{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-defense-appropriations-bill-invests-in-groundbreaking-research-and-protects-illinois-priorities", "Durbin: Defense Appropriations Bill Invests in Groundbreaking Research & Protects Illinois Priorities", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.16.15\n\t\t\t Durbin: Defense Appropriations Bill Invests in Groundbreaking Research & Protects Illinois Priorities \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t[WASHINGTON, D.C.]  U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill  which provides $572.8 billion in funding for the military and intelligence community, our national security requirements and the daily needs of over two million active duty and reserve servicemembers  funds Illinois defense installations and protects important Illinois priorities. The legislation was completed late last night and is expected to be voted on this week by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.\r\nIllinois has long taken a leadership role in our nations defense. Not only does our state claim three of our countrys most important and dynamic defense installations  Rock Island Arsenal, Scott Air Force Base, and Naval Station Great Lakes  we are also home to 13,000 National Guardsmen who serve throughout Illinois, Durbin said.\r\n\r\nAs Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, I have worked with my colleagues to maintain our states leadership and to ensure that Illinois servicemembers, their families, and our military and civilian workforce have the support they need and deserve.\r\n\r\nStronger Investments in Groundbreaking Research\r\n\r\nContinuing to invest in basic and advanced research and development is essential to maintaining our technological edge on the battlefield and enhancing our national security. The bill supports these efforts by increasing funding for basic research by 10% over FY2016 requested levels to $2.32 billion.\r\n\r\nJust as investing in basic and advanced science has paid great dividends, similar investments in medical research and battlefield medicine are saving more lives while improving care options and quality of life after injuries. This knowledge helps better inform treatment for everyone. Todays legislation supports these efforts by increasing funding for medical research at the Department of Defense by 7% over FY2015 enacted levels to $1.935 billion.\r\n\r\nFederal funding for research and development has been on a downward trend for the past several decades leading to a $1.5 trillion investment deficit that has forced a growing number of Americas best young researchers to take their talents to other industries  and other countries. For several years, Senator Durbin has championed increased investment to reverse this trend. Durbin authored The American Innovation Act and The American Cures Act to set steady growth rates in federal appropriations for biomedical and scientific research conducted at the nations premier federal research agencies.\r\n\r\n\r\nDurbin has served on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for 26 years. He assumed Chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in 2013, taking over from his close friend and former Appropriations Committee Chairman, Daniel Inouye. In 2015, he became the Vice Chairman of the subcommittee after Republicans assumed leadership of the Senate.\r\n \r\nThe FY16 Department of Defense Appropriations Act including funding for the following Illinois defense installations and priorities.\r\n \r\nRock Island Arsenal \r\n \r\nThe legislation provides $60 million for Humvee Ambulances and $100 million for Humvee modernization which helps meet a continuing Army need.\r\n \r\nIt also includes $145 million in funding for Industrial Mobilization Capacity (IMC) to help arsenals keep their work rates competitive. This funding helps Rock Island Arsenal and other arsenals compete more effectively for public-private partnerships and other business to help sustain capacity, cost efficiency and technical competence in peacetime, while preserving the ability to provide an effective and timely response to mobilizations, national defense contingency situations and other emergent requirements.Durbin included a similar provision in the FY14 & FY15 Department of Defense Appropriations Bills, which were both funded in the final legislation.\r\n \r\nThe FY16 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill requires the Secretary of the Army to maintain a minimum workload at Rock Island Arsenal (and the arsenals in New York and Arkansas). The legislation also directs the Secretary of Defense to review opportunities within other services and the Defense Logistics Agency to maximize workloads at arsenals.\r\n \r\nSt. Louis Region \r\n \r\nThe Navy has identified a need for additional F/A-18s and E/A-18Gs as part of its FY16 unfunded requests list, as well as an ongoing need for electronic attack capability.\r\n \r\nTo meet that need, the FY16 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill includes $350 million in funding for five F/A-18s and $660 million in funding for seven E/A-18Gs. Production of F/A-18s and E/A-18Gs is based at Boeings St. Louis plant, which employs thousands of workers, including 2,000 from Illinois.\r\n \r\nIn addition, the bill includes an additional $8 million for F-18 generator upgrades.\r\n \r\nTodays legislation also adds $300 million for R&D for the Navys Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program, for which Boeing and several other companies are competing.\r\n \r\nLovell Federal Health Care Center\r\n \r\nThe legislation approved by the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee today also fully funds President Obamas budget request  $121 million through the Department of Defense  to extend the DOD-VA pilot program at Lovell Federal Health Care Center for a fifth year.\r\n \r\nSince 1999, Durbin has played a major role in the development and implementation of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, which serves as an integrated healthcare facility for both servicemembers and veterans in the North Chicago region.\r\n \r\nIllinois National Guard (Peoria & Rantoul)\r\n \r\nThe FY15 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill provides an additional $33.2 million to accelerate nationwide engine upgrades and enhancements to C-130H aircraft, eight of which are flown by the 182nd Air National Guard wing based in Peoria, Illinois. These upgrades will reduce the need for repairs to the C-130H aircraft, and will also make them more powerful and energy efficient.\r\n \r\nThe bill also provides an additional $5.207 million in funding for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. ChalleNGe academics  including Lincoln's ChalleNGe Academy in Rantoul, Illinois  give at-risk youths who have dropped out of high school a second chance at completing their education using a military model. Since its founding in 1993, 35 ChalleNGe academies across the country have graduated more than 120,000 participants.\r\n \r\nAmmunition Production in East Alton and Marion, Illinois\r\n \r\nThe bill maintains funding for numerous ammunition lines  including lines produced at Olin Brass in East Alton, Illinois and General Dynamics in Marion, Illinois  which are critical to the safety of our troops overseas.\r\n \r\nArmy Corps of Engineers, Champaign\r\n \r\nThe bill supports President Obamas budget request for the Army Corps of Engineers Research Center in Champaign, Illinois. The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) concentrates on improving the design and effectiveness of Army installations and ranges, making them more resilient, efficient and affordable. CERL research and products also improve environmental sustainability while contributing to other Army Corps Research Center priorities.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-defense-appropriations-bill-invests-in-groundbreaking-research-and-protects-illinois-priorities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6191592440009117, "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"}