Electronic Newsletter
Congressman John Shimkus
<http://www.house.gov/shimkus>
Friday, February 27, 2002
D.C. and District Talk
· Unborn Victims of Violence Act Passes House
A very important piece of legislation passed the House of Representatives
on Thursday and has been sent to the Senate. The Unborn Victims of Violence
Act, also known as Laci and Conner's Law, would make the death of an unborn
child equitable to the death of it's mother or any adult. I have long been
a supporter for the rights of the unborn and will continue to vote for their
rights in the future. For full text of this important legislation please visit
<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c108:3:./temp/~c108R57Ho0::>.
Constituent Corner
· U.S. House of Representatives Page Program
I would like to take this opportunity to invite interested students to apply
for the United States House of Representatives Page Program in Washington,
D.C. Right now we have begun to accept applications from students interested
in serving as a page for the summer session and we will being accepting applications
for the academic year in a few months. The first summer session runs from
June 6 through June 26 and the second summer session is from July 4 through
July 24.
To be qualified to apply for the program, students must be at least 16 years of age at the time their appointment would begin and have a cumulative grade point average of a “B” (3.0 or 80/100). Those interested in applying for summer who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements may have their application reviewed by the Page Board for consideration. Also, applicants must reside in the 19th Congressional District of Illinois.
After my office reviews the applications, we are allowed submit two applicants for the summer sessions. The final decision to accept or reject the applicants is made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Students interested in obtaining an application should contact Holly Linder in my Harrisburg office at (618)-252-8271 or via e-mail at Holly.Linder@mail.house.gov <mailto:Holly.Linder@mail.house.gov>. Completed applications should be returned to my office no later than March 29.
I am a strong believer in the this program and am proud to serve as Chairman of the Page Board. It is a great experience for high school students and they are an invaluable resource to members of Congress. Please pass information about this program to any interested students. For more information you can visit: <http://www.house.gov/shimkus/pageprogram.htm>.
· USDA Approves Loan for Bluford
I am happy to announce that the Village of Bluford has received an $85,000
from the United States Department of Agriculture Department of Rural Development.
The loan will be used to cover cost overruns as the village rehabilitates
its wastewater treatment system to meet current Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency standards. This loan will be at a rate of 4.5% for 30 years and should
allow this important project to be completed.
· 60 Plus Association Presents Award
The 60 Plus Association presented me with its Guardian of Seniors Rights Award
on February 24, 2004. I am deeply honored by this award. I believe that seniors
must be able to count on their representatives to do what we can to guard
their rights. I have always prided myself on that and will continue to support
the interests of seniors in Washington in the second session of the 108th
Congress.
· Student Recruitment for Fire Protection Systems
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) United States Fire Administration
(USFA) is conducting pilot classes for its six-day Fire Protection Systems
for Incident Commanders course, and is recruiting students to attend.
The first pilot course will be July 18-23, 2004, with arrival Saturday, July 17 and departure Saturday, July 24. The second pilot is offered October 3-8, 2004, with arrival Saturday October 2 and departure Saturday, October 9. The courses will be conducted at FEMA's National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD. Students may apply for one of the two offerings. Interested students must complete FEMA General Admissions application (Form 75-5) available in the USFA Catalog of Activities or on its website at <http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/nfa-abt1c.shtm#75-5>. The course number is P827.
· National Youth Service Day April 16th - 18th
National Youth Service Day (NYSD) is the largest service event in the world,
mobilizing millions of young Americans to identify and address the needs of
their communities through service. National Youth Service Day is also an opportunity
to support youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement, and
educate the public, the media and elected officials about the role of youth
as community leaders. Over the past 15 years, National Youth Service Day has
brought together more than 25 million people in thousands of communities nationwide.
I encourage all of the young people in our district to get out and start planning
on what they can do in their communities. For more information on how to get
grants and other communities involved please visit, <http://www.ysa.org/nysd/>.
· Scholarships Announced for Low-Income Students
BCMW Community Services, funded through the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity, will award ten $500 scholarships to low-income residents of Bond,
Clinton, Marion, and Washington Counties. They will also be awarding a $500
scholarship in memory of C. Russell Rose, former director of BCMW. Residents
of those counties who want to further their education at an Illinois two year
community college, vocational school, or four year college or university may
apply. Applications will be available beginning February 23, 2004 at BCMW
909 E. Rexford in Centralia and at the BCMW Outreach offices. The applications
must be returned by 3:00 p.m. on Monday March 22, 2004.
