Jan's Plans & Pans - March 21, 2023

Dear John xxxxxx,

Following the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, I know many of you are feeling uneasy. I want to assure you, there is a piece of legislation that I am cosponsoring, the Secure Viable Banking Act, that would help restore needed protections to safeguard our economy. The failure of Silicon Valley Bank can be traced back to harmful Trump-era regulatory rollbacks. I voted against those rollbacks in 2018 for exactly this reason. I will continue working to protect the safety and soundness of our financial system and help ensure those responsible for this crisis are held accountable.

Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act protects companies over consumers. I was proud to reintroduce the Sunshine in Product Safety Act with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) so that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is fully empowered to promptly warn people about dangerous products. Our bill puts consumers first and will save lives. But it will not be enough alone. Companies must do more to retrieve recalled products quickly and effectively. Together we can end these preventable deaths and injuries and ensure the safety of our children.

My dear friend, Dr. Paul Farmer, insisted that all people have a right to excellent health care, and he developed systems to deliver it in places people had written off. One year after his death, I reintroduced the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution. This resolution lays out a 21st Century Global Health Strategy that enshrines Paul's vision to achieve global universal health care and end unnecessary and preventable deaths by increasing global health aid to $125 billion per year. We are the richest country in the world at the richest time in the world. Paul called on us to understand global health inequities as an injustice—a result of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. We have a duty to end these global inequities.

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 Reintroduces Legislation to Help Inform Public About Dangerous Products

The latest safety report from Kids In Danger is a wakeup call – deaths and injuries are taking place before and after recalls. Section 6(b) prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from taking swift action without the company’s permission. 

2023 Congressional Art Competition

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

• 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.

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.

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.