Protecting the Great Lakes

On Monday March 5th, Congressman Lipinski joined with IL Members at the Shedd Aquarium during an ad hoc Congressional hearing on the Great Lakes.

Pictured above left to right - Congressmen Roskam, Lipinski,
and Kirk. Not pictured is Congresswoman Judy Biggert.

Last week, more than 80 national, regional, state, and local groups gathered in our nation's Capital for the Great Lakes Lobby Day in Washington, DC. to address the challenges with the preservation and environmental impacts on the Great Lakes and its ecosystems.

Representative Lipinski marks Great Lakes Day and Clean Environment Week in Washington, D.C. by supporting legislation that would protect and restore the Great Lakes. In addition, Representative Lipinski is a cosponsor of legislation aimed at protecting the natural habitat of the Great Lakes: H.R. 553 The Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act H.R. 801 The Great Lakes Invasive Species Control Act Last Fall, Congressman Lipinski joined the National Audubon Society's Great Lakes Ecosystem Restoration Conference at Brookfield Zoo.

 

Congressman Lipinski's Metals Initiative
Legislation Passes the House

In late February, House Committee on Science and Technology, of which Lipinski is the Vice Chair, voted to pass H.R. 1126 out of committee for consideration on the floor of the House of Representatives. H.R. 1126 would provide research funding to make American steel and other metals more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Today, Monday March 12th, Congressman Lipinski led the House of Representatives in passage of H.R. 1126. "The steel industry and other metals industries are important parts of our national economy and they must remain innovative in order to stay competitive in the increasingly global economy," explained Lipinski. Click here for Congressman Lipinski's floor speech from today's debate on H.R. 1126.

"As a manufacturer who's competitiveness is closely tied to the cost and availability of Steel and Aluminum, I applaud this measure. Measures like this, which help reduce the cost of domestic manufacturing and level our global playing field, are great for industry, domestic security, and jobs," stated Zach Mottl of Atlas Tool & Die Works, Inc. located in Lyons, Illinois.

Lipinski Joins a Bipartisan Majority in Opposing the President's Troop Escalation

On February 16th, House passed H.Con.Res. 63, supporting American troops and disapproving of the President's plan. During debate of this resolution, Congressman Dan Lipinski laid out his plan for achieving stability in Iraq in a speech he delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives,  Click here to watch live video of the speech delivered by Congressman Lipinski.

Congressman Lipinski Offers a New Approach to Iraq On Tuesday March 20th, Congressman Lipinski is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Foreign Relations on H.Res. 152 legislation he introduced which outlines how the United States should implement a new Iraq policy based on three important components: Bring the world community together to seek solutions in Iraq, including calling an international conference that will work on putting together a peacekeeping force and setting up an international reconstruction program. Encourage achievement of important goals in national reconciliation, security, and governance by arranging a peace conference for Iraq's ethnic and religious factions, similar to the conference that led to the Dayton Accords. Require the Administration to give Congress detailed reports on the situation in Iraq so that informed decisions can be made regarding funding Iraq's reconstruction and deciding when American forces can be redeployed.

 

In Other News On Congressman Dan Lipinski: Congressman Lipinski recently honored Chicago area engineers at the Chicagoland Enginners Award Dinner held in conjunction with National Engineers Week. Earlier this year, Lipinski led the House of Representatives in passage of a resolution honoring the goals and ideals of our nation's engineers. Congressman Lipinski was recently honored at Polish Embassy for his leadership on Visa Waiver Program Expansion. Lipinski is Co-Chair of the Congressional Poland Caucus and an orginal cosponsor of H.R. 561, legislation that would expand the visa waiver program to include Poland.