Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sergeant Thomas Hogshead, who is retiring from the Village of Cherry Valley Police Department. Sergeant Hogshead has honorably dedicated his service to the citizens of Winnebago and Boone Counties and the Village of Cherry Valley for the past 25 years, and he will be greatly missed.

Sergeant Hogshead entered the line of duty with the Village of Cherry Valley Police Department on November 3, 1993. Since then, he has worked hard to secure the safety of the citizens of Winnebago and Boone Counties and his community. Through his tireless work ethic and professionalism he has set the tone for the rest of his department to follow. Someone once said, ``A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,'' and Sergeant Hogshead has proven himself to be a leader to follow.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Sergeant Hogshead for his commitment to the Village of Cherry Valley Police Department and for all of the work he has done to better our communities. I congratulate him again on his well-earned retirement and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from the great State of Missouri (Mr. Clay) for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, which would designate the post office in Pekin, Illinois, as the Lance Corporal Jordan S. Bastean Post Office.

A 2010 graduate of Pekin Community High School, Jordan was a 4-year cadet in the Junior ROTC and was the captain of the air rifle team. As an avid hunter, an athlete, and a big fan of taking his dad's Jeep off- roading, he was the very definition of what it means to be a Midwesterner.

Just like a lot of young men and women from the heartland, Jordan believed in service, and he believed in being the best he could be. That is why he joined the Marines. And Lance Corporal Bastean's commitment to service was so infectious that his dad quit his job and followed him into the military.

But on October 23, 2011, during his first deployment to Afghanistan, Lance Corporal Bastean made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation in the Helmand province. Back home, Steve and Kathy Bastean lost their only child at the age of 19.

Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, when his family releases balloons at his grave site to mark what would have been only his 26th birthday, I hope they know that a grateful Nation mourns with them.

On behalf of the families of the 17th Congressional District of Illinois and from the entire United States, I want to offer my deepest condolences to the entire Bastean family, to all of Lance Corporal Bastean's friends, and to all of the brave men and women in uniform who fight for our freedom today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ian Kuehl, a student from Lena-Winslow High School, for earning the Class 1 A wrestling title for the Illinois State Championship in the 285lb weight class.

Ian Kuehl pinned his opponent in 3 minutes 25 seconds to claim his title as state champion, and I would like to recognize Ian for his tremendous accomplishment. Ian's dedication and passion for his sport meant that he was determined to win gold. As a former athlete, I understand the amount of hard work and commitment that goes into being awarded such a title. Ian's title demonstrates the value of dedication and a strong work ethic. I am proud there is such young talent in our community, and to see him represent Lena throughout the state.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally congratulate Ian Kuehl on his title, and I join the rest of the community in wishing him every success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of retired State Senator George P. Shadid, of Peoria, Illinois, who devoted his life to serving his community and the State of Illinois. George left us on February 3rd, and will be greatly missed by family, friends, former colleagues, and his community.

George was born on May 15, 1929 to Edna Massad Shadid and Philip A. Shadid; one of nine children born to the proud Lebanese immigrants. On May 30, 1953, George married Lorraine K. Unes. They had two children, George Jr., who sadly passed away in 2005, and James, who currently serves as chief U.S. District Judge for central Illinois. George and Lorraine were also blessed with four grandchildren.

Throughout his life, George embodied the role of a true public servant, dedicating his life to serving others. He started his long career in public service as a police officer for the Peoria Police Department. After serving in that capacity for twenty-three years, in 1976 he was elected Sheriff of Peoria County. In 1993, George was appointed to serve as State Senator of the 46th District of Illinois, representing Peoria, Tazewell and Fulton counties. In the Senate, George became lifelong friends with then State Senator Barack Obama. He retired from the Senate in 2006. He was a mentor and friend to many, and was admired by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He will be remembered for his great sense of humor, his honesty, and his commitment to finding commonsense, bipartisan solutions with the goal of bettering his community and the State of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally recognize the late George Shadid on his extraordinary work and service to the State of Illinois. I am grateful for George's contributions to our community, and my condolences are with his loved ones at this difficult time. It is because of dedicated and selfless leaders such as former Senator Shadid that I am especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, since Donald Trump became the leader of the Republican Party, they said they would start standing up for America's workers. There were promises to stop outsourcing and bring millions of manufacturing jobs back home.

