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D.C. and District Talk

· Frivolous Lawsuits

This week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 554, the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act. This bill will limit lawsuits against restaurants and encourage personal responsibility.

Our legal system has run amok, and my home county is certainly the rule, not the exception to the excesses of lawsuits. So many people are ready to first blame others instead of taking responsibility for their own actions.

This legislation would prohibit obesity or weight gain-related claims against the food industry, except in cases where a state or federal law was broken that resulted in harm. Contract or warranty violations would also be allowed to go forward, as would cases involving tainted food.

For more information regarding this bill, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.

· Meth Hearing

I was pleased to participate in a hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday to review issues relating to the production and use of methamphetamine. We had a distinguished panel of government witnesses representing the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The second panel included witnesses from local government and the private sector, and included representatives from the National Association of Counties, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the Food Marketing Institute, and PCH North America Pfizer, Inc.

As you know, the proliferation of small, clandestine methamphetamine laboratories throughout the primarily rural counties within our district have forced our local law enforcement officials to expend large numbers of man hours and resources on combating the increase in both usage and manufacture of this dangerous drug. The need for a national policy on the sale and storage of pseudoephedrine, in partnership with current state laws, was evident at Thursday’s hearing. I look forward to working on legislation in the upcoming weeks that will accomplish this goal.

Within the next week, testimony from the hearing will be posted on the House Energy and Commerce Committee website: http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/10202005hearing1683/hearing.htm.

Please contact my office if you need the testimony before it is available on the web.

· Rescind the Congressional Pay Raise Act of 2005

I have recently joined my colleague, Jeff Miller of Florida, and many other colleagues, in supporting H.R. 4047, the Rescind the Congressional Pay Raise Act of 2005. This is a bill that will “amend the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to reduce the rate of pay, and to eliminate automatic pay adjustments, for Members of Congress.”

This legislation is currently in the House Committee on Government Reform. For more information on this bill, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.

Constituent Corner

· New Medicare Website

Next month, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to start signing up for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. The Medicare outreach campaign has introduced a new website that will help seniors compare specific plans after taking into account factors such as where they live, the types of drugs they routinely take and how much they are willing to pay in premiums and deductibles.

To access this website, please visit www.medicare.gov. As always, you can reach Medicare via phone at (800)Medicare, (800)633-4227.

· Hurricane Contracting Information

The Secretary of Commerce, Carlos M. Gutierrez has announced the Department of Commerce Hurricane Contracting Information Center (HCIC). This will allow U.S. businesses, especially minority, women and small businesses to participate in the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.

For more information on HCIC and contracting, please visit www.rebuildingthegulfcoast.gov.

· National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

To promote national awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is promoting the month of November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month.

Thursday, November 10 will be the annual National Commemorative Candle Lighting. For more information on local ceremonies, please visit www.candlelighting.org, or call (toll-free) 886-AFA-8484.

Tuesday, November 15, is known as National Memory Screening Day, which is one of their main focal points. On that day, about 700 sites nationwide will offer free memory screenings. These screenings are not used in diagnosis, however, they can be a great tool in early detection. For information on memory screening, please visit www.nationalmemoryscreening.org, or call (toll-free) 866-AFA-8484.

For more general information regarding Alzheimer’s Disease and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, please visit www.alzfdn.org.

· Fight Against Online Predators

Web Wise Kids (WWK) has introduced a computer game called “Missing”, which has already aided in the fight against online sexual predators. There are over 200,000 sexual predators on the Internet searching for their next victim, while 77 million children are on the same internet. The FBI has stated that almost 20% of those 77 million children have been sexually solicited

The new computer game, “Missing”, introduced by WWK is a great way to get children involved in their own protection. It teaches children to know what to do if ever confronted by these horrible individuals.

I applaud Web Wise Kids for their efforts. To find out more about Web Wise Kids, please visit www.webwisekids.org.

· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates

On Thursday, October 27, 2005, Dora Rohan of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of Clay City and Willow Hill. In Clay City, she will be at the Clay City Village Hall on 140 South Main Street from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. In Willow Hill, she will be in the Willow Hill Township Building on 101 South Cumberland from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

On Thursday, November 3, 2005, Holly Healy of my Harrisburg district office will be available to help the residents of Elizabethtown. She will be at the Elizabethtown City Hall from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

For more information, please visit my web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.shtml. 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. 1409 – Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 (Rep. Barbara Lee – House International Relations) I was a cosponsor.

o H.R. 554 – Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act of 2005 (Rep. Ric Keller – House Judiciary) I was a cosponsor.

o S. 397 – Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (Sen. Larry E. Craig – House Financial Services)

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

o H.R. 420 – Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2005 (Rep. Lamar Smith – House Judiciary)

o H.J.Res. 65 – Disapproving the recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (Rep. Ray LaHood – House Armed Services)

o H.R. 1461 – Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 (Rep. Richard Baker – House Financial Services)

· Keep an eye on the Office of the Clerk’s web site for upcoming legislation: http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/index.html. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

· Hire Vets

I have recently signed on as a cosponsor of H. Res. 302, which thanks our National Guard and Reserve soldiers for their great sacrifice and thanks their employers for working with the many men and women who have been called overseas. The federal government has introduced a new website to aid in the employment of our great veterans. They have given so much for our country and now we are working together with businesses to aid in finding employment.

Please visit www.hirevetsfirst.gov for more information on how to hire a vet or how to apply as a vet.

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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