Durbin, Axne Announce Their Provision to Provide Tax Relief for Unemployed Americans Included in American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (D-IA-03) announced that a provision to provide tax relief for Americans who lost their jobs and utilized unemployment benefits last year will be included in the American Rescue Plan. The provision, based on Durbin's and Axne's Coronavirus Unemployment Benefits Tax Relief Act, would waive federal income taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits received in 2020 for households earning les… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Inclusion of Maternal Health Provision From Their MOMMA'S Act in American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that a provision based off their bicameral Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA's) Act, sponsored in the House by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), is included in the American Rescue Plan. The provision gives states a five-year option to extend health care coverage for new moms on Medicaid from 60 days after pregnancy to a full year. In the midst… Continue Reading

Durbin Announced Inclusion of his Provisions to Address Health Care Disparities & Workforce Shortages in American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that provisions from his bipartisan Strengthening America's Health Care Readiness Act will be included in the American Rescue Plan. These Durbin-led policies provide $1 billion in scholarship and loan repayment funding for the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps to address health workforce shortages in underserved areas and tackle health disparities by recruiting from communities of color. These provisions would… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Senators Introduce "No Check, No Sale" Bill to Close the Charleston Loophole

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 23 of their Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to close a current loophole that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The gap in existing law has allowed thousands of gun sales to prohibited buye… 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 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2021. This legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury. U.S. Representat… Continue Reading

Durbin, Graham, Bipartisan Senators Lead Legislation to Strengthen the Victims of Crime Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of Members to introduce critical legislation to strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by fixing how the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is funded. This legislation will redirec… Continue Reading

Durbin: America Needs President Biden's American Rescue Plan to Help End the Pandemic, Jumpstart Economy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Republican Senate colleagues to support President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan as they supported former President Trump's COVID-19 relief packages last year on a bipartisan basis. President Biden's American Rescue Plan would deliver economic relief to American families and small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a historic legislative package designed to change the course of the pandemic, get students … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Members of American Public Power Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with Illinois members of American Public Power Association (APPA), which represents publicly owned municipal electrical systems, to discuss clean energy and how the energy crisis in Texas affected natural gas bills in many towns in southern Illinois who rely on pipelines from Texas. "The recent energy crisis in Texas highlighted the importance of making investments in clean energy in order to create a smarter and clea… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on 100% COBRA Subsidy Included in Senate Version of the American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after it was reported that the Senate version of the American Rescue Plan will include a 100 percent subsidy of COBRA health insurance premiums to ensure that laid-off workers can remain on their employer health plans at no cost through the end of September. This provision will provide crucial assistance for millions of families nationwide who are in financial crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pand… Continue Reading

Durbin Called to Oval Office Meeting to Discuss Medical Research with President Biden

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with President Joe Biden and a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in the Oval Office to discuss how best to achieve advances in the fight against cancer. For years, Durbin has been a leader in the Congressional effort to restore the United States' commitment to breakthrough scientific and biomedical research. Thanks to Durbin's efforts as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the base budget for the Nat… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Republican Colleagues to Support President Biden's American Rescue Plan

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on his Republican Senate colleagues to support President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan as they supported former President Trump's COVID-19 relief packages last year on a bipartisan basis. President Biden's American Rescue Plan would deliver economic relief to American families and small businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a historic legislative package designed to change the course of the pandemic, get students … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Senate Colleagues to Support Judge Garland's Nomination to be Attorney General

ASHINGTON - U.S. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Senate colleagues to support Judge Merrick Garland's nomination to be the next U.S. Attorney General. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Judge Garland by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained that there was an objection by Senate Republicans to expedite Judge Garland's nomination on the floor, meaning it could… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley to DHS: Implement H-1B Visa Program Reforms

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging the agency to retain and expeditiously implement the H-1B selection rule published on January 8, 2021, titled, "Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions." The rule will protect A… Continue Reading

Durbin and Welch to Visa and Mastercard: Call off Swipe Fee Increase While Small Businesses and Consumers are Hurting During Pandemic

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today sent a letter to the CEOs of Visa and Mastercard urging the companies not to raise interchange fee rates during the pandemic. Recently, theWall Street Journal reported that Visa and Mastercard are planning for swipe fee rates increases to proceed in April 2021, after delaying them for a year as previously requested by Durbin and Welch. These fee in… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Illinois Water Infrastructure Projects with Rock Island Army Corps District Commander

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) received an update today from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District Commander Colonel Steven Sattinger about several Illinois water infrastructure projects including the Quincy Bay Restoration Project, the Brandon Road Project, and the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). "Years of wear and tear have left Illinois' water infrastructure in desperate need of restoration. Federal investments are critical to c… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with IL Soybean Growers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met virtually with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including biodiesel markets, lock and dam upgrades, the role of agriculture in climate policy, and expanding international markets for soybeans. "Illinois leads the nation in soybean production, and we must strengthen that leadership by restoring and opening new t… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions FBI Director Wray on Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin asked Wray why the FBI did not issue a threat assessment ahead of January 6th, despite intelligence that suggested a violent and planned attack might be possible. "I was surprised to learn the FBI did not issue a threat assessment before January 6th. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Senators Reintroduce Background Check Expansion Act to Reduce Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 40 other Democratic Senators today in reintroducing the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. Under current federal law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a firearm. Ninety-seven percent of Americans support c… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Domestic Terrorism Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin argued that the January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated that the federal government has failed to address the growing threat of white supremacist violence and domestic terrorism. He called for aggressive oversight of the federal g… Continue Reading

Durbin Releases Opening Remarks Ahead of Domestic Terrorism Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released his opening statement ahead of the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. In it, Durbin argues that the January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated that the federal government has failed to address the growing threat of white supremacist violence and domestic terrorism. He called for aggressive oversight of the federal… Continue Reading