Congress—on a bipartisan basis and with enhanced transparency and accountability—restored its authority to include Congressionally Directed Spending in the FY27 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. $1.5 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.

New Library Project, Greenville, Illinois. $1 million to the Greenville Public Library for construction of a new library. This facility will provide community access to technology access, educational materials, and public meeting space in an ADA accessible building.

Hospital Improvements, Benton, Illinois. $385,000 for the Franklin Hospital District to expand its current emergency room space to accommodate increased nursing station space and a larger trauma room. The renovations would provide a separate entrance for walk-in patients.

Information Technology Upgrades, Sparta, Illinois. $1 million to provide essential improvements in the electronic records system at Sparta Community Hospital District. Such upgrades will streamline patient care and improve security of hospital records.

Infrastructure Improvements, Carlinville, Illinois. $450,000 to Blackburn University for campus initiatives to increase safety and accessibility to students, faculty, and visitors, including replacement of sidewalks and entryways and updated interior and exterior lighting.

Medical Facility Expansion, Havana, Illinois. $1 million to Mason District Hospital for construction of a provider building on the medical campus. This facility will improve care coordination and increase access to services.

Medical Technology Upgrades, Pittsfield, Illinois. $262,000 to the Blessing Care Corporation for essential technological upgrades and renovations at Illini Community Hospital to provide 3D mammography imaging and renovation of the mammography screening facilities.

Rural Education Initiative, Statewide, Illinois. $400,000 to the Illinois Literacy Foundation to expand an online adult education program in more than 200 rural library branches across Illinois. This program will enable participants to complete their high school education.

 

Commerce, Justice, Science & Related Agencies

Equipment Upgrades, Macoupin County, Illinois. $375,000 to Macoupin County to strengthen public safety through upgrades to communications infrastructure, body-worn cameras, digital evidence systems, detention facility security, and emergency response technology. These investments will improve transparency, reduce risks, enhance coordination, and help officers and first responders perform their duties more effectively.

Equipment Upgrades, Northern Illinois. $350,000 to the Village of Round Lake Park to replace an outdated remote tactical robot that serves the Emergency Services Team of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS). NIPAS serves a 600 square mile area and the robot would be used in law enforcement situations including hostage incidents, high risk search warrants, major crime scene searches, search and rescue missions, and similar tactical incidents.

Fleet and Equipment Upgrades, Peoria, Illinois. $1 million to the Peoria Police Department to replace 10 outdated patrol and five criminal investigation vehicles as well as the procurement and installation of necessary equipment for these vehicles. Current cars are being removed from the fleet due to age and high mileage.

Habitat Restoration Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $750,000 to the Nature Conservancy in Illinois for the restoration of Square Marsh, a 181-acre majority open water site at the north end of Lake Calumet. This project will address the impacts of previous contamination through dredging soil, creating hemi-marsh habitat, and mitigating invasive species with the goal of reintroducing native vegetation and fish.

Juvenile Justice Services, Southern Illinois. $1 million for Treatment Alternatives for Stronger Communities (TASC) to expand services to 800-1,000 youth involved in the juvenile justice system across 11 counties in Southern Illinois. This work will replicate TASC’s Juvenile Justice Service Program (JJS), which has been operational in Cook County for decades, and was featured in the 2022 National Drug Control Strategy as an effective evidence-based practice, effective with both juvenile and adult populations.

PFAS Testing Capability Initiative, Carbondale, Illinois. $550,000 to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to support the development of environmental contaminant remediation standards and strategies. Specifically, it would develop testing capability for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and other emerging contaminants, by establishing advanced Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) capabilities. This would support analysis of PFAS, cyanotoxins, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine-active compounds, and related contaminants in the environment, including in surface water, groundwater, wastewater, soil, and sediment.

Quantum Sensor Facility Initiative, Urbana, Illinois. $3 million to the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park to establish a state-of-the-art quantum sensor facility to conduct the testing, evaluation, development, and deployment of quantum sensing technology. This kind of facility does not presently exist anywhere in the world, and it would significantly advance both the region and the nation’s quantum development and deployment capabilities. Once operational, this unique, shared infrastructure could be used beyond academia.

Semiconductor Initiative, Romeoville, Illinois. $2 million to Lewis University for upgrades to existing facilities and laboratories into an AI-enabled semiconductor innovation and workforce platform. The incorporation of improved technologies will allow students, graduate researchers, and industry collaborators to train and operate within the predictive, data-driven environments used in semiconductor manufacturing. These upgrades will accelerate research-to-industry transition, deepen collaboration with industrial partners, attract new federal and private research investment, and significantly increase the capacity to prepare AI-enabled manufacturing professionals to purchase equipment and redesign curricula to train and educate students to enter the semiconductor workforce in areas related to automation, digitization, and next-generation substrate materials for device fabrication and packaging of final chip designs.