But the two big items on Paul Ryan's agenda have been cutting healthcare and is a tax scam that is a direct attack on America's middle class. It raises taxes on 86 million middle class households. It hands 83 percent of its benefits to the wealthiest 1 percent. Perhaps worst of all, it is a job killer that will help big corporations move jobs overseas.

They claim it does just the opposite, but why are they trying to ram this thing through so fast?

Because they know that in the fine print are new loopholes that make it easier for companies to shift our work out of America and pay less taxes.

Sure, this bill will create jobs. It will create them over in China and Mexico and Malaysia.

Mr. Speaker, this tax scam is a huge broken promise. We can do better.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman LaHood for putting this together as we celebrate the 200th birthday of our great State of Illinois.

The congressional district I serve stretches from Rockford to the north; the western border is the Mississippi River; and then we go into central Illinois, as Congressman LaHood said, to the city of Peoria. I am very proud to be able to share that city with Congressman LaHood.

My congressional district also represents the Quad Cities, which is where I call home. So in between all of these towns is 7,000 square miles of scenic farmland and vibrant towns like Monmouth and Canton and Thomson. We are a proud region with a proud history of manufacturing, agriculture, and service to our Nation.

Let me tell you a little bit about the congressional district I serve. We are the home to John Deere in Moline, the birthplace of Caterpillar in Peoria, and home of the iconic Sock Monkey, which was created in Rockford, Illinois. I kid you not.

In Rockford, we hosted the Nation's very first National Football League game at Douglas Park, where the Rock Island Independents defeated the St. Paul Ideals 48-0, a real romping.

More than 40 years before the world also fell in love with them through a movie called ``A League of Their Own,'' the Rockford Peaches were the four-time champions of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--also, I kid you not. This is amazing history.

I want to mention a few athletes as well. Jim Thome, Congressman LaHood knows him. He was the five-time all-star who played for eight different major league teams. He also came from the city of Peoria, and my brother was very close with him. My brother, my late brother, was a baseball coach at Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University, and he was good friends with Jim Thome.

We have also had several other brilliant performers come out of our region. Comedian Richard Pryor was born and grew up in Peoria. The town of Aledo in Mercer County is the hometown of two country megastars: Suzy Bogguss and Margo Price. And we even have a member of Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams, who came from Rockford. So we are a proud people.

We also are very proud of our agricultural heritage. Our region is one of the top corn producers in the country. We have corn and soybean farms all across Illinois that have been worked by generations of farm families. And they even go through the rolling hills of the Driftless Area in the Galena Territory. What the Driftless Area means is that this is a gorgeous stretch of land where the last ice age actually didn't flatten, and so we have wonderful farmland in that region as well.

A little bit to the east of the Galena Territory, we have a town called Freeport, which is also known as Pretzel City, USA, and it is home to the Union Dairy, which recently celebrated its centennial birthday.

Our region has played a pivotal role not just in our State's history, but also in our Nation's history. Senator Everett Dirksen, a Senate office building right down the road here is named after Senator Dirksen. He came from Pekin, Illinois, which is in my congressional district. If you don't know the history of Everett Dirksen, he was actually one of the authors of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968.

Let's go to where I live, Rock Island County. It was the location of the very first railroad bridge over the Mississippi River, built in 1856. And since we are all getting into this Abraham Lincoln part of our State's history, Abraham Lincoln was the attorney for the bridge company that I just mentioned. Then, 2 years after that bridge was built, our region was the host--I know Congressman Bost said that his district was the only district that had two Lincoln-Douglas debates. Well, there is actually another congressional district that had two debates. One was in Freeport in 1858, in August of that year, and then another was in Galesburg in October of 1858.

So, in fact, President Lincoln's congressional district--I know Congressman Davis is going to lay real claim to Congressman Lincoln, but he also--let's see. Congressman Davis had part of his district; Congressman LaHood had part of his district; and he also represented Tazewell County, which is part of my congressional district.

Another legend of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant, made his home in Galena, Illinois, and his Presidential campaign headquarters was in a place called the DeSoto House, which is a hotel today in downtown Galena. It is a place where my husband and I like to stay when we visit Galena.

During the Civil War, Rock Island was used as a Union prison camp before it was converted into the Rock Island Arsenal, where, today, it is the Army's only active foundry. The hardworking men and women of the Rock Island Arsenal have produced munitions for every single one of our conflicts and our wars dating back to the Civil War.

