It came as a pleasant surprise.

I would like to take this time to commemorate the historic Hazel Dell farm.

The owners of the farm say it was a natural place for the celebration because the original owner of the farm, Col. William Fulkerson, fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

I am very pleased to see our community coming together to remember our veterans and take pride in our local heritage.

His grandson died battling the Germans in World War II, and his grandson died in Vietnam.

Last year, the 1866 Fulkerson Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic places and a brief dedication was held during which the new National Register plaque was unveiled.

since the bipartisan Medicare Commission met, the Medicare debate has come front and center. Republicans want to improve the access of seniors to prescription drugs. No senior should have to worry about whether they can afford the…

ask a liberal what he would do to get rid of the budget deficit, and he or she will say: Raise taxes. Ask a conservative the same question, and he or she will say: Cut spending. That in a nutshell is how we got from a huge budget deficit…

Prairie Mills was built by Henry R. Emminga in 1872. It operated for 60 years and served as a key component of Golden and the surrounding area.

I want to commend Connie and Randy as well as Jim Simpson, Dave Weese, Bob Teel, Ben Booth and all the other volunteers involved in this worthwhile effort.

Today, it serves perhaps an even more important role as a reminder of the way things used to be.

The efforts they are making will last for generations to come.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Connie Loudermilk and the Golden, Illinois Historical Society for their efforts to preserve Prairie Mills in Golden.

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

I would like to personally congratulate the Retired Senior Volunteers Program on their upcoming 25th anniversary.

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

I want to talk about some other communities, Litchfield, Illinois; Salem, Illinois; and Carlyle, Illinois, small rural America who support H.R. 472 and the Local Census Quality Check Act. I would like to share with the House some feedback…

I would like to bring up correspondence which I received from the City of Carlyle. Mayor Schmitz wrote to me in support of the post-census review and included a memorandum from one of his staff, Ms. Jean Parson, which discusses this issue…

the American steel industry is on the ropes, and the flood of steel imports from Brazil, Japan, Korea, Russia, and other countries has gone unchecked in recent months. Last year, steel producers from Russia were allowed to dump 47 percent…

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…

on December 5, the residents of Collinsville, Illinois, had a celebration honoring Irving Dillard's 94th birthday. Although he was born and raised in Collinsville, his service to society does not stop at the Collinsville town border. As a…

I want to encourage more of my constituents to become proactive in issues that are important to them. Writing letters, sending E-mails, and even picking up the phone and calling my office is a great start. The first letter that I will read…

what a surprise. Republican proposals to cut taxes have already been met with speech after speech by my liberal democratic friends denouncing them as tax cuts for the rich. Well, we will celebrate this April 15th a $400 child tax cut for…