Dick Durbin

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, met Wednesday with Metra CEO Jim Derwinski and other leaders of the transit agency to discuss surface transportation reauthorization priorities.

The senator also met Wednesday with members of the Illinois Primary Health Care Association.

Durbin and Metra leaders discussed updates on federal transit grant awards.

During the meeting, Durbin and Metra leadership spoke about ongoing funding needs to station upgrades and bridge repairs.

“Many Illinoisans rely on Metra to commute in and out of Chicago,” Durbin said. “It’s critical that Metra has the support it needs to meet its demands and provide safe, reliable transportation for the region’s residents.

“I’ll continue to be a federal partner to Metra, advocating for the federal funding it needs to thrive.”

In February, Durbin and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Hoffman Estates, helped Metra secure $100 million in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program to purchase 50 Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible, multilevel rail cars to replace 40-year-old cars.

In 2022, Durbin and Duckworth also helped Metra secure two All Stations Accessibility Program grants – $37.6 million to improve accessibility at the 59^th/60^th Street Station on the Metra Electric Line and $29 million to make the 95^th Street-Chicago State University station ADA accessible.

In 2023, Durbin and Duckworth also helped Metra secure a $117 million Mega grant from DOT to replace 11 bridges with walkways, and pedestrian and traffic improvements, as well as replace four miles of track and two miles of retaining wall.

Health officials

Durbin also met Wednesday with the Illinois Primary Health Care Association to discuss workforce shortages in the health care sector, and funding to ensure Illinoisans can continue to get the care they need.

Community health centers across urban, suburban and rural parts of the state serve one in nine patients, providing primary, behavioral and dental health care regardless of patients’ income. They also discussed the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which promotes prescription drug affordability and the ability of health centers to serve their communities.

“Health care is a basic right for all Americans, and community health centers play an essential role in expanding access to quality care for patients in rural and urban communities,” Durbin said. “I’m committed to ensuring our health centers have the federal resources and workforce to treat more patients with the care they deserve.”

In the American Rescue Plan, Durbin secured $1 billion for the National Health Service Corps scholarship and loan repayment awards to recruit more doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health providers to under-served rural and urban areas.