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D.C. and District Talk

· Death of Pope John Paul II
As with most of the world, I was saddened by the passing of Pope John Paul II. His life and his death taught us a great deal and his legacy of promoting peace and caring for those in need will stand the test of time.

The House and the Senate both recessed early this week in order that Members of both Chambers could attend the Pope’s funeral on Friday. For more information on the Pope, please visit http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/.

· Shimkus returns to DC Next Week
My Doctors have approved my request to be able to return to DC next week to participate in the markup of the energy bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. For more information about the energy bill, please visit http://energycommerce.house.gov/.

Constituent Corner

· Two Libraries Receive Donations

I am pleased to announce an award of classic books to two libraries by the National Endowment for the Humanities www.neh.gov.

Through the We the People Bookshelf program, the Farmersville-Waggoner Public Library District and Bluford Elementary School District #114 Library http://www.hometownlocator.com/City/Bluford-Illinois.cfm will receive 15 books on the theme of “freedom.” For more information, please visit www.wethepeople.gov.

Libraries are valuable sources of information at schools and to the community. For more information on the libraries in Illinois, please visit www.ila.org.

The books to be presented are appropriate for various ages:

Grades K – 3: Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley; The Girl Who Loved Wild

Horses by Paul Goble; Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; The

Tale of Peter Rabbit and El Cuento de Pedrito Conega both by Beatrix Potter.

Grades 4 – 6: The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton; Ben and Me by Robert

Lawson; To Be a Slave by Julius Lester; The Complete Chronicles of Narnia and El

Leon, La Bruja & Ropero both by C. S. Lewis.

Grades 7 – 8: Fahrenheit 451 (English and Spanish) by Ray Bradbury; Across Five

Aprils by Irene Hunt; The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.

Grades 9 – 12: Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen; My Antonia

and Mi Antonia both by Willa Cather; Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell; and

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

· Over $3.6 Million in Grants Awarded to Southern Illinois

I am happy to announce three grants through the U. S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) to southern Illinois entities.

The Village of Galatia and Galatia Township will receive $830,000 to upgrade a road and replace a water supply line that serves American Coal Company. This project will help retain nearly 800 jobs at the company. These funds will be combined with $105,000 from the Delta Regional Authority and local funds for a total project cost of $1,661,000. For more information, please visit www.dra.gov and http://www.fedstats.gov/mapstats/more.data/17059.html.

Hamilton County and McLeansboro Township will receive $379,800 to upgrade a road serving the Hamilton County Industrial Complex, a 250 acre industrial park. This project already has $5 million of investments that will hopefully create approximately 100 new jobs. The total project cost is $633,000. For more information, please visit http://www.mcleansboro.com/.

The South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission, based in Salem, will receive $55,628 as their annual planning grant. The commission serves Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, and Marion counties. For more information, please visit http://www.little-egypt.com/scirpdc/.

The Rend Lake Conservancy District will receive $2,455,884 to renovate and replace major electrical components of its water treatment plant and distribution system. The total project cost is over $4 million with the district funding the balance of the project. These improvements are expected to attract millions in private investments and create hundreds of jobs in the region. Congressmen Costello and Johnson also represent areas served by Rend Lake. For more information, please visit http://www.rendlake.com/lakeinfo.htm.

The Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission will receive $51,628 to support its efforts in long-term regional planning. Congressman Johnson also represents areas served by this commission. For more information, please visit www.gwrpc.org/.

The purpose of EDA program investments is to provide economically distressed communities with a source of funding for planning, infrastructure development, and business financing that will induce private investment in the types of business activities that contribute to long-term economic stability and growth.

For more information on the Economic Development Administration please visit http://www.eda.gov.

· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates

On Thursday April 14th, Rodney Davis of my Springfield district office will be available to help the residents of Taylorville and Shelbyville. In Taylorville, he will be in the City Council Chambers on 115 North Main Street from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. In Shelbyville, he will be in the Meeting Room of City Hall at 170 East Main Street from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Appointments are not necessary, so feel free to drop by at any time. For more information, please visit the web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm. Please stop in to see us!

For more information on Taylorville, please visit http://www.taylorville.net.

For more information on Shelbyville, please visit http://www.shelbyville-il.net.

Legislative Week in Review

· The following bills were passed by the House of Representatives this week:

o H.Res. 148, supporting the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month;

o H.Res. 190, honoring the life and achievements of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and expressing profound sorrow on his death;

o H.Res. 188, recognizing and honoring firefighters for their many contributions throughout the history of the Nation.

· To keep up to date on legislation as it moves through the legislative process please visit http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· Congress will be in session from Tuesday through Thursday of next week.

· 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.

· On Friday, April 8 and Monday, April 11, all five of Congressman Shimkus' offices in Illinois and DC will be open regular hours, but will have limited services as the computers go through server upgrades. We will be able to answer calls, receive faxes and have limited email availability. We will not, however be able to access computer files, including casework, and the internet. If possible, we ask that you contact us with casework and other requests on Tuesday, April 12. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience as we work to better serve you.

Did You Know?

· That Jasper County is the home and final resting place of Burl Ives. Perhaps best known for his folk singing of tunes like “Jimmy Cracked Corn” and “Holly Jolly Christmas, Ives was also an Oscar winner for his role in “The Big Country.” His burial site is in Mound Cemetery near Hunt City. For more information, please visit http://www.answers.com/topic/jasper-county-illinois. For more information on Burl Ives, please visit www.burlives.com.

· The National Image Inc. Central Illinois chapter has announced the arrival of the 2005 Latino Scholarship Fund. For more information, please e-mail ctinamartinez@hotmail.com. Completed applications are due by June 25th.

· The Illinois Humanities Council is accepting applications for Free True Learning, True Teaching Summer Seminars for Illinois Educators. Applications for the all-expense paid summer seminars are due by May 1. Seminar choices include Creating the Illinois Landscape: How Designers Have Shaped Our Environment; America in Vietnam, Vietnam in America; and Time, Trees, Prehistory and the Planet. For more information, please visit www.prairie.org in order to download an application.

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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