Governor Ryan and Mayor Daley Present 2nd Annual State/City Federal Priorities To Illinois Congressional Delegation

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Following the success of last year's unprecedented partnership, Governor George H. Ryan and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley today presented the state's congressional delegation with their recommendations for this year's federal initiatives that will benefit citizens throughout Illinois.

"There is no question in my mind that the cooperation between the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, local governments across the state, and our friends here in Washington has allowed more people in Illinois access to federal funds than ever before," Ryan said.

"Last year we achieved success in many areas, and we intend to build upon those successes this year. Our goal is to make sure that our friends in Washington are fully aware of the needs of the people of Illinois. We want to bring home our fair share of federal resources."

The Republican governor and the Democratic mayor asked legislators to push for more federal money for a number of pressing needs, including transportation, technology, education and school construction, and initiatives to improve Illinois parks and rivers.

Governor Ryan and Mayor Daley will meet with Speaker Hastert, Senator Durbin, Senator Fitzgerald and the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation to discuss their 2000 Joint State/City federal Initiatives.

Highlights from this year's agenda include increased funding for shoreline reconstruction along Lake Michigan, $70 million to hire new teachers and reduce class sizes, increased Medicaid funding, additional dollars for the state's nationally recognized welfare-to-work efforts, $10 million for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, $90 million for the Illinois Rivers 2020 initiative, more than $500 million for technology development and $92 million to complete work on Wacker Drive and the Stevenson Expressway.

"Passage of Illinois FIRST was an extraordinary step forward in addressing the infrastructure and education needs of Illinois," Ryan added. "Through Illinois FIRST, we are able to provide the state matching funds that enable us to capture the federal dollars necessary to fund needed projects throughout the state."

Last year's cooperative effort yielded a number of success:

• $14 million for reconstruction of the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago;

• $10.6 million for reconstruction of Wacker Drive in Chicago;

• $25 million for METRA to upgrade and expand service;

• $7 million for the Chicago Transit Authority for improvements to busses and bus facilities;

• $8.2 million for transit busses statewide;

• $870,000 for transportation improvements in DuPage County to reduce congestion;

• $55 million for new teachers and class size reduction;

• $209 million from the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for grants to Illinois schools;

• Retained hold harmless provision of Title I ESEA which preserved $15 million in funding for Illinois schools;

• $25 million for Illinois brownfields programs to prepare industrial sites for redevelopment;

• $1.4 million to support Illinois open space initiatives;

• $180.2 million for the Community Development Block Grant program;

• Increased funding for public housing and urban development projects;

• State reimbursement for the incarceration of illegal criminal aliens.