Mr. Speaker, the people of the northwestern and central and western part of Illinois have always had a special connection to the veterans who have served in our country. There is one particular street, the last point I want to make talking about my congressional district that I am lucky enough to serve, and its place in history over the last 200 years, but we are very, very proud of the street that we call Hero Street in Silvis, Illinois. It is a 1\1/2\-block street, and there is no street of that similar size that has had more men and women serve in the military than Hero Street USA in Silvis, Illinois.

More than 100 people have come from that street of a block and a half long to serve in the military, and 8 of them, all Mexican Americans, made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II and the Korean war. Hero Street has long been a source of pride for the congressional district that I am lucky enough to serve, and I am proud to mention them as part of this Special Order tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I know all of us from this great State of Illinois who are speaking tonight are only scratching the surface about how important our region of the State is to our State's history. I am very proud to be part of this.

I thank Congressman LaHood for putting this together so we can talk about the bicentennial of the State of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Jo Lawson, the oldest living female veteran of Mercer County, Illinois. Mrs. Lawson has lived a life of service to her community and her country.

Mrs. Lawson grew up on a farm in Aledo. After graduating from Aledo High School, she attended the University of Iowa, where she majored in elementary education. In 1944, at twenty-three years old, Mrs. Lawson joined the United States Coast Guard. She attended basic training in West Palm Beach, Florida. Following basic training, Mrs. Lawson attended six months of radioman training in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After radioman training, she was stationed in San Pedro, California. Her primary duty there was to receive messages over teletype, which often included receiving coordinates for ships and fallen aircraft. In 1946, Mrs. Lawson was discharged with a rank of 3rd Class Radioman.

In 1950, she married Colonel Dave Lawson. They were classmates in high school and stayed in contact throughout the years following their graduation They were later reunited in California. Colonel and Mrs. Lawson were married sixty-three years, until Colonel Lawson passed away in September of 2015. They had five children together, losing one to prematurity, and were also blessed with four grandchildren.

In Mercer County, Mrs. Lawson taught one year at Perryton and taught seventh grade social studies at Northside Junior High. Along with serving her community through teaching, Mrs. Lawson was involved with and cofounded many local organizations, including the 708 Mental Health Board and Mercer County Recycling. Additionally, she was a planning board representative at her church, where she helped start the Churches of Mercer County Food Pantry.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again honor Jo Lawson for her extraordinary service to both her country and her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Hanna Grade School in Orion, Illinois, on being recognized by Nature and Culture International for its commitment to protecting the environment.

Hanna Grade School has raised money for Nature and Culture International every year since 1999. Each year, their donation goes to a different part of the world in order to support an environmental cause. This year's donation went to protecting jaguars in Mexico. Nature and Culture International is a nonprofit organization that works to protect biologically diverse environments in Latin America. Hanna Grade School was the only school mentioned in this year's Nature and Culture International brochure, the first time this has been produced.

Since 1999, Hanna Grade School has raised more than $6,000. That amount is enough to save more than 120 acres of rainforest.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Hanna Grade School for its outstanding hard work and dedication to protecting the environment, and thank its former and current students, parents, and faculty for their devotion to making the world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Galesburg, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award due to its outstanding Galesburg Heart & Soul program.

The Galesburg Heart & Soul project is a community revitalization and development effort, based on broad and vigorous resident participation. The project's goal is to allow residents to voice what they value most about their town and encourage them to actively participate in community development. The project did this by collecting the input of Galesburg Residents from all walks of life through hosting multiple focus groups. Based on their voices, an action plan was built in order to guide all stakeholders to develop a stronger, healthier, and more economically dynamic community for all.

The hard work and community collaboration visible through the Galesburg Heart & Soul project makes me especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th Congressional District. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally congratulate Galesburg, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Fulton County, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award due to its exceptional recovery efforts following the event of the Canton Gas Explosion.

On November 16, 2016, the town of Canton and County of Fulton were impacted by a natural gas explosion. This tragic incident destroyed one building, damaged 66 buildings, left 12 people injured, and left one person dead. The explosion was felt as far away as one mile. The explosion occurred in downtown Canton and affected many major businesses. However, instead of faltering, the community chose to come together and show what it means to be Canton Strong. In addition to public safety agencies, many volunteer agencies and volunteers themselves helped move Canton toward recovery. The Canton Chamber of Commerce also kept businesses informed and helped them get up and running again. This community's response minimized the number of residents affected, job loss, and tax revenue loss.

