Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced that over 1,000 contractors have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.  Congresswoman Schakowsky obtained this information after contacting the U.S. Department of Labor to request the latest numbers on contractor injuries and deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Under the Defense Base Act, claims for deaths and injuries for employees of federal government contractors are filed with the Department of Labor, which had received 1,001 death claims as of June 30, 2007.  Schakowsky released the following statement in response to this news.

“This is a sad, but significant milestone.  Until now, the American people have largely been kept in the dark about the true costs of the war in Iraq.  Although most of these contractors are Americans, the Department of Defense refuses to include their deaths in the total number of U.S. causalities in Iraq.  The Pentagon has reported that 3,668 Americans have died in Iraq when in actuality that number is much higher. 

I asked the Department of Labor for this information because the American people deserve to know how many Americans have been injured or lost their lives in Iraq.  Sadly, hundreds of American families are grieving over the loss of their loved ones while our government fails to publicly acknowledge their service and sacrifice.

The American people are not getting the full story about the role and scope of military contractors in Iraq.  Under current law, Congress can’t even get a straight answer from the Pentagon about how many contractors are operating inside of Iraq, and yet the American taxpayer is expected to foot the bill.  According to some estimates, there are as many as a 100,000 military contractors operating inside Iraq. 

I have been working to provide transparency and oversight to an industry with little oversight.  The use of private contractors deployed with U.S. military personnel overseas, in particular armed security-contractors, remains one of the biggest grey areas of the entire war effort.  My bill, H.R. 897, the Iraq and Afghanistan Contractor Sunshine Act, would let Congress get information about private contracts and require reporting of contractor injuries and deaths. I am determined to get to the bottom of this issue so that the American people can understand the full extent and true costs of this war.”

In May 2007, the House unanimously passed a contracting oversight amendment offered by U.S. Representatives Schakowsky and Price (D-NC) to the Defense Authorization Bill.  The amendment would create a database to collect descriptions contracts, including the value of the contracts, amount of overhead spent, total number of personnel employed on the contracts and other general information.  The Schakowsky/Price Amendment will make certain that Members of Congress will have access to this database and that they can request to view individual contracts.  Currently, Congress is unable to provide oversight of these contracts because they do not have access to them.

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Reprsentative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) spoke out against and joined the majority of the Democratic Caucus in voting against S. 1927, the Protect America Act, which will give the Bush Administration wide latitude in conducting warrantless surveillance.  The bill, which passed the House on August 4 by a vote of 227 to 183, had been requested by President Bush and was signed into law on August 6.  It will sunset after 180 days. 

Congresswoman Schakowsky delivered the following remarks on the House floor in opposition to the bill:

"This bill is an offense to the Constitution that we are sworn to protect.

Let me tell you what we are voting on tonight.  If we pass this bill, we are voting for the warrantless, that means no court order, warrantless surveillance of our phone calls, a warrantless collection of personal data, e-mails, and Internet usage, the evisceration of the power of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, and making it little more than a rubber stamp for Alberto Gonzales.

Are these the principles our Nation was built on?  Our Founding Fathers knew better.  John Adams: ‘A Constitution of government once changed from freedom can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.’

We have Thomas Jefferson: ‘I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.’

And, finally, Ben Franklin: ‘They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.’

We can have liberty and safety. The House Democrats offered that plan. We should heed the word of our Founding Fathers and reject this legislation."

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Phil Hare (D-IL), Betty Sutton (D-OH), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Steve Kagen (D-WI), Danny Davis (D-IL) and Hilda Solis (D-CA) today introduced legislation to reward companies that invest in American jobs, pay decent wages, provide good benefits, and support their employees when they are called to active duty.  The Patriot Corporations of America Act would provide a tax break to companies that make a commitment to American workers.  Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced companion legislation in the Senate today.

“The Patriot Corporation Act would reward companies that invest in our nation and its workers,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky (D-IL).  “Americans have had enough of businesses offshoring jobs and skirting the law to increase their bottom line.  We must stop rewarding outsourcers and tax dodgers, and make corporations earn their tax incentives by investing in America and American workers.  Our bill will create a new patriotic corporate ethic in America that unites workers and their employers in the mutual goal of building a stronger, more prosperous democratic business sector to compete in the twenty-first century global economy.”

