In the News
FULTON COUNTY, Ill. (WMBD) — Congressmen Eric Sorensen (D-17) visited Fulton County Thursday evening to assess damage from the severe storms that swept through the area in mid-July.
Fulton County leaders, and Illinois Emergency Management Agency representatives sat down with the congressman to explain the damage and what problems they are facing.
PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD) — A Pekin high schooler’s painting is making a trip to the nation’s capitol after winning an art competition.
According to Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Pekin Community High School senior Rachel Fry won the 2024 Congressional Art Competition for the 17th District. The art was selected by local leaders in the district.
Her winning piece, called Clownish Tomfoolery, will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol Building for a year.
The bipartisan All-American Flag Act proposed by Illinois District 17 Congressman Eric Sorensen has passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives, a media release said.
According to the media release, the All-American Flag Act requires the federal government to only purchase flags that are entirely produced and manufactured in the United States.
On Thursday, Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), and Eric Sorensen (IL-17) introduced the bipartisan Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act. This bill would increase funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), helping provide them with additional resources that are needed to combat the fentanyl crisis.
U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen is co-sponsoring a bipartisan bill aimed at curbing the flow of fentanyl across the southern border.
The "Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act," announced Thursday during a virtual news conference, proposes allocating $5.3 billion to increase technology and personnel dedicated to drug trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sorensen, who represents Illinois’ 17th District, is co-sponsoring the bill with Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer [OR-5] and Democrat Gabe Vasquez [NM-2].
Illinois politicians announced on Tuesday a multi-million-dollar investment into mass transit that could change the way some riders get around their communities.
According to a press release from the office of Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-17), U.S. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Sorensen announced the allocation of more than $25 million in federal funding to help riders who use the Greater Peoria and Rock Island County Metropolitan mass transit districts.
Bloomington and Normal city officials are thanking Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen for his help in securing nearly $5 million in federal spending for the community.
The Interior Department appropriations bill will pay for more work on storm and sanitary sewer separation in Bloomington, storm water drainage work in Normal, and redesigning and constructing a part of Vernon Avenue near Colene Hoose Elementary School.
The city will replace a 105-year-oldbridge across the street from Constance Lane Elementary School next year in order to provide a safer connection for schoolchildren and neighborhood residents.
Congress Eric Sorensen announced a nearly $8.6 million grant for the City of Rockford to administer early childhood education to families in Northern Illinois.
“Making sure our kids have access to the classroom is a critical step to putting our children on the road to success,” said Sorensen. “I’m proud to see our tax dollars coming back to my hometown of Rockford to support working families in Northern Illinois and contribute to our region’s growth.”
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) has reopened the Peoria Health Center after it was severely damaged by a firebomb attack in early 2023.
The rebuilding and renovations amounted to more than $1 million. On Tuesday, PPIL held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and press conference with Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Michael Cabonargi, Congressman Eric Sorensen, and Illinois State Senator Dave Kohler to unveil the new facility.