Congress—on a bipartisan basis and with enhanced transparency and accountability—restored its authority to include Congressionally Directed Spending in the FY26 federal appropriations process.  All congressionally-directed spending requests must comply with Senate Rule XLIV, which requires rigorous procedures for transparency and accountability, as well as the Senate Appropriation Committee’s requirements.

Senator Durbin has submitted the following Illinois initiatives to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. This list will be updated on a rolling basis as requests are submitted to the Committee. Please note that submission of an initiative does NOT guarantee that it will receive funding. 

In compliance with Senate Rule XLIV and Committee requirements, Senator Durbin has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the initiatives he has requested.

 

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies 

Capital Improvements, Peoria, Illinois.  $7.7 million to the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR), a federal laboratory that has been responsible for countless agriculture, food safety, environmental, and health care discoveries since its inception, for necessary modernizations to the federal buildings that house laboratories of the Agricultural Research Service.  These improvements include the replacement of the fire alarm system, components of which are no longer supported by the manufacturer, posing a life safety issue at the facility. 

Capital Improvements, Urbana, Illinois.  $500,000 to the Agricultural Research Service for necessary repairs and modernizations to their facilities in Urbana, Illinois.  These improvements include repairs and updates to domestic water distribution equipment and piping, heating and cooling systems, and electrical systems.  

Hospital Infrastructure Improvements, Watseka, Illinois.  $560,000 to the Iroquois Memorial Hospital and Resident Home to update aged and outdated facilities, including HVAC systems and flooring.

Intergenerational Center, Fairbury, Illinois.  $1 million to the Boys and Girls Club of Livingston County to construct an intergenerational community center to provide programming and services to youth and seniors at the same site.

Laboratory Renovation, Pittsfield, Illinois.  $1 million to the Blessing Care Corporation to update the laboratory department at Illini Community Hospital in order to modernize facilities that are more than 80 years old.

Rural Health Clinic Expansion, West Frankfort, Illinois.  $1 million to Southern Illinois Hospital Services to expand the Miners Memorial Rural Health Clinic to provide improvements in both patient rooms and provider workspace.

Teledentistry Initiative, Mattoon, Illinois.  $105,000 to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center to expand rural telehealth efforts to include teledentistry with an emphasis on underserved children.

Commerce, Justice, Science & Related Agencies

Crisis intervention initiative, City of Aurora, Illinois.  $125,000 to the City of Aurora to train and certify more than 40 law enforcement personnel in crisis intervention training to help these personnel better understand and appropriately handle encounters with citizens experiencing mental health issues.

Equipment upgrades, Kane County, Illinois.  $1 million to the Kane County Coroner’s Office to update equipment of the Kane County Forensic Laboratory.  Acquisition of new equipment would enable more rapid generation of leads in investigations, the streamlining of obtaining information related to pending cases, and the ability to determine cause of death in a timely manner for grieving families. 

Equipment upgrades, Oak Park, Illinois.  $185,000 to the Oak Park Police Department to improve training of police officers through acquisition and use of a virtual training simulator.  This simulator would place police officers in real-world scenarios focusing on de-escalation, less lethal options, community engagement, and officer wellness with a goal of increased positive outcomes.   

Equipment upgrades, Chicago, Illinois.  $500,000 to the City of Chicago Police Department to expand its forensic investigation capacity through modifications to two cargo trucks and the purchase of mobile forensic equipment.

Equipment upgrades, Springfield, Illinois.  $750,000 to the City of Springfield to procure a new mobile command center for the Springfield Police Department.  The Department needs to replace an outdated command center with a vehicle with updated technology.  

Instrumentation and equipment upgrades, Peoria, Illinois.  $1 million to Bradley University to provide advanced instrumentation and equipment for its Drop Tower, allowing the tower to become fully operational for use in NASA-related experiments, research, and STEM education.

Police and community violence intervention initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $600,000 to the University of Chicago Crime Lab to expand a training program focused on violence reduction and building community trust through the Community Safety Leadership Academies.  This program brings together data and behavioral science insights of academics and practitioners with real-world success in reducing violence, improving public trust, and building leadership capacity. 

Reentry initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $650,000 to Safer Foundation to implement a program to reduce recidivism and increase employment for justice-involved citizens of Chicago. These efforts will assist individuals with arrest and conviction records connect with housing, workforce development, healthcare and education.

Reentry initiative, Sangamon County, Illinois.  $300,000 to SING (Shifting Into New Gear Reentry Program) to expand a reentry program that facilitates connections for ex-offenders to employment, social and peer support, and counseling in order to reduce reincarcerations in the community.

