Durbin, Duckworth, Senators Introduce Choose Medicare Act To Make Medicare Available To Everyone

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), today introduced the Choose Medicare Act to give every individual who is not already eligible for Medicaid or Medicare the opportunity to enroll in Medicare. The Choose Medicare Act also gives every employer the ability to purchase Medicare for their employees. "This boils down to whether you believe health care is a privilege for t… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions AG Barr On His Handling Of The Mueller Report

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned U.S. Attorney General William Barr on his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. "I find, Attorney General Barr, that some of the things you've engaged in really leave me wondering what you believe your role is as Attorney General," Durbin said. "I would hope that we can get to the bottom of this with… Continue Reading

Durbin Shares Support For Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó

WASHINGTON - Following the uprising in Venezuela today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) once again shared his support for Juan Guaidó, the constitutionally and internationally recognized interim leader of Venezuela. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also called on Russia and Cuba to step back and let the Venezuelan people decide their own future. "I urge Maduro to do the right thing for Venezuela, to avoid bloodshed, to accept Guaidó's amnesty offer, and to … Continue Reading

Durbin, Schatz, Young, Romney Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Raise Smoking, Vaping Age To 21

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Todd Young (R-IN), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) today introduced the Tobacco to 21 Act, bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to anyone under the age of 21 nationwide. "With Big Tobacco constantly targeting our youth through new and flavored products, it's no surprise that nearly all tobacco users began their addiction as kids or young adults," said Durbin. "Across Illinois a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On White House Transportation Meeting

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after attending today's meeting at the White House regarding transportation infrastructure: "In today's meeting, we agreed with the President that any transportation infrastructure plan must be big and bold. And we can't stop at roads and bridges - any proposal must include broadband, mass transit, and our waterways. The President now has agreed … Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Introduce Bill To Stop Illegal Robocalls

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Tina Smith (D-MN), today introduced the Protecting American Consumers from Robocalls Act, a bill that would help end the plague of illegal robocalls in America. Robocalls have become a widespread annoyance, but are also costing consumers billions of dollars. In 2016, 22 million Americans lost more than $9.5 billion to robocall scams that ma… Continue Reading

Durbin Enlists Illinois Education Professionals To Sound The Alarm On For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON - With high school seniors making decisions about their educational futures, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is enlisting the help of Illinois high school principals, counselors, and teachers to warn college-bound students and their families about the risks associated with attending for-profit colleges. For-profit colleges enroll only nine percent of post-secondary students, but they account for 34 percent of all federal student loan defaults. In today's letter, Durbin said for-prof… Continue Reading

Durbin Submits Testimony To House Financial Services Subcommittee Hearing On Payday Lending

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a longtime champion of legislation to rein in the predatory payday lending industry, today submitted testimony to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions hearing on ending debt traps in the payday and small dollar credit industry. The subcommittee will discuss the Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2019, a bill Durbin reintroduced yesterday that would eliminate… Continue Reading

Durbin, Foster, Underwood Introduce American Cures Act And American Innovation Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today introduced bicameral 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 developmen… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Crack Down On Predatory Lending Practices

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2019, legislation that would eliminate the excessive rates and steep fees charged to consumers for payday loans by capping interest rates on consumer loans at an Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 36 percent-the same limit currently in place for loans marketed to military service-members and their families. The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley… Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley, Booker, Lee Oppose Proposed Hiring Requirement That Undermines Criminal Justice Reform

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mike Lee (R-UT), the lead sponsors of the recently-enacted First Step Act, today voiced bipartisan opposition to the Trump Administration's proposal to require applicants for federal jobs and contracting work to divulge their participation in criminal diversion programs. Diversion programs directly address the unjust and illogical consequences of a criminal conviction. These programs help individuals,… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Garcia Stand Up For Community In Face Of Potential Closure Of Westlake Hospital

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04) today expressed deep concerns and pressed California-based Pipeline Health on their problematic actions regarding their recently scaled down operations at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, Illinois. In a letter to Jim Edwards, Pipeline Health CEO, the members urged Pipeline Health to comply with all state rules and regulations, and to ensure the preservation… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Special Counsel Mueller's Report To Congress

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election being sent to Congress: "The Special Counsel's findings paint a very different picture than what the President and his Attorney General would have the American people believe. Special Counsel Mueller has provided a detailed and sobering r… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges USDA To Increase Enforcement Of Illegal Puppy Mills

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act to prevent operation of illegal puppy mills throughout the country. In a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Durbin cited a recent report where a breeder in Georgia was arrested after he amassed more than 700 dogs and had been keeping them in filthy and uninhabitable conditions. Durbin questioned why USDA has begun a pilot program that gives breede… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Introduce New Bill To Overhaul Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and a group of 13 Senators, to introduce the What You Can Do for Your Country Act of 2019, new legislation that would overhaul the flawed Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and ensure millions of teachers, social workers, members of the military, first responders, nurses, public defenders, and many other public service professionals will qualify for … Continue Reading

Durbin, Foster, Underwood Reintroduce American Cures Act and American Innovation Act

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) today were joined by researchers from Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine to announce their bicameral legislation to restore the United States' commitment to breakthrough scientific and biomedical research. The American Cures Act and the American Innovation Act would create a mandatory fund to provide steady, predictable funding for breakthrough research at America's top… Continue Reading

During Visit to Southwest Border, Durbin Talks Border Security With Customs Officials, Border Community Leaders

EL PASO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, was in El Paso, Texas, today to get a firsthand look at the situation on the southwest border. Durbin spent time with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry, where he received an overview of port operations, including the processing of unaccompanied minors, vehicle processing, and Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) systems, which help d… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy Introduce REMEDY Act To Lower Drug Prices By Curbing Patent Manipulation, Promoting Generic Competition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today introduced a bipartisan bill to tackle the pharmaceutical industry's practice of gaming the patent system to extend monopolies on lifesaving drugs. The Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years (REMEDY) Act, would lower prescription drug prices and promote competition by removing barriers to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for lower-cost generic drugs. Many high-cost, brand-name d… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Bipartisan Group Of Senators Urging Amtrak To Continue Support For Routes That Connect Rural Communities In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a bipartisan group of Senators today calling on Amtrak to continue service to rural communities in Illinois and across the U.S. by investing in long-distance and state-supported routes. In a letter to Amtrak, the Senators requested responses to questions about Amtrak's budgeting process and proposed changes to long-distance and state-supported routes that would have major implications for rural communities who rely on Amtrak service to connect … Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker, Leahy Reintroduce Legislation To Promote Study Abroad

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today introduced the bipartisan Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, which creates a competitive grant program for institutions of higher education to expand study abroad opportunities for American college students. Study abroad is an important component of a well-rounded post-secondary education, giving students the opportunity to engage with other cultures, enhance foreign language skills, and… Continue Reading