· Electronic Resource for Health Information
I would like to bring attention to a valuable health resource, www.healthfinder.gov
<http://www.healthfinder.gov>. This is an award-winning Federal Web
site for consumers, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
together with other Federal agencies. Since 1997, Healthfinder has been recognized
as a key source for finding the best government and nonprofit health and human
services information on the Internet. Healthfinder.gov links to carefully
selected information and Web sites from over 1,700 health-related organizations.
I strongly recommend book marking this page for information on everything
from weight loss tips to information on heart disease.
· Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Application
Period to Open on March 1, 2004
I am pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will open
the application period for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program on
Monday, March 1, 2004 at 9:00 a.m. (e.s.t.). The application period will be
open through 5:00 p.m. (e.s.t.) Friday, April 2, 2004. The Department invites
fire departments throughout the United States to apply for assistance under
this program.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) is administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Domestic Preparedness. The program assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States. These funds are used by the nation's firefighters to increase the effectiveness of firefighting operations, to improve firefighter health and safety programs and to establish or expand fire prevention and safety programs. Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004, Congress provided $750 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and transferred administration of the program from FEMA to ODP.
As in past years, the Application and Program Guidance are automated and will be available online on March 1, 2004. They will both be accessible from the ODP Website <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp> and USFA Website <http://www.usfa.fema.gov>. Additionally, the Websites contain other useful background information on the AFGP, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions and the currently scheduled AFGP workshops. Fire departments that have questions regarding the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program should contact the fire grant help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov <mailto:firegrants@dhs.gov> or Rodney Davis in my office at Rodney.Davis@mail.house.gov <mailto:Rodney.Davis@mail.house.gov>.
· Illinois Soybean Farmers Join with EPA, Engine Manufacturers
to Promote Biodiesel to Schools
I am happy to announce that the Illinois EPA has arranged to start off a series
of workshops on how to integrate clean fuels into our school bus system. Each
half-day workshop will provide an introduction to the Illinois Clean School
Bus Program and sessions on school buses and the environment, eliminating
unnecessary idling and available funding for projects. An unprecedented $60
million in new funding was included in the Presidents FY 05 Budget to expand
the Clean School Bus USA Program - the national partnership to reduce the
emission of air pollutants from school buses initially launched in April 2003.
The goal is to upgrade the nation’s entire school bus fleet to low emission
buses by 2010.
The program will provide grants to governmental entities to replace pre-1991 school buses with new clean school buses offering state-of-the-art emission control and safety features, and to retrofit post-1990 school buses with similar advanced emission controls. Workshops are currently slated for February 26 in Springfield, March 10 in Collinsville and May 11 in Effingham. For more information and how to participate, contact Judd Hulting at 309 663 7692 or visit <http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/cleanbus/>.
· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates
On Thursday, March 4, Amy Weber of my Collinsville district office will be
available to help the residents of St. Jacob and Worden. In St. Jacob, she
will be at the St. Jacob Village Hall on 213 North Douglas Street from 10:30
a.m. until 12:00 p.m. In Worden, she will be in the Worden Village Hall on
115 West Wall Street from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, March 9, Rodney Davis of my Springfield district office will be available to help the residents of Nokomis and Pierron. In Nokomis, he will be at the Nokomis City Hall on 22 South Cedar Street from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. In Pierron, he will be in the Pierron Village Hall from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 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!
· Office Hours in Springfield
As part of my ongoing effort to make myself as accessible to my constituents
as possible, I will be holding Open Office Hours in Springfield next 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
or (618) 344-3065.
Here is the location and time:
o Springfield, March 8 - Monday, March 8, I will be in my Springfield office
on 3130 Chatham Road, Suite C, Springfield from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 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!
Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week
· Congress will be in session from Tuesday through Thursday
of next week. Some of the legislation which will be considered includes:
o H.R. 1417 - Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2003. This
bill would amend Federal copyright law to replace the occasional three-member
copyright arbitration royalty panels with a full-time, independent Copyright
Royalty Judge, appointed by the Librarian of Congress.
o H.R. 3752 - Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. This bill would
promote the development of the emerging commercial human space flight industry,
to extend the liability indemnification regime for the commercial space transportation
industry, to authorize appropriations for the Office of the Associate Administrator
for Commercial Space Transportation, and for other purposes.
· 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?
· Three Flags Festival March 10th - 14th
The Three Flags Festival will be a five-day commemorative event marking the
200th anniversary of the transfer of the Upper Louisiana Territory from Spain
to France to the United States. To be held in St. Louis March 10-14, 2004,
the event will attract both national and international attention to the importance
of the Louisiana Purchase in the history of Missouri and the United States.
The significance of the southern Illinois region is sometimes over looked
and I’m proud that this festival will celebrate the historical importance
of our area! For more information on the festival please visit <http://www.umsl.edu/~loupurch/3flags.html>.
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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