Mr. Weller yesterday introduced a bill to help people in high-unemployment states receive extended benefits. It’s appropriately named the TARGET Act as it will make federal resources available where they’re most needed.

As FoxNews reports this morning, Mr. Weller’s bill couldn’t have come at a better time. Employers cut the largest number of jobs in five years in March, and if this economic downturn is prolonged, more people will need extended unemployment benefits, which is exactly the need Mr. Weller’s bill meets.

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Today the House is taking up H.R. 5351, The Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act. As you can see here, this is little different from the “energy” bills the Majority has brought to the floor on three other occasions in this Congress: It raises taxes on American energy providers, including one of the largest employers in our district — a move Rep. Weller blasted the last time this proposal was brought to the floor.

While there isn’t much new under the sun in this bill, what is new is striking: According to analysis from the Ways and Means Committee Republicans, today’s House energy bill contains a tax break for Hugo Chavez.

Congressman Weller believes the domestic energy sector should be afforded the same tax breaks as any other domestic industry. Increasing our supply of all types of energy is the common sense way to lower prices, not soaking an easy target to score political points in an election year.

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The Joliet Herald News reports this morning that the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce has formally endorsed Will County’s plan for the South Suburban Airport in Will County.

This is welcomed news in nearly every circle except Rep. Jackson’s Cook County group, which has made planning for the airport more about a political agenda than a responsible process that gives control of the airport to those who will be most affected by it.

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The Washington Times reports this morning that House Democrats appear to have learned their lesson when it comes to the relationship between lower taxes and economic activity.

In discussing plans for an economic stimulus package, the Democratic Leadership appears ready for the first time to agree to real tax cuts and rebates that are not “offset” by raising taxes somewhere else.

Click here to read the article.

When taxpayers keep more of what they earn, instead of sending it to Washington, they are more likely to spend, invest, and create jobs locally. While Democrats seem to have just come to this realization, it is a policy Congressman Weller has championed his entire career, most recently here, here, and here.

As the above links point out, however, Democrats have an atrocious record when it comes to protecting taxpayers, especially in this 110th Congress. So while the this latest Democratic initiative appears to be sound on its surface, only time will tell if the leopard can change its spots and Democrats can advocate real solutions on behalf of working Americans.

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Rep. Weller secured $4.8 million in federal funds for a vital infrastructure project in Grundy County — the Brisbin Road interchange along I-80.

The state has so far not approved the matching funds for this project, but there appears to be some movement among the impacted communities to spur on the project, as the Joliet Herald News notes here.

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Congressman Weller has long said that border security equals homeland security. Compare the warnings Rep. Weller and other Republicans were sounding in the 109th Congress with regards to the threat of terrorist infiltration through our porous borders with today’s news of a possible attack on a U.S. military base via this very avenue.

Today’s Washington Times features an article that shows just how pressing is the need for immediate steps to secure the border, with news of a plot by Islamist terrorists to attack Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

Republicans in Congress sought to thwart this type of attack by passing the Secure Fence Act of 2006 among other anti-terror bills. The story linked above shows why securing our borders is so crucial.

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Ways and Means Ranking Member Rep. McCrery has a well-written op-ed piece in today’s Washington Times on the first phase of the Democratic scheme to inflict the largest tax in hike in history on American taxpayers.

This is the first step in what Rep. Weller and other Republicans have blasted as “The Mother of All Tax Hikes” — a $3.5 trillion tax increase over the next decade. As Rep. McCrery points out, the figure comes from two sources: the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts (including Rep. Weller’s marriage penalty relief), and the abolition of what’s known as the Alternative Minimum Tax.

It’s a figure that seems incalculable at first — until you realize Democrats have already passed more than $100 billion in tax increases in the first 10 months of their new majority. Clearly, they are well on their way.

Needless to say, these proposals will wreak havoc on our economy by forcing Americans to send more of their hard-earned tax dollars to Washington. As Rep. Weller has repeatedly stated, fiscal discipline is exercised by cutting spending, not by raising taxes. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress don’t share the same view.

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There’s a well-written article in Sunday’s Herald News on ethanol’s major role in this year’s expected record corn crop.

While Rep. Weller’s work in the area of renewable energy is well-known, the article makes mention of two lesser-known planks in Weller’s renewable energy platform: a tax credit for a new type of energy efficient vehicle and the push to make biofuels more readily available to consumers.

Both are legislative projects that will advance Rep. Weller’s goal of working to replace imported oil with homegrown biofuels, which will help us achieve greater energy independence.

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The House could not overturn President Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. Congressman Weller believes it is now time to pass legislation to extend the program for the next year-and-a-half while Republicans and Democrats iron out their differences on a long-term reauthorization.

Read more of the congressman’s thoughts on this topic here and here.

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One of the arguments opponents of the Democratic plan to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) use to justify their position is that the current bill is a forerunner to federally-run health care.

There is an article online today at The Politico that shows how this is indeed the case.

Congressman Weller’s opposition to this bill stems more from its draconian pay-fors, which include drastic cuts to Medicare and a new tax on private health insurance.

It is safe to say everyone in Congress wants to reauthorize SCHIP, but Congressman Weller believes we must do so responsibly, without raising taxes and cutting benefits for seniors.

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