July 03, 2021

Duckworth Discusses American Rescue Plan, Voting Rights and Investments in Communities of Color During Tri-County Urban League Town Hall Meeting

 

[PEORIA, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted a town hall meeting with the Tri-County Urban League in Peoria to discuss how federal funding in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) can help municipal governments recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and build back an economy that works for everyone. During the town hall, Duckworth and the community members also discussed infrastructure investments in communities of color, criminal justice reform and voting rights. Photos from today’s town hall meeting are available here.

“As we work to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19, we also have to prioritize repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, reforming our broken criminal justice system and protecting the right to vote,” said Duckworth. “I had a productive discussion today about uplifting Central Illinois communities with the Tri-County Urban League, and I’ll keep working to help make sure that no community is left behind in the push to build a stronger economy and improve the lives of Illinoisans.”

In March, Duckworth wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing the need for quick and flexible guidance from Treasury to states so local governments can get relief immediately. Throughout the pandemic, Duckworth continuously called for maximum flexibility and fairness for local relief dollars.

Duckworth also helped introduce the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and communities. The bill includes provisions of Duckworth’s legislation, the Police Training and Independent Review Act, which would reward states that enact laws requiring independent reviews, criminal investigations and when necessary, prosecutions of police officers who commit violent crimes. The Senator is also a co-sponsor of the For the People Act—a sweeping package of comprehensive reforms that aims to restore the promise of American democracy by guaranteeing every American citizen full access to the ballot by addressing voter intimidation and suppression, which are among the biggest examples of systemic racism in America.

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