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WASHINGTON, February 23 — Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced legislation that would phase out private security contractors in war zones.

The United States last year employed more than 22,000 hired guns in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They protected diplomats, trained military and police officers, repaired and maintained weapons systems. Contractors also were involved with interrogations and intelligence gathering.

WASHINGTON, DC (February 18, 2010) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following statement in response to President Obama's Executive Order that creates a budget task force which is charged with addressing America's deficit.

 

WASHINGTON, DC (February 8, 2010) — Community banks and small businesses have reason to celebrate a recent Treasury Department decision to help Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) access capital so they are able to increase lending. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, was the leading advocate for the policy change that will support job creation and small business growth by providing capital to CDFI banks and credit unions at affordable rates.

WASHINGTON, DC (February 5, 2010) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following statement in response to news that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA.), Chairwoman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues, along with sponsors Senators Collins (R-ME) and Snowe (R-ME) and Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today introduced The International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) in the House and Senate.

WASHINGTON, DC (February 1, 2010) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following statement on the President's proposed FY 2011 budget that was made public earlier today. The President's budget includes tax cuts for 4.8 million Illinois families, $2.1 billion for Illinois schools, students, and teachers, and $2.5 billion to fix and expand the state's network of roads and highways, modernize airports, and expand water and sewer infrastructure. Also, the budget helps Illinois by providing $1.4 billion in new funding for Pell Grants to help families pay for college and $1.4 billion for housing assistance.

CHICAGO - U.S. Congressional representatives joined with representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau to alert communities that the 2010 Census is approaching. At the core of their message, the four representatives–from Illinois' 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th Congressional Districts–stressed the importance of the Census Bureau's current employment recruiting efforts as an important step in preparation for the actual Census in March. In order to complete the Census, the Census Bureau will need to attract a pool of approximately 100,000 applicants statewide for possible work as census takers.

WASHINGTON, DC (January 27, 2010) -- In the wake of the earthquake, Haitian-Americans went through card after card trying to reach loved ones in Haiti; often without connecting but still racking up huge bills. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, sent letters to two major corporations that sell calling cards, urging them to change unfair billing practices. This week, STi; Inc. wrote back to Rep. Schakowsky expressing a desire to work with her office to rectify these problems.

The basic issue is that even in the best of times, calling cards often have bad, even predatory terms, that charge huge dialing fees, hang-up fees, "service... fees, and even charges when calls don't go through.