On Saturday, April 1, 2022, a New York Times analysis found that (IL-17) Congresswoman Cheri Bustos’s $55 million (secured for local community projects) ranks No. 1 among House of Representatives Democrats. In March, Bustos announced that she secured more than $55.65 million for projects in Peoria, Rockford, the Quad-Cities, Galesburg, East Dubuque, Freeport and Morrison, Illinois.
Her outstanding efforts resulted, in part, by partnering with lawmakers from both parties in Illinois’s delegation. She received input from 150 small towns in the 17th District and evaluated the funding requests for merit and regional diversity.
Below are funds secured by Congresswoman Bustos, for local community projects, in the recently-signed Government funding bill.
$45.1 million for new construction to start in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP): The entity receiving the funding will be the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, for modernizing a lock on the Upper Mississippi River System, to increase efficiency and reduce congestion.
$4.5 million in funding for a climate resilience and biomanufacturing initiative at Peoria’s Ag Lab: To initiate new research programs, to develop and utilize crops that improve the climate resilience and sustainability of food and energy production, foster new economic opportunities for rural communities and biomanufacturing industries, and enhance the safety and security of the food supply.
$1.5 million for the Morrison Institute of Technology’s Automation Annex in Morrison: The Automation Annex will house the equipment, classrooms, and lab space for Morrison Tech’s Automation Process Controls Engineering Technology Program.
$1.2 million in funding to upgrade Galesburg Sanitary District’s Wastewater Treatment Plant: This funding will clean and improve the number Four Digester in Galesburg for better, more efficient mixing, while adding biogas monitoring and safety equipment, and to convert the secondary digester to a primary digester.
$1 million for the former Harrison School Demolition in Peoria: Demolishing the former Harrison School building will serve the health and safety of residents in one of Peoria’s oldest neighborhoods. The property has sat vacant and abandoned for multiple years, is a major blighting influence on the neighborhood, attracts crime, and creates other health hazards.
$750,000 for the YMCA of Rock River Valley Youth Equity Center in Rockford: The funding will be used to introduce programming focused on breaking the cycle of poverty and addressing social determinants of health, by opening a local center for youth. This center will address food insecurity and anti-hunger efforts, support college and career readiness, increase child and family stability, promote healthy lifestyles, and increase social responsibility.
$500,000 in funding to jump-start Illinois Central College’s Peoria Cradle to Career Initiative (CCI): The CCI is a comprehensive community-based strategy designed to address the critical needs of children and families of Peoria, Illinois’ ZIP Code 61605, one of the most-distressed communities in America. The project lays the foundation for the forthcoming program through important assessments of each family’s education, workforce training, employment, housing, healthcare, and other needs to become productive and successful members of their community.
$400,000 for the Construction of Community Center and Expansion of Library at East Dubuque District Library, in East Dubuque: This funding will be used for the construction of a community center to serve the growing needs of the community, providing meeting and programming spaces for patrons, area residents, visitors, organizations, and social service agencies and their clients.
$400,000 in funding for small business-focused programming at Western Illinois University’s (WIU) Quad Cities campus: To expand the capacity of WIU to drive innovation and small business success. The funding will support a program to promote new business start-ups through entrepreneurship training, help existing small businesses explore new markets, and encourage small businesses to create business succession plans.
$300,000 in funding to help establish a new outpatient behavioral health care clinic at Rosecrance in Freeport: The proposed Rosecrance outpatient clinic will provide high-quality care in a setting that is therapeutic and will support mental health and substance abuse patients.