Technology upgrades, City of Freeport, Illinois.  $600,000 to the City of Freeport to purchase equipment to assist law enforcement in addressing and reducing gun violence in the community.

Violent Crime Data Sharing Initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $1.7 million to Rush University System for Health to build, develop and maintain a violent crime injury registry in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health and Chicagoland hospitals and regional trauma centers.  This project aims to prevent and break the cycle of violence by utilizing hospital injury data to improve service delivery coordination and interrupt instances of perpetrating or falling victim to violence.

Violence prevention initiative, Cook County, Illinois.  $1 million to Youth Advocate Programs to expand a juvenile justice program serving at-risk youth in Cook County to increase access to programming tailored to youth who are no longer consistently attending school and those who are already in contact with the justice system.  

Youth mentoring initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $250,000 to the Save One Life Foundation for a community intervention and prevention program for youth in Northern Illinois.  This program will provide peer mentoring, support, and pair youth participants with credible messenger mentors, facilitate networking, and increase access to youth wrap around resources in the community.  

Financial Services and General Government

Digitization Initiative, Eureka, Illinois.  $200,000 to Eureka College to digitize the College’s archives that chronicle the history of Eureka College—the first Illinois institution of higher education to admit men and women equally—and its role in educating a future U.S. president.  This initiative will make these records more readily accessible to the public while safely preserving the original materials. 

Digitization Initiative, Galena, Illinois.  $300,000 to the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society to digitize records and artifacts chronicling the history of Galena between 1820-1870, allowing the Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society to better showcase and make accessible records, papers, and photographs that chronicle Galena's unique place in American military and political history.  This effort is being undertaken in conjunction with the construction of a new Galena and U.S. Grant Museum.       

Entrepreneur and Business Center Initiative, Joliet, Illinois.  $800,000 to Joliet Junior College to provide training and advising to entrepreneurs with a focus on women, minorities, and veteran-owned small businesses.  This will allow the College to expand current efforts to support small business owners by adding additional business advisors for one-on-one consultations, as well as offer workshops and trainings to students and the public. 

Entrepreneurship Center, Chicago, Illinois.  $550,000 to the Chicago Urban League to provide training and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses, including technology management, procurement, personnel management, and youth entrepreneurship training.

Mobile Integrated Health Initiative, Rockford, Illinois.  $245,000 to the City of Rockford to proactively engage high-risk teens referred by schools, police, or juvenile justice for substance use disorder prevention.

Small Business Development Initiative, Quincy, Illinois.  $400,000 to John Wood Community College to develop and implement a small business development initiative with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster small business creation in the Quincy region by providing AI training workshops, seminars, consulting services, networking events and industry forums. 

Small Business Educational Initiative, Rockford, Illinois.  $800,000 to Rock Valley College to provide essential training and support to small businesses and entrepreneurs through the Rock Valley College Small Business Development Center (SBDC).  The SBDC will work with the City of Rockford to focus on educational classes and one-on-one training to assist business owners in gaining access to capital, buying/selling businesses, and deal structuring.

Homeland Security

Emergency Operations Center, Springfield, Illinois.  $750,000 to the City of Springfield to establish an emergency operations center in the City of Springfield’s Municipal Center. 

Flood Reduction Project, DuPage, Illinois.  $225,000 to DuPage County Stormwater Management Funding for flood reduction work, including to complete critical storm sewer improvements and expand a detention area.

Flood Remediation Project, Danville, Illinois.  $1 million to Vermilion Advantage (Vermilion County Chamber of Commerce) for flood remediation, which is necessary to redevelop parcels of land following the closure of a former processing plant.

Keith Creek Flood Mitigation, Rockford, Illinois.   $2 million to the City of Rockford for channel widening and bank stabilization through the Churchill Park area that will allow for the conveyance of larger storm events and mitigate flooding and associated property damage. 

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Lead Service Line Replacements, Chicago, Illinois.  $2 million to the City of Chicago to replace more than 200 lead service lines.  Chicago has more lead service lines than any other municipality in the country and the majority of properties in Chicago receive their water from lead service lines. 

Lead Service Line Replacements, Macomb, Illinois.  $1 million to the City of Macomb to replace lead drinking water service lines in various locations throughout the City.

Stormwater and Flooding Mitigation Project, Carbondale, Illinois.  $1.5 million for the City of Carbondale to replace storm sewer piping.  The failing pipes cause frequent flooding during significant rain events and is also causing pavement failures on an arterial street that is heavily traveled. 

Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements, Hillsboro, Illinois.  $1 million to the City of Hillsboro to support rebuilding of a wastewater treatment plant.

Water Main Extension, Winnebago County, Illinois.  $730,000 to Winnebago County to extend a water main to provide water to additional areas of the County.

Water Main Improvements, Park Forest, Illinois.  $2 million to the Village of Park Forest to replace the highest priority water main.

Water Main Reconstruction, Franklin Park, Illinois.  $652,000 to the Village of Franklin Park to construct a new water main in an area with a high percentage of lead water service and failed pavement.

Water Main Replacement, Peoria Heights, Illinois.  $750,000 to the Village of Peoria Heights to fund the replacement of a water main in a distribution line that serves approximately one-third of Village residents.

Water Main Replacement, Springfield, Illinois.  $900,000 to the City of Springfield to replace a water main on South Seventh Street in downtown Springfield.  The water main was installed in 1931 and has had 27 breaks and is need of replacement.  The main serves the historic downtown Springfield area, including Lincoln’s Home National Historic Site Visitor Center, the Illinois State Police Memorial Park, Springfield Clinic, and the Elijah Iles House. 

Water Treatment Plant, Vandalia, Illinois.  $1 million to the City of Vandalia to construct a new water treatment plant.

Well Reconstruction and Water Treatment, Machesney Park and Roscoe, Illinois.  $1.5 million to North Park Public Water District for the reconstruction of Roscoe and Machesney Park’s well to accommodate PFAS treatment.  This funding will ensure continued access to a reliable source of safe, plentiful, and affordable drinking water for the communities of Machesney Park and Roscoe in Winnebago County, Illinois. 

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Career Academy Initiative, Cook County, Illinois.  $429,000 to Rush University Medical Center to expand efforts to train and hire front-line workers, including medical assistants and community health workers. 

Center for Middle School Civic Leadership, Chicago, Illinois.   $720,000 to DePaul University to establish DePaul University’s Center for Middle School Civic Leadership, under which two existing programs will merge to become the cornerstone of the Center: the Barat Education Foundation’s Our American Voice civic learning and engagement program for middle school students, and DePaul University’s Future Leader Micro-credential program.  Both programs have a track record of success in supporting youth development in underserved communities. 

Community Mental Health Program Expansion, Will County, Illinois.  $1 million to expand a community mental health program, developed by the Joliet Fire Department, to Will County.  In Joliet, the program has resulted in a reduction in the regular users of their 911 system and a 50% reduction in suicides—including zero teenage suicides in two years. 

Dental Clinic Expansion, Edwardsville, Illinois.   $1.1 million to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University (School of Dental Medicine) to renovate and expand the dental clinic operated by SIU’s Dental School to increase pediatric and specialty services to the community.  This clinic, which is staffed by professors and students of the dental school, is the safety net dental provider for the majority of Southern Illinois for children covered under Medicaid or uninsured patients. 

Dental Clinic Expansion, Champaign, Illinois.  $3.5 million to Parkland College District 505 to construct a new dental clinic and training facility.  This will expand charity care services for hundreds of patients each year in the community, and enable Parkland to increase enrollment for its dental hygienist program by nearly 40%.  More than 50 qualified prospective applicants are denied enrollment each year due to facility constraints.  

Dental Surgery Clinic, Peoria, Illinois.  $2 million to OSF HealthCare System to construct an outpatient dental clinic offering sedation and surgical services.  Currently, Central Illinois lacks a dental sedation clinic, meaning most patients, especially Medicaid-enrolled, must to travel to Chicago or Metro East for intensive dental surgery.  OSF will construct four operatories to provide pediatric and specialty services for underserved populations. 

Elementary Summer Programming Initiative, Springfield, Illinois.  $275,000 to Compass for Kids to support the expansion of a youth summer learning program.  Funds would support staffing at Camp Compass, a free, six-week summer program that provides academic support from certified teachers and engaging enrichment experiences to low-income, underserved elementary students in Springfield. 

Emergency Radio Equipment, Whiteside County, Illinois.  $420,000 to purchase radio equipment to respond to emergencies.  In December 2021, while responding to a house fire in Rock Falls, the Sterling Fire Department suffered a line-of-duty-death when the floor of the structure collapsed, causing Lieutenant Garrett Ramos to fall into the basement.  A leading cause in the death was attributed to Ramos' radio not being on the designated fireground frequency, as the current radio system is older and unable to communicate with the police department and other fire departments in the jurisdiction. 

