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Governor Bruce Rauner issued the following statement on the tornadoes that hit Illinois last night: "Given the reports of tornado touchdowns across north-central Illinois last night, we are fortunate things are not worse and are thankful there were no fatalities. Diana and I are thinking of those who were injured or suffered property damage in the storms and send our prayers to you.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $4,852,151 in federal funding for upgrades to small airports in Illinois. The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration and will help improve safety and efficiency at DuPage Airport, Greater Kankakee Airport, and Lewis University Airport. Senator Durbin has worked to increase funding for critical transportation and infrastructure grant programs that benefit Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Transportation today released a $11.2 billion plan to improve Illinois roads and bridges over the next six years, a $2.8 billion increase fueled by a boost in federal funding and a commitment to direct more resources at construction

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a $630,000 agreement with a group of Illinois property owners and a management company resolving allegations they violated the Fair Housing Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by using rental screening policies that prevented applicants with mental disabilities from living in a supportive living complex the group owned. Read the agreement.

Following is a statement by Sean Gallagher, vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), on Illinois energy legislation

Senate FY17 Energy & Water Bill Includes Kirk-Driven Provisions to Boosts Supercomputer Development, Strengthens Illinois Waterway Infrastructure; Bill Funds National Labs, Waterway Infrastructure, Cybersecurity Improvements

An alternative to the paper license pocket card is now available for the majority of licensed professionals regulated by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). An estimated 1.1 million active licensees within the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) and the Division of Real Estate (DRE) may now choose to store an electronic license pocket card on their smartphone or tablet.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Division of Banking today announced that it will adopt the new SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) National Test Component with Uniform State Content on June 1, 2016. IDFPR is one of 52 state agencies that have adopted the test. Additional states are eventually expected to adopt the new SAFE MLO National Test Component with Uniform State Content

As part of a larger effort by Senate Democrats to combat lead contamination, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted new initiatives to protect children in affordable housing from lead poisoning and update the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) lead and copper regulations to establish mandatory lead testing of pipes and water in cities—large and small—across the country. Earlier this week, Senate Democrats introduced the True LEADership Act, a comprehensive plan that recommits the federal government to investing in water infrastructure and lead remediation across the nation.

U.S. Representatives Randy Hultgren (IL-14) Andy Barr (KY-06) and Mia Love (UT-04) have introduced legislation to protect against the misuse of consumers’ sensitive financial information. The federal government is already making sensitive mortgage information available online and has plans to more than double the information that is published—putting even more personal information at risk of abuse

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today praised the announcement by the U.S. Department of Treasury that the State of Illinois has been awarded $151,299,560 in funding to support efforts to revitalize neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. Today’s funding was awarded through Phase 2 of the Hardest Hit Fund, for which Congress recently appropriated a total of $2 billion. Durbin is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and advocated for boosting funding to this program.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined 10 of his colleagues at a press conference in Washington, DC to unveil a comprehensive plan that recommits the federal government to a critical role in water infrastructure investment, lead remediation and the strong drinking water protections provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. Today’s True LEADership Act of 2016 includes two bills that Durbin introduced earlier this year:

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Foxx, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) called for the awarding of more transportation grants to Payer States. Payer States receive less in federal funding than they pay out in federal taxes. Illinois, for example, faces an annual shortfall of $40 billion because of this problem.

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) announced today that President Obama has issued a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Declaration for Christian and Iroquois Counties, which will allow residents and businesses in the region severely impacted by severe storms and flooding this winter to receive SBA loans. The President’s action will ensure that eligible homeowners, renters, and businesses have access to loans to help repair or replace disaster damaged real estate, personal property, machinery, equipment, inventory and business assets.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said that an announcement by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) could benefit up to 33,000 families that have been struggling to avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes in states – including Illinois – that have been hardest hit by the financial crisis. The new program will offer a one-time principal reduction to borrowers whose loans are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and who meet specific eligibility criteria