Pontiac, IL – Senate Republican legislators will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to discuss pressing Illinois
issues, including proposed state transportation projects, Medicaid and
public health concerns, and homeland security measures. State Senator
Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) said that the delegation will also meet with
U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Yorkville) to receive a briefing
on topical government issues.
“This is an opportunity for state legislators to meet with Illinois’ lawmakers at the federal level and discuss the issues that are of greatest concern to Illinois.
I think that these briefings will provide lawmakers at the state level
with a better understanding of what our congressional leaders are
accomplishing in Washington, D.C.,” Rutherford explained.
Senator
Rutherford said that he was particularly interested in speaking with
the congressional delegation regarding possible transportation
projects. With Congress seemingly preparing to reach an agreement on a
federal transportation funding package that could allocate anywhere
between $284 billion to $295 billion in transportation funding,
Rutherford said that this is a great time to meet with the state’s
congressional leaders to discuss Illinois’ high-priority transportation
projects.
“Illinois
is a national transportation hub, both because of the state’s location
in the middle of the nation and, of course, because of the commerce and
tourism that Chicago draws to Illinois. Right now, Congress is considering funding for hundreds of Illinois
transportation projects. As state legislators, this is a perfect
opportunity to speak to our congressional leaders about important local
projects, as well as transportation projects that will benefit the
entire state,” Rutherford said.