EMS & Primary Care Clinic, Greene County, Illinois.  $1.25 million to Thomas H. Boyd Memorial Hospital to construct a new primary care clinic and EMS station to increase the level of care and decrease EMS response times.

Housing Support for Hospital Programs, Chicago, Illinois.  $1.3 million to Center for Housing and Health to provide supportive housing to participants of the hospital-based violence recovery programs operated by University of Chicago and Cook County’s Stroger Hospital.  Effective trauma and violence recovery work to support victims and prevent retaliations often requires rapid housing relocation.  The Flexible Housing Pool provides housing assistance and case management services to individuals experiencing homelessness who over-utilize hospital emergency departments, helping to reduce costs and improve health outcomes. 

ICU Equipment, St. Clair County, Illinois.  $1.25 million to Memorial Hospital Belleville to purchase ICU equipment including lifts, ventilators, and nurse monitoring technology. 

Mentoring Programs, Chicago, Illinois.  $500,000 to Youth Guidance to expand mentoring programs to five Chicago public schools, serving up to 275 additional youth, in addition to the 9,000 students they already serve in Cook County. 

New Clinical Doctorate Programs, Adams County, Illinois.  $1.32 million to Quincy University to purchase equipment and cover personnel expenses for two doctorate degree programs.  These programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy will help meet current and future regional needs for healthcare practitioners.  Current and future university operating budgets include and will include funding for the occupational therapy and physical therapy graduate degree programs. 

Nursing Center Enhancement Project, Macon County, Illinois.  $160,000 to Millikin University to purchase equipment to enhance its nursing education program and bolster the local nursing workforce pipeline. 

Nursing and Health Sciences Program, Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.  $1 million to Illinois Wesleyan University to improve IWU’s nursing and health sciences program, including improving classroom technology and interactive space. 

Oral Health Expansion, Cook County, Illinois.  $700,000 to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to expand a clinic to offer dental services to low-income and pediatric patients. 

Oral Health Initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $268,000 to purchase dental equipment and supplies.  By adding dental screenings and cleanings, dental extractions, and other oral hygiene services, Haymarket will enhance its ability to provide all relevant health services to its clients.

Pediatric & Family Dentistry Initiative, Chicago, Illinois.  $1.49 million to Midwest Refuah Health Center to fund construction and equipment for a Pediatric & Family Dentistry Center.

Pediatric Dental Expansion, Rock Island County, Illinois.  $328,000 to Community Health Care, Inc. to furnish clinics with new dental equipment to expand services to pediatric patients.  

Facility Expansion, Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois.  $867,000 to Josselyn Community Mental Health Center to support construction and renovations for a community mental health facility.  The new facility will provide critical mental health services for 3,000 clients annually, a 50% increase over the current capacity. 

Simmons Cancer Institute Safety and Power Upgrades, Springfield, Illinois.  $998,000 to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University (School of Medicine, Springfield) to purchase an emergency power system, a new unit for ventilation, and an exhaust fan to ensure safe working space. 

Student Dental Care, Rockford, Illinois.  $250,000 to 205 DDS to expand a pilot project to ensure students of Rockford Public Schools have access to dental care.

Rural Health Expansion Project, Macoupin County, Illinois.  $850,000 to Carlinville Area Hospital & Clinics to acquire a mobile medical unit to improve access to care in rural areas, and begin the development of a permanent clinic in the region. 

Trauma & Violence Recovery Center, Chicago, Illinois. $1.5 million to Sinai Health System to establish a trauma recovery center for victims of violence.  Despite being a major safety net hospital that treats a high volume of gunshot victims, Sinai relies on external community partners for its violence recovery programming.  Sinai will launch its internal program, serving more than 2,000 patients annually, to integrate clinical and community services through its extensive investment in Community Health Workers. 

Violence Recovery & Intervention Program, Chicago, Illinois.  $1 million to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to support the expansion of the new hospital-based violence recovery program, serving pediatric victims of violence with trauma-informed mental health and recovery services.  Studies show these interventions help break the cycle of violence and high re-injury rate by addressing the emotional, psychological, and social harms from the injury. 

Workforce Development Program Expansion, Chicago, Illinois.  $750,000 to ASI, Inc. to expand services by supporting additional personnel, training certifications, equipment, supportive services, and education services. 

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Capital Improvements, Chicago, Illinois.  $500,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago to make capital improvements at the Bartlett J. McCartin Boys & Girls Club in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago.

Community Center Construction, East. St. Louis, Illinois.  $1.2 million to Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House to construct a new community center.