“For far too long, our government has betrayed the middle class while giving tax breaks to billionaires and multinational corporations that ship jobs overseas,” Senator Brown (D-OH) said. “Instead we should reward patriot companies that are loyal to workers and advance jobs.”

“When companies make headlines today it is often for all the wrong reasons:  fraud, tax avoidance and profiteering,” Senator Durbin (D-IL) said.  “Americans have had enough with a corporate culture that rewards bad behavior and ignores the well being of workers.  It is time for Patriot Employers to be recognized for doing right by their workers even while they do well for their customers and shareholders.” 

“Instead of providing incentives for employers to outsource and move their headquarters overseas, we should encourage corporations to be patriot employers that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers,” said Senator Obama (D-IL).  “Patriot employers help maintain American competitiveness in the global marketplace, while keeping our workforce and our middle class strong.”

 Washington, D.C. – The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection today approved Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s (D-IL) “Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act,” H.R. 1699.  The bill will now be referred to the full committee where it is likely to easily pass.
 
“This bill will help keep dangerous, recalled products away from our children,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “It will decrease the needless and preventable injuries and deaths by making the recall of children’s products more effective.”

H.R. 1699, the “Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act” would require that durable products for babies and children include a postage-paid registration card for quick notification of parents in the event of a product recall.  Under current law, companies are not required to include a recall registration card with their products.  In addition, actual notices of a recall are often dependent on news outlets picking up the story and spreading the word.  Schakowsky’s bill would correct this problem by enabling manufacturers to directly and immediately contact each parent who bought a product that has been recalled.

Schakowsky’s bill is named after Danny Keysar, the 17-month old son of Linda Ginzel and her husband, Boaz Keysar, who died when the Playskool Travel-Lite portable crib he had been napping in at his babysitter’s home collapsed. The rails of the crib folded into a “V”-shaped wedge when he stood up and he was strangled to death.  The tragic accident happened five years after the crib had been recalled.  Sadly, Danny’s parents, his caregiver, or the state safety inspector who visited the home just eight days before Danny’s death were completely unaware of the recall.  Had Danny’s Act been in effect, there would have been a much greater chance of saving Danny’s life – and the six children who have since died from the Travel-Lite.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today joined a majority of her colleagues in the House of Representatives to back legislation that would end the war in Iraq. The Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act was passed by a vote of 223 to 201 and requires American forces to begin redeploying within 120 days and to complete the transition to a limited presence in Iraq by April 1, 2008. Today’s vote came on the same day as the release of the White House Interim Report on Iraq, which indicates that the Iraqi government has failed to meet key benchmarks endorsed by the President in January. “Today, we learned that the Iraqi government has failed to meet the benchmarks endorsed by the Bush Administration in January.  Still, the President wants us to be patient as he pursues his plan for more troops, more time, more money, and more of the same in Iraq,” said Representative Schakowsky. “It’s clear the so-called surged has failed after six months, 600 lives, and $60 billion have been lost.” In its fifth year, the war in Iraq has cost American taxpayers $450 billion and new reports indicate that America spends $10 billion per month on the war in Iraq. To date, more than 3,600 Americans have lost their lives in Iraq and more than 26,000 have been wounded. “The American people have waited long enough and their patience has finally run out.  After years of chaos and bloodshed, it is time to bring our troops home.”

