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D.C. and District Talk

· State of the Union
President Bush will be making his annual State of the Union address on Wednesday February 2nd to Congress. All major networks will be covering the speech and I encourage all of my constituents to tune in to hear the President outline his plans for his second term and speak more specifically on the initiatives he highlighted during his Inaugural address. For more information on the State of the Union, including an archive of past State of the Union speeches, please visit http://www.c-span.org/executive/stateoftheunion.asp. To review the President’s Inaugural address please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/inaugural.

Constituent Corner

· Fire Department Seminars

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you and any of your other representatives of your department or fire protection district to the Fire Department and Fire Protection District Seminars hosted by the Illinois Fire Service Institute, the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Five seminars will be offered in or near our Congressional District, at the following times and locations:

o Monday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m., Gateway Center, #1 Gateway Drive, Collinsville.

o Thursday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m., Knights of Columbus Hall, 1501 West Fayette, Effingham.

o Wednesday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m., Salem Fire Protection District, 203 S. Broadway, Salem.

o Tuesday, February 1 at 7:00 p.m., Carterville Fire Department, 300 N. Division, Carterville.

o Thursday, February 3 at 7:00 p.m., Office of the State Fire Marshal, 1035 Stevenson Drive, Springfield.

The main topic of each seminar will be the upcoming round of Assistance to Firefighter grants to be offered by DHS. Last year represented the fourth year of the first federally funded grant program offered directly to firefighters. Again, the response was immense, but just like previous years, many good requests did not make the final cut. I urge all that applied to do so once again.

At these seminars, you will be given tips on how to complete the grant application and advice on what types of projects were funded last year and how to work toward meeting the criteria set forth by DHS. I applaud the Illinois Fire Service Institute, the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, and DHS for offering to help Illinois Firefighters get their fair share of these grant dollars.

There is no need to pre-register for these seminars, so please feel free to come to any one that may be convenient for you. If you have any questions about the seminars, contact Rodney Davis in my Springfield office at 217/492-5090. I look forward to seeing your department represented at one of the workshops.

· Time to Reapply for the Circuit Breaker Program

Now is the time to reapply for the Circuit Breaker Program. This important program provides grants to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, administers the Pharmaceutical Assistance Program that provides prescription medicines for seniors and disabled adults, and enrolls individuals in the new SeniorCare program that provides expanded prescription coverage to eligible seniors. They also provide grants for property tax relief and a $54 discount on license plates.

Last year, the Circuit Breaker Pharmaceutical Assistance Program was moved from the Department of Revenue (IdoR) to Illinois Department on Aging (IdoA). Participants may now get help at their local Senior Health Assistance Program (SHAP) office. Applications and requirements for enrollment can be found at http://www.state.il.us/aging/1rx/cbrx/cbrx-main.htm.

For more information or assistance, please visit the IdoA website at www.state.il.us/aging or call the IdoA Senior HelpLine at (800) 252-8699.

· New Firefighter Grant Available for Carmi

I am pleased to announce funding through the U. S. Department of Homeland Security to the City of Carmi. The U. S. Fire Administration, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, administers the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

Carmi will receive $23,229. The funds are for Operations and Firefighter Safety, which includes training, equipment, personal protective equipment, wellness and fitness, and modifications to fire stations. These federal funds will be combined with a ten percent local match. This is a one time grant.

As a cosponsor of the FIRE Act legislation that started these firefighter grants, I am pleased that local fire departments have been successful in obtaining federal funds. We have held seminars for fire districts to make sure that they file quality applications in order to improve their success in obtaining a grant.

Tragedies make us realize the importance of having trained personnel respond to accidents and disaster situations. I congratulate the chief and the firefighters for their efforts to maintain the safety of area residents. I hope these funds will make their jobs both safer and easier and our lives safer, too.

For more information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program please visit http://www.firegrantsupport.com.

· Give Kids A Smile Day

The American Dental Association will be sponsoring events for children to receive free dental care in the coming weeks. In honor of National Children's Dental Access Day, children ages 3-13 who are eligible for public aid and/or free lunch programs can attend. Free examinations, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, and extractions will be offered.

Friday, February 4, 2005: Highland

Smile Shoppe Dental Care will provide dental care for area residents under the age of 18 from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on February 4th. This event will work on a first come, first serve basis. In previous years, the afternoon has been less crowded for those patients seeking care.

Smile Shoppe Dental Care

1117 Washington

Highland, IL

Contact: Teri at (618) 654-9866

Saturday, February 5, 2005: Alton

The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine and Lewis and Clark Community College Dental Assisting and Hygiene Programs, the Madison District Dental Society and St. Clair District Dental Society plan to partner for the Give Kids a Smile event to provide complete dental care in Alton on Feb. 5th.

Southern Illinois School of Dental Medicine

2800 College Avenue, Bldg. 285

Alton, IL

Contact: Dr. Debra Schwenk at (618) 474-7129

It is my hope that all of those in need will register their children for these important events. As more information and more events become available I will post the information on my website and include it in my newsletter. Please keep an eye out for more dates as they become available. For more information on the Give Kids a Smile program please visit http://www.ada.org/prof/events/featured/gkas/index.asp.

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.R. 54 - To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide reasonable standards for congressional gold medals, and for other purposes (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Castle / Financial Services Committee)

o H.Con.Res. 16 - Congratulating the people of Ukraine for conducting a democratic, transparent, and fair runoff presidential election on December 26, 2004, and congratulating Viktor Yushchenko on his election as President of Ukraine and his commitment to democracy and reform (Sponsored by Rep. Hyde / International Relations Committee)

· 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 Tuesday and Wednesday of next week with the State of the Union on Wednesday evening. I currently do not have information on what legislation will be brought to the floor, but please visit http://www.majoritywhip.gov/whipnotice.asp for this info as soon as it becomes available.

· 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?

· February is American Heart Month

In celebration of "National Wear Red Day for Women," the American Heart Association and is going red! On Friday, February 4th, we encourage everyone to wear red -- such as a red dress, shirt, hat or other item -- in support of all women who have been touched by cardiovascular disease. Heart disease and stroke are the number one and number three killers of women, and Illinois ranks 22nd highest in terms of death rates from stroke. I am happy to see the American Heart Association is taking the important step to bringing attention to these diseases. For more information on the American heart Association’s events on February 4th please visit http://www.heart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3017091.

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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