House Speaker Dennis Hastert visited DeKalb Wednesday to announce a $280 billion highway bill.

Hastert also commented on the Terri Schiavo case and the local elections during a press conference at the DeKalb Elks Lodge, 209 S. Annie Glidden Road.

The nationwide bill, which passed March 2, includes an $8 million project to widen Annie Glidden Road and $7.5 million for other campus road projects.

For years, Hastert and local leaders have been working to pass transportation legislation to widen Annie Glidden Road and repair the streets and sidewalks on NIU’s campus, he said.

Given the time frame for the project, acquiring the additional funds should not be a problem as time progresses, Hastert said.

On the matter of local elections, Hastert said working with DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow has been productive and that Sparrow’s work contributed to this success and past successes.

Hastert also voiced his opinion on the Schiavo case, a name that prompted Congress to hold a special late-night session Monday.

“One of the most important provisions of the Constitution is ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’” Hastert said. “This woman’s life is being taken from her.”

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales picked up the case Wednesday after a federal appeals court refused the case, he said. The U.S. Supreme Court is now expected to hear the case.

Hastert said all members of Congress, regardless of their party affiliation, said there is a chance she may awaken and that he is not able to agree with removing her feeding tube.