Monthly Archives: July 2015

The White House announced a new effort to increase access to high-speed broadband for low-income families. The initiative, ConnectHome, will help to bring high-speed broadband to over 275,000 low-income households.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the owners and operators of Four Seasons Estates Mobile Home Park in Effingham, Illinois, to settle allegations of race and familial status discrimination. Under the consent order, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Illinois, the defendants must pay $217,500 to victims of discrimination, who intervened in the lawsuit, to account for the harm they suffered and their attorneys’ fees, and an additional $34,000 to the government as a civil penalty

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with the Illinois Farm Bureau today to discuss the importance of continuing to support and invest in Illinois’ agricultural communities. The group discussed the impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) long-delayed proposal to set production levels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and other agricultural priorities

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, reiterated her call for Congress to take up and pass a long-term highway funding bill to protect Illinois transportation projects and jobs. Without action by Congress, the Highway and Transit Trust Fund will expire at the end of July. Hundreds of thousands of jobs and thousands of vital construction projects across the country are hanging in the balance

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) continued her efforts to assist homeless veterans by voting for the Homes for Heroes Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan basis.

U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) has been awarded the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association’s 2015 IMUA Public Service Award for his efforts to protect tax-exempt municipal financing, a critical infrastructure tool that helps local and state governments finance new roads, schools, hospitals, fire stations and more.

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today released the following statement after the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, by a vote of 344-77. Davis was an early cosponsor of this bipartisan bill to modernize our health care infrastructure and accelerate the approval process for new drug development, medical devices, and other treatments.

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today introduced legislation that would make the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) eligible for a program that speeds completion of rail improvement projects, such as the Red and Purple Lines Modernization program. The Expedite Transit Act, S. 1734, would expand eligibility criteria of a federal transportation funding program to provide local transit agencies such as the CTA with increased access to public-private partnerships and innovative financing

U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) will host a “Homeowners Resource Fair.” It will take place on Saturday, July 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Cordell Reed Student Union Building at Chicago State University, 9501 S. King Drive

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the news that the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council has received one of 12 new designations under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative. This program began in 2014 and is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies.

U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) released the following statement after the White House Administration announced a new initiative to increase access to solar energy for all Americans, in particular low- and moderate- income communities, while expanding opportunities to join the solar workforce

The prevalence and costs associated with urban flooding in Illinois, along with strategies and recommendations for minimizing damage to property from urban flooding are examined in a new report published by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statements following the announcement that workers from the Rock Island Arsenal’s Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center manufactured and are installing the new anti-climb fence that is being installed at the White House

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced a $1,236,603 grant for Northwestern Illinois Community Action Agency in Freeport. The grant is awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will be put toward Head Start projects.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) joined Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD-05), the second ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, to tour Rags of Honor, a screen printing organization that has the mission of providing employment and services to homeless veterans. The visit provided an opportunity to hear how a local Chicago business is manufacturing their products, innovating, and creating jobs right here in the U.S.