The Duckworth Diary - February 28, 2014

Statement

Dear Neighbors,

This week, I was happy to announce a $70 million federal grant awarded in the Chicagoland area to UI Labs of Chicago for a Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation (DMDI) Institute. UI Labs will dramatically reduce the time and cost it takes to design, source, and manufacture spare parts for equipment, while also lowering risk. Additionally, it will increase the 8th District's manufacturing capacity, allowing companies like Northrop Grumman, ACME Finishing Company and L3 Communications to thrive.

On Tuesday, I spoke at the Disabled American Veteran's Second Annual Women Veterans Seminar. It is crucial that we recognize the enormous contributions women are making to our military and that we honor their service when they come home.

The FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan amendment I co-introduced. The amendment would strengthen current law to ensure that government agencies respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in a timely manner. FOIA requesters often face unreasonable delays in agency response time, despite the fact that the law requires agencies to meet a 20 day deadline.

I also met with the Elgin Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and members from Choose Chicago. We discussed ways to bring more tourism to the Chicagoland area. Last year 101 million visitors to Illinois meant $33.5 billion dollars for the state and 299,000 jobs related to tourism.

This week, we celebrate the 53rd Anniversary of the Peace Corps. There are currently 7,200 Peace Corps volunteers improving the lives of individuals and communities in 65 countries, and 16 of them are from the 8th District. I am proud of my constituents, and all Americans, who choose to donate their time to serving others.

I hope you are having a great week.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Duckworth

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