Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Matteson) has secured $17.5 million in Community Project Funding for Illinois' 2nd Congressional District, and this money now will be included in the 2023 government funding package.

"I am proud to have brought over $17 million in Community Project Funding back to the 2nd District," Kelly said Dec. 23 in a Twitter post. "This funding will create better jobs and better opportunities for everyone in our urban, suburban and rural communities."

In a release on her House website, Kelly said Dec. 21 that the previously secured funding includes revenue for 14 projects in the 2nd District. The 12-bill package of government spending will "improve health care, create jobs and open up more opportunities for working families," the release said. 

The largest portion of $4 million will go to U.S. Army Corps projects in Cook County. Other projects include $1 million for a dental hygiene program at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, $1 million for Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, $2 million for the South Shore Hospital Corporation in Chicago and $1.5 million for the Streetlight Improvement for Enhanced Public Safety in Harvey. 

Kelly said the funding "meets long overdue community needs" in the district, adding that “these investments create jobs with better pay, make us safer, strengthen our communities and start to tackle climate change."

She described the projects as benefiting every part of 2nd District and said they will "help our neighbors thrive whether they live in an urban center, a suburban neighborhood, or a rural community."