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) voted for H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act, which passed the House today by a vote of 273 to 149.  This bill will make the largest investment in higher education since the 1944 GI Bill.  The Act will benefit students and families at no new cost to taxpayers by cutting excess subsidies paid by the federal government to lenders in the student loan industry.  “While college tuition skyrocketed, the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress did absolutely nothing to alleviate the enormous financial burden placed on students,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “This bill shows that the new Democratic-led Congress is committed to growing and strengthening America’s middle class by making college more affordable and accessible for all students.” The College Reduction Act will: • Increase the maximum Pell Grant by at least $500 over the next five years, increasing the maximum grants to $5,200 by 2010. • Cut student loan interest rates in half over the next five years (from 3.5 to 5 percent). • Increase federal loan limits to provide borrowers with additional assistance in paying for college and to help them rely less on costlier private loans. • Guarantee that borrowers will not have to pay more than 15 percent of their discretionary income in loan repayments, and forgives loans after 20 years. • Provide $5,000 in loan forgiveness for those serving the country in critical public service jobs, including first responders, law enforcement officers, firefighters, nurses, public defenders, prosecutors, early childhood educators, and librarians. • Invest $500 million in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and the Alaska/Hawaiian Native schools as well as the newly established Predominately Black Institutions and institutions serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. • Create TEACH grants that would provide up-front tuition assistance of $4,000 per year (for a maximum of $16,000) for high-achieving graduate and under-graduate students who commit to teaching a high-need subject in a high-need school for four years. Under the Bush Administration, the maximum amount for Pell Grants remained virtually stagnant for five years.  The maximum amount for a Pell Grant only increased $50 from 2002 to 2006.  President Bush signed legislation that cut $12.7 billion from student loan programs-the largest single cut in history.  The legislation imposed higher fees on students and increased interest rates on parent loans.  The bill also put billions of dollars in student aid at risk by cutting all of the critical funds to carry out and administer the student aid program.

Washington, D.C. –U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement after President Bush commuted Scooter Libby’s prison sentence yesterday evening.  I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Jr., former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted for obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements to FBI investigators for his role in leaking the identity of a CIA operative. “I am very disappointed by the President’s decision to commute Scooter Libby’s sentence, but frankly I am not surprised.  This decision was not based on the facts or merits of the case; it was clearly political payback for being the scapegoat in the Valerie Plame affair.  The Bush Administration has been playing fast and loose with the law since the first day they took office.  Whether it’s authorizing warrantless wiretapping, suspending habeas corpus, torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib or revealing the identity of an undercover CIA agent for political payback, the Bush Administration has constantly shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law.  Instead of enforcing the law, the Bush Administration has defended and even rewarded people, like Scooter Libby, who have broken the law. I strongly believe that this is the most corrupt Administration in the history of our country.  At every turn, this Administration has abused its power, ignored the law and used fear to manipulate the American people for political gain.”

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) led twenty-two of her House colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to President Bush today urging him to end his Administration’s policy of deporting undocumented family members of those serving in the military.  In June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began deportation proceedings against Yaderline Hiraldo Jimenez, the wife of Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, who has been missing in Iraq since his unit was attacked by insurgents in May 2007.

 

Following intense media pressure and public outrage, the DHS dropped the deportation case against Mrs. Jimenez, but the policy that allows such deportation remains in place.  The signatories of the letter are calling on the President to change the DHS’ policy and protect families of those serving in the military from deportation.

Click here to view the letter

Washington, D.C.—Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives approved $231,000 for the construction of a new Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostic Building at Northwestern University, which Congresswoman Schakowsky (D-IL) requested as part of the FY 2008 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations.  This bill now moves to the Senate for consideration before it can become law.

“I am pleased that funding for the Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostic Building at Northwestern University was approved by the House yesterday.  We are now one step closer to making this project a reality,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “This funding would ensure that Northwestern University would remain on the cutting edge of medical research in this country.  The new building would provide medical scientists with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to conduct groundbreaking and possibly life-saving medical research.”

Northwestern University is constructing a Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostics Building for important medical research.  The building would provide space for scientists from diverse disciplines who have a proven track record of entrepreneurship and accelerating technology transfer to the biotech industry. 

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services approved over $1.35 million in federal grants for the 9th Congressional District of Illinois.  Congresswoman Schakowsky supported several of these competitive grants.

“I was proud to support these competitive grants and I am delighted that they were recognized by the Department of Health & Human Services,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “These funds will be used to help improve the health and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents.”

