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D.C. and District Talk

Indecency Hearings Held This Week
On February 11, the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing to discuss H.R. 3717, the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004. By now, I am sure that most of you have seen, or heard about, the half-time show at this year's Super Bowl. I have received numerous calls, e-mails and letters from viewers who were upset that something like that could be shown over the public airwaves, especially at an event children would be watching. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have been looking into indecency standards over television and radio for the last year. Our job in Congress is to find a balance between someone's First Amendment right to free speech and protecting our children from the sex and violence on television. That is often a difficult balance to find.

A suggestion I would make would be that when you buy a new television, make sure it comes with "V-chip" technology. The V-chip is technology that lets parents block television programming they don't want their children to watch. The V-Chip electronically reads television-programming ratings and allows parents to block programs they believe are unsuitable for their children. (Ratings appear in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of a program and in TV programming guides). This rating is encoded into the program, and the V-chip technology reads the encoded information and blocks shows accordingly. For more information on V-Chip technology please visit, http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/vchip.html.

Should you find something objectionable, you should write the FCC and file a formal complaint. The FCC is only allowed to act when an official complaint has been filed. You can contact the FCC Commissioners via email by visiting http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html. Parents should also visit the FCC's parent section on their website, http://www.fcc.gov/parents/Welcome.html. I would also suggest that you contact any of my offices when you file a complaint with the FCC, so I can follow up with the agency and make sure your complaint is being handled appropriately. For the complete video of the hearing and text of the witnesses prepared statements please visit, http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/Hearings/02112004hearing1200/hearing.htm.

Constituent Corner

FTC Hotline to Assist Small Businesses and Other Victims to Recover from Web Cramming Scam
The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) has launched a consumer hotline to assist alleged victims of a Web cramming scam operated by Miami-based Epixtar Corporation and several of its subsidiaries, including one formerly known as SBA Online, Inc. The hotline number is 202-326-2998 and will advise consumers how to obtain a refund. The hotline was established as a result of a lawsuit filed by the FTC against Epixtar and its subsidiaries for allegedly violating federal law by deceptively marketing a free trial of Internet services, and then unfairly billing customers’ telephone accounts without their expressed informed consent and without their knowledge. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

National Child Passenger Safety Week
This week (February 8-14) is National Child Passenger Safety Week, a nationwide child passenger safety initiative that provides us with an important opportunity to call attention to the alarming fact that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children.

Despite ongoing efforts to better protect child passengers in cars, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under, claiming nearly 1,600 lives and resulting in close to 228,000 injuries each year. There is no dispute that child safety seats and safety belts, when used correctly and consistently, are extremely effective in saving lives and preventing injuries. Yet as many as 14 percent of children in the United States continue to ride completely unrestrained. Of those who do buckle up, 4 out of 5 children are in restraints that are improperly selected, installed or used. I encourage everyone to visit www.safekids.org for more information on events in your area as well as local contacts for your closest SAFE KIDS coalition.

FEMA and USFA Announce Availability of New Job Aid for First Responders
The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today the availability of the new Emergency Response to Terrorism Job Aid to assist emergency response personnel in identifying a possible terrorist/WMD incident and implementing initial response and recovery actions. The document includes both tactical and strategic issues to assist all first responders, including line personnel, unit officers and initial incident commanders.

The Emergency Response to Terrorism is not a training manual. It is expected and assumed that personnel using these materials already have the appropriate training and experience to address the identified tactics. The Emergency Response to Terrorism Job Aid should serve as a reminder for those who already have completed the appropriate level of tactical and strategic training, such as the Emergency Response to Terrorism courses developed by the USFA for classroom and self-study. For a complete copy of the Emergency Response to Terrorism for download go to www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/c-terror/download-jobaid.shtm.

Open Office Hours
As part of my ongoing effort to make myself as accessible to my constituents as possible, I will be holding Open Office Hours in several cities this coming week. I encourage you to drop by and share your problems and concerns with me. Appointments are not required, though they are appreciated in order to give me time to adequately address your concerns. If you would like to make one, please call (618) 344-3065.

Here are the locations and time for the upcoming Open Office Hours:
o Olney, Tuesday February 17, 2004 - I will be in my Olney office, located at 120 South Fair Street, from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
o Troy, Thursday February 19, 2004 - I will be in the Troy City Council Chambers located at 116 East Market Street from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
o Carlyle, Thursday February 19, 2004 - I will be in the Conference Room at Carlyle City Hall , which is located at 850 Franklin Street from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
o Harrisburg, Friday February 20, 2004 - I will be in the Professional Development Room at Southeastern Illinois College, which is located at 3575 College Road, from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

For more information on Open Office Hours, please visit my web page at <www.house.gov/shimkus/openoff.htm>. Hope you drop by and chat with me!

Legislative Week in Review

Landmark Social Security Legislation Cleared for White House
I am happy to announce that H.R. 743, the Social Security Act of 2003, passed the House this week and has been sent to the White House for President Bush to sign this important legislation into law. Social Security is one of our nation’s most important programs, providing essential income security when a breadwinner retires, becomes disabled, or dies. Social Security and SSI benefits constitute our government’s largest expense-consuming approximately ¼ of our Federal budget and growing. By the time children born this year finish high school, Social Security benefits paid out will double.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans pay more of their taxes to support Social Security than all government programs combined. Workers and beneficiaries have paid for and deserve enhanced Social Security protections to ensure precious program dollars are not lost through waste, fraud, and abuse. One of the most important aspects of this legislation is that it will save an estimated $800 million over 10 years.

Some of the other important points of this legislation are:

Protects Social Security Programs and Individuals
• Bans fugitives and other criminals from receiving Social Security benefits.
• Imposes a civil monetary penalty against persons who withhold material facts in order to obtain or increase benefits.
• Prohibits persons from charging a fee for a service, unless they include a statement that the same service is available from Social Security at no cost.
• Allows Federal courts to order a person who breaks the law relating to Social Security or to the SSI program to make restitution to the individual, the trust funds or general fund as appropriate.

For more information on H.R. 743 please visit, http://thomas.loc.gov and type in the bill number.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

Congress will reconvene on Tuesday, February 24, 2004.

Want to know more? Keep an eye on the Committee Central web page at <http://www.gop.gov/committeecentral/docs/pubs/WeeklyFloorBriefing>. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

Presidents Day is Monday, February 16!
In 1968, legislation (HR 15951) was enacted that affected several federal holidays. One of these was George Washington's birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.

Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring both Washington and Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as President. Of course, in Illinois, we continue to honor Lincoln on February 12th--the date of his birth.

For more information on President's Day please visit, http://www.patriotism.org/presidents_day/.

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>.

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