It's great to have my Democratic colleague @RepLBR in #IL13 this week. She's here as part of the American Congressional Exchange through the Bipartisan Policy Center. Lisa represents Delaware at-large and last year, I visited her district.
This is a great program that allows us to visit other members' districts to gain perspective & appreciation for our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We've been discussing areas where we can work together: ag, transportation, growing our economy, & others.
Some of the stops we made yesterday were:
✅@GROWMARK to discuss agriculture needs throughout the country
✅@UIResearchPark to learn about #AgTech
✅Shambaugh Farm to discuss hemp and recent policy changes in the 2018 Farm Bill
✅@tateandlyleplc in Decatur to discuss #agjobs
Photos from day 2 of my bipartisan congressional exchange w/ @RepLBR:
✔️Touring @CaterpillarInc Decatur discussing workforce training
✔️Visiting @ALPLM in Springfield
✔️Touring the @biofuelresearch at @SIUE
✔️Mtg w/ IL State House members
And last but not least of our stops:
✔️Discussing the opioid epidemic in our rural areas at the Macoupin County Health Department, which has a Recovery Center for substance abuse.
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Today is the 21st anniversary of my wife Shannon's last chemotherapy treatment after she was diagnosed and treated for colon cancer in 1999. Shannon - you are so courageous and the kids and I are so proud of you.
It's a day that we will all remember, a day of success much different than the day of her diagnosis just a little over six months before that. We were a young couple with a 2-year-old daughter and didn't know what the future held...
But because of the great American medical system and the research that was done at places like the NIH for years before my wife was diagnosed, she was able to get the surgery and treatment she needed to now celebrate this anniversary.
It’s ridiculous for @SenatorDurbin to suggest that my support for @USPS is recent, when he says I’m advocating for them now because I’m “getting an earful from constituents.” Yes, I am speaking out now, but I’ve been a USPS advocate for years.
Over 3 months ago, I sent a letter to leaders of my own party urging them to include federal assistance to USPS, including the $25 billion appropriation that’s now being discussed, in additional COVID-19 relief legislation. You can find that letter here: bit.ly/34hFqE1
I’ve co-sponsored H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan basis this past February. The bill would provide needed cash flow by repealing the mandate that USPS has to pre-fund future retirement benefits.
My statement on the House Democrats' partisan approach to police reform:
I am fully supportive of enacting police reform at the federal level, but the partisan process Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer have chosen will not lead to police reform being enacted into law.
Democrats in the House refused to incorporate Republican input, while Democrats in the Senate declined many Republican offers to amend the JUSTICE Act. A partisan approach is the wrong approach.
The only way we will enact police reform is if Republicans and Democrats come together, resolve our differences, and come to bipartisan agreement. We can't let this moment pass us.
@TransportGOP@RepSamGraves 1. Addressing the long-term sustainability of the Highway Trust Fund – continuing the status quo and relying on the fuel taxes as the primary source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund is not a long-term solution to the Trust Fund’s ongoing solvency issues.
@TransportGOP@RepSamGraves 2. Incorporating innovative developments in technology to improve our infrastructure – technological innovation has dramatic potential to increase transportation efficiency, improve safety and the environment, and create jobs. Our federal policies must better reflect this reality
Soon I'll be speaking on my amendment to study the disproportionate impact age discrimination has on women in the workforce. Tune in to @cspan to watch: c-span.org/event/?468083/…
@cspan According to a 2018 report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “women, especially older women, but also those at middle age, were subjected to more age discrimination than older men.”
In fact, some research suggests that ageism at work begins at age 40 for women, five years earlier than men. This is unacceptable, and we must find ways to correct the problem.
The strength of our freight system, and Illinois’ position as the Nation’s premier freight hub, relies on a dependable system of highways, roads, and bridges. This is important because nearly every load of freight will be transported on a truck at some point in its journey.
Over the coming decades, demand for freight moved by truck is expected to increase significantly.