Issue Position: Family Focused Suburban Agenda
Issue Position
Issue Position: Family Focused Suburban Agenda
"I am leading a family-focused agenda in Congress to protect our kids from online predators, keep drug gangs out of our schools and preserve open space in our communities." -- Congressman Mark Kirk
Protecting Our Families
# There are more than 1,700 non-compliant sex offenders in Illinois and our schools do not have access to criminal record databases from other states. To solve this problem and link state and national criminal databases, Congressman Kirk coauthored the SAFE Act that allows our schools to check FBI records before hiring teachers or coaches. His legislation is now the law of the land and makes sure pedophiles are not put in charge of kids in class.
# One in five children is approached by an online sexual predator. After learning about the dangers of social networking Web sites like MySpace.com, Congressman Kirk led efforts to warn parents about this threat and he coauthored the Deleting Online Predators Act to protect our children from online sexual predators.
# With more than 2,000 gang members operating north of Lake-Cook Road, Congressman Kirk co-authored the Gang Elimination Act that requires the Justice Department to identify and take down the nation's top three major drug gangs by coordinating efforts at the federal, state and local level.
Improving Health Care Access and Financial Stability
# Under COBRA, Illinois workers who are laid off can continue their family insurance coverage for 18 months. With American workers now changing jobs an average of seven time in their lifetime, Congressman Kirk co-authored the Health Insurance for Life Act to extend the rights of people to continue their health insurance indefinitely under COBRA should they experience a prolonged job search.
# Medical errors claim the lives of over 4,000 Illinoisans and nearly 100,000 Americans each year. Congressman Kirk co-authored the Health Information Technology Promotion Act to adopt health information technology standards that will substantially reduce medical errors and drastically lower health care costs.
# Congressman Kirk co-authored the 401 Kids Family Savings Act to ensure that Illinois families can continue to save for college and secure a strong financial future. His bill encourages and extends tax-free college savings while also allowing young people to use their accounts to buy their first home.
Environmental Stewardship
# The Open Space and Farmland Preservation Act would establish federal matching funds for state and a local contribution for the preservation of farmland. Illinois, like much of the country, is rapidly losing farmland to development. According to the National Resources Conservation Service's Survey of agricultural land, Illinois is losing over 41,000 acres per year of farmland to development, 71% of which is farmland in suburban areas.
# Congressman Kirk is leading efforts to speed up the cleanup of Lake Michigan including initiatives to:
# Ban sewage dumping Lake Michigan
# Establish real-time monitoring to keep beaches safe for swimming
# Construct a permanent barrier to keep Asian Carp out of the lake
# Require decontamination of all foreign freighter ballast tanks before entering the Great Lakes
# Institute annual mercury pollution reports on the Great Lakes
# Congressman Kirk joined local mayors and representatives from the Navy and Openlands to announce the new Fort Sheridan Lakefront Preserve located on Lake Michigan's shoreline. Congressman Kirk arranged for the Navy and Openlands, a 43-year-old non-profit conservation organization, to sign an agreement transferring key Lake Michigan shoreline bluffs and ravines to Openlands. The new park will protect the beachfront bluffs and preserve them for public use and enjoyment.
# Congressman Kirk is working closely with Waukegan leaders and state and local officials to ensure one of his top local priorities is achieved: the environmental restoration and clean up of Waukegan Harbor, which will pave the way for economic development and increased property values.
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