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D.C. Talk

· Estonian Order of the Cross
I am honored to report that I will be awarded The Second Class Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana from the Republic of Estonia in a ceremony to be held February 23, 2004. The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana was instituted in 1995 to honor the independence of the Estonian state. This tribute is bestowed on the President of the Republic and “as a decoration of the highest class of aliens who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia.”
The presentation will be made at the Kadriorg Palace (Foreign Art Museum) in Tallinn as part of the Estonia is Grateful Festival marking the 86th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. I am proud to serve as the co-chair of the House Baltic Caucus, working to promote the advancement of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. For more information on the Baltic Caucus, please visit: <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/baltic.htm>.

Constituent Corner

· Social Security Information Online
As a result of the E-Government Act of 2002, more and more government agencies are going online to provide helpful information to constituents. Whether you have questions regarding retirement, disability or death benefits, Social Security Online is designed to help you understand your Social Security protection to plan for your financial future. When visiting Social Security Online, constituents will find three Benefit Calculators which can show estimated retirement benefits as well as an estimate of disability and survivor benefit amounts. Constituents can also apply for Social Security benefits at this website. Check out: <http://www.ssa.gov/planners/>.

· Economic Development Awards
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) at the United States Department of Commerce is proud to announce the Excellence in Economic Development Awards 2004. The Awards 2004, which highlight the best practices nationwide, will be presented during the EDA’s National Conference, held June 8th -10th in Washington, DC. The competition is open to nonprofit organizations, local, state, and regional government entities and universities and colleges. Nominations must be received by March 10, 2004. Development projects that are interested in submitting their nomination are invited to visit: <http://www.eda.gov/NewsEvents/ExcellenceAwards.xml> for more information on the categories and registration policies.

· Check Presentations to Shelbyville and Breese
This past Wednesday, I was pleased to present a check for $300,000 to Shelby County Officials. This money was earmarked in the VA/HUD portion of the Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Act. This appropriation was requested by the City of Shelbyville on behalf of the committee that has come together to create a regional sewer system. On Thursday, I was honored to present another check for $300,000, this time to the City of Breese. This money was also earmarked in the VA/HUD FY2004 Appropriations, and will go toward a $6 million water treatment plant.

· New Site for young farmers
Young and beginning farmers that are seeking insight to help them succeed have a new resource available to them. This new website will be sponsored by the Farm Credit System Foundation and Successful Farming magazine and is know as the “Farmers for the Future” website. The website will provide these new farmers access to valuable tools and information that will help them succeed in farming. To visit this site please link to: <http://www.agriculture.com/future/>.

· Community-Police Partnership Awards program created
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the MetLife Foundation have come together to create the Community-Police Partnership Awards program. This program was developed to recognize innovative collaborations between community groups and police departments to promote neighborhood revitalization and safety. There will be six to eight monetary awards given to member organizations of partnerships that include community organizations and police. Please note that the deadline for the first round of proposals is February 27, 2004. For more information please visit: <http://liscnet.org/whatwedo/programs/csi/MetLifeAwards.shtml>.

· Old Newsletters available on line
If you would like to take a look at past newsletters there is now a link located on my website to allow you access to them. All of the newsletters dating back to 2002 are available. If you would like to read over some of these old newsletters please visit: <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/newsletterarchives.htm>

· Traveling Help Desk comes to Belle Rive and Woodlawn
On Thursday, February 26th, a member of my district staff will be available to help the residents of Belle Rive and Woodlawn. In Belle Rive, the help desk will be at the Village Hall located at 109 South Main Street from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. In Woodlawn, the help desk will be at the Community Building located at 202 Central Street from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
For more information, please visit my web page at: <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm>. I hope you stop by!

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· Congress will be in session from Tuesday through Thursday of next week. Some of the legislation which will be considered includes:
o HR 2751: GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2003
o HR 1997: Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2003, “Laci and Conner’s Law” (cosponsor)

Did You Know?

· Small Business Administration proposes new loan program
Last week the Small Business Administration proposed a new program to add $3 billion in lending authority to the 7(a) loan program. If enacted, this program would provide more money for small business loans this year and remove the current lending cap. This is a great opportunity for many small businesses to get the money they need to further their futures. If you are interested in these loans please visit: <http://www.sba.gov/>.

· Researching Legislation with Thomas
It is easy to find out legislative information using the Thomas system provided by the Library of Congress. By visiting <http://thomas.loc.gov/>, you can type a bill number (example: HR 1997) into the appropriate box, and this will pull up summary information on the legislation. Or, if you know the topic or keywords for a bill, you can type that in the “Word/Phrase” box (example: violence), which will pull up all legislation on that topic.

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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