Duckworth Diary - January 24, 2014

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

This week, I celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by attending the honorary dinner with the Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations in Hoffman Estates. I am inspired by our community"s dedication to Dr. King's work.

On Tuesday, I held a Congress at Your Corner in South Elgin at Heritage Woods. I spoke with constituents who were concerned about Medicare, Medicaid and other federal issues.

Later on, I met with Rosati's, Cooking Matters and the No Kid Hungry Campaign to discuss childhood hunger and we can work together to end it. We discussed the importance of preserving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other ways we can make sure our children are food secure.

On Thursday, I attended the Age Options Legislative Breakfast in Elk Grove Village. It was great to meet so many people dedicated to advocating for our seniors.

I also visited food manufacturer Tate & Lyle, which makes Splenda, among other things, in Hoffman Estates to learn about their business and legislative concerns.

This morning, I met with Metra riders, the Regional Transportation Authority, PACE and Metra in Schaumburg to discuss recent transit benefit cuts and what we can do to reinstate this important benefit.

I also held a roundtable on Unemployment Insurance. I met with members of Choose DuPage, Local 625 Sheetmetal Workers Union, Centro de Infomacion, DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. It is crucial that this benefit gets reinstated so that our neighbors who are looking for work get the help that they need.

I hope you are having a great week.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Duckworth

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