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Newsletter: Bipartisan Opioid Legislation, Art Competition Winners, and Constituent Casework Milestone

April 30, 2018
Brad's Newsletter

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Dear Friend,

It's Small Business Week! During this District Work Period, I'll be traveling throughout the Tenth District visiting local businesses to hear from owners and employees about the challenges and opportunities they face, and how we can best support their important work at the federal level. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy – in fact, more than half of Americans own or work for a small business. I hope you'll take time this week and throughout the year to support the small businesses in our community.

Please continue reading for an update on new bipartisan opioid legislation I introduced last week and the results of our annual Congressional Art Competition. As well, see below for the details of three events I'm hosting this week: a FAFSA information session on Tuesday in Round Lake; a workshop on federal contracting for small business owners on Friday in Highland Park; and our next Congress on Your Corner on Saturday in Long Grove.

NEW BIPARTISAN OPIOID LEGISLATION INTRODUCED

Last week, I partnered with Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) to introduce a bipartisan bill that works to combat the opioid crisis that is sweeping through the country. H.R.5581, the Abuse Deterrent and Prescriber Training (ADAPT) Act of 2018 creates reasonable continuing medical education (CME) requirements to ensure opioid prescribers have the education necessary to safely prescribe opioid medications to patients.

Turning the tide will take a broad, multi-faceted effort, and equipping doctors with the most up-to-date information on how to prevent, detect, and treat opioid abuse is an important part of the solution. I spoke about this bill on the House floor (click the image below to watch my remarks).

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WAUKEGAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WINS CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION

One of my favorite parts of serving in Congress is the annual Congressional Art Competition. Every year, I am overwhelmed by the creative talents and remarkable depth represented by each student's work. This year we had the great pleasure to host the student artists and family at a reception at David Adler Music & Arts Center in Libertyville. At the reception we showcased the artwork and announced the pieces selected by our panel of three expert judges to be displayed in the Capitol and my local office. Artwork on the theme of "Dreams" submitted from 55 students enrolled in 15 high schools across the district was displayed.

Earning first prize this year was Joselyn Duvon of Waukegan High School for a piece titled "Sueña para un mejor mañana," or "Dreams for a better tomorrow." As this year's winner, Joselyn's artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next year, along with winning entries from congressional districts around the country. She will also receive two round-trip airline tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines to Washington, DC to have the opportunity to attend the Congressional Art Competition award ceremony later this year.

Second place went to Rachel Drobetskiy of Glenbrook North High School and third place to Annika Sornson of Deerfield High School. Their artwork will be displayed in my Lincolnshire and DC offices respectively. Thanks to all the student artists for participating, and congratulations again to Joselyn, Rachel and Annika.

View an album of all the student art submissions on our Facebook page.

INVITATION: THREE UPCOMING EVENTS THIS WEEK

FAFSA InformationSession - RSVP here
Tuesday, May 1 | 6:00pm
Round Lake High School (800 Panther Blvd, Round Lake, IL 60073)

I'm hosting an information session in Round Lake in conjunction with the Department of Education to share information on the FAFSA and Federal Student Aid

Government Contracting for Small Businesses – RSVP here
Friday, May 4 | 1:00pm
Highland Park Fire Department (1130 Central Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035)

I'm hosting an information session for local small businesses interested in pursuing federal contracts in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Congress on Your Corner – No RSVP necessary
Saturday, May 5 | 1:00pm
Kildeer Countryside Elementary (3100 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove, IL 60047)

I'm looking forward to answering questions about my work in Congress and at home.

CASEWORK MILESTONE: MORE THAN $1 MILLION RECOVERED FOR TENTH DISTRICT RESIDENTS!

Last week, we hit an exciting milestone. Our office has helped individual constituents through casework to save or recover more than $1 million from the federal government so far this term.

Since January 2017, residents of the Tenth District have received $1,029,900 they were due by working with my district office to reach out to the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, Medicare, IRS, and more. We don't plan on slowing down, so please contact us at (847) 383-4870 if you ever need assistance.

If you are unable to visit us in our Lincolnshire office, we host frequent Neighborhood Office Hours for constituents to more easily meet with caseworkers and staff to discuss any federal issues that they may have and learn more about services our office can provide. This week, we'll be in North Chicago, Waukegan, Lake Forest, and Lake Bluff. Check out the full schedule on our website and come meet with us when we're in your community!

INTERVIEW WITH VOICE OF AMERICA NEWS

I sat down with VOA News Radio last week for a wide-ranging interview on the situation in Syria, potential diplomatic progress in North Korea, reducing gun violence, and more. Listen here!

BAGELS WITH BRAD

If you are planning to visit Washington, I invite you to join me for our office open house, or "Bagels with Brad." On weeks when Congress is in session, we gather on Wednesday at 9:00am for an hour of conversation and a little nosh. Last week constituents came by to discuss the opioid epidemic, opportunities for nurse anesthetists, labor issues and more. Our next open house is May 9.

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

I testified at the House Appropriations Committee urging my colleagues to continue funding for AFG and SAFER grants for local firefighters, as well as other Homeland Security priorities.

I participated in a bipartisan lunch meeting of the New Democrat Coalition and the Republican Tuesday Group. We literally rolled up our sleeves and discussed opportunities to work across the aisle to make progress on issues ranging from protecting DACA recipients to upgrading our nation's infrastructure.

Please continue to stay in touch and share your thoughts, either by calling our DC office at (202) 225-4835 or emailing via our website.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,

Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress