Costello Replacements

Courtesy of the Sierra Club Shawnee Group, here's a list of Democrats and Republicans who have filed for the primary elections for his seat:

Here’s who has filed for the primary in the (new) 12^th Congressional district:

Name	Office/Party	Status
	HARRIMAN, BRAD1334 THREE RIVERS DRIVE O'FALLON, IL 62269	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	MILLER, CHRISTOPHER260 CRAFT LANE CARBONDALE, IL 62902	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	WIEZER, KENNETH CHARLES1624 POPLAR STREET GRANITE CITY, IL 62040	12TH CONGRESSDEMOCRATIC	Active 12/27/2011 8:54 AM
	COOK, RODGER7538 STATE ROUTE 15 ST. LIBORY, IL 62282	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	PLUMMER, JASON5816 ARROW RIDGE RD. FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, IL 62208	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 8:00 AM
	KORMOS, THERESA1204 SHADOW RIDGE CROSSING O'FALLON, IL 62269	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/23/2011 9:31 AM
	NEWMAN, TERI797 CEDAR MILL DR. BELLEVILLE, IL 62221	12TH CONGRESSREPUBLICAN	Active 12/27/2011 1:35 PM

Jerry C. on Health Care Fraud

Got this email from Rep. Jerry Costello regarding Medicare and health care fraud:

Following the passage of national health care reform legislation earlier this year, many seniors have already taken advantage of the new benefits provided by the law. For example, Medicare Part D beneficiaries in our area who enter the prescription drug coverage gap – the so-called “donut hole” – have already begun to receive their $250 rebate check in the mail. A total of more than 4 million seniors who face the donut hole will get checks throughout the rest of the year.

With these important benefits in mind, I wanted to let you know about new efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to give seniors the information they need to protect themselves against scams and fraud when it comes to their Medicare benefits. As part of this educational campaign, seniors are being encouraged to keep the following in mind:

• There are no forms to fill out to receive the $250 rebate check once you qualify for it. Medicare will automatically send a check that is made out to you. You do NOT need to provide any personal information such as your Medicare, Social Security or bank account numbers to get the rebate check.

• Don’t give your personal information to anyone who calls you about the $250 rebate check. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report anyone who does this. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

You can visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov to learn more about how Medicare is working with law enforcement to stop scams against seniors. The more seniors know about health care reform and the steps they can take to stay on guard against scams and fraud, the easier it will be to take full advantage of the new benefits being made available to them.

For more information about the benefits of health care reform, I encourage you to visit my website at costello.house.gov.

Jerry C. on the Economy

Email from Jerry C., trying to make sure no one runs against him based on the economy or the budget:

I have been hearing from many constituents about two topics related to our economy and the federal budget. The first is requests for federal assistance to deal with the economic downturn, particularly the need to further extend unemployment benefits and prevent the impending layoffs of thousands of teachers nationwide. The other is increased federal spending and the size of the federal deficit and debt.

These are critically important issues, and I understand and share the concern for both. Many economists agree that the stimulus legislation that the Congress passed last year is responsible for stabilizing our economy, and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office credits it with saving or creating 2.8 million jobs while cutting taxes for 98% of American families. At the same time, this bill increased the federal deficit.

Much of the stimulus spending has gone directly to state governments, many of which are in economic crisis. In Illinois, the stimulus bill has kept school districts and universities operating, and in our area has been particularly important for Southern Illinois University. While we have seen some economic improvement in recent months – including three straight quarters of economic growth and the addition of over 900,000 jobs since December 2009 – unemployment remains too high. Millions of Americans are out of work and depend on federal unemployment benefits to provide basic needs for their families.

Meanwhile, our deficit has continued to increase at an alarming rate. In addition to the stimulus bill, Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) spending and the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other things, contributed to the increase in the deficit. While it is expected that the deficit will be reduced drastically in coming years, falling to $533 billion by 2013, that is still a significant number, particularly when you remember that we achieved a balanced federal budget during the second term of the Clinton administration. There is general concern that high deficits will lead to inflation in the near term, and our $13 trillion national debt is a serious burden on future generations.

As you may know, I voted against the TARP legislation (bank bailout) and opposed the Iraq War, which has cost close to $1 trillion. I voted for the stimulus bill because, given the severity of the economic downturn, it was necessary to strengthen our economy, and I believe it has accomplished that goal. However, I am concerned about significant additional federal spending to support state governments. Like the federal government, the states are going to have to make tough budget decisions.

