Illegal dumping in East St. Louis is being targeted in the appropriation bills pending in Congress. In the current spending plan, East St. Louis would receive $1.4 million to help fund the installation of FlashCams and Smart LED lights on Summit Avenue between 52nd and 59th streets, a dumping hot spot.

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-IL, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL, announced that the Appropriations Committee advanced three Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; and the Legislative Branch.

Durbin and Duckworth said they worked to secure priorities for Illinois in the appropriations bills, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process.

“These bills make critical investments in Illinois. I’m glad the Senate Appropriations Committee was able to come together on a bipartisan basis to advance these bills, which will benefit families, communities, and the economy in Illinois,” Durbin said. “Senators and representatives know their states and districts better than federal agency personnel in Washington; and I’m pleased we can deliver direct results through Congressionally Directed Spending. I will continue to work with my colleagues to see these priorities across the finish line.”

“Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families — and that’s what these bipartisan funding bills do,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud I was able to help secure critical support for projects all throughout our state that help keep our communities safe and support our working families.”

The funding bills include the following Illinois priorities secured by Congressionally Directed Spending requests:

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

• Technology upgrades, East St. Louis: $1.4 million to the city of East St. Louis to help fund the installation of FlashCams and Smart LED lights on Summit Avenue between 52nd and 59th streets. The technology will be placed in an illegal dumping hot spot in East St. Louis.
• Electrical power initiative, Peoria: $950,000 to Bradley University to acquire equipment to conduct research to develop electrification standards for reliable power production. The project also will develop standards based on economic analysis to ensure the industry produces energy systems to meet the standards.
• Equipment and technology upgrades, Matteson: $1 million to the SouthCom Combined Dispatch Center for equipment and technology upgrades including police body cameras, squad car enhancements, police protective equipment, and the installation of emergency dispatch consoles.
• First responders mental health initiative, Rosemont: $910,000 to the McDermott Center to develop and implement trauma-informed training for first responders to address the post-traumatic stress disorder derived from law enforcement situations as a means to combat burnout, promote workforce retention, and enhance the well-being of law enforcement professionals.
• Gun violence reduction, Peoria: $564,000 to Peoria County to deploy the Cure Violence model, which is an evidence-based strategy for reducing gun violence among individuals most at risk for violence.
• Offshore seismic mapping, Chicago: $550,000 to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to produce detailed geologic maps of the bottom of Lake Michigan in the Chicago offshore area.
• Semiconductor initiative, Romeoville: $900,000 to Lewis University to purchase equipment to promote the modernization of semiconductor manufacturing processes through research into the development of new production methods and technologies.
• Technology upgrades, Rockford: $825,000 to Winnebago County to purchase equipment for the Winnebago County Regional Police Training Center to provide a real-world, educational experience to law enforcement officers in a controlled location.
• Technology upgrades, Springfield: $300,000 to the Springfield Police Department for software upgrades that would allow cross communication between body cameras, dispatch, Shot Spotter, computers, and other technologies in order to provide faster response times.

Financial Services and General Government

• Clean technology initiative, Chicago: $475,000 to support Illinois-based clean technology startups through business development training, professional mentorship, market strategies, and networking opportunities.
• Digitization and preservation initiative, Naperville: $800,000 to the Naperville Heritage Society to preserve and digitize archives, artifacts, and records that demonstrate the history and inhabitants of Naperville and the state of Illinois.
• Manufacturing supply chain initiative, Chicago: $675,000 to a manufacturing innovation center to develop a regional supply chain network to connect domestic suppliers and contract manufacturers with hard-tech entrepreneurs through technical assistance and network development.
• Photographic digitization initiative, Bloomington: $550,000 to the McLean County Historical Society to continue the digitization of 1.5 million photographic negatives.