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D.C. and District Talk

· Transportation Bill Passes House
On Thursday, I was pleased to see H.R. 3, the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU), pass the House of Representatives with my support. This $284 billion legislation funds highways, transit, safety programs, and other related projects in fiscal years 2004 – 2009.

This is a comprehensive piece of legislation that funds the transportation industry, a vital sector of our economy. The bill addresses our broad national goals of congestion relief, safety, freight mobility, public transportation, and national needs.

Regarding national infrastructure needs, the bill sets aside funds for ‘Projects of National and Regional Significance.’ That is where funding for a new Mississippi River bridge will come from, although a specific amount is not yet earmarked.

The 12 specific projects in our district are:

o $2 million for Evergreen Avenue in Effingham;

o $2 million for U.S. Route 51 in Moweaqua;

o $2 million for a four lane connection between Routes 13 and 45 in Harrisburg and upgrades to Netty Green Road in Saline County;

o $1.75 million for Route 159 in Collinsville;

o $1.75 million for a connection between Routes 3 and 67 in Godfrey;

o $1.7 million for U.S. Route 67 corridor near Jerseyville and Carrolton;

o $1.5 million for MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield;

o $1 million for additional access to I-57/64 in Mt. Vernon;

o $600,000 for Route 29 extension in Taylorville;

o $550,000 for U.S. Route 50 in Olney;

o $500,000 for SIUE University Parkway in Edwardsville;

o $400,000 for buses for the South Central Illinois Mass Transit District.

These funds will flow through the Illinois Department of Transportation on behalf of the specific project.

The Senate is expected to pass its version, then a Conference Committee will reconcile the differences. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this committee to ensure that the 19th district and Illinois receive an appropriate amount of funding.

For more information on the H.R. 3 please visit http://www.house.gov/transportation.

Constituent Corner

· New Program to Help Children of Deployed Service Members

A new program has been created to assist the children of deployed members of our Armed Services. Called “Kids Serve, Too” this program is dedicated to the idea the that children of our service members are also serving the military. When a mom or dad is away overseas it is important to provide a sense of belonging to the community of children of deployed service members. As a member of the Army Reserves and a father of three young boys I believe that it is a very important program and we should all look to assist those families who are dealing with having a loved one serving abroad. For more information on this program please visit http://www.saluteourservices.org/kidsservetoo.htm.

· Firefighter Grant Goes to QEM Fire Protection District

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

QEM will receive $652,500. The funds are for a Firefighting Vehicle. QEM is based in Grafton, but protects Elsah in the 19th district. These federal funds will be combined with a ten percent local match.

As a cosponsor of the FIRE Act legislation that started these firefighters grants, I am pleased that local fire departments have been successful in obtaining federal funds. We work with any interested fire district to make sure that they file quality applications in order to successfully obtain a grant.

Tragedies make us realize the importance of having trained personnel with adequate equipment to respond to accidents and disaster situations. I would like to congratulate the chief and firefighters for their efforts to maintain the safety of area residents. These funds will provide for a safer community.

For more information on the U.S. Fire Administration, please visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov.

· New Legislation on Lab Personnel Shortage

This week I introduced the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Act (HR 1175) to deal with the growing need for these health care specialists.

There is an alarming shortage of medical laboratory personnel in the United States. These ‘behind the scenes’ professionals play a vital role. We hope to expand opportunities for students to enter these careers.

The U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 13,800 medical laboratory professionals will be needed each year through 2012 just to fill vacant positions. Unfortunately, only 4,000 individuals are graduating in these fields each year. Allied health schools are graduating 30 percent fewer students than ten years ago and 56 percent fewer students than 20 years ago.

Medical laboratory personnel make approximately 70 – 75 percent of all medical diagnoses in the lab. This is critical testing that must be performed.

This legislation would expand opportunities within the Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students program (http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/dsa/pages/programs.htm) to include loan repayment for medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians. This legislation would also increase funding for the Allied Health Project Grants program (http://www.healthpronet.org/prog_resources/news_100303.html) to help attract minorities and individuals in rural and underserved communities. Finally, this legislation authorizes a grant program to provide training to increase the number of cytotechnologists, who prepare and interpret tissue and cell samples, in order to reduce cervical cancer rates.

As a member of the House Subcommittee on Health I have pushed for this legislation over the past several years and look forward to working with other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee in bringing this important legislation to the floor of the House for a vote.

· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates

On Thursday, March 17, Jed Nelson of my Springfield district office will be available to help the residents of Litchfield and Chatham. In Litchfield, he will be in the Meeting Room of the Litchfield City Hall on 120 East Ryder Street from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. In Chatham, he will be in the Municipal Room across from the Chatham City Hall on 117 East Mulberry from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Appointments are not necessary, so feel free to drop by at any time. For more information, please visit my web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.htm. I hope you stop in to see us!

For more information on Litchfield, please visit http://www.litchfieldil.com

For more information on Chatham, please visit http://www.chathamil.net

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.Res. 41 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a day should be established as "National Tartan Day" to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish-Americans to the United States (Rep. McIntyre – Government Reform).

o H.Res. 119 – Recognizing the contributions of the United States Marine Corps and other units of the United States Armed Forces on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II (Rep. Issa – Armed Services).

o H.R. 3 – Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Rep. Young {AK} – Transportation & Infrastructure).

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

o S. 256 ­- Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (Sen. Grassley – Senate Judiciary).

· 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 Website Dedicated to Women’s Health

It was recently brought to my attention that the Department of Health and Human Services has created a website dedicated to women’s health issues. This web site and toll-free call center were created to provide free, reliable health information for women everywhere. You can look through their database for great resources or take a look through the Special Sections for information on issues like heart disease, disabilities and pregnancy.

The site can be reached at http://www.4woman.gov and or you can call 1-800-994-WOMAN for toll free health information.

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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