U.S. Department of Health & Human Service Grants:

Evanston Northwestern Healthcare
• $228,750 for Intra-renal Bold MRI: Application to Diabetic Nephropathy
      (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

• $381,250 for Regulation & Function of Calponin
            (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute)

Northwestern University
• $73,939 for Phonological Cascade in Speech Production
      (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

• $209,780 for Parallel Gene Delivery for Spinal Cord Bridges
      (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering)

Heartland Heath Outreach, Inc.
• $460,417 for Health Center Cluster
      (HRSA Division of Grants Management Operations)

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) welcomed Melissa Goldman, the 9th   ^{Congressional District winner of the 26th Annual Congressional Arts Competition, to Washington, D.C today. Melissa and her mother, Leslee Goldman, joined Congresswoman Schakowsky on the Capitol steps for a photograph before attending the Artistic Discovery ribbon cutting ceremony. Melissa’s artwork entitled Hey Kool! will be on display in the U.S. Capitol next to winners from 49 other states.}

^{"I am delighted that Melissa and her mother were able to come out to Washington to attend the special ribbon cutting ceremony," said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky. "I am honored to have Melissa’s artwork represent the 9th Congressional District in the U.S. Capitol. Millions of visitors, staffers and elected officials will view Melissa’s artwork on their way to and from the Capitol."}

^{On May 5th, Congresswoman Schakowsky announced the winners of the 26th Annual Congressional Arts Competition, An Artistic Discovery, at an award ceremony in the Skokie Public Library. Schakowsky praised the talent of local student artists and announced that the first-place entry would be displayed for a full year in the Capitol.} 

^{The winners of the 2007 competition from Illinois’ 9th Congressional District are:}

^{Melissa Goldman, Niles West High School-Hey Kool! (1st Place Winner)
Maya Koenig, Niles North High School-Bracha’s Burma
Lydia Nieves, Mather High School-Color Me Red         
Audrey Kolodziej, Niles West High School-Untitled
Amanda Rachmaciej, Resurrection High School-John}

^{"I am very impressed by the creativity and skill of all of the students from the 9th Congressional District of Illinois that participated in this year’s art competition," U.S. Representative Schakowsky.  "Although there is only one first place winner, I truly believe that every one of the students that submitted artwork is a winner."}

^{Celebrating its 26th Anniversary in 2007, An Artistic Discovery is an annual competition held in each of the 435 Congressional Districts, created to highlight the importance of art education by recognizing outstanding talented young artists across America.} 

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Senate failed to end debate and advance immigration reform legislation for a final vote. The Senate measure, which failed by a vote of 46 to 53, fell 14 votes short of the 60 that are needed to advance the bill.

"I am very disappointed that the Senate Republicans decided to filibuster the immigration reform bill today. Instead of addressing our nation’s dysfunctional immigration system, Senate Republicans voted in support of the status quo, which leaves over 12 million undocumented immigrants in the dark and fearing deportation, and allows our porous borders to remain insecure.

This is also a huge setback for thousands of residents in my district who are desperate for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow them to come out of the shadows to become full and active participants in our society. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of my constituents have traveled to Washington to beg Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Instead of hearing their pleas, the President and the Senate Republicans let them down by taking away their chance to achieve the American Dream.

Today’s vote in the Senate is a direct result of the President’s failed leadership. The President repeatedly promised the American people that he would pass a strong, bipartisan immigration reform bill. The President’s inability to muster the requisite 60 votes, let alone a simple majority, just shows how ineffective and incompetent the President is on this issue and on a wide range of other issues, including Iraq.

While the Senate’s immigration bill was far from perfect, it provided us with a starting point to address this critical issue. We are now faced with the real possibility that the problems with our immigration system and border security will not be dealt with until after the 2008 election. This is completely unacceptable and the American people demand that Congress and the President work together to solve this critical issue immediately."

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) applauded the passage of the FY 2008 Interior-Environment Appropriations.  The bill, which passed by a vote of 272 to 155, includes support for programs to clean hazardous waste sites, ensures every American has clean water to drink, and protect our natural treasures.

“I am delighted that the Democratic-led Congress took action today to protect our environment and reduce global warming,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “We finally have a Congress that is genuinely concerned about protecting our environment.  I proudly supported this legislation because it will help rid our communities of environmental hazards, provide clean water and preserve and improve our national parks.”

The 2008 Interior and the Environment Appropriations bill includes new resources and support for environmental and conservation programs including:

• Funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which supports projects that improve drinking water quality in communities across America.
• Sewer and Water Grants to support the construction and improvement of water systems in local communities.
• New resources for the Superfund hazardous waste clean-up program.

The legislation also makes climate change research a key priority, boosting federal investment in climate change research at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior Department by 53 percent. Additionally, the bill responds to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in April by compelling the Environmental Protection Agency to begin developing a process for regulating greenhouse gases. 

