Fellow Illinoisan,

Last week, the bipartisan CARES Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. It is a truly historic funding bill, and will bring much-needed aid to Illinois’ hospitals, health care workers, and working families. 

Like all compromises, this bill is not perfect. But because Senate Democrats insisted on strengthening this bill, we can now say that it puts our hospitals and health care workers first, providing the vital resources they’ll need to care for Illinoisans affected by this virus. 

Additionally, this bill makes extraordinary investments in working class families, workers who were laid off, small businesses just trying to stay afloat, and industries on the brink of collapse. And - crucially - it will reimburse our state and local governments for the extraordinary investments they are making to combat the spread of this virus.  

To help break down what is included in the CARES Act, my office has put together a webpage to help answer all of your questions about the coronavirus outbreak, provisions in the CARES Act, and what federal and local resources are available to you, or your small business, during this pandemic. We will be updating this webpage as new information becomes available.
 
And as always, please remember to practice social distancing and stay safe. Together, we can beat this virus and save lives.

Sincerely, 

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