10th News: Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment in Waukegan and the Great Lakes
First, I hope you had a nice Presidents Day weekend. I am actually writing to you this week from Jerusalem, where I am part of a congressional trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. I will write more next week about what I am sure will be a remarkable trip.
Last week was also remarkable for a number of reasons. The highlight was a visit on Friday by Mitch Landrieu, President Biden's senior advisor for implementation of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The specific purpose of the trip was to announce a $1 billion investment for cleaning up the Great Lakes, including finishing the clean up of Waukegan Harbor. The EPA is taking the steps necessary to finish the cleanup of Waukegan Harbor, invest in the health and wellbeing of Waukegan families, and return jobs, tourism, and recreation to the region. We were joined by EPA Region 5 Director Debra Shore, Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representatives Bill Foster, Lauren Underwood, Raja Krishnamoorthi and many other local leaders.
On Tuesday, I hosted a tax webinar with presenters from the IRS who offered advice and answered questions about the 2021 tax filing season. Earlier this month the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing with the head of the IRS Tax Advocate Service. She offered three suggestions for helping make sure you file your taxes correctly and get any refund promptly. First, check and recheck you tax return for errors before filing. Second, if you can, file electronically. And third, again if possible, use direct deposit for your refund.
On Valentines Day, I was honored to deliver more than 500 handmade Valentines contributed by local constituents to veterans across the district. We made stops at the Lake County Veterans Assistance Commission, the James A. Lovell VA Hospital, Midwest Veterans Closet, Libertyville VFW and Dry Hooch in Grayslake.
The week before Valentines, I remained in Washington isolating with COVID. I was thankful to have very mild symptoms and I am fully recovered. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and wishes for my good health.
Though I was forced to vote by proxy because of my COVID quarantine, I was able to help pass several important bills, including the Postal Service Reform Act. The Postal Service Reform Act, passed with bipartisan support, will improve mail delivery nationwide and strengthen the Postal Service, which was struggling with resource shortages even before COVID exacerbated its issues. Without this crucial funding, the Postal Service would have run out of funds entirely by 2024.
Lastly, I want to congratulate TEAM USA for making our country proud at the 2022 Winter Olympics. We celebrated all the medal wins, and enjoyed the performance of all our athletes.
Keep reading for more information about what's going on in Washington and around the district.
Around the Tenth
Top Tips for Taxpayers This Filing Season
In case you missed it, I hosted a webinar last week with representatives from the IRS to talk about tips for filing your taxes this year. You can watch a recording of the webinar here. And as always, my team is here to answer questions: please feel free to call my office for help at 847-383-4870.
I also recently spoke with the National Taxpayer Advocate during a Ways & Means hearing. Here are her recommendations to taxpayers this filing season:
- File electronically
- Opt for direct deposit, which will speed up how quickly you get your return
- Triple check for errors, because if you need to amend your return it will cause significant delay
Fireside Chat: Black History Month and Voting Rights
In honor of Black History Month, I was grateful for the chance to speak with Brotha Blanks and Dr. Sandra Leconte in a fireside chat on voting rights last week. Dr. Leconte is the President of the NAACP Lake County Branch and Brotha Blanks is a local abolitionist, author and youth mentor based in Waukegan. I especially enjoyed hearing the story of Brotha Blanks' grandfather, Rev. H.D. Darby, who was a civil rights leader during the 1950s who helped secure the right to vote for thousands of Black people in the South. Watch the discussion here.
Rosalind Franklin: Fighting COVID in Lake County
Lake County, Illinois is the home of the nation's life sciences corridor. The SHIELD program has become an essential piece of Illinois's fight against COVID, providing quality, affordable testing for 70% of our college students, and 29 school districts in the Tenth Congressional District alone. I was thrilled to review the program with Senator Duckworth yesterday at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Strengthening Human Services
As a proud member of the Lake County Alliance for Human Services, fighting for the resources our communities need has always been a priority for me. During my meeting with the Alliance last week, we talked about our efforts to increase mental health resources and funding, as well as Lake County's recent grant to form a human trafficking task force.
American History with CLC Students
One of my favorite meetings last week was visiting with the students in CLC Professor Melanie Bemben's pre-1876 history class. I love meeting with these young people and answering their questions, but more importantly hearing about their ideas, concerns and aspirations.
What's Happening in Washington
A Note on Ukraine
The security of the United States is inextricably tied to upholding the universal commitment to international law, sovereign borders, and every nation's right to self-governance. Putin's moves in Ukraine are an affront to the democratic will of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future, and a flagrant and dangerous challenge to international law and security. Putin's theater of lies is fooling no one — sending Russian troops into eastern Ukraine is the beginning of an invasion and a blatant violation of both international law and Ukraine's sovereignty. The world must respond appropriately. This illegal escalation poses the greatest security threat to Europe and the world in decades.
