John Shimkus

Instead, a greater importance must be placed on volunteerism as a means of helping people.

I would like to call to your attention the importance of volunteerism to our Nation.

This kind of personalized foreign assistance is vital to accelerating the development of free enterprise and democracy around the globe.

I rise before you today to commend two of my constituents from Springfield, Illinois, John and Virginia Gaffney, for their tireless work on a volunteer mission with the International Executive Service Corps in Egypt.

The purpose of H.R. 438 is to improve our Nation's wireless 911 system so we can reduce response times to emergencies and basically save lives. Reducing emergency response time will help to lessen the impact of serious injuries and, again…

As a West Point graduate, a former active duty officer and a current reservist, the time is right to tell our young men and women in the armed forces that we support them. That is our mission today, a united front. However, our mission…

I rise today to honor Mr. Tony Moceri, who is to have the new Boilermakers Local 363 building in Belleville, Illinois, named in his honor. Tony became a proud member of Local Boilermakers Lodge 363 in 1942. During his career, he served as…

In these troubled times, many good things by good people are still being done. As a Cardinals' fan and an Illinoisan, I salute the exploits of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. They have raced up the hill of baseball history with honor and…

There have been numerous discussions on God's ability to forgive sin. All sin. Forgiveness through Christ is complete. Absolute. However, the bible is replete with the consequences of forgiven sin. Follow the children of Israel as they…

I rise today to recall a tax imposed on our colonial forefathers by the British monarchy in the days before the birth of our Nation. Like the British monarchy, the United States Postal Service has imposed a Stamp Tax upon the American…

From the 20th District of Illinois comes one consistent message on the budget surplus: Pay down the debt. Pay down the debt. Pay down the debt. It is the best way to ensure economic growth and opportunity for all, and the most important…

I come to the House floor to praise the heroic action of 8-year-old Christopher Simmons of Mount Vernon, Illinois. On April 6 of last year, Christopher and his younger brother Michael were helping their neighbor with some yard work when…

This debate speaks highly in support of tax reform, a fairer, flatter, simpler Tax Code, but as a new Member this debate has also been very disheartening. As a West Point cadet I lived by a motto: I will not lie, cheat or steal nor…

As a former U.S. history teacher, I taught that the U.S. Constitution was a living document, let it live. This debate is about the Federal Government's ability to raise taxes. It should be very hard to do and it should not be easy. As a…