Durbin, Senators Send Letter to DEA Calling for Stricter Limits on Opioid Pills

[ROCKFORD, IL] - In a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Edward Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) called on the agency to use its power to ‎more aggressively combat the opioid epidemic that is affecting communities across the country. With its existing quota-setting authority, the DEA effectively serves as a gatekeeper for how many opioids can be produced and sold in the Unit… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $2.4 Million to Protect Winnebago County Families from Lead Hazards

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award Winnebago County $2,492,455 to control lead-based paint hazards in low-income homes with children. Today's funding will allow the county's health department to address hazards in 150 housing units, protecting families from dangerous lead exposure. A total of $52,645,790 was awarded nationwide today as part of HUD's Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program and Hea… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Initiatives to Combat Heroin and Prescription Opioid Epidemic

ROCKFORD - As the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic continues to impact communites arond Illinois and the country, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with local advocates, first responders, health professionals, and people whose lives have been impacted by addiction to discuss efforts to combat the crisis. Durbin has introduced several pieces of legislation to expand treatment for heroin addiction and increase access to drug prevention programs that have been proven to save li… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $2.8 Million in HUD Funding for Illinois Housing & Community Development

[BELVIDERE, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that 22 communities in Illinois will receive a total of $2,846,926 in grant funding through the Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (PH-FSS) Program, a federal grant program administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop strategies which help families learn skills, gain experience, and obtain employment in the hopes of leading to economic independe… Continue Reading

Durbin Sends Letter to DEA Calling for Stricter Limits of Opioid Pills

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), calling on the agency to use its power to ‎more aggressively combat the opioid epidemic that is affecting communities across Illinois and the country. With its existing quota-setting authority, DEA effectively serves as a gatekeeper for how many opioids can be produced and sold in the United States every year. Durbin has urged DEA to help keep the dangerous pills from flooding the … Continue Reading

Chicago, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Chicago, Illinois native Johanna Mintz spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the federal … Continue Reading

Chicago, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Chicago, Illinois native Lee A. Smith III spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the feder… Continue Reading

Murphysboro, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Murphysboro native Lorna Gilmore spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the federal govern… Continue Reading

Darien, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Darien, Illinois native Michael Jurkash spent three months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the… Continue Reading

Naperville, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Naperville, Illinois native Reeny John spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the fe… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $200,000 for Clay County Hospital

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $200,000 in federal funding to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs at Clay County Hospital. Today's funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will support case management for patients with chronic disease, help prepare nurses to effectively assist patients with chronic disease, and teach patients to better manage their conditions. This HHS grant is intended to support health care in medically unde… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Need a Forceful Response to the Heroin and Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor calling out Republicans for failing to provide immediate funding for new efforts to combat opioid addiction in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Durbin noted that the CARA bill freezes funding for addiction treatment at a time when the number of deaths from opioid and heroin overdoses continues to grow. "When only 12% of the people in Illinois are able to receive care for their addiction and there is a 12-w… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with CDC Director to Discuss Urgent Need for Congress to Pass Zika Funding

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to discuss the agency's efforts to combat the spread of the Zika virus and the immediate need for increased funding. Durbin expressed concern about how congressional Republicans' refusal to pass a bipartisan emergency funding bill is hindering the CDC's ability to respond to this public health threat. To date, 3,667 people in the United States, includi… Continue Reading

In Wake of Recent Violence & Upheaval, Durbin Calls for Action on Criminal Justice Reform

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the floor of the Senate to call on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to schedule a vote on the Senate's bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. In the wake of recent violence and upheaval across the country, Durbin, who was joined by his co-authors, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mike Lee (R-UT), called for action on the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation as a step toward justice and reconcilia… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with DHS Secretary & White House Chief of Staff to Discuss Central American Refugee Crisis

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to discuss America's response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. During the meeting, Durbin expressed concerns over current policy classifying refugee women and children from Central America as immigration enforcement priorities due to their date of arrival in the United States. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ben C… Continue Reading

Durbin: It's Time for Republicans to Do Their Job & Fund the Zika Crisis Before Seven-Week Break

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor to call on Senate Republican leaders to pass a compromise bill to combat Zika before Congress enters a seven week recess. Senator Durbin blasted Republicans for conditioning emergency funding on defunding Planned Parenthood and drastic cuts to Americans' health care. "I spent the last several weeks meeting with maternal and fetal health care providers and community health leaders, and they have shared with me the fear an… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.3 Million to Support Seasonal Farmworkers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor will award the Illinois Migrant Council $1,393,708 to provide job training and housing assistance to seasonal farmworkers and their families. Today's funding will help agricultural workers in Illinois attain employment stability, learn new skills, and gain better housing options. A total of $81 million in funding was awarded nationwide under the Department of Labor's National Farmworker Jobs Program. … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Recent Shootings

EAST ST LOUIS-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the shootings of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcone Heights, Minnesota: The tragedy in Dallas reminds us of the selfless sacrifice our men and women in law enforcement make every day. My heart goes out to the families who lost a policeman and my prayers to all who are recovering from this vicious attack. Those who try to exploit this… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Announce More Than $1.7 Million for Peoria International Airport

EAST ST LOUIS - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $1,742,290 for improvements at General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport in Peoria, Illinois. Today's announcement will fund the rehabilitation of the airport's apron and builds on more than $1.6 million in funding provided last year. "This critical investment will help improve safety and efficiency for travelers flying i… Continue Reading

Durbin, Menendez Urge EPA to Toughen Lead Hazard Standards

WASHINGTON - With reports of children exposed to dangerous levels of lead on the rise across the country, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its lead hazard standards in an effort to protect children from dangerous lead exposure. In a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the senators expressed concern that current standards are outdated and do not adequately protect children from lead poisoning, which… Continue Reading