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Constituent Corner

· Brownfields Grant Funding Available
Over $3 million dollars in state grant dollars are available to private, non-municipal brownfields developers and have yet to be used by anyone in the state. This program, called the Brownfields Site Restoration Program, offers private developers up to $750,000 in state grant money through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Those interested in these funds will also not have to go through the municipality in which the site is located. I believe this is a great program that could really revitalize parts of southern Illinois. I encourage all of those interested in more information to please visit <http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/brownfields/index.html>.

· U.S. House of Representatives Page Program
I would like to take this opportunity to invite interested students to apply for the United States House of Representatives Page Program in Washington, D.C. Right now we are closing in on the deadline to accept applications from students interested in serving as a page for the summer session and we will being accepting applications for the academic year in a few months. The first summer session runs from June 6 through June 26 and the second summer session is from July 4 through July 24.

To be qualified to apply for the program, students must be at least 16 years of age at the time their appointment would begin and have a cumulative grade point average of a “B” (3.0 or 80/100). Those interested in applying for summer who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements may have their application reviewed by the Page Board for consideration. Also, applicants must reside in the 19th Congressional District of Illinois.

After my office reviews the applications, we are allowed submit two applicants for the summer sessions. The final decision to accept or reject the applicants is made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Students interested in obtaining an application should contact Holly Linder in my Harrisburg office at (618)-252-8271 or via e-mail at Holly.Linder@mail.house.gov <mailto:Holly.Linder@mail.house.gov>. Completed applications should be returned to my office no later than March 29.

I am a strong believer in this program and am proud to serve as Chairman of the Page Board. It is a great experience for high school students and they are an invaluable resource to members of Congress. Please pass information about this program to any interested students. For more information you can visit: <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/pageprogram.htm>.

· New Drug Card Sponsors
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced on Thursday the approval of 28 private sponsors to provide seniors and people with disabilities savings on their prescription drugs, beginning June 1. With the new cards, Medicare beneficiaries will receive discounts on prescription drugs, and low-income beneficiaries may receive an additional $600 to pay for their prescription medicines in both 2004 and 2005.

The competition between organizations offering cards, as well as the public display of the prices the cards offer for prescription medicines, will help drive down prices so that seniors get the best savings on their medicines. HHS will offer several tools to help seniors compare cards and choose the card that provides them with the best savings.

Seniors will soon be able to get a discount card to help them save money on their prescription drugs, and a $600 credit each year will give low-income seniors even more relief. With the new cards, the benefits of the new Medicare law will soon be a reality for millions of Americans who need help paying for prescription drugs.

All Medicare beneficiaries, except those who already receive outpatient drugs through Medicaid, will be able to enroll in a discount card program starting in May. The cards’ savings will take effect June. 1. The card providers may charge an annual enrollment fee of up to $30. There is no enrollment fee for people who qualify for the $600 credit.

Starting in late April, beneficiaries will be able to compare prices of drugs offered by the drug card programs at <http://www.medicare.gov/> or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. This information will help them compare discounted prices negotiated by card sponsors, as well as the enrollment fees, and other card program features from card to card. Customer service representatives at 1-800-MEDICARE also will be able to answer questions about the program, help them compare drug cards on price and network pharmacies, and refer callers to other appropriate resources.

Both 1-800-MEDICARE and <http://www.medicare.gov/> are great resources for anyone with questions or concerns regarding the new prescription drug benefit. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the valuable resources or send the information on to friends or relatives who may need some more information about their Medicare coverage.

· Grants Available to Purchase Automated External Defibrillators
The Illinois Rural Health Association (IRHA) is seeking grant proposals from qualified applicants to purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs). IRHA is administering this grant on behalf of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Center for Rural Health, which received funding from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, to help increase the availability of AEDs in rural areas. Based on the federal funding received, it is estimated that approximately 125 grants will be awarded. If you have any questions about the grant project, please contact the Illinois Rural Health Association office at 1-800-500-1560 or email them at <info@ilruralhealth.org <mailto:info@ilruralhealth.org>> These devices can save lives so please pass on this information to anyone you know who may be interested in applying for this grant.

· New Website Features
There are several new features on my website that will help my constituents better find the assistance that they need. There is now a search engine so that you can look for specific words and phrases within the site, and an updated and expanded "Constituent Help" section, which now includes information on special recognitions, troops, and students. Also, the “Assistance” section now includes information on benefits, passports, immigration, veterans, and the IRS.

People can also now submit their tour requests online! Now that the busy tourist season is starting here in Washington it is a good idea to get those tour requests in early as they fill up very quickly!

Please visit my website at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/> to check out all the new changes!

