{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sorensen.house.gov/media/press-releases/sorensen-highlights-accomplishments-central-and-northwestern-illinois-2023", "Sorensen Highlights Accomplishments for Central and Northwestern Illinois in 2023", "2023-12-21", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Eric Sorensen", "S001225", "sorensen.house.gov", "sorensen", "https://sorensen.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "MOLINE, IL \u2013 Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) is highlighting how he and his office worked throughout 2023 to be a good neighbor to Illinoisans, ensure government works for middle-class families, and make Central and Northwestern Illinois more sustainable for the next generation.\n\n\u201cThis past year, we\u2019ve made a lot of progress in creating strong, healthy, and sustainable communities for the future,\u201d said Sorensen. \u201cIt has been my honor to serve Central and Northwestern Illinois as their trusted neighbor in Congress and I look forward to continuing to be a bipartisan voice for all Illinois families.\u201d\n\n\ud83c\udfa5 WATCH: \ud83c\udfa5 SORENSEN, THE ONLY METEOROLOGIST IN CONGRESS, RETURNS TO THE GREEN SCREEN TO HIGHLIGHT HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR ILLINOIS IN 2023.\n\nAmong other things, Sorensen is highlighting the following wins for Illinois in 2023:\n\nMaking Government Work for Illinois\n\nResolving 818 constituent cases, helping Illinoisans with issues related to federal agencies, which include the IRS, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and more.\n\nReturning $810,597 to constituents and local businesses in overdue tax returns, Social Security benefits, student loans, veterans\u2019 benefits, and more.\n\nAnnouncing over $353 million in tax dollars brought back in prime grant awards and over $2.7 million on grant subawards for purposes such as substance abuse treatment, health care, local law enforcement, education, and more.\n\nDelivering Bipartisan Results\n\nPassed one bill, the bipartisan DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act in the House of Representatives \u2013 This was one of 11 pieces of legislation Sorensen introduced in 2023.\n\nCosponsoring 149 bills, with over 75 percent being bipartisan.\n\nCasting 706 votes on the House floor, making sure Central and Northwestern Illinois residents have their voices heard on every important issue.\n\nSecuring six amendments in House legislation to address issues like keeping jobs at the Peoria Air National Guard base and bringing manufacturing jobs to our region to develop new military technologies.\n\nGetting 14 community projects for Central and Northwestern Illinois included in appropriations legislation, which includes $846,910 to support police training in Winnebago County, $75 million to revolutionize our river infrastructure and bring farmers\u2019 goods to market faster.\n\nAttending 47 committee hearings and legislative markups, where Sorensen made sure to voice Illinois priorities and found ways that government can better deliver for Illinois working families.\n\nJoined 13 caucuses, including the Pro-Choice Caucus and Congressional Labor Caucus.\n\nBeing a Good Neighbor\n\nResponding to over 30,000 constituent messages\u2014communicating with an average of nearly 81 Illinoisans each day.\n\nHosting 729 conversations and meetings with constituents, stakeholders, and community leaders.\n\nCongressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois\u2019 Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sorensen.house.gov/media/press-releases/sorensen-highlights-accomplishments-central-and-northwestern-illinois-2023"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5108371153473854, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}