Press Releases
Durbin, Cornyn, Leahy, Young, Coon, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill Addressing Shortage of Doctors, Nurses
WASHINGTON - This week, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation to provide a temporary stopgap to quickly address our nation's shortage of doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Durbin, Grassley: Bipartisan Legislation to Extend CARES Act Bankruptcy Relief Provisions Heads to President
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 applauded final passage of the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act, bipartisan legislation they introduced to temporarily extend COVID-19 bankruptcy relief provisions enacted as part of the March 2020 CARES Act. The bill now heads to President Biden for signature. "Extending these temporary … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Advance the First Step Act's Goals
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 (FSA), introduced the bipartisan First Step Implementation Act, legislation that aims to further implement the FSA and advance its goals. The First Step Act is bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation designed to make our justice system fairer and our … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Durbin, Colleagues Introduce Comprehensive Plan to Address Plastic Pollution Crisis
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47) to introduce the bicameral Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act-the most comprehensive plan ever introduced in Congress to address the plastic pollution crisis that is poisoning our air, water, and land, and disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income Americans. "For years, large corporations have shifted the burden of … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Durbin, Lee Introduce Smarter Sentencing Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation that would modernize federal drug sentencing polices by lowering certain mandatory drug sentences. The Smarter Sentencing Act gives federal judges the authority to conduct individualized reviews to determine the appropriate sentences for certain nonviolent drug offenses. "Mandatory … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin, Senate Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Provide Legal Cannabis Businesses Access to Critical Financial Services
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) to introduce the bipartisan Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would provide legal cannabis businesses access to critical banking services. Most state legal medicinal or recreational cannabis businesses are denied access to the banking system because banks fear they may be prosecuted under federal law given the … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin Statement on Senate Passage of Extension of Paycheck Protection Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act of 2021, which extends the PPP through June 30, 2021. The bill now heads to the President's desk for signature: "The extension of the PPP will keep Illinoisans employed and allow small businesses to survive. We must do everything we can to support this economy as we recover from the devastation caused by this … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin, Boozman, Inhofe, Booker, Cardin Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase U.S. Exports to Africa
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), James Inhofe (R-OK), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) today introduced bipartisan legislation to improve America's competiveness throughout the African continent by forcing better coordination between U.S. government agencies and departments, establishing comprehensive strategic goals, countering anticompetitive measures by China, and marshaling private investments to improve U.S. exports … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Judiciary Committee Advances Monaco and Gupta Nominations
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Lisa Monaco to be U.S. Deputy Attorney General by a unanimous voice vote and the nomination of Vanita Gupta to be U.S. Associate Attorney General by a vote of 11-11. Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer may now file a discharge motion on Ms. Gupta's nomination to place her on the executive calendar. Ahead of the votes, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $5.5 Million for Illinois Veterans' Homes to protect Against COVID-19 And Other Infectious Diseases
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $5.5 million in federal grant funding to the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) for upgrades to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. This funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and appropriated by Congress though the CARES Act. The funds will reimburse the state for upgrades and improvements to air purification, ventilation, and other … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More than $71 Million in FEMA Reimbursement Funding for Illinois COVID-19 Response
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois has been awarded a total of $71.9 million in federal grant funding to offset costs related to COVID-19 testing and response. The funding, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), covers the costs of the collection of COVID-19 tests, equipment rentals, and supplies procured by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) from January 20, 2020 through August 31, … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
Durbin Reintroduces Legislation to Combat Rising Domestic Terrorism Threat
WASHINGTON-Following the continued rise in horrific incidents of domestic terrorism and hate crimes targeting religious and ethnic minorities and communities of color, as well as the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced legislation to address the growing domestic terrorism threat. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021 would enhance the federal government's efforts to … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Durbin: To State That The Filibuster Has No Racial History Is To Ignore the Obvious
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pushed back against an argument that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made yesterday when he stated, "[the filibuster] has no racial history at all. None." Durbin reminded his colleagues that the filibuster has been used, going back as far as the early 19th century, to block civil rights laws by segregationists. It was used for decades to block measures meant to protect African … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Durbin: Saving Lives From Gun Violence Is Not Theatre
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, discussed the hearing he held yesterday on constitutional and common sense steps to reduce gun violence in America. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing came on the heels of two mass shootings within a week of each other in Atlanta, Georgia, and Boulder, Colorado, which claimed the lives of 18 Americans including one police officer. During his floor … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Durbin, Meeks Statement on GAO Report on U.S. Firearms Trafficking to Mexico
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the following statements after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an update of its January 2016 report on efforts to combat firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico. Today's report found that trafficking of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico is a "national … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Durbin Discusses Chicago Water Infrastructure Projects with 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 Chicago District Commander Colonel Paul Culberson about several Chicago area Army Crops water infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the Chicago Shoreline, the Great Lakes Resiliency Study, and the Bubbly Creek Restoration Project. "The time is now to address the rising lake levels on the Chicago shoreline," said Durbin. "Over the years, the Army Corps has helped … Continue Reading
March 24, 2021
Durbin Introduces American Cures Act and American Innovation Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced two pieces of legislation to restore the United States' commitment to breakthrough scientific and biomedical research. The American Cures Act and the American Innovation Act would create mandatory funds to provide steady, predictable funding for breakthrough research at America's top research agencies, allowing the United States to remain a leader in development and discovery for decades to come. Durbin is sponsoring … Continue Reading
March 23, 2021
Durbin Statement on Postmaster General DeJoy's 10 Year USPS Service Plan
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy released the United States Postal Service's (USPS) "Delivering for America" 10-Year Plan, which drastically cuts hours and raises prices for USPS service: "There's no DeJoy in the Post Office tonight. Postmaster General DeJoy's plan to raise costs and cut services is designed to sink the postal service, not save it." Since taking control of USPS, DeJoy's … Continue Reading
March 23, 2021
Durbin, Cassidy, Grassley, Hirono, Coons, Tillis Introduce Bill to Ensure Greater Transparency for Third-Party Sellers of Consumer Products Online
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today introduced legislation to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring transparency of high-volume third-party sellers in online retail marketplaces. The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act would direct online retail marketplaces that include third-party sellers of consumer products to authenticate … Continue Reading
March 23, 2021
Durbin Questions Witnesses on Trauma & Background Checks During Judiciary Committee Hearing on Proposals to Reduce Gun Violence
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions of witnesses during a Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Constitutional and Common Sense Steps to Reduce Gun Violence". Durbin first asked Dr. Selwyn Rogers, Jr., Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at University of Chicago Medicine, to explain how trauma perpetuates a cycle of gun violence in Chicago. "We face two realities, certainly from a Chicago perspective, … Continue Reading