Training Initiative, Cook County, Illinois. $450,000 to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for technology and training that will aid the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. ICAC received more than 32,000 CyberTips in 2025, which is more than a 65% increase from the previous year. Current resources available to Task Force prosecutors and investigators are not keeping up with the increased demand.

 

Financial Services and General Government

Drug Interdiction Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $900,000 to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to expand screening processes of all incoming correspondence in the Cook County Jail to target fentanyl and synthetic opioids that are being smuggled into the facility.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative, Normal, Illinois. $1 million to the Board of Trustees of Illinois State University to establish the Bloomington-Normal Innovation Hub, which will provide laboratories, office space, and coordinated business support to accelerate research, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and small business growth.

Small Business Innovation Initiative, Moline, Illinois. $500,000 to Black Hawk College District #503 for a regional hub supporting small business innovation in the use of artificial intelligence with a goal of strengthening economic competitiveness in the Quad Cities region.

Small Business Startup Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $750,000 to Evergreen Climate Innovations to provide small business counseling, professional support, financial training, and other programming to energy startup companies.

 

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge Maintenance, McHenry County, Illinois. $433,000 to Openlands for forest management to address invasive species control, cooperative fire protection, and woodland restoration.

Invasive Carp Remediation Research Initiative, Champaign-Urbana and Chicago, Illinois. $375,000 to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to research a potential cost-effective barrier to prevent the further spread of invasive carp. The project would identify the compounds found in the Chicago Area Waterway that are responsible for deterring the upstream movement of invasive carp and could potentially identify a new, cost-effective barrier to prevent further spread of invasive carp.

Lead Service Line Replacement, Arlington Heights, Illinois. $1 million to the Village of Arlington Heights to replace lead service lines.

Lead Service Line Replacement, Aurora, Illinois. $1 million to the City of Aurora to replace lead service lines.

Lead Service Line Replacement, Elgin, Illinois. $1 million to the City of Elgin to replace lead service lines.

Lead Service Line Replacement, Flossmoor, Illinois. $1 million to the Village of Flossmoor to replace lead service lines.

Lincoln Heritage Coalition Exhibit Restoration, Statewide, Illinois. $400,000 to restore historic exhibits throughout the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

Municipal Water Infrastructure, McLean, Illinois. $2 million to McLean County for water infrastructure that will connect an unincorporated area of the County to the City of Bloomington's municipal water system. The project will help to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable clean water to the unincorporated Colonial Meadows subdivision adjoining the Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA). The subdivision relies on an obsolete private well, as well as significantly degraded underground water infrastructure and capacity.

Sanitary District Improvements, Will County, Illinois. $1 million to Will County to replace water and sewer system infrastructure.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Consolidation, Carbondale, Illinois. $2 million to the City of Carbondale to consolidate the City's two wastewater treatment plants.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Grit Removal Replacement, Quincy, Illinois. $2.5 million to the City of Quincy to replace the City's wastewater treatment plant grit removal system. The City’s system removes sand, stone, and pebbles from its wastewater treatment plant, which services more than 40,000 residents, and is particularly essential during rain events.

Water Infrastructure Assessments, Cook County, Illinois. $1.4 million to conduct inventories and conditions analyses for 23 municipalities in Cook County to determine high-priority drinking water infrastructure in need of replacement.

Watermain Improvements, Sesser, Illinois. $420,000 to the City of Sesser to replace aging water distribution infrastructure.

Well Construction to Remediate PFAS, Galesburg, Illinois. $2 million to the City of Galesburg to construct two new wells as a solution to PFAS contamination in the municipal water supply.

 

Homeland Security

Emergency Operations Center, East Saint Louis, Illinois. $2 million to the City of East Saint Louis to address critical gaps in emergency response, multi-agency coordination, and public safety infrastructure.

Flood Prevention Initiative, Sheridan, Illinois. $982,000 to the City of Sheridan for construction of an earthen dike to mitigate flooding threats to the wastewater treatment plant.

Flood Relief Initiative, DuPage County, Illinois. $210,000 to the County of DuPage to protect nearby homes from erosion and flooding, help to alleviate downstream blockages in the Village of Glendale Heights, and accept stormwater from the upstream subdivision of approximately 100 homes.

Keith Creek Flood Mitigation, Rockford, Illinois.  $1 million to the City of Rockford to mitigate flood risks along Keith Creek, including channel widening and bank stabilization of the most flood-prone areas.

Urban Flooding Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to the City of Chicago Department of Environment for flood-mitigating schoolyard areas that can be used by Chicago Public Schools.

