In The News
Bipartisan Senate bill introduced to give gyms $30B in relief
Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced legislation Thursday to provide $30 billion in aid to the gym industry, which has been struggling throughout the coronavirus pandemic due to lockdowns and a lack of clients. The bill is companion legislation to a House one introduced by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) in February, which now has 92 Democratic co-sponsors and 20 Republican co-sponsors. "It's critical we support the fitness industry to … Continue Reading
May 13, 2021
New bill aims to give struggling fitness and workout studios a $30B shot in the arm
Lawmakers put muscle behind legislation to help the fitness industry on Thursday after a year of strict Covid-19 precautions, capacity restrictions, and forced closures. Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced the bipartisan GYMS Act, which would provide up to $30 billion in grants to fitness and workout studios at risk of closing their doors permanently. "Gyms and fitness facilities across the nation had to close their doors last year to help stop the spread of … Continue Reading
May 12, 2021
Bill Would Expand Paid Parental Leave for All New Military Parents
House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation that would give military parents 12 weeks of family leave after the birth or adoption of a child -- a move that would provide flexibility and standardize benefits across the services. The proposed Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act, introduced Tuesday by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., would give both the designated primary caregiver and secondary caregiver up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave. The … Continue Reading
May 07, 2021
Sen. Tammy Duckworth visits Edwardsville COVID vaccination site today
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Senator Tammy Duckworth will tour a COVID vaccination site Friday at American Legion Post #199 in Edwardsville. The Illinois Democrat will meet with officials from the Madison County Health Department, Illinois National Guard, and The American Legion for an update on the county's vaccination efforts. They will also discuss how federal and local agencies can support each other to make sure that underserved communities are vaccinated against COVID-19, and how to reassure … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Duckworth urges Biden to demand Turkey curb attacks on Syrian Kurds
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and Illinois Democrat, on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to increase pressure on Turkey to curb its "malign activities" on the Kurdish population in Syria. The letter turns the heat up on Biden to take a stronger line on Ankara, even as the U.S.-Turkey relationship sours further over the president's decision to recognize the 1915 Armenian massacres as genocide. While former President Donald Trump developed a cozy relationship with his Turkish … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $9 Million in Grants for COVID Vaccine Education, Availability
Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded more than $9 million to the state of Illinois to support education efforts and to expand availability of the coronavirus vaccine. According to a press release, more than $7.3 million will go to the state of Illinois to educate residents about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to help expand availability of the treatments. Another $1.97 million will go to the city of … Continue Reading
May 04, 2021
"Long overdue": The Senate just passed $35 billion for clean drinking water
A massive, bipartisan clean water infrastructure bill passed the Senate 89-2 on Thursday. The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act would create a $35 billion fund for states and tribes to improve water systems - 40 percent of which would go to underserved, rural, and tribal communities. The legislation would fund projects that address aging infrastructure and improve water quality, remove lead pipes from schools, and update infrastructure to be more resilient to the impacts of … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth ask federal VA to ensure Illinois veterans homes have proper disease planning, protocols after stinging report on LaSalle home, where 36 died from COVID-19
Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth on Monday asked for federal assistance to ensure Illinois veterans homes have proper infectious disease planning and protocols in place following the release of a stinging report detailing large-scale mismanagement at the LaSalle Veterans Home, where 36 residents died of COVID-19. In a letter to U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, the two Illinois senators noted the federal VA was part of on-site inspections with state … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Lawmakers tee up proposals to improve military child care facilities, address barriers to care
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers are teeing up legislative proposals that would tackle child care problems in the military, as thousands of children remain on monthslong waitlists and the Defense Department's backlog to repair existing facilities swells. The Defense Department, along with experts and military advocacy groups, have recognized high-quality child care as a retention and readiness issue for service members. The coronavirus pandemic also has exacerbated the problem, as some child care … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth Expounds On Environmental Agenda
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, joined Politically Speaking, talking with St. Louis Public Radio's Eric Schmid, Jia Lian Yang and Lauren Brown about her environmental justice legislation. Duckworth was first elected to the Senate in 2016, defeating incumbent Republican Mark Kirk in a landslide. Before becoming a senator, Duckworth served in the House for four years representing a suburban Chicago district. She's up for reelection in 2022. Here's what Duckworth talked about on the … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
Bill would create allowance for military families with food insecurity
Thousands of military families face food insecurity, but the way the Department of Agriculture calculates eligibility for federal benefits is locking many of them out of assistance. A group of lawmakers are hoping to change that with the Military Hunger Prevention Act, reintroduced Thursday by Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. The law would create a "basic needs allowance" for low-income military families who would otherwise qualify for the USDA's Supplemental … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
Senate passes bipartisan $35B water infrastructure bill
A bipartisan bill to boost funding for states' water infrastructure passed the Senate 89-2 Thursday, sending it to the House of Representatives. The measure, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, would put $35 billion toward state water infrastructure programs. It authorizes gradual increases in funding for state water infrastructure systems from fiscal 2022 through 2026, beginning with $2.4 billion and ending with $3.25 billion. The bill, written by Sen. Tammy … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Nearly $22M awarded for rural water infrastructure in Ill.
