Durbin Leads Colleagues In Urging Census Bureau To Open Appeals Process For Formerly Joint Urban Areas Now In Jeopardy Of Losing Needed Federal Funding

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in sending a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos urging him to open an appeals process for the change in maximum jump distance, which is the distance of undeveloped land between two cities that allows the municipalities to qualify as a joint urban area, following the 2020 Census.  For more… Continue Reading

Following Annual Bureau Of Prisons Oversight Hearing, Durbin Meets With Federal Corrections Union Leaders

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with union leaders from the National Council of Prison Locals (CPL), including Brandy White, who was elected CPL’s National President in August and is the first woman to hold this position. The meeting follows today’s annual Bureau of Prisons (BOP) oversight hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among other topics, Durbin, White, and the group discussed the need to improve BOP staff pay … Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Cohen, Armstrong Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Prohibiting Punishment Of Acquitted Conduct Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), former Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-At-Large), today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2023.  This legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defe… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Bop Director Peters During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Bureau Of Prisons Oversight

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Colette Peters, Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”  Today’s oversight hearing was the third BOP oversight hearing in as many years under Chair Durbin’s leadership of the Committee. Durbin began by asking Director Peters about the First Step Act’s proven track record of reducing re… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Bureau Of Prisons Oversight

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”  Today’s oversight hearing is the third BOP oversight hearing in as many years under Chair Durbin’s leadership of the Committee. Key Quotes: “Director Peters, you have now led the Bureau for a little over a year.  We have seen some significant changes.” “In Feb… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges UAW And The Big Three To Negotiate In Good Faith To Reach An Agreement & Avoid A Strike

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today in a speech on the Senate floor urged the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Big Three Automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement before this Thursday, September 14, to prevent a strike that will cost billions of dollars and impact 150,000 autoworkers.  On July 12, UAW and the Big Three Automakers began contract negotiations to determine their next four-year labor deal, but have n… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With President Preckwinkle, Cook County Health Leadership

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sat down with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Health and Hospital System CEO Israel Rocha to discuss improving health care access for marginalized communities, particularly incarcerated individuals, migrants arriving in Chicago, and uninsured or under-insured Illinoisans.  During their meeting, Durbin expressed urgency around preventing cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital funding, which … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Calculated Dark Money Scheme Targeting The Supreme Court By Ginni Thomas, Leonard Leo, And Network Of Billionaires

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on POLITICO’sinvestigative report on the calculated financial scheme developed by Ginni Thomas, Leonard Leo, and billionaire conservative activists targeting the Supreme Court, which formed as the Supreme Court was considering Citizens United v. FEC: “Dark money continues to be a dire threat to American democracy and the integrity of the Supreme Court. Ginni Thomas … Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Manchin, Capito Call On DOJ & BOP To Investigate Reports Of Abusive Treatment At FCC Hazelton

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters regarding allegations of serious misconduct occurring at Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) Hazelton, located in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.  In their… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $456,170 To Address Air Pollution In Will County

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $456,170 to the Warehouse Workers' Justice Center through the American Rescue Plan’s Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant to conduct community-organized air quality testing in areas with high levels of air pollution in Will County, Illinois. The project will generate data on air pollution in low-income neighborhoods … Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Jeffrey Cummings to Serve as District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Cummings to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: “We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Judge Cummings to serve as a District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.  Judge Cummings i… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Jeffrey Cummings To Serve As District Court Judge For The Northern District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) todayreleased the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Jeffrey Cummings to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court forthe Northern District of Illinois: “We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Judge Cummings to serve as a District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.  Judge Cummings is … Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Illinois Secretary Of State Giannoulias During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Book Bans And Censorship

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Book Bans: How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature.”  Durbin first questioned Secretary Giannoulias about the rise of book bans nationwide.  According to the American Library Association (ALA), there were “1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highes… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Illinois Colleagues To Urge IRS To Bring New Facility To Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) and U.S. Representative Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) in leading eight of their Illinois Congressional delegation colleagues in sending a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Danny Werfel in support of building a new Taxpayer Correspondence print and mail management facility in Bloomington, Illinois. “This new facility is an excellent o… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Book Bans And Censorship

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Book Bans: How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature.” In 2022, activists submitted more than 1,000 requests to ban books at public schools and libraries—the highest number of requests submitted to ban books in over twenty years. This hearing will examine the history of book bans in the United States, th… Continue Reading

ICYMI: Sen. Durbin, Illinois Sec. of State Giannoulias to Discuss Book Bans and Censorship in U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, the Chicago Sun-Times previewed tomorrow’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on book bans and censorship, chaired by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing will feature testimony from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in Washington, D.C. Sec. Giannoulias also serves as the State Librarian and drafted Illinois’ first-in-the-nation ban on book bans. Additionally, University of Illinoi… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams FDA On Failure To Regulate E-Cigarettes Two Years After A Missed Federal Court Order

WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forits failure to complete its long-overdue review of pre-market tobacco product applications (PMTAs) from e-cigarette manufacturers following the two-year anniversary of a federal court deadline.  Since FDA missed the September 9, 2021, deadline, an estimate of approximately two million children may have picked up vaping.  Durbin said, “And despite mis… Continue Reading

Durbin Marks 22nd Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks In Speech On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor recognizing the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  In his remarks, Durbin spoke with reverence about the heroes who acted with immense courage to divert planes or provide emergency services outside Washington, D.C., in New York City, and in Pennsylvania. “Today, we take a moment to remember the anniversary of September 11, 2001.  Many people will recall vividly t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Warren, Blumenthal Warn University of Idaho on the Dangers of Purchasing Predatory For-Profit College University of Phoenix

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with his colleagues U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today sent a letter to the President of the University of Idaho (UI) urging the school to reconsider its decision to acquire the University of Phoenix (Phoenix), a nefarious for-profit college with a history of preying on veterans, low-income students, and students of color.  The Senators discussed a number of Phoenix’s predatory practices, inc… Continue Reading

Durbin Cosponsors Legislation to Expand Access to Contraception

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced that he is cosponsoring U.S. Senator John Fetterman’s (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood’s (D-IL-14) Convenient Contraception Act, legislation that would improve access to contraceptive products, including over-the-counter birth control. The bill provides individuals covered by private health insurance with the option to receive up to a full year of birth control at t… Continue Reading