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D.C. and District Talk

· Unborn Victims of Violence Act Signed by President Bush
On Thursday President Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997) into law. 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 its 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/~c108F6x3Cd::>.

· NATO Expansion
On Monday I joined President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell in a ceremony at the White House to welcome Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia as new members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This was a very historic occasion. I can vividly recall serving with the U.S. Army in Europe during the Cold War, when these countries were hidden behind the Iron Curtain. It is truly amazing to now watch these nations freely choosing to align with the democracies of the West. I was honored to have taken part in this occasion.

NATO leaders invited the seven nations to join the Alliance at the Prague Summit in November 2002. The nations then were required to demonstrate that they could take on the new responsibilities and commitments of NATO membership. In May 2003, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution ratifying the NATO invitation, and by February 2004 all 19 NATO allies had ratified similar resolutions. The seven countries committed themselves to the shared values of and democracy that are the foundation of the Alliance. They pursued rigorous political, economic and defense reforms.

It is great to see the transformations these countries have made in such a short amount of time from repressive communist governments to emerging democracies. I have no doubt that these seven states will be an inspiration to other countries pursuing democratic reforms. Much has been accomplished in Eastern Europe and with the expansion of NATO, I believe their actions will inspire and encourage even more reforms throughout the world.

You can read President Bush’s comments at <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040329-4.html>.

Constituent Corner

· New Appointment to Energy Action Team
I recently have been appointed to the House Energy Action Team (HEAT) by Majority Leader Tom DeLay and am proud to serve with my colleagues as we work hard to pass a National Energy Policy that corrects America’s supply and demand imbalance and lowers prices for consumers. The House has sent the Senate comprehensive energy legislation three times in the last three years. Each time the American people have been failed by a few obstructionist Senators who are more interested in politics than lowering prices at the pump. Since the House first passed a comprehensive energy package in 2001, the average price of gasoline has skyrocketed from $1.34 per gallon to more than $1.70 today, the cost of home heating oil has increased by 33%, the cost of clean-burning natural gas has increased by an astounding 92%, and the U.S. has sent over $300 billion to OPEC and other foreign nations to meet our energy needs at home.

A comprehensive energy bill will bring a major economic boom to the State of Illinois, creating or maintaining over 156,000 jobs. The energy bill will also prevent the loss of jobs because of high energy prices. Numerous manufacturing facilities that rely on natural gas have closed in the past year because of high natural gas prices.

Alan Greenspan has testified on Capitol Hill many times in recent months citing energy costs as the greatest threat to an otherwise burgeoning economy. The Senate must act on the House-passed energy principles that will increase domestic supply, create jobs, lower prices for consumers, and eliminate this great hazard to our economic security. Inaction is a problem not a solution. I will continue to work to with my Senate colleagues to get this bill passed as soon as possible.

· Seminar for Displaced Workers and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Recipients
I will be hosting a seminar on April 16th at 9:00 a.m. in the gymnasium at Kaskaskia College (<http://www.kc.cc.il.us/>).This will be a seminar to address all of the plant closings and unemployment issues in Marion County. I will be speaking along with State Senator John O. Jones, State Representative Kurt Granberg, Centralia Mayor John Stuehmeier, Salem Mayor Leonard Ferguson, and Kaskaskia College President Dr. James Underwood. Some of the topics that we will address include federal education assistance and loans, how to go back to school, selecting the program of your choice, receiving state assistance, resume building, and how to manage school with family and work. This seminar will be a valuable resource to anyone thinking about changing careers and going back to school. For more information please call my Collinsville office at 618-344-3065.

· Homeland Security Grant
I am pleased to announce that a grant of $73.5 million has been awarded to Illinois as part of the Fiscal Year 2004 Homeland Security Grant Program. This money will go directly to Illinois to implement its State Homeland Security Strategy. The $73,571,000 grant is administered through the Department of Homeland Security Office for Domestic Preparedness. The purpose is to deter, prevent, and respond to threats or acts of terrorism. I believe that one of the most effective ways to fight terrorism is to let each state decide where its needs are, with the federal government providing the funding, as we have done with this grant. You can find more information on the Department of Homeland Security at www.dhs.gov <http://www.dhs.gov>.