 

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

Cancer Institute Equipment, Peoria, Illinois. $1.2 million to OSF HealthCare for equipment and renovations to improve treatment for cancer patients.

Career and Mentorship Program Expansion, Chicago, Illinois. $1.5 million to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to expand a mentorship and career pathways program to prepare youth for health care careers.

Clinical Trials Access Project, Chicago, Illinois. $1.5 million to Sinai Health System for equipment and renovations necessary to establish a Research Trials Office to expand clinical trial access for community members and patients and improve health outcomes in Chicago.

Dental Clinic Expansion, Champaign County, Illinois. $1.1 million to Promise Healthcare for the expansion of the Rantoul School-Based Health Center to include a new dental clinic.

Dental Service Expansion, St. Clair County, Illinois. $850,000 to SIHF Healthcare to expand access to dental services by purchasing and converting a mobile medical unit for dental services to provide care across St. Clair County.

Equipment for Firefighter Training, Crystal Lake, Illinois. $300,000 to McHenry County College for equipment to incorporate into the College's curriculum to provide advanced training to students pursuing firefighting careers.

Facility Improvements and Equipment Upgrades, Gibson, Illinois. $1.39 million to Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services for the purchase of two patient med-vans and other facility improvements and equipment to enhance patient and staff safety and operational efficiency.

Food and Health Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $1.6 million to Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation to increase access to healthy food for patients.

Health Accelerator Initiative, Statewide, Illinois. $779,000 to Special Olympics Illinois to support the Health Accelerator Initiative for people with intellectual disabilities, by providing mobile health screenings and health education.

Health Care Workforce Expansion Initiative, River Forest, Illinois. $850,000 to Dominican University to establish a heath care workforce development initiative with two sites, Chicago and Waukegan, to address critical shortages of nurses and health care technicians.

Health Labs Modernization Initiative, Statewide, Illinois. $2.025 million to the SIU School of Medicine to modernize health labs in the SIU School of Medicine's system.

Health Workforce Expansion Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to National Louis University to renovate space and purchase equipment to launch new programs in occupational and physical therapy, as well as expand capacity in its existing nursing program.

Imaging Equipment, Macomb, Illinois. $2 million to McDonough District Hospital Foundation, Inc. for the purchase and installation of imaging systems.

Mentoring Program Expansion, Chicago, Illinois. $750,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago to increase the number of children and youth served by mentoring programs.

Mobile Community Health Care Initiative, Aurora, Illinois. $350,000 to the City of Aurora to enable the Aurora Fire Department to implement a mobile community health care initiative through the purchase of a mobile unit and equipment.

Mobile Dental Clinic, DuPage County, Illinois. $650,000 to DuPage County Health Department to upgrade DuPage County’s mobile dental clinic to provide oral health services for children and adults who face barriers to accessing dental care.

Mobile Recovery Unit, Chicago, Illinois. $1.516 million to the McDermott Center to acquire a mobile unit to provide health services, including substance abuse treatment, to homeless individuals.

Pediatric Physical and Speech Therapy Center, Alton, Illinois. $1 million to Alton Memorial Hospital to establish a Center to provide physical and speech therapies to pediatric patients.

Quantum, Science, and Technology Education Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to Chicago State University to advance education, applied research, workforce development, and community engagement related to quantum information science and technology.

Rural Healthcare Expansion, Carlinville, Illinois. $1 million to Carlinville Area Hospital Association for renovations and equipment to expand access to Primary Care and Specialty Care services for rural residents across Macoupin, Western Montgomery, and Eastern Jersey Counties.

Rural Nursing and Health Care Workforce Center, Macomb, Illinois. $1.3 million to Western Illinois University to modernize a training center to support nursing and pre-nursing students and enhance continuing education for rural healthcare providers, including school nurses and rural hospital staff.

Rural Nursing Workforce Expansion, Lebanon, Illinois. $961,000 to McKendree University to expand nursing program participation and strengthen rural clinical partnerships to address urgent workforce challenges.

STEM Learning Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $728,000 to Chicago Public Schools to expand access to robotics-based STEM and computer science learning.

Student Readiness Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $500,000 to Best Buddies International, Inc. to provide career readiness training to students as they transition from school to career, and educate students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families about resources to prepare to move from school to work, college, and the community.

Student Support Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $600,000 to Heartland Alliance International to provide student support programming, including improvement of students' financial literacy and job readiness.

Surgical Robot Project, Robinson, Illinois. $1.75 million to Crawford Hospital District for the purchase of a new surgical robot.

Technology Upgrades, Statewide, Illinois. $250,000 to MCHC-Chicago Healthcare Council to upgrade technology, including the telephone system, so that the Illinois Poison Center is more easily accessible to those who need poison control assistance.

