Rush Continuing To Deliver For the 1st Congressional District

by U. S. Representative Bobby L. Rush [IL-01]

The promise of the New Year provides an opportunity to reflect on the one just past. 2009 was a busy year in Washington. As the nation was celebrating the inauguration of our 44th President and first African-American, Barack Obama, the Congress was preparing to tackle serious issues that beset this nation in the aftermath of the presidency of George Bush.

The nation’s unemployment rate was spiraling out of control; in the first 5 months of 2009 we lost on average a staggering 250,000 jobs per month. Homes were being foreclosed at record numbers, our healthcare system was hemorrhaging, and Wall Street greed was receiving taxpayer dollars while drying up credit for Main Street.

Congress responded by passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion bill aimed at sustaining our economy. While, much of the funding has yet to felt in our community, I am working aggressively with state government officials to ensure that my constituents benefit.

One benefit from the economic stimulus package the Bronzeville community will soon realize will be the construction this spring of the “Lovana S. (Lou) Jones/Bronzeville Metra Station” at 35th Street. At my request, Metra named the station in honor of the Assistant House Majority Leader, who served for 20 years in the Illinois General Assembly and represented the Bronzeville community. $7.5 million in funding will come from the stimulus package, while $4.1 was secured by me through the 2005 Federal Highway Reauthorization bill. MBE/DBE participation is estimated to reach 48 percent of the $8.8 million in construction contracts.

Last year, I re-introduced the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Study Act, a bill that would designate Bronzeville as a National Heritage Area.  This designation would usher in significant public and private resources to promote the rich legacy of this area and help enhance its long term economic viability.  I am pleased to report that Bronzeville’s Little Black Pearl and Muntu Dance Theatre are FY2010 and FY2008 appropriations recipients to showcase the arts and culture of Bronzeville.

The Congress is poised to pass comprehensive health care reform early this year. When passed, this legislation will provide as many as 31 million Americans, including many of my constituents in the First Congressional District, with quality health insurance coverage.

We will immediately turn our attention to addressing the nation’s high unemployment rate. Last November, I launched the 131-member Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus, a caucus I co-chair with Rep. Marcy Kaptur [D-OH] and Rep. Candice S. Miller [R-MI].  We expect to play a leading role, in 2010 and beyond, on legislative and policy initiatives aimed at putting this nation back to work.

I am excited about the opportunities and possibilities a Democratic-controlled Congress and White House can achieve on behalf of the American people. On February 2, 2010, I ask for your continued support and that you Punch 42 to re-elect me as your Representative in Congress.

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