10th News: A Win for American Democracy
I, for one, and I suspect you will agree, am happy to have the 2022 election behind us. Some may be happy with some of the results, others will be happy with other results. But the important takeaway from Tuesday’s election is that American democracy is resilient, the American people are strong, and we have a long list of challenges—and opportunities—before us. It’s imperative that we look for common ground and tackle the good and the bad together. I look forward to being your Representative in the 118th Congress and to working together to advance our country, strengthen our communities, and lift the lives of the people of Illinois’s 10th District.
Please keep reading for more information about what is happening in Washington and at home.
AROUND THE DISTRICT
Honoring Veterans Day with our Fourth Annual Veterans Day Breakfast
Ahead of Veterans Day, I would like to express my gratitude to our nation’s servicemembers and veterans for the tremendous commitments and sacrifices they have made to protect our country and freedoms. I’m proud to represent Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District, home of Naval Station Great Lakes (where every new Navy recruit begins their service) and more than 24,000 veterans. The Tenth District is also home to Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the first, and so far the only, joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs facility in the nation.
As the proud son of an Army veteran and father of a Navy veteran, I have seen firsthand the sacrifices our servicemembers make. I believe military service is one of the greatest responsibilities and highest honors a citizen can perform for his or her country, and words fall short of expressing my gratitude for our veterans’ selfless commitment to our nation.
Today, my office hosted our fourth annual Veterans Day Breakfast. I am grateful to our great host, College of Lake County, and all the veterans who made time to come to the event today. I also want to thank our guest speakers, Capt. David A. Weis, Deputy Chief Medical Executive at Lovell Federal Healthcare Center; Capt. Salee Jane P. Oboza, Executive Officer to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Great Lakes; Command Master Chief Anthony J. Corey, Naval Station Great Lakes; Andrew Tangen, Superintendent Veteran Assistance Commission of Lake County; Paul Baffico, Founder and President of Lake County Veterans and Family Services Foundation; and Zachary N. Clark, Director of Student Activities & Inclusion at College of Lake County.
In Congress, I am committed to advancing legislation that supports our veterans, cares for them and their families, and lives up to the ideals that they fought, and in many cases, died defending. Additionally, my office is here as a resource for veterans and their families. Please don't hesitate to contact my team if you have any issues with the VA or other federal agencies.
Federal Funding to Monitor Carcinogenic Ethylene Oxide Emissions in Lake County
I’m thrilled to share that Lake County Environmental Works was just awarded a $270,000 grant from the EPA to conduct community ambient air monitoring for ethylene oxide (EtO), an industrial chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies as a known carcinogen. This EPA grant funding was made possible by the American Rescue Plan, which I helped pass in March 2021.
Addressing EtO has been a top priority for me. As founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, I have been pushing for stricter federal regulations of EtO, organizing meetings with EPA Administrators Michael Regan and Andrew Wheeler, and leading bipartisan legislation to address the issue.
In the fall of 2018, EPA notified the public of potentially high EtO emissions at two sites in Lake County. I immediately called for federal support for ambient air monitoring and have pushed for federal funding for EtO ambient air monitoring in annual appropriations legislation every year since. The announcement of federal funding will enable Lake County Environmental Works to gather data on ambient air levels of EtO in Lake County communities to inform federal emissions regulations. Their work will also inform air monitoring efforts in other EtO-impacted communities going forward.
This is major news for Lake County. I will keep advocating for stricter federal restrictions on EtO emissions and continue the work of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force that I founded in 2019. I look forward to working with Lake County Environmental Works to implement this critical funding and use their data to inform the work ahead.
You can read more here, and see the full announcement here.
Celebrating Westmoor Elementary School’s National Blue Ribbon Award
At the start of the school year, 297 schools across the country received the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. Department of Education. We can all take pride that 5 of the 17 schools in Illinois that earned this distinction are here in Tenth District: Daniel Wright Jr. High School (Lincolnshire), Deerfield High School (Deerfield), Wescott Elementary School (Northbrook), Wood Oaks Jr. High School (Northbrook), and Westmoor Elementary School (Northbrook). Schools earn this award for their dedication to and innovation in improving overall academic performance and closing achievement gaps among students.
