Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Transportation and Infrastructure
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $144 Million In Continued Funding For Local Homeless Assistance Programs
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that a total of $114,704,242 in grants have been awarded to renew support to more than 300 local homeless assistance programs and nonprofits across Illinois. The funding, which is awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Continuum of Care Program (CoC), will support a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, … Continue Reading
January 16, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Applaud New DOT Initiatives To Protect Roadside First Responders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today applauded new U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) initiatives designed to help avoid traffic accidents and save the lives of first responders rushing to aid in emergencies. The new initiatives closely mirror legislation Durbin, Duckworth, and Bustos introduced last year that would establish a new national safety priority within an existing federal grant … Continue Reading
January 15, 2020
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues To Request Meeting With HUD Secretary On Radon Dangers In Public Housing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and a bipartisan group of Senators in requesting a meeting with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson to get answers on why the agency has failed to protect tenants living in federally subsidized housing from the cancer-causing dangers of radon and to chart a path forward to resolve this serious health hazard. Despite a federal mandate to "develop an … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Congress Passes Bipartisan Spending Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills yesterday. The bills are expected to be signed by President Donald Trump today. "These bills invest in Illinois' environment, transportation infrastructure, health, agriculture, service members, and security. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, bringing home federal dollars … Continue Reading
December 20, 2019
Durbin Announces Creation Of New Website To Report Blocked Crossings To Federal Railroad Administration
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will establish a website where the public can report blocked rail crossings by freight trains in an effort to collect better data and prevent blocked rail crossings, which are jeopardizing safety in communities across Illinois. Durbin helped secure provisions in this year's Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations bill that directed FRA to create this website in order to improve passenger rail … Continue Reading
December 19, 2019
Durbin Announces $5 Million In New Rural EMS Funding In Year-End Funding Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the inclusion of $5 million in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bill for a new grant program that supports rural fire and emergency medical services (EMS). The funding, created through Durbin's Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, supports EMS agencies in training and recruiting staff, conducting certification courses, and … Continue Reading
December 12, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues To Urge Passage Of Bipartisan Resolution To Recognize Critical Role Of Census, Importance Of Safe And Accurate Count
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in introducing a bipartisan resolution to ensure the 2020 Census is fair and accurate. The resolution encourages individuals, families, and households across the United States to take part in the Census so that all communities can be counted. According to Forefront's 'IL Count Me In 2020' initiative, Illinois stands to lose at least $1,800 per year for each … Continue Reading
December 09, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Join Colleagues In Urging FCC To Prioritize Rural Broadband
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and a bipartisan group of 44 other Senators in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prioritize sustainable rural broadband networks as the FCC considers new rules in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) proceeding. "If our rural communities are to survive and flourish, our rural constituents need access to services that are on par with … Continue Reading
December 05, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $12.8 Million To Expand Broadband Access In Southern Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $12.8 million in high-speed broadband service in Southern Illinois. As part of the USDA's ReConnect Pilot Program, the investment will create or improve e-Connectivity for more than 1,650 homes in Jefferson and Wayne counties. "Without reliable access to broadband internet, rural communities can't fully access the tools and resources they need to … Continue Reading
November 22, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Address Public Housing Crisis In East St. Louis And Across Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), introduced the Housing is Infrastructure Act, comprehensive legislation to address the nation's affordable housing crisis, including public housing and low- and mixed-income housing through infrastructure investments. The bill would specifically add $70 billion to the Public Housing Capital Fund, which will aid in building, modernizing, and rehabilitating the public housing stock … Continue Reading
November 22, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $25 Million For Public Transportation Improvement In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced more than $25 million in federal funding awarded to Illinois communities to replace and rehabilitate buses and their facilities. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. "This funding will help our public transit systems continue to provide safe and reliable service to the thousands of Illinoisans who rely on them each day," said … Continue Reading
November 21, 2019
Durbin Introduces Bill To Improve Amtrak On-Time Performance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bill today that helps improve Amtrak on-time performance (OTP) in Illinois and around the country by providing Amtrak with the ability to take the freight railroads to court in order to enforce current law, which requires freight railroads to provide preference to passenger rail operating on their rail lines. The Rail Passenger Fairness Act would provide Amtrak with the ability to sue the freight railroads to enforce its statutory … Continue Reading
November 01, 2019
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Announce Multi-Year Extension For Quad Cities To Chicago Amtrak Rail Project Funding
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued an extension for $177 million in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) funding for the Amtrak route between Chicago and Moline until December 31, 2024. In June, the members sent a letter to DOT Secretary Elaine Chao that urged DOT to extend the deadline for Illinois to use the $177 million in FRA … Continue Reading
October 31, 2019
Senate Passes Domestic Spending Bills With Illinois Priorities Secured By Durbin
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funding bills for Interior and Environment; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration; and Commerce, Justice, and Science: "As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am proud to secure important federal funding for Illinois in the … Continue Reading
October 23, 2019
Durbin Pushes To Improve Amtrak On-Time Performance Following OIG Report
WASHINGTON - Following the recent publication of the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) report titled "Better Estimates Needed of the Financial Impacts of Poor On-Time Performance," U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent letters to Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to continue a longstanding and crucial discourse on the negative effects of on-time performance (OTP) on Illinois Amtrak riders-particularly along the Chicago-to-Carbondale Illini/Saluki route-at the … Continue Reading
October 22, 2019
Durbin Meets With Rock Island Army Corps Commander To Discuss Quincy Bay
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Colonel Steven Sattinger, Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, to discuss the need to restore Quincy Bay, one of the largest natural bays of the Upper Mississippi River. Last month, Durbin included language in the Senate FY2020 Energy & Water appropriations bill directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to continue working with Quincy to prioritize this environmental … Continue Reading
October 08, 2019
Durbin And Bustos Announce New Legislation To Protect First Responders Roadside
EAST MOLINE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today held a news conference to announce new legislation designed to reduce first responder roadside deaths by establishing a new national safety priority within an existing federal grant program to increase public awareness of "Move Over" laws and encourage implementation of life-saving vehicle technology. "We need to do more to respond to the alarming rise in first responder roadside deaths," Durbin … Continue Reading
September 26, 2019
Durbin: Appropriations Bills Provide Critical Funding For Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced Illinois priorities included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funding bills for Interior and Environment; State and Foreign Operations; Commerce, Justice, and Science; Homeland Security; and the Legislative Branch. The bills passed the Senate Appropriations Committee today and will now be sent to the Senate floor for final consideration. "I am proud to secure federal funding for … Continue Reading
September 25, 2019
Durbin, Maloney Introduce Bicameral Bill To Increase Access To Broadband Service For Low-Income Americans
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18) today introduced a bicameral bill that would increase access to broadband service for low-income urban and rural Americans. The Promoting Access to Broadband Act would help states increase awareness of, and enrollment in, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Lifeline program, which aims to help low-income households pay for their telephone and broadband service charges by providing a … Continue Reading
September 24, 2019
Durbin Meets With Normal Mayor Chris Koos
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Normal, Illinois, Mayor Chris Koos today to discuss transportation priorities in Central Illinois and the importance of investing in our nation's infrastructure. Durbin discussed Amazon's plans to buy 100,000 electric delivery vans from the Rivian plant in Normal, and progress on the Normal Underpass project to improve safety and help establish a better connection between Uptown Normal and homes on the south side of the railroad tracks. … Continue Reading