“Climate change is a serious threat to our environment and our nation,” added Representative Schakowsky. “The important research supported in this legislation is essential to reducing global climate change and responding to this global challenge.”

Finally, the bill includes new resources to support the preservation and protection of America’s natural treasures. In addition to making the improvement of National Parks a top priority, the legislation increases funding for National Wildlife Refuges, rejects proposed cuts to the National Forest Service and supports wildfire preparedness and suppression programs.

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) delivered the following remarks on the House floor to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Title IX.

"June 23, 2007 marked a significant event in American history; the 35th Anniversary of the passage of Title IX of the Higher Education Act.  In celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Title IX law, I am pleased to honor the principle of equal opportunity before the law and applaud the amazing contributions made by women.

Title IX's impact on college sports has been well documented.  However, its influence on women extends well beyond the playing field and into the classroom.  When the law was passed in 1972, 46 percent of female high school students enrolled in college immediately after graduating.  In 2005, that figure had risen to 70 percent and the share of bachelor's degrees earned by women had increased from 44 to 57 percent.

Title IX has also affected my life in a very personal way.  I have seen how Title IX has changed the experiences of the women in my own family.  When I was in school, there was no Title IX and opportunities were limited. When my daughter, Mary, was in school, Title IX was in its infancy, but it opened the door to her and her classmates to a number of options in not only sports, but careers as well.  I am so excited that now that my granddaughters, Isabel, Lucy, and Eve are growing up in a time when a whole new world is available to them. 

As a member of Congress I am dedicated to ensuring that Title IX remains in tact.  We have made great progress as a nation in the last 35 years; however, we must make certain that Title IX remains a bedrock principle in America.  The progress we have seen in the country is just the beginning."

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky delivered the following remarks on the House floor to congratulate the 2007 graduating class of Senn High School.

"Madam Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the 2007 graduating class of Senn High School. At a time when immigration reform is at the forefront of America’s conscience it is important that we take a moment to recognize the important role immigrants have played in the growth of this country and the vital part they will continue to have in our development as a society.

The graduates of Senn High School represent this bright future. Demonstrating that the American dream is alive and well, the graduating class is made up students from 60 different countries and speaks 46 different languages. The diversity and richness that these students bring from their families’ culture adds so much to our community.

Like so many Americans, I am a first-generation American and I believe that we need to continue our tradition of welcoming immigrant groups from all over the world into our communities.  I am so very proud of each and every one of these exemplary graduates, many of whom, in addition to be the first in the family to graduate from high school, plan to attend college as well.

Madam Speaker, as we continue to debate the merits of immigration reform, I hope that we will not lose sight of what is truly important, and that is the profound impact that immigrants have on all of us, making this country a richer and better place to live. Thank you."

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) applauded the passage of the Lowey amendment to the FY 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations.  The Lowey amendment, which passed the House by a vote of 223 to 201, will reduce abortions, unintended pregnancies and combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide. 

“I am pleased the House passed legislation last night in favor of common-sense family planning to prevent abortions, curb unintended pregnancies, save the lives of mothers, and fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky.  “This amendment finally lifts the ban on providing life-saving contraceptives to men and women in poor countries to prevent unintended and dangerous pregnancies.”

In 1984, President Reagan announced the Mexico City Policy, which required NGOs to agree as a condition of their receipt of U.S. funds that they would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations.  The Mexico City Policy was rescinded in January1993, but then President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in January 2001.

Last night, the House approved an amendment introduced by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) that allows international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which do not comply with the Mexico City Policy to receive donated contraceptives for millions of men and women who desperately need them.  Providing contraceptives could prevent 52 million unwanted pregnancies; an estimated 29 million abortions; 142,000 pregnancy-related deaths; and 505,000 children from losing their mothers in just one year.

“I urge the Senate to preserve this provision and the President to this bill into law to give the poorest of the poor around the world access to life-saving contraceptives,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky.  “We should allow people to have access to the same family planning practices in the third world that we use in our own country.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today passed Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's (D-IL) amendment to drug safety legislation. Schakowsky's amendment will increase public awareness of the MedWatch program, one of FDA's best tools for tracking adverse effects of prescriptions drugs once they are in the consumer market. 