· Bullying and Harassment Briefing
On Tuesday I held a briefing to deal with the longstanding challenges in preventing and effectively responding to instances of bullying and harassment in our nation’s schools. All research to date demonstrates that such behavior can adversely affect a student’s ability to achieve, just as it leads to larger school safety problems, including in-school and community violence. Over three-quarter of the public say that lack of a student discipline is very serious problem in their community, and I agree. If anyone would like more information or materials on bullying and harassment please contact Ryan Tracy in my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-5271.

· Traveling Help Desk comes to Watson and Findlay
On Wednesday, March 31, Mary Ballard of my Springfield district office will be available to help the residents of Watson and Findlay. In Watson, she will be at the Watson Town Hall on Monroe Street from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. In Findlay, she will be in the Findlay Village Hall on 101 E. South Second Street from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

For more information, please visit my web page at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm>. I hope you stop by!

· Shimkus to Hold Office Hours in Collinsville
As part of my ongoing effort to make myself as accessible to my constituents as possible, I will be holding Open Office Hours in Collinsville in a few weeks. 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 is the location and time:
o Collinsville April 13th - On Tuesday, April 13th, I will be in my Collinsville office at 508 West Main Street, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 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!

Legislative Week in Review

· Senate Passes Unborn Victims of Violence Act
A very important piece of legislation passed the Senate on Thursday and has been sent to the White House for President Bush’s signature. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act, also known as Laci and Conner's Law, would make the death of an unborn child equitable to the death of it's mother or any adult. I have long been a supporter for the rights of the unborn and will continue to vote for their rights in the future. For full text of this important legislation please visit <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:4:./temp/~c10877hc4p::>.

· FY 2005 Budget Resolution
On Thursday the House passed the Budget Resolution sponsored by Rep. Jim Nussle of Iowa. The fiscal year 2005 budget, as passed by the House, would cut the deficit in half in four years, target waste, fraud and abuse in mandatory spending and hold the line on non-defense, non-homeland security discretionary spending.
In times like these it is especially important to remember that America will remain free as long as we are strong enough to defend ourselves and take the fight to those who want to ruin that freedom. The House budget includes instructions that defense spending be examined for waste, fraud and abuse so that additional funds can be directed to protecting America’s troops.
Another important aspect of the House budget is that this budget prevents tax increases. Allowing tax increases when our tax relief policies are working doesn’t make sense. With an improving economy, the very last thing we should do is raise taxes. We must keep our focus on creating jobs, and by making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent then we will continue to see even more improvement in our economy.
This budget also continues to encourage opportunities for a better life with funding for quality health care, education, a sound retirement and the benefits veterans deserve. The budget creates special deficit-neutral reserve funds to help manage legislative initiatives such as health insurance for the uninsured and for disabled children and survivor benefits for widows of retired military members.
The House-passed budget provides $2.4 trillion in total spending for fiscal year 2005. I will now work with my colleagues to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions so that a final conference report may be approved by Congress and signed into law by the President.
Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· Congress will be in session from Monday through Friday of next week. Some of the legislation which will be considered includes:
o H.R. 3550 - Highway Trust Fund Bill. This legislation would authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes. Some of the projects that will receive funding in the 19th district are:
§ $1.875 million to reconstruct and realign 2.3 miles of Evergreen Avenue located west of the City of Effingham, IL.
§ $1 million to connect about a two-mile, two lane segment through Collinsville with IDOT’s current project of widening IL-159.
§ $1.5 million to extend MacArthur Blvd. from Wabash to Iron Bridge Road.
§ $1.7 million to current project to overhaul 230 miles of US 67, near Jerseyville, IL.
§ $1 million to being the construction of a highway on new alignment to create a cross town route across Godfrey, IL from Illinois Route 3 to US 67.
§ $1.8 million for the next phase of the US Route 51 four-lane expressway extension from Moweaqua to Pana.
§ $550,000 for the construction of a new intersection of a public road at U S Route 50 in Olney, IL.
§ $500,000 to provide a four-lane connection between Rt. 13 and Rt. 45 near Harrisburg.
§ $75,000 for the construction of new access road from Hazel Dell Lane to Hope School in Springfield.

Did You Know?

· March is National Colorectal Cancer Month
Many people do no know that colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, second only to lung cancer. An estimated 146,900 new cases and 56,700 deaths from colorectal cancer are expected in 2004. Despite these staggering figures, it is important to note that more than one-third of colorectal cancer deaths could be avoided if people over 50 had regular screening tests. Screening tests are so important because they can find colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best. When colorectal cancer is detected in the earliest stage of the disease (Stage 1), the survival rate is greater than 90 percent. For more information on this preventable disease please visit <http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp> and <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/colorectalcancer.html>.

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