At the federal level, we are being asked to support people who are out of work and in great need, while keeping a close watch on federal spending. These are not easy decisions, and I will continue to evaluate legislation with these competing interests in mind. Moving forward, we may not be able to provide as much assistance to people and the states as many would like, and we may not in the short term be able to fully offset the cost of all federal spending. But working together, we can continue to chart a course that builds on our economic recovery and helps those in great need while beginning to address our long-term economic problems.

Jerry Costello on Border Control

Rep. Constello is outraged about President Calderon's speech to Congress, a speech Rep. Costello didn't both to attend (and let's keep dumping money into the border fence, which hasn't had much effect):

I have heard from many constituents about the remarks by Mexican President Felipe Calderon during his recent address before a joint session of Congress. During his speech, President Calderon touched upon a number of controversial issues, and I wanted to update you to share my thoughts on this event.

I did not attend the speech, and I was outraged when I read President Calderon’s remarks lecturing Congress on immigration, gun control and other topics. I believe that Mexico needs to address its own very serious problems before lecturing any other country – let alone the United States.

Regarding immigration, I strongly support measures to control our borders, including building the border fence and using our active duty, Reserve and National Guard troops to patrol our borders. Only after we secure our borders can we address the other aspects of reform. Much remains to be done, but we are seeing signs of progress regarding border control; the Department of Homeland Security reported the number of illegal immigrants dropped by 1 million people from 2008 to 2009, the largest decrease in 30 years.

Jerry Costello on Healthcare

Just got this email from Rep. Costello on the healthcare bill. It's a pretty good summary of the contents:
As you know, Congress recently passed and the President signed into law national health care reform legislation. It is expected that this historic law will lower costs, improve coverage and expand access to health care in the 12th Congressional District by:

* Enhancing current coverage for 376,000 residents with health insurance.
* Providing tax credits and other assistance to up to 177,000 families and 12,800 small businesses to help them afford coverage, as well as protecting 1,700 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
* Extending coverage to 28,000 uninsured residents.
* Guaranteeing that 9,000 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
* Extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund until the year 2026.
* Improving benefits for Medicare recipients in our area, such as free preventive and wellness care, superior primary and coordinated care, and better nursing home care.
* Lowering prescription drug costs. In 2010, the 9,800 Medicare beneficiaries in our area who enter the Medicare Part D coverage gap – the so-called “donut hole” – will receive a $250 rebate. Starting in 2011, seniors in the donut hole will receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs, and the donut hole will be gradually closed.
* Securing millions of dollars in additional funding for our 97 existing community health centers.
* Allowing 61,000 young adults in the district to remain on their parents’ policies until they turn 26.


MYTHS AND FACTS

It is important that people understand how this new law will affect them, particularly as there are a number of false claims circulating about what this legislation does and does not do. Some of the most deceptive myths about health care reform legislation include:

SENIORS

Myth: Health care reform will hurt seniors by cutting Medicare and using that money to provide coverage to the uninsured.

Fact: Nowhere in health care reform legislation are any benefits for seniors cut or limited. Seniors will keep the same Medicare coverage they have right now, but their costs will go down and coverage will improve.
(Sections 3601 and 3602, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148)

VETERANS

Myth: Health care reform is bad for veterans and members of the armed services because the legislation will not count TRICARE, TRICARE FOR LIFE, or Veterans’ Health Care as “qualified health benefits packages.”

Fact: Health care reform legislation does not change, alter or impact these three health care plans in any way.
(Section 1501, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Letter from Tammy Duckworth, Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs)

SMALL BUSINESSES

Myth: All small businesses will be required to provide health insurance to their employees.

Fact: 96% of all businesses are completely exempt from any taxes or requirements because they have fewer than 50 employees.
(Section 1513, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; U.S. Small Business Administration, "Employer Firms, Establishments, Employment, and Annual Payroll Small Firm Size Classes.")

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Myth: Illegal immigrants or undocumented individuals will be able to receive coverage under the new law.

Fact: No one can receive any benefits under this law or purchase health insurance on the exchanges until they prove their citizenship.
(Section 1411, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148)

ABORTION

Myth: The Hyde amendment does not apply to the new law, which means that taxpayer money could be used to pay for abortions.