ILLINOIS (KFVS) - On April 28, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced $21,954,500 in federal funding to help improve water service, quality, access and sanitation in rural communities throughout Illinois. The funding comes from the Water and Environmental Program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of Rural Development. "Every Illinoisan should have access to clean and safe drinking water. This funding will provide our downstate … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Duckworth Pushes $35B Investment in Water Infrastructure
During his first address to Congress on Wednesday, President Joe Biden spoke to a serious health concern spurred by aging infrastructure: Americans' access to clean drinking water. "Today, up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and child care centers have pipes with lead in them - including drinking water," Biden said. "A clear and present danger to our children's health." The issue hits hard, especially at home. Illinois has more lead service pipes than any other … Continue Reading
April 27, 2021
SW Illinois Rural Expressway Gets a Nod from Sen. Duckworth
A proposed four-lane rural expressway connecting southern Illinois to the St. Louis Metropolitan Area is getting support from Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, recently met virtually with southwest Illinois leaders to discuss the Southwest Illinois Connector Highway Project. Illinois' junior senator says the project would help ease the bottleneck of traffic on Interstate 57 and boost the region's … Continue Reading
April 26, 2021
Duckworth makes waves
en. Tammy Duckworth, for the first time in her career, sits in a congressional majority. And she's making the most of it. Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat up for reelection next year, holds no committee chairmanships and isn't in congressional leadership. But only three months into the Democrats' majority, the first-termer is racking up legislative wins in the narrowly divided chamber and extracting concessions from the White House. "I have a very long list of things I want to get done," … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
No child should be exposed to pollutants just by drinking water from the kitchen tap
The water was brown - a murky, mud-like, tragic brown. Until that moment, I had never even considered that a color could be tragic in itself. It was years ago, in the middle of a House Oversight Committee hearing on the Flint water crisis. At the time, my older daughter was just a year old. I remember looking out into the audience and seeing a mom holding a baby bottle that looked exactly like the one my baby drank out of - a little bottle, with a pink top. Unlike my daughter's bottle, … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate with bipartisan support
The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday designed to more forcefully investigate hate crimes, particularly those against Asian Americans after the March 16 shootings at three Atlanta spas and a wave of violence following the spread of the coronavirus from China last year "To our Asian American friends: We will not tolerate bigotry against you. And to those perpetrating anti-Asian bigotry: We will pursue you to the fullest extent of the law. We cannot - we cannot - allow … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
There's a new push to ban the sale of crib bumpers
As a new mom, it can be hard to keep track of what's safe and unsafe for baby-especially when items like crib bumpers, which have been linked to dozens of pediatric deaths, are sold in stores across the country. Lawmakers are working to make things a little less confusing. This week, Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) proposed the Safe Cribs Act, which is a bill that would ban the sale of crib bumpers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics … Continue Reading
April 20, 2021
Bipartisan bill would ban crib bumpers, linked to dozens of infant deaths
Three senators, two Democrats and one Republican, are set to introduce legislation Tuesday that would ban the sale of crib bumpers, which have been linked to dozens of deaths and more than 100 serious injuries of sleeping infants since 1985. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are cosponsoring the Safe Cribs Act, which would require the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban the … Continue Reading
