Rep. Underwood Secures $20 Million for Local Projects in Government Funding Package

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) announced that she has secured $20,090,613 in Community Project Funding for Illinois’ 14th district as part of the final 2023 government funding package. The package now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. 

“From my first day in Congress, I have been focused on bringing federal resources home to northern Illinois,” said Underwood. “I’m thrilled to secure more than $20 million in federal funding for the 14th District in this year’s funding package. By improving childcare, expanding access to health services, supporting local business owners, and keeping our neighborhoods safe, these resources will make sure our communities in the 14th are healthy, strong, and thriving.”  

Underwood, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, championed federal funding for 15 projects that will directly benefit Illinois’ 14th District residents. These include:

• $450,000 for Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness to renovate Aunt Martha's clinic at Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital and expand access to high-quality adolescent mental and behavioral health care. 
• $121,000 for the Sandwich Police Department to purchase in-car cameras for each of the Department's seven squad cars to help improve transparency, accountability, and safety within the department and for the Sandwich community.
• $1,500,000 for Northern Illinois University to create a 4,200-square-foot microchip innovation and workforce development hub on NIU's campus that will be used for education, research and development, and small business incubation to drive innovation across northern Illinois and help address the global microchip shortage. 
• $975,000 for the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge/Nippersink Creek Restoration Project to restore over 100 acres of wetlands and nearly 8,750 feet of headwater streams within the Tamarack Core area. 
• $750,000 to renovate the new home of the Hinckley Public Library, a 6,000-square-foot building in the heart of downtown Hinckley that will serve as a stable long-term anchor in the community.
  
• $974,843 for the construction and development of the Huntley Shops on Main, which will support entrepreneurs with federal funding for retail space, revitalizing the community, and creating local jobs. 
• $353,404 for the Joliet Junior College Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC) to expand the center’s capacity to provide no-cost services to new and existing entrepreneurs through education, training, and resource identification to build their companies. 
  
• $4,800,000 for a Kendall County Extension Environmental Impact Statement that will serve as the next step in extending the Metra commuter rail into Kendall County, which is currently not served by Metra despite being the fastest-growing county in Illinois. 
• $1,800,000 for the Village of Oswego for Corrosion Studies to ensure residents have access to high-quality drinking water and mitigate potential lead exposure ahead of Oswego, Montgomery, and Yorkville switching water sources in the coming years.
• $3,000,000 for the relocation of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, which has served the community for 40 years and will now have the capacity to store and offer more services, including healthy, fresh foods; clothing; and other necessities for residents. 
• $1,125,000 to replace Perimeter Fencing at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (DKB),  the first phase of a security upgrade crucial to making the Airport financially viable and maintaining it as a regional economic development engine. 
• $2,500,000 for the Northern Moraine Wastewater Reclamation District to purchase sewer lines, manholes, and other needed infrastructure to connect 335 existing homes to a sanitary sewer. These upgrades will provide a healthier environment for the community and a safer source of drinking water for the entire region. 
  
• $500,000 for VNA Health Care to build a new health center in Joliet that will provide access to critical health care services for a growing population, including primary care, obstetrics, pediatric services, and mental and behavioral health care. 
• $666,366 for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to support the expansion and enhancement of YMCA Safe 'N Sound (SNS) programming at three schools in Aurora West School District 129 and nine schools in Indian Prairie School District 204, supporting children in kindergarten through fifth grade with their academic and personal development, focusing on experiential learning, social and emotional development, and the promotion of healthy living.
• $575,000 for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago to create and administer a childcare network for Illinois' 14th District, consisting of childcare centers and family childcare providers, that will strengthen small childcare businesses, expand childcare system capacity, and improve the quality of care for children in the community.

Four of Underwood’s bills were also passed as part of the package:   

• The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act ensures that all nursing mothers have protections in the workplace by expanding protections to nearly 9 million workers not currently covered by existing law.  
• The Improving DATA in Public Health Act will help the nation prepare for and respond to public health emergencies by strengthening our public health data infrastructure. 
• The Protections for Student Veterans Act will ensure that veterans in every state can continue to use Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits without penalty if they are called to serve. 
• The Continuing Systems of Care for Children Act would fund community-based mental health care programs and expand initiatives to provide support to young people at risk for substance use disorders. 

The package also makes historic strides in strengthening protections for working and pregnant women. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, included in the package, will protect the health and well-being of pregnant workers. 

A detailed summary of the funding package is available here.  

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