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Attorney General Lisa Madigan today applauded the House Human Services Committee after it passed her proposal to allow nursing home residents and their families to place video or audio monitoring devices in their rooms to help ensure their safety and well-being. House Bill 2462 sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) now heads to the full House for consideration

Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Peter Welch (D-VT) joined Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Chris Coons (D-CT) today to announce that they are introducing identical bipartisan bills in the Senate and House encouraging and expanding the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs) in federal government buildings

On Friday afternoon, Governor Bruce Rauner joined the Director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ), Candice Jones, at an event to unveil the Department’s operational plan to reduce recidivism of juvenile offenders. Also in attendance

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), led a bipartisan letter to the THUD Subcommittee with 10 members of the Illinois House delegation urging full funding for mass transit and passenger rail in next year’s THUD budget.

U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) has cosponsored the Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015 (H.R. 721), which extends a tax credit of 50 cents for every dollar spent on track improvements, leveraging private sector investment into Illinois and national infrastructure.

Illinois home prices continued to strengthen as the statewide median price experienced a double-digit annual gain in February, marking 30 consecutive months of year-over-year price increases, according to the Illinois Association of REALTORS

Chicago Housing Authority announced today it is set to begin the next phase of renovations for Altgeld Gardens –Murray Homes Development on the city’s Far South Side. CHA is in the midst of multi-phased rehab of the housing development that will improve housing options for thousands of families. This is part of CHA’s plan to invest $240M in 2015 to build affordable housing units across the City on top of the $135M spent last year to develop affordable housing for low-income families and seniors.

Congressman Bill Foster announced that DuPage County will be receiving a $2.7 million Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund the acquisition and demolition of 13 flood prone residential properties.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), along with Rep. Dan Lipinski (IL-03) introduced the Reassuring Adequate Investment in Lifesaving Systems or the RAILS Act, which reauthorizes the Railroad Safety Technology Grants Program to provide critical funding for train control technologies, rail integrity inspection systems, paperless hazardous communication devices, and other new rail safety items

Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, fought to expand local control over federal transportation dollars by joining with Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13) and introducing the bipartisan Innovation in Surface Transportation Act. This bill, which is supported by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, would create a competitive in-state grant process in which eligible local entities may compete for a larger portion of federal transportation funding.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will host the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Illinois State Tournament on Saturday, March 21 at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Participation continues to grow as 1,056 archers from 38 schools have qualified to compete. Participation in the State Tournament has climbed steadily from 400 in 2012 to 700 in 2013 and 873 in 2014. Top finishers qualify for the NASP National Tournament to be held May 7-9 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Following her visit earlier this week to the BNSF train derailment site south of Galena to thank first responders, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, fought today to ensure first responders in local communities have the training and resources they need in the event of a train derailment or fuel spill

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will host a public hearing on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) National Disaster Resilience Competition, a grant program designed to help states and their communities better prepare for and withstand natural disasters

Following the recent BNSF train derailment south of Galena, U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called for renewing efforts to create the strongest possible safety standards for the transportation of flammable materials such as crude oil by rail.  In a letter to the Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan, the Illinois members cited booming oil production in the Bakken region and Canadian tar sands that have caused an exponential increase in shipments of crude oil

Leading up to the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, many Illinoisans will don their green, white and orange to celebrate. If your celebration involves alcohol at a local parade, pub or party, no luck of the Irish will protect you from the dangers presented by drunk or impaired drivers