The hard work, perseverance, and community collaboration visible through Fulton County's recovery efforts makes me especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally congratulate Fulton County, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kewanee, Illinois for being named a finalist for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award due to its outstanding Step Ladder Tutoring Program.

The Step Ladder Tutoring Program targets middle school special education, borderline, and struggling general education students who need academic assistance. Certified middle school teachers serve as site coordinators for the Step Ladder Tutoring Program, while a system of community volunteers, middle school students, high school students, college students and AmeriCorps members serve as tutors for the program. During the 2014-2015 school year, all eighth grade students receiving assistance were promoted to the ninth grade. 75 percent of the students had improved skills in math and reading, and 80 percent of the students had improved attendance rates and an overall improved attitude toward school and learning.

The generous and ambitious volunteers and leaders of the Step Ladder Tutoring Program make me especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally congratulate Kewanee, Illinois for being named a finalist for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award and recognize all who organize and contribute to the Step Ladder Tutoring Program for their outstanding efforts and accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lanark, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award due to its project, Workation 2016.

A group of volunteers from Lanark First Brethren Church, who were previously involved in Alaskan mission work camp programs, believed they needed a more local, neighbor-helping-neighbor type of program in Lanark. From this idea, Workation 2016 was created. This project sought requests from older residents that had small projects that they were not able to accomplish on their own. Volunteers would then complete these maintenance projects, safety upgrades, or landscaping projects at no cost to the resident. 30 different projects around town were completed by 30 volunteers. According to the volunteers, the greatest benefit of the program is the relationships that are developed and the rewarding feeling of making a home safer or more comfortable for a resident.

The hard work and generosity visible through Lanark's Workation 2016 project makes me especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to again formally congratulate Lanark, Illinois for being named a project winner for the 2017 Governor's Hometown Award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Lena-Winslow Panthers Football

Team for their Class 1A championship win against the Tuscola Warriors.

The Panthers held a 21-7 lead at half-time, with 267 yards of total offense. By the fourth quarter, the Warriors had closed the Panthers' lead to one point. The Warriors had a chance at a game winning touchdown when Panther player Rahveon Valentine broke up a pass on fourth down with only 10 seconds remaining in the game. This secured Lena-Winslow's third state championship title in the last eight years and the program's first-ever unbeaten season.

Mr. Speaker, as a former athlete, I understand how important this is to the young men, the coaches and the community. They never gave up. They kept playing their best, and their team spirit and belief in themselves helped them become state champions. Their efforts and resilience should inspire us all.

Mr Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Pam Van Kirk for being named an Illinois Library Luminary for 2017.

Pam Van Kirk's library career started at sixteen years old with typing catalog cards at the

Western Illinois Library System. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monmouth College and a Master's in Library Science from Rosary College. In 1998, Pam became the director of the Galesburg Public Library after working in school libraries in Illinois and Colorado for 19 years. In 2010, she retired as director of the Galesburg Public Library to serve as president of the Illinois Library Association in 2012 and 2013.

Pam was a member of the Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of the Downtown Galesburg Business Association. She also served on the board of directors for the Illinois Center for the Book and the Alliance Library System, where she participated in regional and statewide library conferences. Pam has been named Administrator of the Year by the Alliance Library System and a Paul Harris Fellow for her contributions to Galesburg. She has served as a mentor to many librarians. Her cheerful and determined attitude has made a positive impact on the Illinois library community.

I'm very proud of Pam's work and am pleased she has gained the title of Illinois Library Luminary. Mr. Speaker, I want to again formally congratulate Pam on her award, and I join the rest of our community to wish her every success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kenny Barman on his retirement as a Clover Township Trustee. For 44 years, Mr. Barman has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving his community.

Over the course of his elected service, Mr. Barman focused on keeping roads and equipment in good condition. During his time as a trustee, he was able to witness many positive changes in the community such as the building of a new township building. The Woodhull Municipal Building is now a shared structure with the village and township--another important project carried out during his tenure. Mr. Barman also helped the township through some tough times. During the snowstorm of 1979, many residents were left housebound for up to a week while area roads were closed for days. Mr. Barman gathered funds to purchase special equipment to plow the roads. He was a true public servant through times good and bad.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize Kenny Barman for his longtime commitment to serving his community. Mr. Barman has undoubtedly had a positive impact on the citizens of Clover Township. I congratulate him on a well-earned retirement and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.