residence program to introduce high school girls to electrical engineering and computer science. If you know a girl who is currently a high school junior with demonstrated math and science ability and an interest in finding out about electrical engineering and computer science, please encourage her to visit MIT's website for more Information and for an application form (applications are due February 3,2004) <http://wtp.mit.edu>.

" Educational Booklets Available
Attention parents and educators - my office has education books on the United States Government, Constitution, and our American Flag available. These can be a great assistance to children who are trying to understand the sometimes complicated aspects of our government. If you are interested in receiving some for your child or classroom, please call Jennifer in my office at 217-492-5090.

" Office Hours and Staff in Centralia Changing
I am pleased to announce the addition of a new staff member in my Centralia office at 221 East Broadway, Suite 102. Matt Pickett, a native of Gillespie, has been hired to staff the office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Constituents who have problems or issues with the federal government are encouraged to stop by or call the office at 618-532-9676. We are all very happy to have him on staff.

" Flood Relief Meeting
Southern Illinois farmers and landowners will be able to get more information on U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that can provide relief from wet and flood-prone crop land by attending a meeting on January 27, 2004. The meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Allendale Ruritan Club building on Main Street in Allendale. Staff from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be on hand to answer any questions regarding the various programs available. For more information please call the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Lawrenceville field office at 618-943-2621.

" Members of Congress Don't Pay into Social Security -- An Urban Myth
There is an e-mail that continues to be sent around alleging that Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security. That is absolutely false. For the facts, visit <http://www.narfe.org/guest/leg_rumors_myth2.cfm>.

Legislative Week in Review

" Omnibus Appropriations Bill Passes Senate
The FY 2004 Appropriations bill passed the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 65 to 28. This bill was a combination of the remaining 7 unfinished FY 2004 spending bills. H.R. 2673 includes $328.1 billion in discretionary spending and $820 billion in total spending, which includes a requirement that nondefense spending is cut by 0.59%, which is estimated to save $2.8 billion, and rescind $1.8 billion in defense spending. This bill included funding for the following programs in the 19th district:
¢ $2 million for widening US Route 51 in Christian and Shelby Counties
¢ $300,000 to the Springfield Mass Transit District for purchase of a bus
¢ $3.5 million to IDOT for downstate transit district buses, including Madison County, South Central Illinois MTD, and Springfield MTD
¢ $125,000 to the State Board of Education for the Flora school district's career and technical education program
¢ $300,000 to the City of Breese for water infrastructure improvements
¢ $300,000 to the City of Shelbyville for wastewater infrastructure improvements
¢ $250,000 to the City of Springfield for infrastructure to support economic development
¢ $100,000 to Providence Counseling in Swansea for their Men Ending Domestic Violence program

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

" Congress will be in session Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Some of the legislation which will be considered includes:
o H.R. 1385 - To issue a special postage stamp to benefit breast cancer research (Sponsored by Rep. Baca / Government Reform Committee / Energy and Commerce Committee / Armed Services Committee). This bill will amend Federal postal law to extend the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help provide funding for breast cancer research through December 31, 2005.
o S. 1920 - To extend for 6 months the period for which chapter 12 of title 11 of the United States Code is reenacted (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Sen. Grassley / Judiciary Committee). This bill would amend the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, as amended, to extend until January July 1, 2004, the reenactment of chapter 12 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code ,Adjustment of Debts of a Family Farmer with Regular Annual Income, thereby extending family farmer bankruptcy relief.

" Want to know more? Keep an eye on the Committee Central web page at <http://www.gop.gov/committeecentral/docs/pubs/WeeklyFloorBriefing>. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

" Today in 1845 the Date of our National Election Was Chosen
In 1845, Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Please don't forget to register to vote! For more information on how you can register in the state of Illinois please visit, <http://www.elections.state.il.us/voteinfo/pages/Register.htm>.

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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