ICYMI: Durbin Says Banning Mandatory Arbitration in College Contracts is "No Brainer"

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the Department of Education not to settle for half-measures when it comes to students saying, "If the Department of Education is serious about fighting for students and protecting taxpayers, a full ban of mandatory arbitration clauses is a no brainer." Cementing a legacy of putting students first The Hill By Dick Durbin May 11, 2016, 04:00 pm Every day seems to bring news about another for-profit college scam. Hundred… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Nation's Medical Community to Curb Over Prescription of Opioids

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the leading medical associations to take responsibility for the role that doctors, dentists, and other prescribers have in curtailing the opioid epidemic by endorsing mandatory continuing medical education programs and checking of prescription drug monitoring programs for opioid prescribers. Durbin sent letters to the heads of the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the America… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Illinois Infrastructure Investment with Illinois Coalition

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a meeting with the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the importance of strong, continued investment in Illinois infrastructure from roads, highways and bridges to airports locks and dams. "Our ability to keep growing our economy depends on a strong, well-maintained infrastructure that moves people and goods across the country safely and efficiently," said Durbin. "Strong federal investment in job-creating project… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Initiatives to Address Opioid Crisis with DuPage County Leaders

WHEATON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with several DuPage County officials to discuss local efforts to combat the onoing heroin and opioid crisis. Durbin has introduced several pieces of legislation to combat the volume of addictive painkillers on the market, improve prescribing practices, expand treatment for heroin addiction, and increase access to drug prevention programs that have been proven to save lives. "In recent years, Illinois - like the rest of the country - has seen a… Continue Reading

Durbin & Blumenthal Statement on FDA Tobacco Regulations

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement today in response to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) final deeming regulations on tobacco: "Today's release of the final tobacco deeming rule will help in the effort to protect a new generation from the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and other previously unregulated tobacco products. We commend the FDA for taking this long overdue action to … Continue Reading

Durbin Continues to Warn High School Students Against Predatory For-Profit Colleges

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With the Class of 2016 ready to graduate from high schools across Illinois, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) once again wrote today to principals, counselors, and teachers throughout the state asking for their help in the fight to protect students from being lured into enrolling in a for-profit college and all too often "[finding] their dream has turned into a nightmare when they end up with a worthless degree that employers don't even recognize, credits that don't transfer, … Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Supreme Court Nominee at SIU Law

CARBONDALE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke with students and faculty from the Southern Illinois University School of Law about the nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Durbin met with Judge Garland in Washington last month and has repeatedly called on Senate Republicans to hold a hearing and a vote on the President's nominee. "It has been 48 days since Chief Judge Merrick Garland was nominated to the Supreme Court, and 80 days since a vacancy on the Co… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Bill to Expand Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Under Medicaid

CARBONDALE - In the midst of the ongoing heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed legislation he has introduced to expand access to treatment for people who are not receiving the addiction care they need. The Medicaid Coverage for Addiction Recovery Expansion (Medicaid CARE) Act would modify the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion policy-a decades-old Medicaid policy that has had the unintended consequence of limiting tre… Continue Reading

Durbin & Kirk Introduce Bill to Name Aurora Post Office After Ken Christy

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced legislation in the Senate to designate the U.S. Post Office facility located at 525 N. Broadway in Aurora, Illinois, as the Kenneth M. Christy Post Office Building. U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced the bill - which is now supported by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation - in the House of Representatives earlier this month. Ken Christy, who passed away sud… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls on Congress to Pass Emergency Funding for Zika Virus

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a roundtable discussion with Illinois public health officials and medical experts to discuss the urgent need for Congress to pass the President's $1.9 billion emergency funding request to help treat and prevent the spread of the Zika virus. In the absence of Congressional action, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has begun diverting funding and resources away from Illinois and other states to support Southern states where th… Continue Reading

Durbin Commends Obama Administration's Newly Released Student Loan Servicing Principles

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the White House unveiled a set of student loan servicing principles that contains basic rights and protections for federal student borrowers when dealing with loan servicers. Today's announcement makes common sense improvements to ensure that military borrowers are afforded by the servicer all of the special legal benefits and protections they are entitled to under the law and that all borrowers ar… Continue Reading

Grassley-Durbin Sentencing Reform & Corrections Act Expands Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON-Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), co-authors of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act today announced revisions to the legislation to broaden bipartisan support for criminal justice reform. Durbin and Grassley were joined by co-sponsors Assistant Majority Leader John Cornyn, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, and Senators Mike Lee and Sheldon Whitehouse. Durbin spoke about the bill on the fl… Continue Reading

Durbin Asks President Obama to Make Cahokia Mounds a Unit of the National Park Service

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to President Obama asking him to declare the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Monument. At the request of Durbin in 2014, the National Park Service began undertaking a survey of the suitability of Cahokia Mounds in the St. Louis Metro region to a unit of the National Park Service. "I support protecting and sharing this important natural, archeological, and cultural resource that runs through Collinsv… Continue Reading

Senators Say Industry Should be Doing More to Address Dangers of Detergent Packets

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today called on The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), along with other manufacturers of detergent packets, to do more to address the dangers to children of detergent packets outlined in a recent study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics official journal on Monday. Last year, the standards-setting organization ASTM International convened manufactur… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Will County Officials to Discuss Local Priorities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Will County Board who were in Washington, D.C. for their annual fly-in. Durbin and the group discussed local economic development issues and transportation priorities. A photo of today's meeting is available here. "The Will County Board serves as an important local voice for the business and community interests of the entire region," Durbin said. "I was happy to meet with members of the Board today to talk a… Continue Reading

Durbin: DOD Tobacco Policy Tobacco Policy is Good, But Not Good Enough

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement in response to the Department of Defense's new Tobacco Policy: "The numbers tell the story. Tobacco usage in our military is significantly higher than the rest of America. And that tobacco usage creates serious health problems within our military while reducing troop readiness to defend our nation. The response announced by the Pentagon … Continue Reading

Durbin: Republican Inaction on Zika Virus Threatens Public Health Preparedness & Response in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As a result of Congressional Republicans' refusal to fund emergency actions combatting the spread of the Zika virus, Illinois and other states are losing access to critical public health resources, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. To prevent additional resources from being diverted away from states like Illinois, Durbin called for the immediate full funding of President Obama's request for emergency appropriations to fight the Zika virus. "Illinois should no… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown, Blumenthal Renew Call for FDA to Ban Retail Sale and Marketing of Deadly Pure, Bulk Caffeine

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Earlier today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) stood with representatives for the Center for Science in the Public Interest and families whose loved ones have died after using powdered caffeine as they renewed their call on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the retail sale and marketing of pure, bulk powdered caffeine, which even in small doses can be deadly. Data collected by the American Association of… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on White House Commitment of $100 Million Toward Goal of Tuition-Free Community College

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised the Obama Administration's decision to pledge $100 million to expand workforce training programs at community colleges around the country. Today's funding is part of President Obama's goal of providing two years of free community college tuition to hardworking students. According to the Illinois Community College Board, five community colleges in Illinois have a tuition free program - City Colleges of Chicago, Elgin Community College,… Continue Reading

Durbin Renews Call for Legislation to Address Rising Number of Poisonings in Children Due to Detergent Packets

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called for passage of legislation he introduced with U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) to address the rising number of poisonings in children due to laundry detergent packets. Earlier today the American Academy of Pediatrics released a study showing a 17 percent increase in calls between 2013 and 2014 to Poison Control Centers across America related to ultra-concentrated detergent packets. "Today's American Academy of Pedi… Continue Reading