Let's Unite to Properly Honor George Floyd
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The death of George Floyd is a tragedy.
Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law.
Exercising your constitutional right to peacefully protest is a bedrock American value and should be honored and respected.
Unfortunately there are those who seek to take advantage of this situation to loot and destroy our communities. I commend our law enforcement officers who are serving and protecting our communities. We must unite together to stop this violence so our nation can properly honor George Floyd and work to ensure others do not meet the same terrible end.
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Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Legislation Passed
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Last week the House passed the
Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act
to give our small businesses the relief they need during these challenging times. This bipartisan bill passed 417-1. This is good news for our local businesses and their employees. This week the Senate passed the bill and President Trump signed it into law. Check out the details
here
or below.
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Constituent Service Update
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Serving Constituents During COVID-19
Below are some of the ways my staff and I have provided outreach to constituents during COVID-19.
Constituent Services
My office has been assisting constituents throughout the tele-work period. In the last 5 months, we have solved 784 constituent cases related to travel restrictions, economic impact payments, unemployment, and more. That amount is approximately double the next highest amount handled in the first 5 months of any year since I took office in 2013. Additionally, my
website
has been a one stop-shop for resources and information.
Correspondence
Since March 1st, my office has responded to 22,500 constituent e-mails from over 10,000 individuals. Half of those related directly to the federal government's coronavirus response. Additionally, we've proactively mailed 160,000 constituents to let them know resources available to them during the pandemic. My office has also sent 288,000 e-mails with important COVID-19 information and resources and 12 weekly newsletter updates packed full of the latest pandemic-related updates. Those can all be viewed
here
under the
What I'm Doing
section. Anyone wishing to subscribe to my weekly newsletter can sign-up
here
.
Coronavirus Facebook Live Q&As
I have also hosted eight
Coronavirus Facebook Live Q&As
where each has been focused on a topic of important with a special guest to keep my constituents informed. You can also watch those videos on my
Youtube
channel here. In total more than 37,000 constituents have been reached with these videos.
Tele-Town Halls
Recently I have hosted two telephone town halls and participated in another. All told just shy of 12,000 constituents listened in and asked questions. All three were focused on the government response to the coronavirus. Additionally, more than 54,000 voice messages were left letting people know how to contact the office for help. Those wishing to be signed up for future tele-town halls can send an e-mail request
here
.
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C
onstituent Service Spotlight
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Helping Constituents Cut Through Red Tape in Godfrey
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“Linda was very helpful with my case. I am very thankful with her. Now I am a US citizen who can vote and have my rights. Thank you so much for all your help."
-April in Godfrey, IL
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We Need a Bipartisan Transportation Bill
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This week I joined with other leaders of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republicans to respond to a partisan surface transportation bill released by committee Democrats.
"Democrats and Republicans alike know the only way to complete a reauthorization is if we work together. For decades, that’s been the proven formula for successfully producing surface transportation laws. Unfortunately, driven by the Speaker’s partisan agenda, Committee Republicans were not involved in the development of this bill."
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Illinois Fails to Make Tough Choices, Borrows $5 Billion
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While the Federal Reserve is there to support states as they face financial challenges during this time, the state of Illinois’ legislators and this governor have failed to make tough decisions to put Illinois in a better spot where they don’t need to borrow as much.
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Twitter Tries To Censor Trump With ‘Fact Check’ But Gets Its Facts Wrong On Voter Fraud
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After President Trump tweeted to raise concerns about states mailing all registered voters ballots, Twitter added a “fact check” label to those tweets Tuesday for the first time, stating that “there is no evidence that mail-in ballots are linked to voter fraud.”
Besides setting a dangerous precedent that will no doubt infringe on free speech, Twitter isn’t the authority on elections – the Committee on House Administration is. Committee Republicans recently produced a report on the fraud that exists in certain instances of vote-by-mail.
What most people don’t know about voting by mail is that there's a vast difference in states allowing voters to request an absentee ballot and what the Democrats in California are trying to do, which is the same thing that House Democrats tried to do with their political wish list disguised as coronavirus relief...
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Advocating for Pollinators and Specialty Crops
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As Pollinator Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Alcee Hastings and I recently led a
letter
urging the USDA to ensure beekeepers & honey producers receive CARES Act relief. Pollinators are critical to our food supply chain and overall ecosystem. Read more
here
.
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Department of Justice Funding for Local Law Enforcement Agencies
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Recently I announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded $307,326 to four different law enforcement agencies in my district. The funding is part of the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program. These funds will help them effectively respond to COVID-19. This is yet another example of federal funding directly supporting local government.
- Champaign Police Department: $153,465
- Macon County Sheriff's Office: $58,008
- McLean County Sheriff's Office: $58,008
- Sangamon County Sheriff's Office: $37,845
To read more about Champaign's award click
here
.
To read more about Macon, McLean, and Sangamon counties' awards click
here
.
Additionally, the DOJ awarded $875,000 to the Collinsville and Litchfield police departments to hire a combined seven officers for a duration of three years. The funding is part of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. These grant awards will ensure that the receiving police departments are properly staffed to serve and protect our communities.
- Collinsville Police Department: 6 officers for 3 years, $750,000
- Litchfield Police Department: 1 officer for 3 years, $125,000
To learn more about these awards click
here
.
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