I commend President Biden's strong and swift response, uniting our NATO allies in combatting the belligerent Russian threat, and I stand ready in Congress to support and bolster these actions to hold Putin accountable.
It is critically important for Congress to demonstrate, with broad bipartisan support, the U.S. commitment to international law and security, and the independence of the people of Ukraine. Congress must ensure the U.S., with NATO and our European partners, is fully equipped to counter Putin and Russia's warmongering and revanchist ambitions.
COMPETES Act Will Restore American Global Leadership
I joined WTTW's Chicago Tonight last week to talk about how the America COMPETES Act, passed by the House last week, will help tackle inflation and supply chain problems, help us out-compete China, and bring home manufacturing jobs.
I am proud to support the COMPETES Act of 2022 to get our supply chains, our technology and our manufacturing back on track so we can make America a global leader once more. Watch the full interview here.
Paid Leave for Loss of a Child
The death of a child is an unimaginable loss. Now, for the first time ever, Congress is guaranteeing paid leave for the loss of a child for federal employees. It's the most progressive reform for federal bereavement leave to pass Congress in U.S. history.
It's been a tremendous privilege to work on this law. Now, we must work to expand this leave for all workers. Read more here.
COVID-19 Update
As cases continue to rapidly decline in Illinois and nationwide, Governor JB Pritzker announced that he will lift the statewide mask mandate by February 28, except in certain settings like schools. While this is good news and a sign of how far we've come in beating back the virus, we must remain vigilant by getting vaccinated and testing frequently to keep case numbers low.
- The vaccine is safe and effective. If you are unvaccinated, you are 16 times more likely to be hospitalized and 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated.
- Every American is now eligible to receive free, at-home COVID-19 tests. Eligible Americans can order up to 4 free tests at covidtests.gov. Tests are expected to ship in 7-12 days.
- All Americans ages 12 and up are now eligible for COVID-19 booster shots. As long as you are six months past your last Pfizer or Moderna shot, you can now get a booster by visiting your local doctor's office or pharmacy.
- Be wary of fake COVID-19 testing sites, which are popping up across the Chicagoland area. Use the Illinois Department of Health list of approved testing centers to verify that the site you are going to is legitimate.
- The vaccine is saving lives. So again, tell your loved ones, your friends, neighbors and coworkers, join the fight and get your shot!
Resources
Tax Season Runs from January 24 - April 18, 2022
This year's tax filing season will open on January 24 and close on April 18 – starting earlier than last year in order to give Americans more time to file their returns. The IRS recommends filing your taxes electronically as soon as possible and opting for direct deposit. You can prepare your federal income tax returns online for free using the IRS partner site, Free File.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in IRS office closures and staffing issues, which are expected to continue into the 2022 season. As a result, the IRS is still processing a significant backlog of 2020 returns as we begin this next filing season. You can still file your 2021 returns even if you are waiting for 2020 returns to be processed.
Have questions about filing your taxes? Join me and representatives from the IRS for a webinar discussing tax assistance options available in the Tenth District next Tuesday, February 15th from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. Register here.
Unincorporated Residents Eligible for Flood Insurance Premium Discounts
If you live in unincorporated Lake County, you may be eligible for up to $297 in savings per year on flood insurance policies. Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program, residents within unincorporated Lake County – who meet certain requirements – are eligible for up to 20 percent savings on flood insurance premiums
Contact your insurance agent for coverage information, pricing and CRS flood insurance discount information. You can also visit Lake County's flood coverage website for more information.
LONG WAITS FOR PASSPORTS: Look Before You Book
As more and more people get vaccinated, travel is starting to pick back up again. My office has received a major uptick in calls asking to expedite passport renewals lately. If you plan to travel internationally, remember to check the expiration date on your passport before you book your trip. It is taking much longer than normal to renew a passport, so make sure to plan ahead.
Check the passport website to get an idea of processing time -- expedited processing is now taking 5-7 weeks from submission to receipt, with regular processing taking 8-11 weeks.
At this point, expedited exceptions are only being made in case of emergency travel. In other words, apply now for that passport you will need for the trip you might take over Winter Break. Passports last for 5 or 10 years depending on what age you were issued your first passport.
Lake County: COVID Rental Assistance Programs Open Now
Lake County is offering rental assistance programs for those who face financial hardships related to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay rent. The deadline to apply for rental assistance in Cook County has passed.
Learn more and apply here for the Lake County Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
In Closing
In honor of the Rams Super Bowl win, although it's been a few weeks, I wanted to share a video of Rams player Andrew Whitworth's acceptance speech when he won the Walter Payton Player of the Year Award. His speech is a reminder that we all have a responsibility to give back to our communities, regardless of how far we've come.
Onward,
Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress