---

D.C. and District Talk

" Abuse of Iraqi Detainees
This week we all were exposed to photos of abuse allegedly perpetrated by American soldiers in Iraq. I want to say first of all that I fully believe that the actions of a few do not represent 99.9% of the brave men and women who are honorably serving our country overseas. I support a complete investigation into everyone involved in these deplorable acts and stand with President Bush and Secretary of State Powell in calling for criminal action against those responsible.

I believe that Americans need to maintain an honorable position in time of war and refrain from such tactics that our enemies might in turn use against our soldiers. The Geneva Convention must be adhered to by all. These actions were not representative of the U.S. Armed Forces that I have served proudly for many years, including now in the Army Reserves. I am confident that this situation will be dealt with quickly and justly. We cannot tolerate such acts in our armed forces and I will work with both the Administration and my colleagues in Congress to make sure abuses such as these will never be associated with the U.S. military again.

For more information on this ongoing situation please visit: http://www.defendamerica.mil/.

Constituent Corner

" Energy Grants Available
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced the availability of grants to help Illinois farmers and rural small businesses purchase renewable energy systems and to improve energy efficiency. They can apply for a share of $22.8 million in grant funds available nationally from Rural Development, a USDA agency.

Applicants for the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements program must be agricultural producers or rural small businesses. The Rural Development grants will pay up to 25 percent of eligible project costs, up to $500,000 for renewable energy systems and $250,000 for energy efficiency improvements. Applications must be completed and submitted with a postmark no later than July 19, 2004.

Information on the Rural Development energy grant program is available at www.rurdev.usda.gov homepage in the "Rural Development News" section or in "Home Page Archive" for May 5, 2004. Questions can be directed to Cathy Glover at 217/403-6210 or at Cathy.Glover@il.usda.gov or to Patrick Lydic at 217/403-6211 or at Patrick.Lydic@il.usda.gov.

" New Tax Credit is a Boost for Southern Illinois
I am pleased to announce that the Bush Administration has issued a tax credit of $7 million for Peoples Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) of Fairfield to issue commercial-related loans to businesses in low-income communities in its local service area.

The tax credit is part of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The NMTC Program permits taxpayers to receive a credit against federal income taxes for making qualified equity investments in designated Community Development Entities.

It is important that we do all we can at the federal level to support the economy of regions like Southern Illinois, which as we know has been struggling. This allocation will allow PEDC to provide a higher level of funding to businesses, which translates jobs for the people of Southern Illinois.

" Broadband Service to Expand in 19th District
I am happy to announce that on Tuesday the Bush Administration issued a loan guarantee of almost $10 million for Shawnee Telephone Company of Equality to provide new and improved broadband service to its customers in both the 19th and the 15th districts. Shawnee Telephone Company services the counties of Gallatin, Hardin, Johnson, Pope, and Saline.

The loan guarantee, at $9,797,000 for 18 years, was announced by Secretary Ann M.
Veneman of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Bush Administration's effort to expand the availability of broadband technology in rural areas.
It is one of 20 rural broadband and telecommunication loans totaling $190 million to expand access to advanced technology in 19 states.

Veneman announced in January 2003 that USDA would expand efforts to bring farmers, rural residents and businesses greater access to improved telecommunication technology through loans and loan guarantees to rural telecommunications providers. Most of the funds for the program were authorized through the 2002 Farm Bill. To date, over $206 million in broadband loans have been approved in this program.

" New Scholarships Available for High School Students
A new scholarship is available for high school students. Today, the Corporation for National and Community Service continues a long tradition of citizen involvement and supports President Bush's call to service by encouraging students to improve their communities through service. One initiative that encourages these habits is the Presidential Freedom Scholarship program.

Students in every state in the nation as well as the District of Columbia have been recognized. Through the program, each high school in the country may select up to two students - juniors or seniors - to receive a $1,000 scholarship in recognition of outstanding leadership in service to their community. With funds appropriated by Congress, the Corporation provides $500 for each scholarship, which must be matched with $500 secured by the participating school from the community.

For more information and to download an application please visit, http://www.nationalservice.org/scholarships/. The deadline is July 16th, so please pass this information on to any students that you know who would be interested.

" New Grant Program Available for Homeland Security Training
The Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness announces the opening of the Fiscal Year 2004 Competitive Training Grant Program. This program will provide funding for training initiatives that further the mission of ODP to prepare the nation to prevent, deter, respond to and recover from incidents of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction.