The amendment requires that all direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs on television, radio, newspapers and magazines include the following statement, "You are encouraged to report adverse effects of prescription drug medication.  Log onto www.fda.gov/Medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.”

Congresswoman Schakowsky delivered the following remarks during the Health Subcommittee markup.

“I offer this amendment as a common sense way to improve awareness of the MedWatch program which poses great potential to improve FDA’s monitoring of adverse drug events in the consumer market, but which remains widely unheard of among people who take prescription drugs and their families. 

Last October, Congressman Dan Burton wrote to FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach to express his concerns over the lack of awareness of how to report an adverse event to FDA.  He wrote that in June of 2006, a national survey by In Touch Media Group found that 9 out of 10 Americans were completely unaware of the existence of MedWatch.  This lack of awareness is scary and it is unacceptable.

Back in December of 20024, Congressman Ed Markey wrote to FDA expressing his concern that the public was not aware of the Medwatch program or how to submit their own adverse reaction reports.  He asked, “On average, how many adverse event reports does the FDA receive per year?”  The FDA responded that an average of 300,000 adverse experience reports were received by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). 

Ninety percent of these reports are mandatory periodic reports from pharmaceutical companies.  FDA failed to mention that only 2.3% of the total amount of adverse event reports was sent from consumers.

Adverse drug and device reactions (ADRs) account for as many as 100,000 deaths annually (according to the Journal of the American Medical Association).  While drugs go through clinical trials prior to approval at FDA, not all serious side effects will be apparent during those trials.  Many will not materialize until many months after they’ve gone on the market. 

While consumer reports are not intended to replace scientific review of a particular drug, they can serve as a quick signal alert to the FDA on where to direct post-marketing surveillance of those medications causing high adverse reactions in the consumer market.

That’s why it’s so important that information is collected from those who are taking prescription drugs – as well as their families so that the adverse events we saw with Vioxx and Avandia are not happening “in a vacuum.”  The FDA’s own guidelines on Medwatch encourage consumers and their families to report side effects to prescription drugs to the FDA so these can be utilized in determining drug safety.  But consumers are not largely aware of the Medwatch system, and doctors aren’t required to submit them.

This amendment, which would supplement the additional safety measures within the REMS section, would require that all DTC ads include the following language: “You are encouraged to report adverse effects of prescription drug medication.  Log onto www.fda.gov/Medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.”

This is a straight forward amendment that would greatly improve FDA’s adverse events reporting system (MedWatch) by allowing consumers to participate in the post market surveillance of prescription drugs, a key factor for the FDA to direct scientific review and quickly determine risk factors one a drug is on the market.  I urge my colleagues to support it.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) hailed the passage of H.R 2642, the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.  This legislation provides $64.7 billion for America’s veterans and armed forces, which is the largest single increase in benefits in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration.

“Under the new Democratic Leadership, Congress fulfilled its commitment and promise to our nation’s veterans and armed forces today by providing historic increases in funding to improve their health care and benefits,” said U.S. Representative Schakowsky.  “I am delighted that we were able to pass a bill that is worthy of the service and sacrifice that these brave men and women in uniform have made to our country.”

The Military Construction and Veterans Appropriations Bill:

• Increases the VA budget by $6.7 billion above the FY07 level and $3.8 billion above the President’s request.
• Ensures quality health care for 5.8 million patients, including about 263,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, which the VA will treat in FY08.
• Significantly reduces the 400,000 claims backlog for veterans waiting for disability and other benefits by adding more than 1,100 new claims processors.
• Provides increased funding for maintenance of VA health care facilities to prevent a Walter Reed-type scandal from occurring again.
• Provides $2.9 billion in military housing and $2.8 billion to increase the size of the Army by 65,000, the Marine Corps by 27,000, and the Guard and Reserve by 9,200 over the next five years.

This bill was strongly supported by all the major veterans groups, including Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America, Association of the United States Army, National Association for Uniformed Services, and AMVets.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) delivered the following remarks at a press conference in opposition to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.  Congresswoman Schakowsky joined Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), and Phil Hare (D-IL) and union and human rights leaders to speak out against the human rights abuses in .

 

“Like other members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, I am extremely committed to helping .  I have