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Friday, July 22, 2005

D.C. and District Talk

· National Sex Offender Registry Created
I am pleased to announce that the United States Department of Justice has its National Sex Offender Public Registry website up and running. It is accessible at www.nsopr.gov.

Currently, 22 state registries – including Illinois – are linked on this one national site. It is easy to search, as well. You can search by last name or just enter a zip code and get a list of each registered sex offender in your town.

The registry includes the reason the individual is registered and a photo of the sex offender. Over 500,000 sex offenders are required to register nationwide.

Registers like this help families keep themselves and their children safe. I applaud the Attorney General for establishing this nationwide link.

Constituent Corner

Rep. Shimkus accepting the National Corn Growers President’s Award from NGCA President Leon Corzine

· NCGA Honors Rep. John Shimkus with President’s Award

On July 14th, I was honored to be presented with The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) prestigious 2005 President’s Award for my support and leadership on key grower issues.

I look forward to continuing to work with the corn growers on many issues including support for ethanol in the energy bill, the farm bill, locks and dams, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, which I visited earlier this week, and opening trade. I am very appreciative of this honor.

I have been particularly supportive on ethanol issues, such as the establishment of the National Corn to Ethanol Pilot Plant at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, which will bring forward new technologies for the ethanol industry, as well as inclusion of the renewable fuels standard (RFS) in the energy bill.

Previous recipients of NCGA’s President’s Award include former Congressman Charlie Stenholm (D-Texas); Leo Liebowitz, chairman and CEO of Getty Petroleum Marketing, Inc.; Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), and George Voinovich (R-Ohio); former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.); and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

· Two Important Notices for Illinois Farmers

I would like to notify area farmers that the United States Department of Agriculture is allowing farmers with certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts to extend their contract for one year.

Farmers with CRP contracts expiring on September 30, 2005, will be allowed an additional year in the program if that year does not extend the total contract beyond 15 years. The deadline to apply is September 2, 2005.

The extension will not change rental rates. In addition, all or just a portion of the current acreage may be extended.

A general CRP signup will not be held this year. CRP is a voluntary program that protects environmentally sensitive land. CRP reduces soil erosion, improves water quality, and improves wildlife habitat.

The second issue also involves protecting the environment. I have joined eight of my colleagues in signing a letter to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee supporting increased funding for America’s Clean Water Foundation for the On Farm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER).

OFAER provides livestock producers a free and confidential review of their environmental strengths and challenges. The review then helps the producer implement better management practices.

The letter points out that “voluntary education, technical assistance, and pollution prevention program(s)” are the benefits of this program and reasons to fund it.

· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates

On Wednesday, July 27, Amy Weber of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of St. Jacob, Edwardsville, and Hamel. In St. Jacob, she will be at the St. Jacob Village Hall on 213 North Douglas from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. In Edwardsville, she will be in the Edwardsville City Council Chambers on 118 Hillsboro Avenue from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. In Hamel, she will be in the Hamel Village Hall on 111 South Old U.S. Route 66 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.R. 2601 – Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 (Rep. Smith {NJ} – International Relations)

o H.R. 3199 – USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Rep. Sensenbrenner – Judiciary)

o H.R. 3070 – National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Rep. Calvert – Science)

· 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 Monday through Friday of next week. Some of the legislation which will be considered includes:

o H.R. 22 – Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (Rep. McHugh - Government Reform)

o H.R. 525 - Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005 (Rep. Johnson {TX} – Education and Workforce)

o H.R. 5 – Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2005 (Rep. Gingrey – Energy and Commerce)

· 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.

Did You Know?

· The FTC Provides Free Materials to Help Fight and Prevent Identity Theft

Every day seems to bring some horror story about how identity thieves have raided or conned their way into an electronic storehouse that was supposed to be safe and secure. Identity theft is not much different than burglary, and more and more it looks like the crooks are walking into places where the doors and windows have been left open. Worse yet, months can pass before the identity theft victim even hears about it, and the damage may take years to repair.

I wanted to let my constituents know that the Federal Trade Commission offers information and assistance to those who find themselves to be victims of identity theft. For more information please visit http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

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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