Durbin, Agricultural Leaders Discuss Great Potential for Trade with Cuba

[NORMAL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), joined by Ben Barron with the State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and Alexis Taylor with Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met with local agricultural leaders today to discuss changes made by the Obama administration between the U.S. and Cuba and the potential benefits of lifting the Cuban trade embargo. Since President Obama's announcement late last year on the normalization of relations with C… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate's Long-Term Transportation Bill Provides Certainty Needed to Create Jobs and Improve Infrastructure

[DECATUR] - Businesses and state governments would have the certainty they need to plan critical infrastructure projects if the long-term bi-partisan transportation bill passed by the U.S. Senate becomes law, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today following a tour of the Midwest Inland Port in Decatur. Since 2009, Congress has passed 34 stop-gap measures to keep the country's major transportation and infrastructure programs from shutting down, with the most recent vote in late July- the thir… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Villa Park Fire Department, Discusses Importance of Federal Funding for First Responders

[VILLA PARK] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited Villa Park Fire Department today where he saw the Department's new fire truck funded by a $432,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) awarded last year. Durbin met with Villa Park Mayor Deborah Bullwinkel and Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik to discuss the benefits of the AFG program and the new fire engine, which will begin use in the coming weeks. "We must ensure our nation's firefighters and first-respo… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Legislation to Combat Heroin Epidemic

[NAPERVILLE, IL] - In an effort to prevent drug tragedies and combat a nationwide surge of lethal drug overdoses, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with local advocates, law enforcement officials, health professionals, and people recovering from heroin and opioid addiction to discuss ways to combat the problem. Durbin recently co-sponsored bills to expand treatment for heroin addiction and increase access to naloxone - a drug that counters the effects of an opioid overdose - and other dr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk Support Federal Investment in Illinois Biofuels Industry

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today in support of Illinois' application for additional federal funding to advance the deployment of biofuel infrastructure across Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making up to $100 million available in competitive grants to states that are testing innovative ways to distribute higher blends of renewable fuel. "The continued advancement… Continue Reading

Durbin, Emanuel Announce a $10.2 Million Investment in Chicago Midway Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that the City of Chicago, Illinois has received $10,210,000 in funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration for infrastructure improvements and upgrades at Chicago Midway International Airport. Of this funding, $210,000 will be used to purchase additional equipment. In addition, $10 million will be used for noise mitigation efforts near Chicago Midway… Continue Reading

Durbin: Chicago Rockford International Airport's EDA Grant Moves Forward

[ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS] - The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) today announced that the Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) Midfield Aviation Industrial Park Project has been selected through EDA's competitive application review process for further funding consideration. Subject to the availability of funds, the proposed project will be considered for up to $2.5 million in EDA funding under the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program. The Midfield Aviation Industrial Par… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on President's Clean Power Plan

CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon pollution from power plants: The President's Clean Power Plan represents a big, bold step in the right direction, and I hope Republicans in Congress will wake up to the reality of climate change and global warming and join us in taking action. Our generation must take these steps now to protect the world for future generations, and that's going to mean… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Importance of Modernizing Federal Drug Sentencing Policy

[CHICAGO] - With prison populations skyrocketing over the last several decades and almost half of the nation's federal inmates serving sentences for drug offenses, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the urgent need to reform federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws for nonviolent drug offenses. Durbin discussed the Smarter Sentencing Act, a bipartisan bill he introduced earlier this year, which would modernize federal drug sentencing laws by giving federal judges more discretion in… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Call on Defense Department to Disclose For-profit College Investigations

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 12 other Senators joined today in calling on the Secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD), Ash Carter, to publicly disclose information about federal and state investigations or lawsuits against schools - including for-profit colleges - that participate in the department's Tuition Assistance (TA) program. "Publicly traded companies are required to provide information on investigations and lawsuits in filings with the Securities a… Continue Reading

Senate, House Leaders Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Protect Trade Secrets

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee members Dick Durbin (D-IL), Orrin Hatch, (R-UT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) together with U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and U.S. Representatives Doug Collins (R-GA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to help combat the loss of billions of dollars each year in the United States to the theft of corporate trade secrets. The Defend Trade Secrets Act would empower companies … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate’s Long-Term Transportation Bill Will Create Illinois Jobs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate has passed a long-term, bipartisan transportation bill that provides the certainty that businesses and state governments, like Illinois, need to plan critical infrastructure projects and create good-paying jobs. Since the previous long-term transportation bill expired in 2009, Congress has passed 33 stop-gap measures to keep the country's major transportation and infrastructure programs from shutting down. … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) introducing the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act. This bill would improve programs that help states and local communities in suicide prevention, helping children recover from traumatic events, mental health awareness for teachers and other individuals, and assessing barriers to integrating behavioral health and primary care. … Continue Reading

Durbin Stands with Southern Illinois Leaders in Urging EPA to Stop Dangerous Flood Project

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to protect the future of communities and habitat along the Mississippi River in Southern Illinois and Southeastern Missouri by vetoing the St. Johns Bayou New Madrid Floodway project. Durbin also wrote to Council on Environmental Quality Managing Director Christy Goldfuss to ensure that both agencies be made aware of his concerns regarding the project's impact on the ar… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement Following Announcement that University of Phoenix is Under Investigation by the Federal Trade Commission

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after it was announced that the University of Phoenix is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for unfair and deceptive practices. "I wish I could say I am surprised by the news that the FTC is investigating the University of Phoenix for unfair and deceptive practices, but these allegations are all too familiar when it comes to the for-profit college industry. Thanks to a recent st… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $3.1 Million in Federal Funding for Illinois First-Responders

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded grants totaling $3,159,317 to communities throughout Illinois. Today's funding will support and improve the capability of each department to respond to fires and other types of emergencies. "This federal funding will ensure that when fires or other emergencies occur in our communities, our nation's firefighter… Continue Reading

Durbin, Vitter Bill to Level Playing Field for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Passes Committee

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA), Chairman of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, today praised the passage of the Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act through the Small Business Committee. Their bipartisan legislation - which would allow veteran-owned small businesses to participate in the General Services Administration's (GSA) surplus property program - now must be voted on by the full Senate. U.S. Representative Ta… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schakowsky Introduce Legislation to Increase Competition and Lower Costs in Medicare Part D

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a week that marks both the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 50th anniversary of Medicare, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) are introducing legislation that would increase competition and help lower drug costs for seniors and persons with disabilities who are enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. "For fifty years, Medicare has been not just a safety net, but a lifeli… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Must Close Loopholes Allowing Millions of Taxpayer Dollars to be Wasted at For-Profit Colleges & Unaccredited Schools

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Rohit Chopra, former Student Loan Ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and current Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress (CAP), to discuss improved oversight of for-profit colleges, including efforts to close loopholes that allow the for-profit college industry and unaccredited schools to take millions in taxpayer dollars without delivering acceptable educational value. "Federal oversight agencies … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on General McDew's Senate Confirmation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement congratulating General Darren McDew on his confirmation as the next commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, located at Scott Air Force Base. General Darren McDew currently heads the Air Mobility Command, also located at Scott Air Force Base. A photo of Durbin's meeting with General McDew in Washington on July 9, 2015 can be accessed here. "After many years of Air Force service - including time … Continue Reading