Workforce Development Initiative, Des Plaines, Illinois. $231,000 to Maryville Academy to enhance career and technical education programming offered at the Walsh Academy.

Workforce Education Upgrades, Romeoville, Illinois. $314,000 to Lewis University for renovations and upgrades to the Institute for Workforce Education.

Youth Literacy and Family Support Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $328,000 to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to create literacy programs that support children with reading difficulties and their families.

 

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Aerial Platform Fire Truck, Springfield, Illinois. $2 million to the City of Springfield for purchase of an aerial platform for the Springfield Fire Department to improve reliability and decrease response interruptions.

Airport Terminal to Rail Station Connection Project, St. Clair County, Illinois. $1 million to the County of St. Clair to connect the new MetroLink rail station to Airport's passenger terminal.

Bridge Improvements, Peoria County, Illinois. $1.4 million to the County of Peoria to make improvements to a bridge on Cedar Hills Drive that has experienced significant deterioration.

Bridge Improvements, Winnebago County, Illinois. $1.2 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation for improvements to the Meridian Road Bridge, which was constructed in 1973 and in need of repair.

Crew Facilities Upgrades, Chicago, Illinois. $1.5 million to the Commuter Rail Division of the RTA to update Metra train crew layover sites that support the staff that operate Metra’s train service.

Economic Opportunity Hub, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to the Institute for Nonviolence to develop a community-based economic opportunity hub in West Garfield Park.

Food Pantry Improvements, Ottawa, Illinois. $196,000 to the City of Ottawa for equipment and renovations essential to the operations of the Ottawa Community Food Basket, which serves Ottawa and surrounding communities.

Grade Crossing Safety Project, Lemont, Illinois. $500,000 to the Village of Lemont for grade crossing improvements to improve public safety.

Homeless Shelter Renovations, Evanston, Illinois. $1.5 million to Connections for the Homeless for essential renovations to a homeless shelter serving individuals and families in North Suburban Cook County.

Housing Initiative, Chicago, Illinois. $800,000 to The Thresholds for facility improvements at Glenn Apartments, an affordable housing complex in need of renovations to increase ADA accessibility.

Initiative to Address Food Insecurity, Chicago, Illinois. $651,000 to Dion's Chicago Dream to expand an existing food access initiative that delivers weekly boxes of food directly to households experiencing food insecurity at no cost to participants.

Kane County Randall Road at Big Timber Road Improvements, Kane County, Illinois. $2 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation for improvements at the intersection of Randall Road and Big Timber Road.

Land Acquisition, Morris, Illinois. $1 million to Joliet Junior College for acquisition of a 20-acre site for a future campus focused on high demand workforce and academic programs, including health care, advanced manufacturing, industrial maintenance, and career and technical education.

Library & Learning Commons Renovation, Quincy, Illinois. $1.45 million to Quincy University for campus library renovations to create a modern, flexible, and accessible learning commons and community resource that serves both the campus community and the broader Quincy region.

New Harmony Bridge, White County, Illinois. $1 million to the Illinois New Harmony River Bridge Authority to repair and reopen the New Harmony Bridge over the Wabash River, which connects the eastern terminus of Illinois State Route 14 in White County, Illinois, to the western terminus of Indiana State Route 66 in Posey County, Indiana.

Regional Public Safety Facility, Rockford, Illinois. $2 million to the City of Rockford to modernize and expand the Rockford Fire Department's regional public safety training facility.

Road Improvements, Hudson Township, Illinois. $705,000 to Hudson Township to make improvements to East Road in Hudson Township to increase safety and durability of the roadway.

Road Improvements, Normal, Illinois. $1.5 million to the Town of Normal to make road improvements to Vernon Avenue so that pedestrians can safely traverse this four-lane arterial road.

Statewide Bus and Bus Infrastructure Initiative, Illinois. $6.2 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation to upgrade buses and bus-related infrastructure and equipment across five areas of the State: Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, City of Decatur, Jackson County Mass Transit District, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District, and Pace Suburban Bus' service area.

Station Improvements, Chicago, Illinois. $2 million to the Chicago Transit Authority to make improvements to the Addison Station.

STEM Facility Site Preparation & Construction, Normal, Illinois. $950,000 to Illinois State University for site preparation and construction to support the University's new STEM facility.

South Campus Development, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to Community College District No. 508 to establish a healthcare training facility that expands access to education in high-demand health professions.

Trail Extension and Improvements, Peoria, Illinois. $750,000 to the City of Peoria to construct the remaining 1.3-mile segment of a regional train from Toulon to Morton.

Transit Site Preparation, Chicago, Illinois. $1 million to the Chicago Transit Authority to initiate site prep for the development of a multimodal transit center, which will be critical for the development of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on the south side of Chicago.