Newsletter: 08/01/2014
Statement
Dear Neighbors,
This week I voted in favor of H.R. 3320, the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, which passed the House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation provides $10 Billion to allow Veterans to seek private medical care if they have unreasonable wait times or if they reside more than 40 miles from a facility. It will also provide additional doctors, nurses, and medical staff and leases for 27 medical facilities across the country.
On Monday on the House floor, I spoke in support of the Summer Meals Act. More than 21 million children nationwide and 825,000 in Illinois, rely on Free or Reduced Priced meals during the school year. Unfortunately, we often forget that these children can go hungry in the summer months when they are not in school. That's why I will be cosponsoring the bipartisan Summer Meals Act, which will expand the USDA Summer Nutrition Program to help more children access quality meals during the summer months. You can watch my speech here.
The 49th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid being signed into law was this past Wednesday. More than 52 million people are now covered by Medicare and more than 60 million people by Medicaid. I am proud to work on preserving this legislation so that it continues to help so many Americans.
I met with the Village President of Bensenville, Frank Soto, and his staff to discuss issues related to O'Hare International Airport and current impacts on Bensenville and its residents. I know many of my constituents' daily lives are being disrupted by the new flight patterns, and I am working together with local officials, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other Members of Congress to find the best solution.
I also hosted a telephone townhall on Wednesday night to talk with constituents from across the district about issues that are affecting them. It was great to take their questions and address their comments. We discussed border security, immigration reform, health care at VA, and the economy, among other topics.
This year's August Work Period begins next week. I will be kicking it off by attending Rolling Meadows' National Night Out on August 5th, as well as hosting two Congress at Your Corner events the following day. The first CAYC is at CVS in Mount Prospect at 1002 Busse Road from 1:00 -- 2:00 PM and the second is at the Carpentersville Village Hall from 3:00 -- 4:00 PM.
I hope you are having a great week.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Duckworth
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