WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with the Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities (FIICU) about the importance of providing additional COVID-19 relief that supports private, not-for-profit colleges and universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Durbin supports additional funding for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), created by the CARES Act, which provided assistance to institutions and emergency financial aid for students. The recently-released House reconciliation bill would provide nearly $40 billion for HEERF with at least 50 percent of funds going to nonprofit colleges and universities required to be used for emergency student financial aid. It also provides funds for institutions to invest in COVID-19 mitigation and outreach to struggling students and families.
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“I’m proud to partner with the Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities and their member schools to push for additional federal support for higher education,” said Durbin. “I’ll continue to work alongside Illinois’ educational institutions to ensure that they have the resources they need to continue to serve our students through the pandemic.”