· Rural Utilities Service
I’m happy to report that The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) <http://www.usda.gov/rus/>
has announced funding available for the Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee program. During FY 2004, no less than $2.211 billion will be made available for loans and loan guarantees for the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in eligible rural communities. Of the total loan funds available, $2.051 billion will be available for direct cost-of-money loans, $80 million for 4 percent direct loans, and $80 million for loan guarantees. Application guides to assist in the preparation of applications are available online at <http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/broadband.htm>. The guides may also be requested from the RUS by contacting Kenneth Kuchno, Program Manager ”Broadband Program”, Telecommunications Program, RUS/USDA, Room 2846, Stop 1599, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-1599, (202) 690-4673.

I believe that it is very important to make sure that rural America is not left behind in today’s high tech economy. I have recently sent a letter, along with Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan, to Hilda Gay Legg, the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, in support of this program. I will continue to work with President Bush to make sure that all Americans living in rural areas will have the same access to broadband technology as those who live in urban areas. I want to expand broadband internet usage and give more people opportunities to compete in an ever expanding global economy.

· Traveling Help Desk comes to Ashley
On Tuesday, April 20, Deb Detmers of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of Ashley. She will be at the Ashley City Hall on 474 West Main Street from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. For more information, please visit my web page at <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm>. I hope you stop by!

· 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 in the coming 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 or (618) 344-3065.
Here are the locations and times:
o Collinsville April 13th - On Tuesday, April 13th, I will be in my Collinsville office located at 508 South Main Street in Collinsville from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
o Newton April 14th - On Wednesday, April 14th, I will be in the small meeting room of the Sunrise Youth Center and Community Building at 1401 Clayton Avenue in Newton from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
o Albion April 15th - On Thursday, April 15th, I will be in the Edwards County Courthouse located at 50 East Main in Albion from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
o Mt. Vernon April 16th - On Friday, April 16th, I will be in the office of State Senator John O. Jones located at 2929 Broadway in Mt. Vernon from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For more information on Open Office Hours, please visit my web page at <www.house.gov/shimkus/openoff.htm>. I hope you can stop by to share your concerns with me.

Legislative Week in Review

· House passes the Pension Funding Equity Act Conference Report, H.R. 3108
By freeing employers from using the obsolete 30-year Treasury bond interest rate to calculate pension contributions, companies will be able to invest more capital in business improvements and new jobs. Just as important, employers will no longer be faced with the difficult decision of whether to freeze or even eliminate the pensions their workers count on because of an obsolete law that artificially inflates the amount of money necessary to adequately fund pension plans. Economists have warned that if Congress fails to enact a 30-year replacement bill before mid-April, it could deal an unnecessary blow to an economy that is showing clear signs of picking up steam. For example, today the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that 308,000 jobs were created in March. This is great news and this pension plan will be very beneficial to all the auto workers, airline workers and employees involved in the field of aerospace in and around the 19th District. There is still more pension reform work that we need to do, and the Congress is committed to working on those issues in the near future.

· H.R. 3550 - Highway Trust Fund Bill. On Friday H.R. 3550 passed the House. This legislation authorizes 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.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· Congress will be in recess for the next two weeks and will reconvene on Tuesday, April 20th. Keep your eye on <http://www.congress.gov/house.html> for more information on floor action as it becomes available.

Did You Know?

· New Lewis and Clark Nickels Enter Circulation
On Monday, in honor of the Louisiana Purchase, and Lewis and Clark's expedition the first Lewis and Clark commemorative nickels went into circulation, to reflect images evocative of their historic expedition into the Louisiana Territory. Two hundred years ago this week, the Lewis and Clark expedition began in our area and went into what was then a new land. It was through their bravery and courage that our nation became what is today.

For more information on the Lewis and Clark expedition please visit, <http://www.lewisandclark.org/>.

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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