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D.C. and District Talk

· Pension Protection

The House of Representatives recently passed the Pension Protection Act of 2005, H.R. 2830. This legislation was designed to protect workers’ pensions and to increase retirement savings.

Recently, there have been incidents of the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation having to take over the pensions of large corporations due to bankruptcy or not having fully funded pensions. This legislation will take a balanced approach to protect worker pensions and update pension laws.

Provisions strengthened under this legislation include:

o Employers will be required to fully fund traditional defined benefit pensions under tighter rules.

o Severely underfunded pension plans will be subject to accelerated funding rules to reduce their risk of default.

o Employers will not be able to fund executive pensions at the expense of worker pensions.

o Amortization periods for multiemployer pension plans are reduced from 30 years to 15 years.

o Tax benefits will encourage full funding of pension plans.

o New triggers will measure pension plan finances and force financial improvement on plans inadequately funded.

For more information regarding H.R. 2830, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

· Patriot Act

Prior to September 11, 2001, there were restrictions on our intelligence agencies that do not make sense now and restrictions on investigating potential terrorists.

The PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005, H.R. 3199, will allow U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, and the CIA to all share information in their ongoing investigations.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales recently wrote that this bill “…equips law enforcement with the tools needed to fight terrorists, and it also includes new civil liberties protections…”

For more information on H.R. 3199, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov.

Constituent Corner

· Medicaid Drug Seminars

I will be hosting three seminars next week for senior citizens and people on Social Security disability to gather additional information on the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

This is a very important opportunity for seniors, particularly those who do not have a prescription drug benefit, to obtain one through Medicare. I want to make sure that seniors and others who apply, first, get all the information they need to make a decision; second, that they understand they have choices and options and need to make a decision that fits their personal needs.

The seminars will be held on Wednesday, December 21, in Taylorville, Jerseyville, and Edwardsville. The exact times and places are:

9:00 a.m. – St. Vincent Hospital, 201 East Pleasant Street, Taylorville;

1:00 p.m. – Jerseyville Community Hospital Classroom, 400 Maple Summit Road;

3:00 p.m. – YMCA Multipurpose Room, 1200 Esic Drive, Edwardsville.

While November 15 was the first date that seniors could sign up, they have until December 31 to sign up for benefits that begin January 1, 2006 – the first date possible. Seniors currently on Medicare actually have until May 15, 2006, to make their choice.

Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) staff will make the detailed presentation on the prescription drug options available to seniors. This will not be a sign-up opportunity; it is just another informational seminar intended to give area seniors the most opportunities to get answers to their questions.

There are numerous plans available to seniors in Illinois, and I’m sure there are still many seniors with questions. I hope that they will attend on December 21st.

If you are unable to attend these seminars and have questions, please visit the Illinois SHIP website, http://www.idfpr.com/DOI/Ship/ship_help.asp. Also, I will be adding updates on future seminars on my website, http://www.house.gov/shimkus.

· Service-Learning Projects

There will soon been approximately $40 million in grant funds, subject to congressional appropriation, to support service-learning projects in a variety of settings.

These funds, which are intended to foster good citizenship, will be divided between school-based, community-based, higher education, and tribal and U.S. territory programs. They will be available for the 2006-2007 school year, and could continue for up to two more years.

Learn and Serve allows over one million students each year to make meaningful contributions to their communities, while learning and helping others.

Community service is a great way to get involved in helping others. For more information on this, please visit www.learnandserve.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa.asp.

· Internet Fraud

In order to work together to decrease crime this holiday season, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has announced the availability of several resources intended to help law enforcement, business owners, and citizens.

The “COPS Holiday Safety Toolkit” includes guidebooks that address issues such as check and credit card fraud, robberies at automated teller machines (ATMs), thefts from motor vehicles, shoplifting, and many others. This is a good source of information to assure that everyone has a safe and joyous holiday season.

To download a copy of this Holiday Safety Toolkit, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=1638.

· Fire Grant Awarded

I am happy to announce another community in our district receiving funding from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This money comes from the 2005 Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program administered by the DHS Office for Domestic Preparedness in Cooperation with the United States Fire Administration.

The Washington County Ambulance Service will receive $67,426 for operations and safety. These grants may be used for training, equipment, wellness and fitness, and modifications to fire stations and facilities.

For more information on this grant, please visit www.firegrantsupport.com.

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.R. 3422 – Small Public Housing Authority Act (Rep. Randy Neugebauer – House Financial Services)

o H.R. 280 – Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act (Rep. Gary Miller – House Financial Services)

o H.R. 798 – Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2005 (Rep. Bart Gordon – House Science)

o H.R. 2830 – Pension Protection Act of 2005 (Rep. John Boehner – House Education and the Workforce)

o H.R. 3199 – USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Rep. James Sensenbrenner – House Judiciary)

o H.R. 4437 – Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (Rep. James Sensenbrenner – House Judiciary)

· The House is working to complete its business for this year. It is likely that we will be in session throughout the weekend and possibly next week. I would encourage you to continue to watch C-SPAN in order to track additional legislation that we may deal with before the session ends. 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 over the weekend, but will not reconvene until January 31st. A copy of the 2006 House calendar is available at www.majorityleader.gov.

· Keep an eye on the Office of the Clerk’s web site for upcoming legislation: http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/index.html. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

· Thank a Soldier Week

Next week, December 19 to December 25, is Thank a Soldier Week. While our men and women in uniform are serving around the globe, it is important that they know that we appreciate all that they do for the safety of our country and the security that they provide around the world. I would like you to join me in sending our military men and women their due thanks by visiting www.thankasoldierweek.com.

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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