The Duckworth Diary - February 14, 2014

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

Earlier this week, I met with the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League of Greater Chicago. It was great to meet with so many organizations that are standing up for the rights of so many Americans. I also met with Kane County Farm Bureau and discussed the challenges facing farmers in that area, promoting bioenergy reserach, and techniques for reduced pesticide use.

On Tuesday, I met with the Trustees from the College of DuPage. We talked about college affordability and how we can train our workforce to be competitive in sciences and engineering.

I also met with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1395. We discussed Social Security employees in Illinois and the federal issues they are facing.

I then spoke to the Military Spouse JD Network, a Bar Association for attorneys married to military servicemembers, on the topic working in government and running for public office. It was inspiring to meet so many outstanding potential future candidates. I was able to meet Amy Bontarger of Hanover Park whose husband is currently deployed in Afghanistan.

Additionally, I met with Elgin Community College and College of DuPage on improving access to STEM education programs and how that will impact our manufacturing workforce.

This week, I also attended the Democratic Issues Conference. I look forward to working together with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on behalf of my neighbors this year.

I hope you are having a great week.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Duckworth

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