In The News
Democrats Look to Protect Fertility Treatments in Post-Roe Era
Democrats are moving to protect access to fertility treatments in anticipation of a raft of bills bestowing legal rights on fetuses that are expected to be introduced in state legislatures next year. Driving the news: Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are introducing legislation in the Senate later today to outline a federal right to fertility treatments, in the belief restrictions on abortion could otherwise apply to assisted reproductive technologies, Axios has … Continue Reading
December 15, 2022
Senate Democrats Seek To Protect IVF Ahead Of Looming Attacks In Abortion Fight
As politicians and organizers across the country battle ongoing abortion restrictions in the wake of Roe v. Wade's demise, many are gearing up for the next fight in the war on reproductive justice: ensuring continued access to in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments. Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.) and Patty Murray (Wash.) are anticipating that fight with the introduction of new legislation, the Right To Build Families Act of 2022. The bill, introduced in the Senate … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
U.S. Senators Want FAA to Rewrite Aircraft Evacuation Standards
WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Two U.S. senators are proposing legislation to require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to rewrite aircraft evacuation standards to do a better job of taking real life conditions into account. Current rules say airlines must be able to evacuate passengers within 90 seconds but do not set seat size requirements. The FAA uses tests to determine if shrinking seat sizes and seat pitch on airplanes are safe. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin argue … Continue Reading
December 08, 2022
'Not in the Normal Conditions': Sen. Duckworth Wants to Change How Airlines Downsize Seats, Evacuation Plans
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Airlines have been downsizing their seats for years which led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to set new standards, to ensure passengers can evacuate a plane in 90 seconds or less. But that testing has been widely criticized for not taking people with disabilities into account. CBS Correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is looking to make changes. In a simulated cabin that can be filled with smoke and plunged into darkness, the FAA … Continue Reading
November 30, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth cosponsor Senate bill to allow year-round E15 sales
A bipartisan group of 15 Corn Belt senators has introduced legislation that would permit nationwide summer sales of E15 and other higher ethanol blend fuels. U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022 on Tuesday. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, and Tammy Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates, are among the bill's cosponsors. The bill would largely make a regulatory change in the Clean Air Act's fuel volatility language to … Continue Reading
November 29, 2022
Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Same-Sex Marriage Protections, Potential Rail Strike
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth says the Respect for Marriage Act is "a great first step" in further protecting same-sex marriage. Her remarks on the bill came just hours before the Senate approved the measure in a bipartisan 61-36 vote. Duckworth spoke on a number of legislative issues that U.S. lawmakers are taking up during the lame-duck session before a new Congress is sworn in early next year. Republicans will be taking control of the House in January while Democrats remain in control of … Continue Reading
November 17, 2022
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/duckworth-talks-of-bringing-battery-manufacturing-plant-to-illinois-continue/
ILLINOIS (WMBD) - Looking to expand the electric vehicle infrastructure here in Illinois. Central Illinois has seen a lot of growth with EV manufacturer Rivian in Normal, but U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) tells WMBD there's more to be done. "One of the things in the supply chain manufacturing that I want to work on, is to bring a battery manufacturer to Illinois. Hopefully they can be co-located or near Rivian to be a source. But overall, we need more battery manufacturing. And I've … Continue Reading
November 03, 2022
https://wgntv.com/news/illinois/home-heating-assistance-in-illinois-gets-208-million-federal-boost/
Illinoisans in need of assistance to cover rising heating bills this winter can get some help from the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) which has received additional funding from the federal government. The state's U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) noted the release of $208,170,481 in federal funding came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services following a letter sent by a number of senators in October. The letter noted an additional … Continue Reading
October 26, 2022
Delay to Incentive Pay Boost for Guard and Reserves Draws Rebuke from Lawmakers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing the Pentagon over a delay in National Guardsmen and reservists receiving higher incentive pay caused by the department failing to deliver a report to Congress on time. At issue is a provision in last year's National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, that required the Defense Department to give members of reserve components incentive pay equal to the bonuses given to active-duty service members. The bill required the Pentagon to complete a report … Continue Reading
October 21, 2022
Durbin, Duckworth push for National Landmark status for Chicago church where Emmett Till's service was held
CHICAGO - Chicago native Emmett Till is being honored with a statue in Greenwood, Mississippi. The nine-foot bronze statue stands just miles from the crumbling remains of the store where he was accused of whistling at a white woman - an event that lead to his kidnapping and murder. Till's death, and most notably his funeral, sparked a new day in the Civil Rights movement. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted that he have an open casket service despite his face being unrecognizably … Continue Reading