Applicants must designate a single issue area under which they would like to be considered for
grant funding. Applications should address one of the following issues:
o Training to Address Preparedness Challenges in Rural Areas.
o Training to enhance prevention, deterrence, response and recovery from Agricultural WMD
Incidents.
o Initiatives Related to the Prevention of Cyberterrorism and Increased Awareness of
Cybersecurity Issues.
o Training for State and Local Law Enforcement to Develop Capabilities for Terrorism
Prevention, to include Areas such as Detection, Interdiction, Intelligence Analysis, Critical
Infrastructure Protection, and Information Sharing.
o Training Initiatives to Develop and Enhance Community Outreach Strategies for Local
Audiences through Existing Non-Governmental and Volunteer Organizations.
o Addressing Training Gaps Related to Prevention and Preparedness, to include Assistance for
Special Needs Populations.

The application is available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm.

" Medicare Approved Drug Discount Card Delivering Discounts
I'm pleased to announce that the first analysis comparing the Medicare-approved drug discount cards with the current prices for prescription medicines shows savings of at least 10 to 17 percent for brand name drugs and far larger savings for generic drugs compared to the average prices paid by all Americans. These statistics also include Americans with access to lower drug prices through public and private insurance plans, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

All Medicare beneficiaries, except those who have outpatient drug coverage through Medicaid, can now enroll in a Medicare-approved drug discount card program. Beneficiaries who enroll by the end of May will be fully eligible for the discounts and financial assistance beginning in June. The card sponsors may charge an annual enrollment fee of no more than $30, though many cards have lower fees and some have no fee. There is no enrollment fee on any card for people who qualify for the $600 credit.

Beneficiaries can compare the prices of drugs offered by the drug cards at www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to help them compare the discounted prices negotiated by the card sponsors, as well as the enrollment fees, and other discount card features. They can also compare the prices of drugs being charged at their local pharmacies and find out the cards the pharmacies honor. The card sponsors provide the pricing and pharmacy information to CMS and that information is being updated weekly.

" WWII Memorial Opened
On Saturday April 29, 2004 the long awaited WWII Veterans Memorial was opened here in Washington D.C. The memorial will honor the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. It is my hope that it will inspire future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of what the World War II generation accomplished in securing freedom and democracy. The dedication of the memorial will occur on May 29, 2004. For more information on the history and visiting the memorial please visit http://www.wwiimemorial.com/.

" Traveling Help Desk comes to Joppa and Eddyville
On Wednesday, May 19, Jed Nelson of my Harrisburg district office will be available to help the residents of Joppa and Eddyville. In Joppa, he will be at the Joppa Senior Building from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. In Eddyville, he will be in the Village Hall from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit my web page at http://www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm. I hope you stop by!

Legislative Week in Review

" H.R. 4227 - Middle-Class Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act of 2004. This legislation passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday with a vote of 333 to 89. Without passage of this bill by the Senate, the 10-percent bracket next year will shrink from $14,000 to $12,000 for couples and from $7,000 to $6,000 for individuals. It would completely phase out in 2011. The AMT was created more than 30 years ago to prevent high-income taxpayers from using multiple tax deductions and write-offs to avoid paying income taxes. Under President Clinton the AMT was increased in 1993, but the limits were not indexed for inflation. As a result, more and more middle-income taxpayers are forced to pay the AMT today. Without action, the AMT limits will go from $40,250 for singles/heads of household in 2004 to $33,750 in 2005; for married taxpayers filing jointly and qualifying widows and widowers, it would go from $58,000 to $45,000.

While some believe that tax increases are good for America, and vote for them whenever they get the chance, it is my belief that Congress should stop any efforts to reduce take-home pay for hard-working Americans. To view the complete text of H.R. 4227 please visit, http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html and enter in HR 4227.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week
" Congress will be in session from Tuesday through Friday of next week. We have yet to receive a floor schedule but check http://www.congress.gov/house.html for a schedule as soon as it becomes available.

Did You Know?

" May is Older Americans Month
The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) is pleased to introduce the Older Americans Month "Aging Well, Living Well" Program Champion initiative. During the month of May, AoA is spotlighting programs in local communities around this country that assist older Americans in their quest to age and live well.

For more information on these programs please visit http://www.aoa.gov/press/oam/May_2004/champions.asp.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This electronic newsletter is a weekly publication sent to all interested constituents. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please send a message to <shimkus.il20@mail.house.gov> and put UNSUBSCRIBE somewhere in the Subject or Body, and we will remove you from the mailing list.
Please do not reply to this e-mail for any other reason; instead, visit <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/emailme.htm> to contact me.