Brad's Newsletter
It's finally August, which means I will be working here in the district all month. I am excited to be home and looking forward to seeing people across our different communities. Over the next several weeks, I am sitting down with our local mayors and village presidents to better understand the specific issues they are focused on.
Better late than never, and hopefully well worth the wait, the 2020 Olympics are finally happening! These Games will likely always be remembered as the Pandemic Olympics with the year's long delay, empty stadiums and the images of too many athletes missing their chance to compete after testing positive for COVID-19.
Last Wednesday the first round of monthly Child Tax Credit payments started hitting bank accounts. The newly refundable credit is part of the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March. The annual credit is $3,000 for children under 17 and $3,600 for children under 6, with half the annual credit paid in monthly installments, July through December.
I missed last week's newsletter because I was out of the country on a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip to Israel and Qatar (more on that below). I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Before I left on my trip, I was able to join Independence Day celebrations across the district.
I am back in Washington after a much too short weekend home. I hope you had a good weekend, and were able to get out a bit. As COVID-19 cases continue to fall thanks to the vaccines, it is so wonderful to be able to once again be together with neighbors and friends to celebrate life.
I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend, and just as important, that you were not adversely affected by the recent storms. The stories and pictures from the western suburbs show the power of Mother Nature and I was relieved that no one was killed. I was also inspired by the many stories of neighbors helping neighbors.
This week, the House is in session and so I am in Washington, DC. Among the matters we are considering, the House voted yesterday on legislation to hold corporations accountable for their decisions regarding equity, justice and public health. Today we will also take up Rep.
I am so excited to get to see everyone in person again!
Spring is definitely in the air, and I love seeing so many people planting flowers and tending gardens across our district.
I hope that you had a wonderful Mothers' Day weekend. To all the mothers and grandmothers in the Tenth District, thank you for your strength and support for all of us, especially during throughout the challenges of COVID-19. And of course a special shout out to my own mother, Dena, and wife Julie, who have been remarkable sources of strength and support throughout my life.