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Newsletter: Happy New Year!

January 3, 2018
Brad's Newsletter

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Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a relaxing holiday and that 2018 will be a year filled with the blessings of peace, good health and happiness.

It's an incredible honor to work for the people of the Tenth District, and I'm proud of what we accomplished during 2017 through open community outreach, aggressive constituent service, and legislating with a focus on bipartisanship. For this first update email of the new year, I am pleased to share some of the highlights of the past year.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH – TOWN HALLS

Last year, I had the opportunity to answer questions from constituents at 17 Congress on Your Corner in-person town hall events. I also hosted 10 telephone town halls from my office in Washington, allowing me to stay well connected with the district even while away in the nation's capital. All together, more than 35,000 10th District residents joined me at these public forums in 2017.

This newsletter and our Facebook and Twitter pages are the best ways to find out about upcoming events, so please keep reading!

WORKING FOR YOU - HELP WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES

Helping constituents with issues involving the federal government – from Social Security and Medicare to the Veterans Administration and immigration – is another key priority for me and my team. In 2017, we helped more than 800 constituents, including recovering more than $471,000 in federal dollars for individual Tenth District residents. In addition to the regular business hours at our main district office in Lincolnshire, we held 127 Neighborhood Office Hour events to connect with residents directly in their communities.

This week, we're in North Chicago, Highland Park, Waukegan, and Northbrook. Check out the full upcoming schedule on our website.

HEARING FROM YOU – ADVOCATING FOR OUR DISTRICT

From perspectives on specific issues, to input on pending legislation, and even just simple suggestions for Congress, hearing from constituents is critical to helping me represent our district. In 2017, we replied to 79,688 letters, emails, and phone calls on a wide variety of issues. Health care was the number one issue last year.

In 2018, I hope to hear from even more constituents! Call us at (202) 225-4835 or send an email via our website.

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY – MAKING AN IMPACT

In 2017, I was pleased to introduce and pass seven amendments on issues ranging from helping start-up business commercialize their ideas to increasing funding for entrepreneurial development to cracking down on the Iranian missile program and support for proxy groups.

As I work in Congress, I've focused on bipartisanship. In fact, nearly three-quarters of the bills I cosponsored and more than half of all the bills I introduced have support from across the aisle. I'm also actively engaged with two bipartisan groups, the Problem Solvers Caucus and the Bipartisan Working Group (our ideas are hopefully more creative than our name). In July, the Problem Solvers Caucus proposed a bipartisan health care fix to stabilize the individual insurance markets, and we will be introducing a proposal for infrastructure in the coming days.

Among the 19 bills I introduced in 2017 are:

  • SECURE Firearm Storage Act – In 2016, more than 18,000 firearms were reported stolen or lost in 2016 from Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs). This bill would help prevent stolen guns by requiring FFLs—dealers, manufacturers and importers—to securely lock their inventory when the business is closed at the end of the day. Companion legislation was recently introduced in the Senate by Sen. Dick Durbin.
  • Opioid PACE Act – As the nation struggles to address the devastating opioid epidemic, this bill would help reduce the overprescribing of opiates by requiring doctors who prescribe these medications to complete minimum continuing education requirements every three years. A modified version of this bill passed the House as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act
  • Disapproval of Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal – After President Trump announced his misguided decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, I introduced a resolution, and was joined by 182 co-sponsors, denouncing the decision, while also commending the numerous Governors, Mayors and business leaders who pledged to continue their efforts to address the threat of global warming.
  • Common SENSE Act – With health care costs on the rise, this bill would help ensure employers notify separating employees about potential eligibility to enroll in an ACA marketplace and Medicare. Under current law, employers are only required to inform separating employees of COBRA eligibility, even though choosing a marketplace plan could be a more affordable option.
  • NIE on Iranian Proxy Forces Act – With Iran posing an increasingly serious threat to the region and the world, this bipartisan legislation would require the Administration to provide a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's support for proxy forces, such as Hezbollah.
  • STRANDED Act – Eighteen U.S. nuclear power plants have been closed and are currently undergoing decommissioning, with more to come. Unfortunately, the nation has not yet established a national repository for the spent nuclear fuel, stranding the radioactive waste in local communities, like Zion, IL. This bill would address the impacts of stranded nuclear waste by creating incentives for economic development and providing federal assistance for these communities. Companion legislation was concurrently introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Looking forward to 2018, I hope you'll continue reaching out, sharing your opinions, and attending our events. Your input guides me as I represent our shared values in Washington, and I am excited to continuing to work together.

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YOU'RE INVITED - HEALTH CARE FAIR WITH STATE REP. SAM YINGLING

I'm partnering with my friend State Representative Sam Yingling to host a health care fair in Round Lake this Sunday. Health care professionals from Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics will be on hand offering free flu shots, diabetes screening, and blood pressure testing.

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Sunday, January 7, 2018
Noon – 3:00pm
St. Joseph Catholic Church
114 N Lincoln Ave, Round Lake, IL

Learn more and RSVP to attend here.

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!