BRADLEY DISCUSSES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, METH IN ORIENT

ORIENT-Nearly 20 Orient residents turned out Wednesday to meet with
State Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion) to update him on issues facing the
community.

"I have made it one of my top priorities to continue having town hall
meetings," Bradley said. "Since taking office, I made a promise to
listen to the concerns of my constituents. These town hall meetings
are extremely informative; it's something I plan on doing on a regular basis."

Bradley answered questions from local residents on issues ranging
from economic development in Franklin County, funding for schools,
funding for additional police officers, the methamphetamine epidemic,
and rising gas prices.

Dominating much of the discussion was the growing meth epidemic in
Southern Illinois. Bradley has spent a great deal of time fighting
for tougher laws for people that use, manufacture, and sell methamphetamine.

During the recent veto-session, Bradley, along with the support of
Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sponsored the Methamphetamine
Precursor Control Act. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 15, will
put stricter controls on the sale of products containing
pseudoephedrine, the essential ingredient in meth. "We have a war on
our hands," Bradley said. "We need to better educate our children so
they will never try this deadly drug.

"It's scary, the recidivism rate for meth users is 7 out of 100,
compared to crack users who have a recidivism rate of 63 out of 100."

Bradley's town hall meetings are a continued effort to inform local
citizens about legislation and provide citizens an opportunity to
discuss their thoughts and concerns.

Bradley will continue to hold town hall meetings throughout his
district in an effort to listen and better understand the needs of
his constituents to become a more effective legislator. Bradley
represents Franklin and Williamson counties and a portion of Hamilton County.