John Shimkus

This is a profile of a U.S. Representative. (See the Illinois portal for all incumbents, candidates and blogs.)
	Things you can do: Add voting record information to this profile or others at the Illinois portal. With a senate office or campaign? See the guidelines or contact a staff editor before editing. Other projects on Congresspedia: Wiki The Vote: Publicize the records and positions of congressional candidates.

John Shimkus currently serves the 19th Congressional district of Illinois

John Shimkus has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing the 19th District of Illinois. (map)

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how John Shimkus voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

Shimkus voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Climate change

As Shimkus was running to head the House Energy and Commerce Committee in November 2010, he publicly stated that the Bible reaffirms his belief that government should not regulate greenhouse gas emissions: "I do believe in the Bible as the final word of God. And I do believe that God said the Earth would not be destroyed by a flood. Now, do I believe in climate change? In my trip to Greenland, the answer is yes. The climate is changing. The question is more about the costs and benefits and trying to spend taxpayer dollars on something that you cannot stop."

In March 2009, Shimkus quoted an exchange between God and Noah in Genesis during a subcommittee hearing on adaptation policies for dealing with climate change. Democrats cited the congressman's remarks once he entered the internal GOP campaign to take charge of the House panel with direct oversight of global warming and other environmental and energy policy issues. Shimkus has said he wants to permanently block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Rep. Mark Foley congressional page scandal

In October 2006, Shimkus became swept up in the Mark Foley page scandal. Shimkus served as the head of the Page Committee, which oversees the program by which dozens of teenagers work on Capitol Hill each year assisting in the administrative tasks of Congress. On September 30, 2006, Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned following the public revelation of “over-friendly” emails and sexually suggestive instant message conversations he had with pages. Shimkus was first notified about the emails in late 2005 from the Clerk of the House. Shimkus claimed that at that point he advised Foley to immediately stop contacting the boy, and Foley agreed. Shimkus never informed Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), the lone Democrat on the Page Committee, about the situation.

Following Foley’s resignation, Shimkus was asked by Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to look into the situation regarding Foley.

• Read a full account of the Mark Foley page scandal

Bio

Background

Shimkus was born February 21, 1958 in Collinsville, Illinois, was educated at West Point Military Academy at West Point, New York and Southern Illinois University, served in the United States Army, and was a teacher before entering the House in 1996.

Congressional career

Shimkus has announced that he will run for reelection in 2006 and 2008, despite making a pledge not to stay in office for more than 12 years.

2006 elections

In 2006, the Democrats nominated Danny Leroy Stover to face Shimkus in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [1] Shimkus retained his seat.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. <crpcontribdata>cid=N00004961&cycle=2006</crpcontribdata>

Links to more campaign contribution information for John Shimkus from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile:	2006 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation:	2006 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by industry:	2006 election cycle	Career totals

• Revolving door profile for John Shimkus from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• 2006 privately funded travel profile for John Shimkus from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• Personal finance profile for John Shimkus from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

• House Committee on Energy and Commerce - Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
  • Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

• House Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

Coalitions and Caucuses

• Co-Chair, Congressional E-911 Caucus
• Grand Old Party Cyber-Security Team
• Co-Chair, House Baltic Caucus
• Co-Chair, House Page Board
• United States Delegate, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly

Boards and other Affiliations

• ABATE of Illinois
• American Legion, Post 365
• Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
• Community Hope Center
• Adult Sunday School Teacher/Basketball Coach, Holy Cross Lutheran Church and School
• Member, Kaskaskia Area Partnership
• Member, Kaskaskia College Area Literacy Council
• Kiwanis
• Madison County Farm Bureau
• Senior Companion Program
• Fiscal Officer, Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission
• State and National Associations of County Treasurers and Finance Officers.

More Background Data

• Background information on John Shimkus from Project Vote Smart

• Interest group scorecard ratings for John Shimkus from Project Vote Smart

• Voting record for John Shimkus from the Washington Post database

• Information on John Shimkus from Congress Merge

Wikipedia also has an article on John Shimkus. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC Office:
513 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5271
Fax: 202-225-5880
Web Email
Website

District Office - Centralia:
221 East Broadway, Suite 102
Centralia, IL 62801
Phone: 618-532-9676
Fax: 618-532-1896

District Office - Collinsville:
508 West Main Street
Collinsville, IL 62234
Phone: 618-344-3065
Fax: 618-344-4215

District Office - Harrisburg:
110 East Locust Street, Room 12
Harrisburg, IL 62946
Phone: 618-252-8271
Fax: 618-252-8317

District Office - Olney:
120 South Fair
Olney, IL 62450
Phone: 618-392-7737
Fax: 618-395-8178

District Office - Springfield:
3130 Chatham Road Suite C
Springfield, IL 62704
Phone: 217-492-5090
Fax: 217-492-5096

Campaign Office:
504 Sumner Boulevard
Collinsville, IL 62234

Twitter

John Shimkus posts on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RepShimkus/

Latest posts: Not a valid URL: http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/15600527.rss|title=none| max=3| short See all the members of Congress who Twitter

Articles and Resources

External resources

• Official website
• Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database.

External articles

• John Aravosis, "GOP Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) let Foley spend 'a lot of time' with pages, including private dinner with one, after GOP knew Foley was a problem," AMERICAblog, October 1, 2006. re Mark Foley
• Joe Sudbay, "More deception and cover-up from GOP leadership," AMERICAblog, October 1, 2006.
• John Aravosis, "GOP member of Page Board contradicts Hastert and Shimkus, says Foley emails were clear evidence of a problem, not just simply 'overly friendly'," AMERICAblog, October 2, 2006.
• Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo, October 2, 2006.
• Alexander Bolton, "Longtime Republican was source of e-mails," The Hill, October 5, 2006.
• Larry Margask, "Ethics Panel Launches Foley Case Probe," Washington Post, October 5, 2006. See House Ethics Committee

Local blogs and discussion sites

• Philosophe Forum

Corresponding article on Wikipedia and Cause Caller. (If Cause Caller link does not work, pick from its list of senators and representatives.)

Current Office: U.S. House of Representatives
111th Congress
Leadership Position:	Committees Chaired:	Committees, Ranking Member On:	Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position: None	Committees Chaired:	Committees, Ranking Member On:	Caucuses: Congressional E-911 Caucus,House Baltic Caucus
Committees: House Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on Energy and Commerce/Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, House Committee on Energy and Commerce/Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, House Committee on Energy and Commerce/Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet,
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office: November 5, 1996	First Took Current Office: January 3, 2003	Next Election: November 2, 2010	Term Ends:
Freshman Member? No	Previous Political Work? Collinsville Township Trustee, Madison County Treasurer,	Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
1. 221 East Broadway, Suite 102, Centralia, IL 62801 Phone: 618-532-9676 / Fax: 618-532-1896 2. 508 West Main Street, Collinsville, IL 62234 Phone: 618-344-3065 / Fax: 618-344-4215 3. 110 East Locust Street, Room 12, Harrisburg, IL 62946 Phone: 618-252-8271 / Fax: 618-252-8317 4. 120 South Fair, Olney, IL 62450 Phone: 618-392-7737 / Fax: 618-395-8178 5. 3130 Chatham Road Suite C, Springfield, IL 62704 Phone: 217-492-5090 / Fax: 217-492-5096
Campaign Contact:
Website: Webform Email: / Email: Campaign Offices: 1. 504 Sumner Boulevard, Collinsville, IL 62234 Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:
Date of Birth: February 21, 1958