01.21.16

Durbin Welcomes Illinois Mayors to Washington to Discuss 2016 Priorities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with mayors from across Illinois who are in Washington, D.C. for the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors. At the meeting, Durbin discussed local priorities for 2016, including transportation and infrastructure initiatives and local economic development issues.

   

“The Illinois mayors and local leaders who are here in Washington today represent an important voice for each of their communities, cities and townships back home,” Durbin said. “I look forward to working with them to identify opportunities for investment that support working families and help create good-paying jobs across our state.”

   

Photos of today’s meeting are available here.

   

Local leaders in attendance today include: Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig, Lake Barrington Mayor Kevin Richardson, Normal Mayor Chris Koos, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore, Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Urbana Mayor Laurel Lunt Prussing, and Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole.

   

In December of last year, Congress passed and the President signed into law a long-term transportation bill – the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act – which authorizes and funds transportation programs for the next 5 years.  Durbin – who was a member of the Conference Committee tasked with finding a compromise between the House and Senate versions of the transportation bill – said that the FAST Act will provide the certainty that businesses and state governments, like Illinois, need to plan critical infrastructure projects, create good-paying jobs and support Illinois businesses. Additional information on Illinois transportation priorities included in the FAST Act can be found on Senator Durbin’s website.