On Monday, I was honored to join administrators, teachers, parents, and students at Westmoor Elementary School to celebrate its first National Blue Ribbon Award. Thank you, Principal Mary Sturgill, Superintendent Dr. Jason Pearson, and Communications Director Terry Ryan for inviting me to what was a fantastic celebration.
Meeting with Community High School District 117
I also had a great meeting in my office with Community High School District (CHSD) 117 Superintendent Jeff Feucht, Board Vice President Bruce Pagni, and Board Member Bart Winkler. CHSD 117 includes Lakes Community High School and Antioch Community High School. We talked about helping improve our education system to support all children in learning the skills and lessons they’ll need to succeed in a career trajectory that most inspires their passions and opportunities.
We also talked about ways that the federal government can support school districts like CHSD 117 by continuing to reauthorize legislation like the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which I helped pass in 2018 and has provided more than $48 million for career and technical education (CTE) programs in Illinois in the past fiscal year. I am thankful for the expertise and enthusiasm Jeff brings to his role as superintendent and look forward to continuing to support educational opportunities for students in the Tenth District.
Now Open: Congressional Intern Positions in my Lincolnshire Office
Our Lincolnshire office is accepting applications for internships. On a day-to-day basis, district interns help write letters, complete district-based projects, and support my casework team in assisting constituents. If you are a student or recent graduate who is motivated and passionate about helping your community, please apply here.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON
Lower Heating Costs for Families
I'm pleased to announce $4.5 billion in federal assistance to lower heating costs for American families this winter. With $208 million for Illinois, no one should worry about keeping their home warm this winter. The funding will be made available through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program distributed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
To learn more and see if you’re eligible, click here.
Making Medicare Enrollment Easier and Cheaper for Seniors
The Medicare system is supposed to give seniors access to high-quality, affordable health care, but the enrollment process can be a source of stress, confusion, and even lifelong penalties for too many older Americans. That is why I am happy to share that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would begin implementing legislation I introduced and helped pass, the BENES Act, to help make enrollment in Medicare easier, more flexible, and less costly for seniors.
These commonsense reforms eliminate coverage gaps and make sure seniors get the health care they deserve by ensuring individuals have Medicare coverage the month immediately after enrollment and creating special enrollment periods, which can prevent fees due to late enrollment in extenuating circumstances, such as when an individual is impacted by a natural disaster. These measures were signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The final rule implementing these changes was released by CMS on Friday, October 28th, and will go into effect on January 1st, 2023.
You can read the full announcement here.
Honoring Veterans Day and Helping Americans Give Back to Homeless Veterans
In honor of Veterans Day, I reintroduced the Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund Act, which would create a convenient “check-off box” on annual tax returns for taxpayers to voluntarily choose to donate any portion of their tax refund to support programs to prevent and end veteran homelessness.
We must not accept that over 33,000 of our veterans who bravely served to keep our country—our home—safe are forced to sleep on the streets, without a home to call their own, on any given night in America. We owe service members, veterans, and their families not just our gratitude, but our commitment to ensure that we always have their backs as they always had ours. Empowering Americans with a convenient way to donate a portion of their tax refund to support homeless veterans is a small, commonsense step to make it easier to give back to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY
Please visit my website at schneider.house.gov/local-resources to find resources for the following services, and more:
- Affordable Internet Connectivity Program
- Smart 9-1-1
- 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 9-8-8 for Veterans
- Maternal Mental Health Hotline
- Uniting for Ukraine
- Unincorporated Residents Eligible for Flood Insurance Premium Discounts
- Ride Lake County
CONTACT MY OFFICE
As always, I want to hear from you. Please Email Me on my website or call my DC office at (202) 225-4835 if you’d like to share your thoughts on any matter. And if you need help with a federal agency, fill out a Privacy Release Form or call my Lincolnshire office at (847) 383-4870 so my casework team can assist you.
IN CLOSING –
As this election week comes to an end, and in many places votes are still being counted, I leave you with this thought from the late, great Daniel Patrick Moynihan:
“Am I embarrassed to speak for a less than perfect democracy? Not one bit. Find me a better one. Do I suppose there are societies which are free of sin? No, I don't. Do I think ours is, on balance, incomparably the most hopeful set of human relations the world has? Yes, I do.”
We are a divided nation in many ways, but I believe that we can unite around the idea that our best days are still ahead of us. Again, I am honored to be your Representative and look forward to serving you for another two years.
Respectfully yours,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress