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Medicare Part D

In April, I held four sign-up opportunities in the 19th District for those eligible for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. In Fairfield, I talked with Janet Weber and her parents, Eloise and Fred Gifford of Flora (shown above). Seniors and other eligible individuals have until May 15 to sign-up for the benefit without being penalized (more information below).

REMINDER:

· Medicare Part D Sign Up

This is a very important opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those who do not have a prescription drug benefit plan, 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.

While the Medicare Part D program officially began on January 1, 2006, Medicare beneficiaries currently on Medicare actually have until May 15, 2006, to make their choice without penalty.

There are numerous plans available to Medicare beneficiaries in Illinois, and I’m sure there are still some questions.

I will be hosting a seminar on May 9, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., at the Brookport Library, 7415 South U.S. Route 45. This is a chance for Medicare beneficiaries to gather additional information on the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and to sign up. To find more information, as scheduling is finalized, visit my website at www.house.gov/shimkus.

Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) is the best place to get assistance in making your Medicare prescription drug plan choice. Feel free to contact them at 1-800-548-9034 or visit the Illinois SHIP website, http://www.idfpr.com/DOI/Ship/ship_help.asp.

For more information on how to sign up, please visit my website, www.house.gov/shimkus.

D.C. and District Talk

· Gas: Consumer Protection and More Supply

This week, the House of Representatives passed two pieces of legislation to stop any form of price gouging and create a better fuel supply, both of which I was an original cosponsor.

The first bill, H.R. 5253, would prohibit price gouging for gasoline, diesel fuel, crude oil, home heating oil, and biofuels. The Federal Trade Commission would determine the definition of “price gouging” but would have to do so within six months. The penalty would be three times the ill-gotten gain plus a fine at the wholesale level and just the three times the ill-gotten gain at the retail level.

The various state laws have differing definitions, so this would establish a new nationwide standard that would prohibit price gouging in the oil and gas business. State Attorneys General would still have civil penalty authority, as would the FTC, and the U.S. Attorneys’ offices would have criminal enforcement authority.

The Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act, H.R. 5254, establishes regulatory certainty for companies looking at long-term decisions to expand refinery capacity. Under this bill the President would appoint a federal coordinator to manage the multi-agency process that is required for refinery facilities.

There are so many federal and state agencies that are involved in the permitting process for refineries. This bill allows this federal coordinator to set timelines for federal agencies that can then be enforced in federal court to keep a project moving forward. It would hopefully eliminate some of the time-consuming delays that occur with any large construction project.

The lack of refinery capacity is one of the major effects on high gas prices, as was evident after Hurricane Katrina.

For more information on these bills, please visit the House Energy and Commerce Committee website at http://energycommerce.house.gov.

· Lobbying Reform

This week, the House of Representatives also passed the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, H.R. 4975.

This bill takes many needed steps to reform our current lobbying rules:

o Strengthens lobbyist disclosure; increases the frequency of filings; creates an online database; and raises the penalties for failing to file correctly.

o Requires Members of Congress to forfeit retirement benefits if convicted of bribery or conspiracy.

o Suspends privately funded travel until the bipartisan Ethics Committee establishes new gift and travel rules.

o Prohibits corporate lobbyists from traveling with Members of Congress on flights on corporate airplanes.

o Reforms the earmark process to add transparency, including identifying who has sponsored a specific requests for money.

o Gives additional authority to the House Inspector General to perform random audits of lobbyist disclosure.

o Ethics training will be required for employees of Congress and for lobbyists.

We can, and must, take action to make sure that the penalties are stronger for those who violate the public trust. The publicity surrounding a bad apple or two in my profession or any profession always makes news, while most of my colleagues do their very best to serve their constituents each and every day.

For more information on this legislation, please visit the House Rules Committee website at www.rules.house.gov.

· Port Security

Working to secure our nation’s ports, the House of Representatives passed the Security and Accountability for Every Port (SAFE) Act, H.R. 4954.

This is a bipartisan approach to protecting our nation at our major ports of entry. Therrorists will use every avenue, particularly our weakest areas to mount and attack. We must take steps to tighten the security at our ports.

The SAFE Act would:

o Require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to install nuclear and radiological inspection systems at 22 U.S. ports by October 2007 and to establish standard inspection procedures for shipping containers.

o Establish training programs for first responders, longshoremen, and port management so that they all posses the necessary tools to protect our ports.

o Authorize $400 million per year to strengthen our port security to prevent terrorism.

o Implements a state-or-the-art identification system for seaport workers.

o Require the development of standards for sealing containers being shipped to the U.S.

o Improves the systems used to identify high risk containers headed to the U.S. and assesses each shipper and foreign port.

While this bill is not fool proof, we are taking realistic steps that set priorities for inspections and go after the areas that are weakest in order to make incremental progress.

For more information on this bill, please visit the House Homeland Security website at http://hsc.house.gov.

· TRICARE

The House Armed Services Committee continues to show its commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our service member’s benefits.

The cost of healthcare has been a major concern for the Department of Defense. With rising healthcare prices, DoD has proposed increases in cost shares for our service men and women.

H.R. 5122, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1007, will actually prohibit the Department of Defense from implementing its proposed increases for military retirees enrolled in the TRICARE program. It also calls for an independent analysis to determine the proper cost-sharing formula for this program.

To increase the use of their mail order pharmacy program, they have also decided to reduce the costs of generic and formulary drugs, through the mail, to zero. H.R. 5122 also adds money to restore proposed funding cuts, adds forensic exams in the case of sexual assaults and domestic violence, covers anesthesia and hospital costs for dental care for children and mentally or physically challenged beneficiaries, among other things.

For more information on this legislation, please visit the House Armed Services Committee website at http://armedservices.house.gov.

Constituent Corner

· Economy

The economy is strong and jobs are continuing to be made as the numbers come out every month.

In the month of March, our continued job growth throughout the country was over 200,000 jobs. Our nation has added jobs for 31 months straight, for a total of 5.1 million new jobs for American workers. The job numbers for the month of April come out today, Friday, May 5, and it is looking as though they will have a similar increase.

While I am sure that everyone has heard the numbers, I am not sure that everyone in Illinois has actually felt the great number of jobs that have been created.

I am happy to announce that Champion Laboratories, a producer of fuel filters, has decided to move their operations to their plant in Albion, Illinois from its previous location in Mexico. This will create over 100 additional local jobs.

I applaud Champion Laboratories for their commitment to the American worker.

For more information on the economy, please visit the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics website at www.bls.gov.

· National Charter Schools Week

This week, May 1 through 6, we celebrate National Charter Schools Week.

This week I would like to congratulate and thank everyone involved in the accomplishments of charter schools. These teachers, students, parents, and other supporters work hard to improve the situation in low-income and economically distressed communities.

For more information on National Charter Schools Week, please visit www.publiccharters.org.

· Military Academies (final notice)

There will be an informational All Academies Meeting (Army, Navy, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine) for high school students and parents on Sunday, May 7, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

This meeting will be held at Edward Jones, National Headquarters, at the Northeast Corner of I-270 and Manchester (12555 Manchester Road), St. Louis, MO. Topics will include: Presentations by each academy on applications and admissions; and questions and answers on academy life and the academies.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP with your name, high school name, class year, and the number of persons attending (including parents) to: 314-515-1117.

· New “Traveling Help Desk” Dates

On Friday, May 12, 2006, Dora Rohan of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of Golconda and Cave in Rock. In Golconda, she will be in the Golconda Villiage Hall at 118 N. Monroe from 10:30 a.m. until noon. In Cave in Rock, she will be at the Cave in Rock Village Hall at 100 Canal Street from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

On Monday, May 15, 2006, Steve Tomaszewski of my Collinsville district office will be available to help the residents of Geff and Norris City. In Geff, he will be in the Geff Villiage Hall at 220 W. Mechanic Street from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. In Norris City, he will be at the Indian Creek Township Building at 113 ½ Division Street from noon to 1:30 p.m.

For more information, please visit my web page at www.house.gov/shimkus/helpdesk.shtml. I hope you stop in to see us!

Legislative Week in Review

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

o H.R. 4975 – Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Rep. Dreier – House Rules)

o H.R. 5253 – To prohibit price gouging in the sale of gasoline... (Rep. Wilson – House Energy and Commerce)

o H.R. 5254 – Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act (Rep. Bass – House Energy and Commerce)

o H.R. 4954 – SAFE Port Act (Rep. Lungren – House Homeland Security)

· 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 next week from Tuesday through Thursday.

· 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?

· American in Space

On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. became the first American in space. The shuttle, the Freedom 7, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. While this flight only lasted 15 minutes, it was a huge victory for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

For more information, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_171.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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