Fact: The Hyde amendment prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion applies to the law. In addition, the executive order signed by President Obama and the colloquy on the House floor make it absolutely clear that the Hyde amendment applies and taxpayer money will not be used to pay for abortions.
(Section 1303, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Executive Order -- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Consistency with Longstanding Restrictions on the Use of Federal Funds for Abortion, signed March 24, 2010);

STATES

Myth: The expansion of Medicaid will bankrupt the states, and in Illinois, the state will have to pay $2 billion over 10 years to provide coverage.

Fact: The expansion of Medicaid will not bankrupt the states because the new law requires states to pay only a small portion of the cost of covering these new enrollees. Illinois' Medicaid program estimates its annual costs at $200 million in 2020, when the phased-in costs of expansion are complete. The state's estimated contribution is $560 million over 10 years, less than 1% of Illinois' current Medicaid spending over 10 years (roughly $60 billion).
(Section 1201, Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, P.L. 111-152; Theresa Eagleson, Medicaid Director, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, quoted in Graham, Judith. "Health Care Bill's Impact on State Will Be Delayed". Chicago Tribune. 31 March 2010. Web. 15 April 2010)

SPECIAL DEALS

Myth: The legislation is packed with special deals for certain states, such as the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase and Gator-Aid.

Fact: There are no state-specific deals or earmarks in the health care reform law.
(Section 1102 and Section 1201, The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, P.L. 111-152)

IRS AGENTS

Myth: The IRS is hiring 16,000 new workers to audit taxpayers regarding health insurance. They will have the authority to seize your property and put you in jail if you do not have insurance.

Fact: The legislation does not require the IRS to hire any new workers. According to the IRS Commissioner, the IRS will not harass, audit or pursue individuals to verify that they have insurance. Insurance companies will report back to the IRS if you have insurance and what it costs, just like the bank reports your interest to the IRS now. Furthermore, health care reform legislation explicitly prohibits the IRS from seizing any property or pursuing any criminal charges against uninsured individuals.
(Section 1501 and 1502 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009, P.L. 111-148; Testimony of Douglas Shulman, IRS Commissioner, before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Ways and Means Committee, March 25, 2010)

To be certain, health care reform legislation is not perfect. Neither were the bills passed 75 years ago creating Social Security and 45 years ago creating Medicare. Just as adjustments have been made to those programs, changes will need to be made periodically to this one. But most importantly, the United States will join every other developed country in offering health care coverage to its citizens.

For more information about the benefits of health care reform, I encourage you to visit my website at http://costello.house.gov

Earmarks

Was poking around Jerry Costello's website and found this list of appropriations requests/earmarks that he's received from various constituents. There's one from Brhem Prep. School to help create a database for tracking learning disabilities, several from SIUC to keep funding various programs and build a transmitter tower, one from the Paul Simon Center to complete a federal funding appropriation, two fromJackson County to renovate the courthouse and sheriff's office and two from Carbondale proper. The Oak Street Extension has been submitted for approval, the Sycamore extention, not yet:

* Carbondale (#1) – Oak St. Extension City of Carbondale P.O. Box 2047 200 South Illinois Avenue Carbondale, IL 62902	$2,700,000	The Oak Street Extension will be a one-half mile improvement from Wall Street to Lewis Lane. The extension will provide a direct connection of the Northeast Carbondale neighborhood, a primary minority neighborhood, with the regional commercial center on the east side of Carbondale. It will also facilitate the development of in-fill housing opportunities in the neighborhood.
Carbondale (#2) – Sycamore St. Extension	$1,920,000	Extend Sycamore to New Era Road parallel to IL Rt. 13

Letter from Jerry

Here's the latest email from our rep, Jerry Costello:

I wanted to update you on some matters of interest.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed health care reform legislation and now the U.S. Senate will be considering a separate health care reform bill that is likely to be very different from the House bill. If the Senate is able to get enough votes to pass a bill, then a conference committee will be appointed to work out the differences between the two bills. Therefore, I would suggest that you contact Senators Durbin and Burris to express your opinion on health care reform.

On another topic, you may be one of 128 people in our area who have a refund coming from the IRS. There is over $110,000 in undeliverable or unclaimed refunds, from tax year 2008, that were due to constituents of the 12th Congressional District. For more details, including the list of taxpayers who have not received their refund, please go to my website at costello.house.gov.

