[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         UPDATE ON THE 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT IN ILLINOIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Weller] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing the 
most diverse district in the State of Illinois. I represent part of the 
city of Chicago, the south suburbs, in Cook and Will Counties, and farm 
communities as well as cornfields. That means that I have a district 
not only that is very diverse, but time and time again I am looking for 
ways and issues and concerns that are very, very common throughout this 
very diverse district that I have the privilege of representing.
  I have found over the last 17 months now that I have had the 
privilege of representing my district two of the most common priorities 
that the people of the district that I represent have. Of course, they 
want to see a change in how Washington works but they also want to see 
a Congress in Washington looking out for local concerns.
  I am proud that in the last 17 months we have been working to keep 
our commitments, to honor those principles and to change how Washington 
works while looking out for local concerns. As I look back over the 
last 16, 17 months, I am particularly proud that some of those most 
basic principles that we have worked for in changing how Washington 
works are being honored. One of the most basic, of course, is forcing 
Washington to live within its means.
  Of course, the deficit today is at its lowest level in 15 years, 
having dropped $60 to $70 billion because we have lived and worked hard 
to bring down that deficit, doing something that every family does, 
working to live within our means. We have twice sent now to the 
President real welfare reform that emphasizes work and family, 
responsibility. Unfortunately, he vetoed it. And also we sent to the 
President a plan which would lower taxes for working families. In my 
district for a family with children, that would mean almost an extra 
$1,000 in take-home pay had the President signed that bill rather than 
vetoing it. We also, because of our concern for seniors, people like my 
mom and dad that are on Medicare, we are working of course to prevent 
Medicare from going bankrupt. Everyone knows Washington does nothing 
and Medicare goes bankrupt in 2001.

  We sent to the President this past year a plan to save Medicare, to 
keep it solvent for the next generation. In fact we increased funding 
for Medicare by 62 percent, $724 billion, as part of that plan and 
would have kept Medicare solvent until the next generation. 
Unfortunately, partisan Presidential politics got in the way and the 
President vetoed that plan.
  But also not only are we working to keep our commitment to change how 
Washington works by working to balance the budget, to save Medicare, to 
reform welfare and, of course, lower taxes for working families, but we 
are also honoring the commitment to look out for local concerns.
  I am particularly pleased that in the last few months alone, this 
House has passed and sent to the Senate as well as sent to the 
President legislation that looks out for local concerns important to 
the State that I represent, the land of Lincoln, the State of Illinois. 
I was particularly pleased that back in February the President signed 
our legislation to redevelop the Joliet Arsenal, 24,000-acre military 
facility to redevelop it for conservation, a veterans' cemetery and job 
creation. It was a bipartisan project, a bipartisan priority. Because 
of bipartisanship we were successful in getting it signed into law. Of 
course now it is time to put the money where our mouth is and to move 
forward and, of course, fund that priority.
  I am particularly pleased that the House honored our request to 
provide $18.4 million which will complete development of the veterans' 
cemetery at the Joliet Arsenal. In fact the VA says that if that 
legislation is signed into law that that funding would allow the 
cemetery to be opened by 1999.
  In the Interior appropriations bill, thanks to the help of a lot of 
people including the gentleman from Illinois, Sid Yates, and the 
Illinois delegation, we have $3.35 million for continued development of 
the National Tall Grass Prairie. Redevelopment of the Joliet Arsenal is 
clearly our top conservation and veterans' priority for Illinois for 
many of us and I am pleased that we are making progress.
  When it comes to crime which is so important to the south suburbs and 
the parts of the city of Chicago that I represent, we are also making 
some real progress. Last year the President signed our legislation 
which allowed Federal prison grant funds for the first time ever to be 
used for juvenile detention center construction and operation. In the 
appropriation bill that we are going to be debating today we provide 
$680 million for prison grants, $50 million more than the President 
asked for, and for the first time ever counties such as Will and 
Kankakee and La Salle, struggling to deal with gang problems, will now 
be able to apply for and use those funds for construction and operation 
of juvenile detention centers. That is an important issue.
  We are looking out for local concerns. But one issue today I want to 
close with is something very important. Last Friday a number of my 
colleagues and I from Illinois went home to a flood-devastated Chicago 
region. In fact I have a photo of a news clipping here. Thousands and 
thousands of homes were flooded in the Chicago region. Many of those 
homes saw severe damage.

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