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D.C. and District Talk

· State of the Union
I attended the annual State of the Union address on Wednesday and was happy to see that President Bush once again showed that he has a forward-looking approach. In his inaugural speech the President outlined broad ideals for freedom throughout the world. In the State of the Union he showed that he is willing to use his strong leadership to address tough issues here at home.

The President has challenged those of us in Congress to tackle the weighty issues of Social Security reform, tax reform, and reducing the deficit. I was pleased that he noted the need to pass a comprehensive energy policy, which I firmly support, and the need for legal reforms, including medical liability lawsuit reform.

I also join in President Bush’s praise for American troops serving our country and for the Iraqi people who stood up for their own country and voted. Unfortunately, our men and women in uniform are faced with near daily attacks, but this weekend’s vote showed that the Iraqi people are willing to stand with our troops to defend their right to a free country.

I am in awe of the candidates who put themselves out front and the citizenry who stood up to those who wanted these elections to fail. The President highlighted the fact that democracy and freedom are rights that every human desires. The people of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine are prime examples of historic elections that will move freedom forward throughout the world.

For full text and video of the President’s State of the Union address please visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2005/index.html.

Constituent Corner

· Taxpayer Assistance Available

As 2004 tax documents arrive, I would like to remind my constituents of government assistance available to taxpayers. There are numerous sources of help for preparing and filing our taxes. Many of them are free, and I encourage my constituents to take advantage of them.

Among the available programs is Free File, online tax preparation and electronic filing through a partnership agreement between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Free File Alliance, LLC. Illinois residents can e-file for free. Visit www.IRS.gov to learn more. The IRS also provides a 24-hour, toll-free help line at 1-800-829-1040. For those who prefer to file on paper, www.IRS.gov offers downloadable forms and instructions.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) gives free help to those earning less than $36,000 a year who cannot prepare their own tax returns as well as to military personnel and their families. Taxpayers 60 and above can find assistance from the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program and the AARP-sponsored Tax-Aide Program (call toll-free 1-888-227-7669 or visit www.aarp.org/money/taxaide/taxcounseling for further information and locations of the numerous sites in and around the 19th Congressional District where AARP volunteers will be offering their services). VITA and TCE are sponsored by the IRS (call the IRS help line or visit www.IRS.gov for more information).

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a special tax benefit available to many lower-income working people. Workers who qualify will have some or all of the money returned to them that was taken out of their paychecks for taxes. Some may also receive extra cash from the government to help supplement what they earn. Even workers who do not earn enough to pay federal taxes may be eligible for this credit. IRS.gov and the IRS toll-free help line also can provide more information on the EITC. Constituents who believe they are owed money from last year can check the listing of unclaimed refunds on my website at www.house.gov/shimkus/ILUndlr.pdf. If their name is on the list, taxpayers should call the IRS help line. Once you file for 2004, you can check www.IRS.gov for your refund status.

A warning: Don’t fall victim to tax scams. Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you think you’re being scammed, you can report suspected tax fraud activity by calling 1-800-829-0433.

For those who prefer to deal with the IRS in person, offices are located in and around the 19th Congressional District, including Decatur (phone 217-862-6015), Fairview Heights (618-632-2567), Mt. Vernon (618-632-2567), and Springfield (217-862-6015).

My Congressional offices cannot fill out income tax forms, but it can act as a liaison between constituents and the IRS to help solve problems with federal income taxes. If you are a resident of the 19th District and need assistance, please do not hesitate to call my Springfield district office at 217-492-5090.

· New Head Start Grant

I am pleased to announce new United States Department of Health and Human Services funding for CEFS Economic Opportunity Corporation. CEFS will receive $1,410,053 for Head Start programs. This is a supplemental discretionary grant for the budget period, which runs November 2004 through October 2005.

As a parent and former teacher, I know that children need to begin developing their learning skills at an early age…skills that are necessary in order to obtain a quality education. Head Start is a program that provides a boost to pre-school age children in order to ensure a bright future for our youth.

This funding covers full year programs for full day students, handicapped students, and training and technical assistance.

CEFS offers Head Start programming in Christian, Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Montgomery, Moultrie, and Shelby counties. For more information on CEFS please visit http://www.advant.com/cefs. For more information on Head Start programs please visit http://www.nhsa.org.

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.Res. 56 – Commending the Palestinian people for conducting a free and fair presidential election on January 9, 2005 (Rep. Blunt / Rep. Hoyer – International Relations).

o H.Res. 57 – Urging the European Union to maintain its arms embargo on the People’s Republic of China (Rep. Hyde – International Relations).

o H.Res. 60 – Relating to the free election in Iraq held on January 30, 2005 (Rep. DeLay – International Relations)

o H.Con.Res. 36 – Expressing the continued support of Congress for equal access of military recruiters to institutions of higher education (Rep. Rogers {AL} – Armed 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 Thursday of next week. At this time information is not available 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?

· New Site to Show Support for our Troops

I wanted to bring to my constituents attention a new website set up by the Department of Defense that communicates the support of all Americans to our service members serving overseas. This site, www.americasupportsyou.mil, spotlights what Americans are doing across the country, encourages others to join the team, and allows all to tell their stories by giving voice and visibility to their efforts. Military members can access the site as well and learn what Americans are doing to show their support.

I encourage all of my constituents to take a few seconds out of their day and visit www.americasupportsyou.mil and see how they can support those brave men and women who are keeping us all safe through their service to their country.

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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