Construction of the National Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, Chicago, Illinois.  $2.5 million to Illinois Institute of Technology to fund construction of a facility to serve as the National Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (NIAM).  The NIAM on IIT’s Bronzeville Campus will train more than 4,000 students in advanced manufacturing fields through in-person instruction and online curricula. 

Economic Hub Project, Carbondale, Illinois.  $693,000 to Carbondale Community Arts, Inc. (d.b.a. Artspace 304) to make facility improvements for an economic hub.

Equipment Upgrades, Chicago, Illinois.  $722,000 to Navy Pier Inc. to upgrade the Pier’s surveillance apparatus to ensure the safety of the Pier’s guests and businesses.

Facilities Improvements and Technology Upgrades, Carbondale, Illinois.  $500,000 to Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) Center for Teaching Excellence to revitalize learning spaces at the SIU campus and community colleges throughout Southern Illinois. 

Facility Improvements, Springfield, Illinois.  $450,000 to the Lincoln Presidential Foundation for facility improvements at the Visitor Center at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.

Fire Truck, City of North Chicago, Illinois.  $861,000 to the City of North Chicago to purchase a new fire truck, as the City’s current fire truck has exceeded its useful life by nearly 10 years. 

Food Security Project, City of Hamilton, Illinois.  $2.5 million to the City of Hamilton to establish a rural health village, in partnership with Memorial Hospital, to address food insecurities in the region by offering meal subscription/prescription programming, home-delivered meals, and more.  

Homeless Prevention Initiative, Aurora, Illinois.  $1 million to the City of Aurora for renovation and expansion of a homeless shelter.

Land Remediation, Will County, Illinois.  $3 million to the State of Illinois, in coordination with the State of Michigan, to remediate 3.6 acres of land on the bank of the channel of the Des Plaines River needed for construction of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Interbasin Project.   

O’Hare Express Infrastructure Study, Cook County, Illinois.  $500,000 to the Commuter Rail Division of the RTA (d.b.a. Metra) to conduct a study on express train service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago.

Port Development Planning Study, Brooklyn, Illinois.  $1 million to the Village of Brooklyn for a port facility development study.

Randall Road at Big Timber Road, Kane County, Illinois.  $500,000 million to Kane County for construction related to the Randall Road project.  The project includes an additional through lane on Randall Road.

Station Improvements, Macomb, Illinois.  $134,000 to the City of Macomb to make improvements to Macomb’s Amtrak Station, including HVAC upgrades, electrical work, and painting.

STEM Building Construction, Normal, Illinois.  $1.5 million to Illinois State University to construct a new STEM classroom and laboratory facility to accommodate planned enrollment growth.

Supportive Housing Development, Arlington Heights, Illinois.  $750,000 to Full Circle Communities for construction of a housing development to support veterans and persons with disabilities.

Track Reconstruction Design, Chicago, Illinois.  $2 million to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to fund design of track reconstruction of CTA's Blue Line Forest Park Branch from Western Avenue to Lathrop Avenue, a roughly 6.5-mile section of the line.  This reconstruction is needed in order to improve safety and on-time performance of the Forest Park Branch. 

Trail Extension, Town of Normal, Illinois.   $1.9 million to the Town of Normal to fund engineering and construction of a trail connection.  This will close a gap in pedestrian and bicycle accommodations between the existing Constitution Trail network and major employers located in west Normal, and promote safe multimodal travel by separating pedestrians and cyclists from motor vehicles. 

Transit Improvements; Vermilion County, Williamson County, and Jackson County; Illinois.  $3.711 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation to fulfill ongoing transit needs, including vehicle and equipment purchases, maintenance, and other improvements for transit agencies serving Carbondale, Marion, and Danville.

Transportation Center Pedestrian Access Improvements, Normal, Illinois.  $1.6 million to Connect Transit to improve pedestrian access to the City of Bloomington's Downtown Transportation Center.

Willowbrook Corners Sidewalk and Lighting (91^st Street), DuPage County, Illinois.  $500,000 to DuPage County make improvements to enhance pedestrian safety, to include sidewalk and lighting work, in the unincorporated area of DuPage County near Willowbrook.

Workforce Accelerator Program, Chicago, Illinois.  $1 million to the North Lawndale Employment Network to transform a vacant lot across the street from its workforce development campus to offer an agricultural and environmental workforce accelerator program. 

Workforce Training Site Construction, Chicago, Illinois.  $1 million to The Cara Program (d.b.a. Cara Collective) for the construction of a site to expand job training programs.