Fellow Illinoisan,

Last week, both the House and Senate moved quickly to pass a bipartisan funding bill to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.  The funding bill provides an additional $7.8 billion to respond to and prevent the spread of coronavirus. 

This funding bill also includes critical reimbursements for state and local governments, including Illinois and Chicago, for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak.  The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is expected to receive at least $14.7 million and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is expected to receive an additional $8.7 million.

DURBIN CONVENES CDC, STATE, AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE PLANS

On Friday, I convened a roundtable discussion with leaders from the IDPH and CDPH, as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cook County Department of Public Health, to discuss the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak and to go over best practices for responding to this growing public health challenge.

During our discussion, we agreed that if we are going to adequately address this outbreak, then we must ensure that our state and local governments and health departments are equipped with the resources they need to keep Americans safe.  The funding bill passed by Congress last week will do just that, and I will continue working closely with our state and local governments and health departments in Illinois to ensure we are able to respond to this outbreak as it continues to develop.  

Sincerely, 

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)