Please feel free to forward this message to friends and neighbors you think might be interested in this issue.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. Costello
12^th District of Illinois

Health Care

Swung by Rep. Costello's office to pass along my two cents on health care reform this morning. Interesting experience. You can't get into the office unless you know the passcode or press a button and stand in front of a monitor, I guess to make sure you're not packin'.

The woman in the office said that they were only taking a limited amount of info from drop-ins: name, address and whether you supported or opposed health care reform. They will the mail out info. She also mentioned they'd been getting a lot of phone calls on the topic, with calls splitting about even. However, the people who were calling in opposed to reform were a lot more abusive than the people who supported it. She specifically mentioned a woman who called in twice just before I came who abused Costello's staffer verbally, reminded her that she was" a public servant and you work for me" (I'm certain the Costello staffer had forgotten that and was quite glad the woman reminded her. Not sure what bearing the comment had on the conversation though), and refused to leave a name when the staffer asked for one so she could pass the comment along to Rep. Costello.

For a good round up of reform questions and answers, at a meeting where violence didn't break out, take a look this summary from Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill's meeting

Congressman Costello a No-show

Depending on your point a view, Jerry Costello is either a) wanting to keep the discussion of health care reform on a more civil level by only having phone meetings about the topic or b) hiding from the public so he doesn't have to answer to them for doing the bidding of his evil masters in Washington.

Me, I think anyone who goes to one of these town hall meetings to yell at their congressperson instead of talking with them is doing the bidding of their own set of evil masters.

JC and PAYGO

Just received the following email from our esteemed representative Jerry Costello on the future of PAYGO:

s you may know, H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 (PAYGO), was recently passed in the House of Representatives with my strong support. This legislation re-establishes the principles of fiscal responsibility that are necessary to return to a balanced federal budget.

Balancing the budget was my number one priority as a member of the House Budget Committee during the 1990s. Later that decade, during the Clinton administration, we achieved that goal. PAYGO principles – which dictate that any federal spending or tax cuts must be offset to not increase the deficit, were an important part of that effort. Unfortunately, the PAYGO provisions were allowed to expire by the Bush administration and record deficits and a doubling of our national debt followed.

Returning to the premise that to spend a dollar you must save one elsewhere is just common sense. It is a budget principle followed by responsible families everyday and is evident in the sharp increase in the nation’s savings rate over the last year.

H.R. 2920 has been sent to the Senate where it is currently before the Budget Committee. I am hopeful that PAYGO will become law and that we can begin the work of restoring fiscal responsibility. We must not continue to create debt that will be a burden on future generations.

You are invited to sign up for future electronic newsletters. Please feel free to forward this message to friends and neighbors you think might be interested in this issue.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. Costello
12^th District of Illinois

Jerry Costello on Cap and Trade

Got the following email from Rep. Costello regarding his vote on cap and trade legislation:

As you may know, H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was recently passed in the House of Representatives. I opposed this legislation because the bill will drastically increase utility costs and does not provide for adequate use of coal as the country continues to develop renewable sources of energy.

H.R. 2454 does not provide a bridge for coal and other fossil fuels to develop and demonstrate new technologies to provide reliable energy and meet the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The timelines contained in this legislation do not provide sufficient time to put these technologies in place. Energy costs will skyrocket and workers will face layoffs and plant closures.

I am also concerned that without similar action by other countries, there will be further negative impacts on the United States. We must consider the consequences of enacting this legislation when other countries, like China and India, have not taken steps to reduce their own carbon emissions. Without some measure of equity on this issue, our emissions may appear to decrease, but they will simply shift overseas, taking jobs and industries with them. Quite simply, this is the wrong bill at the wrong time.

Letter from Jerry

Email from Jerry Costello:

I wanted to drop you a note to update you on legislative matters that may be of interest.

The House Aviation Subcommittee recently held a hearing to examine the oversight of helicopter medical services (HEMS), looking particularly at the safety and medical aspects of the industry. In 2005 I asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the status of air ambulance safety, and its report was published in 2007. This decade, the HEMS industry has seen dramatic growth, and fatal air ambulance accidents reached an all-time high between October 2007 and December 2008.