October 18, 2022
Amputee Action Item: Medicare Coverage for Power Wheelchairs
Among the many absurdities in the US system of health insurance, the rules that govern what is and isn't "medically necessary" stand out. Advanced prosthetic limbs that support balance, mobility, independence, and mental health don't fit the definition. Neither do many power wheelchairs that provide the same benefits. In the last couple of years, the Amputee Coalition, other disability advocates, and Congressional allies have made serious progress toward overturning some of these nonsensical … Continue Reading
October 13, 2022
KARE 11 Investigates: Senators demand answers about veteran TBI denials
Members of Congress are demanding answers in the wake of a KARE 11 investigation exposing broken promises, unqualified doctors and inadequate medical testing by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Despite reforms promised in 2016, after KARE 11 first exposed that unqualified VA doctors were conducting examinations for traumatic brain injuries (TBI), U. S. Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois are questioning whether the TBI misdiagnosis problem … Continue Reading
October 11, 2022
US Should Offer More Medical Aid to Severely Wounded Ukrainian Troops, Pair of Senators Say
The U.S. military should be treating more Ukrainian service members suffering major injuries on the battlefield against Russia, a pair of U.S. senators said Tuesday. Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., made the comments after visiting a Ukrainian soldier who received a prosthetic leg from a clinic in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., with the help of charitable foundations. "I suspect that we as a nation will work on more [help for Ukrainian service members] … Continue Reading
October 11, 2022
Senator Duckworth visits Ukrainian soldier amputee
A Ukrainian soldier, who lost his right leg in battle, is now receiving care and prosthetics in the United States. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a war veteran and amputee herself came to visit him Tuesday (October 11) in … Continue Reading
October 07, 2022
Ukrainian Woman Reunited With Family After Being Released From Immigration Detention
A woman escaping the war in Ukraine who was detained without explanation in Chicago earlier this year has been reunited with family members after months of waiting and uncertainty. Inna Antoniak was released from a Kansas City-area immigration detention facility in late September, more than two months after she was detained by ICE agents at O'Hare International Airport. "First I heard crying, and it was my aunt," Vitalina Olevych, Antoniak's aunt, recounted learning of her release. "She was … Continue Reading
October 05, 2022
Noted: Sen. Duckworth introduces bill to improve internet access for people with disabilities
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced a bill Thursday that aims to improve internet access for people with disabilities. Access has been especially difficult for blind and low-vision people, who have had issues using websites and have been pushing for improvements for years. Some of the most common issues, according to advocates supporting the bill, involve images and other items, such as buttons or headings on a website, being unlabeled or mislabeled in a way that blind people cannot … Continue Reading
October 05, 2022
It's personal for Tammy Duckworth
Protections for people with disabilities haven't kept pace with the digital age, especially when it comes to ensuring online accessibility and ease of use for devices. It's a personal issue for Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both her legs in Iraq when her Army helicopter was shot down in 2004. She and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) have new legislation that would require the Justice Department to issue regulations spelling out websites' responsibility to comply with the Americans with … Continue Reading
September 29, 2022
Sen. Duckworth introduces bill to improve internet access for people with disabilities
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced a bill Thursday that aims to improve internet access for people with disabilities. Access has been especially difficult for blind and low-vision people, who have had issues using websites and have been pushing for improvements for years. Some of the most common issues, according to advocates supporting the bill, involve images and other items, such as buttons or headings on a website, being unlabeled or mislabeled in a way that blind people cannot … Continue Reading
September 23, 2022
Illinois announces agreement in $2.6 billion agricultural deal with Taiwan
CHICAGO - Via a letter of intent, Governor Pritzker announced alongside Taiwanese leaders for the sale of about $2 million of Illinois soybeans and $600 million of Illinois corn over the next two years. The intended sales will take place over 2023 and 2024. "This is a win for our agricultural community - and a testament to the labor that our farmers put in day and day out to make us a top global producer of corn and soybeans," said Governor JB Pritzker. "I have no doubt that Illinois and … Continue Reading
September 22, 2022
Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s IVF experiences are informing her positions on abortion
Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been outspoken about how she used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to grow her family. And now that Sen. Lindsey Graham has introduced a national 15-week abortion ban, Duckworth is highlighting how abortion restrictions could make going through IVF difficult - or even impossible. Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, began considering the future of IVF in a world without Roe v. Wade even before federal abortion guarantees were overturned this summer. Ahead of the … Continue Reading