Jan's Plans & Pans - April 3, 2023

Dear John xxxxxx,

As I am sure you are aware, former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury and will be arraigned on Tuesday. According to reports, Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud for allegedly concealing hush money payments to Stormy Daniels in order to cover-up their extramarital affair from voters during the closing days of his presidential campaign. I want to make it clear that grand juries are composed of everyday Americans from all different races, backgrounds, and political parties, and they are the ones who concluded that there is enough evidence to indict Trump. My Republican colleagues, who claim to be the party of “law and order,” continue to stand behind him. Nobody is above the law, not even the former president.

Last week’s tragic shooting in Nashville was the 19th shooting at an American school or university in 2023 in which at least one person was wounded. Tragically, three 9-year-old students and three staff members lost their lives. In the aftermath of this tragedy, President Biden has renewed calls for an assault weapons ban. The lives of Americans must come before semi-automatic rifles. Not to mention the 112 people who have lost their lives to gun violence in Chicago since the beginning of the year. The avalanche of guns is defiling our very freedom and security. We must act.

Republicans in the House of Representatives spent most of last week pushing an energy bill that checks every box off Big Oil's wish list. My Democratic colleagues and I are calling this dangerous bill the Polluters Over People Act. This bill would strip our nation's bedrock environmental laws and repeal many important climate provisions from the Inflation Reduction Act, erasing much of the great progress we have made fighting climate change. Future generations are counting on us. I will keep fighting to protect our environment and protect the historic investments made to combat climate change.

If you are in my district and need help navigating the Social Security Administration, looking into an immigration case, obtaining a passport, or need assistance with the IRS, my office is here to help. Head to my website for further assistance and information.

Have a great week,

Schakowsky Joins Julie Mason on Sirius XM to Discuss Trump, Debt Ceiling & More

On Monday morning, I joined Julie Mason's radio show and made it clear that nobody is above the law, not even the former president. We also spoke about the need to raise the debt ceiling and we discussed two pieces of legislation I have recently introduced, the Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act and the Sunshine in Product Safety Act. To listen to the full clip, click here.

2023 Congressional Art Competition

Last year's winner: June Ahleman - "Laughing Woman"

The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District (IL-09). This competition is open to all high school students that reside in our District. The winners of each District’s competition will have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year, and have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to take part in a special ceremony with other winners from around the country.

For students interested in participating in the 9th Congressional District's Competition, please submit this google form. Rules and guidelines for the 2023 competition are available here and the student release form is available here.

Below are some important dates and additional information for students who are interested in participating in this year’s competition:

Google form submission and artwork drop off: Thursday April 13th In order to participate students will need to submit our office's google form AND drop off the artwork to our Skokie office no later than 5 PM on Thursday, April 13th. Please carefully consult the rules and guidelines for 2023 and have all artwork framed with a hard copy of the release form taped to the back of the artwork. Please ensure that all artwork is complete (paint cannot be wet).
Artwork on Display: April 17th-May 3rd All submitted artwork will be displayed in person at the Skokie Public Library from Monday, April 17th - Wednesday, May 3rd. Artwork will also be displayed prominently on a digital art gallery on the Congresswoman’s website.
Artistic Discovery Reception: Wednesday, May 3rd We invite all participants and their families and friends to a reception to celebrate their artistic talent on Wednesday, May 3rd at 6pm at the Skokie Public Library.
Winners Announced: on or before May 8th Winners will be notified shortly after the reception and no later than May 8th. In addition to the first place winner, our office will also be recognizing other categories including
- Best Painting - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Best Drawing - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
- Best Collage - must be two dimensional
- Best Print - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
- Best Mixed Media - use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Best Computer-generated art
- Best Photography
- Best Social Justice Piece

Good luck! If you or your students have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at 773-506-7100.

Schakowsky Meets with IRS Representatives - Remember to File Your Taxes!

Do not forget, the deadline to file your taxes is April 18th! On Friday, I met with representatives from the IRS who spotlighted the VITA program, which provides no cost tax preparation services to qualified taxpayers. To learn more about the program, go to: http://IRS.gov/VITA

Beware of Scams and Frauds

This is just a friendly reminder to please report anything you think may be a fraud, scam, or bad business practice.

Reporting Medicare Fraud and Abuse

Medicare fraud and abuse can happen anywhere, and usually results in higher health care costs and taxes for everyone. One of the best ways to detect this type of fraud is to read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or your insurance’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB). If you find a claim or charge for something that you did not receive, is different than what you received, or was not medically necessary, this may be a sign of potential fraud. Please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) if you think you have experienced fraud.

Reporting Mail Fraud and Postal Fraud

If you are a victim of a stolen, forged, or altered check, you can report this to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by filling out and submitting the Mail Fraud Complaint Form. You may also call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service hotline at 1-800-372-8347 to file a complaint about suspected mail fraud.

Reporting General Frauds, Scams, and Bad Business Practices

For ideas about what you might report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), check out consumer.ftc.gov for more information and advice.

Schakowsky Fights to Protect SNAP Benefits

More than 40 million people rely on SNAP to ensure they have enough food on the table - the vast majority of them being children, seniors, and people with disabilities. As the richest country in the world, nobody should be left hungry. I vow to keep up the fight.

Free COVID-19 Tests Available

Thanks to the Biden administration, you can now get four more free Covid-19 at-home test kits delivered to your door. You can order online via the federally run website COVIDTests.gov. Orders will be mailed by USPS, starting this week.

To receive the kits, you only need to provide a U.S. residential address when ordering. You can register your email address for delivery updates, but that is optional.

If you cannot access the internet or need help placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233 to get help in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages. Call between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, Monday to Friday and between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT on weekends.

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