The Subcommittee heard testimony from Congressman John Salazar (D-CO) regarding legislation he has introduced regarding air ambulance safety, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), GAO and various stakeholder organizations. Among the concerns raised was FAA implementation of safety improvements recommended by the NTSB, and the balance between DOT and state regulation of the HEMS industry. The latter included a discussion of the perceived impacts of H.R. 978, legislation sponsored by Aviation Subcommittee member Jason Altmire (D-PA), which would expand states’ authority to regulate HEMS operations.

We addressed many important issues in this hearing and we will continue to work on them. Helicopter air ambulance flights can make the difference between life and death for patients, and we need to make their operations as safe as possible and help patients receive the highest quality care. However, the regulatory issues involved here are not easily parsed, so we need to be sure that in our efforts to accomplish this goal we do not create unintended consequences that create additional or different problems. As the GAO found in 2007, more data will help us in this work, and the Subcommittee will continue to work with all involved to address these issues.

If you would like to view the full recap of the hearing, including a webcast, go to the Hearing Archive on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Web site.

You are invited to sign up for future electronic newsletters. Please feel free to forward this message to friends and neighbors you think might be interested in this issue.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. Costello
12^th District of Illinois

Letter from Jerry Costello

Jerry Costello sent out this email on the economy:

We all know that, since 2008, we have been mired in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. To stop the downward spiral and reinvigorate our economy, many leading economists, including presidential candidate John McCain’s economic advisor, recommended that the federal government pass an economic stimulus bill. Congress considered this advice and passed H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Obama on February 17.

Of course, the recovery has a long way to go. We did not get to this point overnight and the slowdown has spread globally. It will take time to turn the economy around and get it headed in the right direction again. We are, however, starting to see some signs of recovery, according to some of the same economists who recommended the stimulus legislation. Some economists have noted recently that we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Many of you have voiced concern about the cost of the recovery package and I share those concerns. I believed then and still believe that the scope of the economic problems necessitated the significant investment in the recovery solution. Once the economy is stable again we will need to concentrate our efforts at reducing the budget deficit, as we did in the 1990’s, when we saw a substantial deficit turned into a $5.6 trillion surplus by the end of that decade.

You are invited to sign up for future electronic newsletters. Please feel free to forward this message to friends and neighbors you think might be interested in this issue.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. Costello
12^th District of Illinois

Jerry Costello on Lilly Ledbetter

Just received the following press release from Rep Costello:

I wanted to drop you a note to update you on legislative matters that may be of interest.

As you may know, the first bill passed by Congress during the 111^th Congress and signed into law by President Obama was
S. 181, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This legislation is an important step toward ensuring the concept of equal pay for equal work.

Lilly Ledbetter was an executive at Goodyear Tire who after almost two decades with the company realized she was making less in her position than men who had much less experience. She sued for pay discrimination, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in a contentious 2007 decision that she had waited too long to file her claim, stating that claims needed to be filed within six months of the initial discrimination occurring. Ledbetter was not aware of the discrimination within that timeframe, making it impossible to seek legal action.

To correct this problem, S. 181 changes the statute of limitations in such cases back to what it was prior to the 2007 ruling, that such a suit can be filed within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck. This change places the law on the side of those discriminated against, and should serve as a deterrent to companies from pursuing unfair pay practices. I supported this bill and will continue to support legislation that promotes workplace fairness.

Costello on Stimulus Package

Rep. Jerry wants us to know he's really earning his paycheck in Washington:

COSTELLO VOTES FOR ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL

Washington – Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) today voted for H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an $825 billion dollar plan to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The bill would mean over $1.8 billion in infrastructure spending for Illinois as well as over $2.7 billion to the state to meet pressing needs. It also includes $275 billion in tax cuts, many targeted to the middle class and small businesses. The bill has been endorsed by hundreds of economists and a variety of national organizations, including the American Medical Association and the National Association of Manufacturers, for its expected beneficial effect on the economy.

“Like most legislation we consider, this is not a perfect bill, but we need to act and it will help our economy,” said Costello. “It is estimated that this bill will save or create 203,600 jobs in Illinois by the end of 2010 and reduce the state’s unemployment rate by 1.9%. I have said repeatedly that infrastructure spending is the best way to create jobs and make our transportation system more efficient, and Illinois will see a substantial direct benefit from this funding. In addition, money for family planning programs and landscaping on the national mall has been removed, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to improve the bill as the legislative process continues.”