March 29, 2021 The Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary U.S. Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20220 Secretary Yellen: Thank you for your tireless work and leadership in getting relief to the American people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. As the Treasury begins issuing guidance and implementing provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2), we urge you to ensure towns and townships across the country, including in Illinois, are made eligible for direct relief to the fullest extent possible. As part of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, the American Rescue Plan Act included a total of $362 billion to help ensure first responders, frontline health care workers, teachers and other providers of vital services can continue serving their communities safely as states, local governments, Tribes and territories roll out vaccines and rebuild their economies. The support provided by the American Rescue Plan Act will help Illinois’ state government, as well as our local units of government, beat the virus, recover from the economic effects of the pandemic and emerge stronger than ever. By law, Illinois townships serve three basic functions: general assistance for those in poverty; assessment of real property for the basis of local taxation; and maintenance of all roads and bridges outside of federal, state and other local jurisdiction. Township governments in Illinois maintain more than 71,000 miles of road in Illinois – 53 percent of all thoroughfares in our state. They also provide food, shelter and emergency relief for those in need, as well as senior citizens programs, parks and recreational facilities, health services and cemetery maintenance. In sum, Illinois townships play a vital role in our day-to-day lives. Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act provides the Secretary of the Treasury the discretion to determine the extent to which townships and other non-entitlement units of government are eligible for direct assistance under the Act. We urge you to use this discretion to interpret this section of the law to the fullest extent practicable so that townships receive the support Congress intended them to receive. Given the critical role that townships play in our state, we believe they merit direct allocation from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. Thank you again for your work and your attention to this important issue. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, M Cheri Bustos Member of Congress Dick Durbin Bobby L. Rush United States Senator Member of Congress Robin L. Kelly Jesús G. “Chuy” Garcia Member of Congress Member of Congress Sean Casten Danny K. Davis Member of Congress Member of Congress Raja Krishnamoorthi Jan Schakowsky Member of Congress Member of Congress Bradley S. Schneider Bill Foster Member of Congress Member of Congress Lauren Underwood Member of Congress .