Press Releases
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Durbin Announces More Than $650,000 in Recovery Act Funding for Impact Aid in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $654,425 in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the repair and modernization of two Illinois school districts. Today's funding is part of an announcement by the Department of Education making $39.6 million in Impact Aid Construction grants available nationwide for communities with military bases, Indian reservations and other federal property that do not generate local tax … Continue Reading
April 01, 2009
Durbin Announces Over $1.8 Billion in Recovery Act Funding Now Available for Illinois Schools
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that $1,871,685,355 in Recovery Act funding is now available for states and schools to lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of teaching jobs around Illinois. "Investing in our children's future is an investment in our nation's future," said Durbin. "At a time when states face difficult choices about filling increasing budget gaps, today's funding will increase … Continue Reading
March 26, 2009
Durbin Introduces Bipartisan DREAM Act to Help Students Earn a Path to Legal Residency
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) today introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act - a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure which would permit undocumented students to become permanent residents if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years. "Our immigration laws prevent … Continue Reading
March 13, 2009
Durbin Announces $2 Million for Statewide Teacher Training Initiative
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said today that the omnibus appropriations bill signed into law by President Obama this week includes at least $2 million for the Teaching with Primary Sources program in Illinois. Durbin said the $2 million will come from the Library of Congress for continuation of teacher training initiatives in Illinois. Teaching with Primary Sources is a teacher training initiative that instructs … Continue Reading
March 10, 2009
Congress Gives Approval to Nearly $230 Million in Funding for Illinois Projects
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the Omnibus Appropriations Act that was approved today by Congress includes $229,727,154 in funding for Illinois projects. SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS: CHICAGO TRANSIT ($36 MILLION): Today's legislation includes over $36 million in funding to create a new transit line, the Circle line, in Chicago and expand transit service along the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) … Continue Reading
March 04, 2009
Durbin Welcomes Benedictine University President as Special Guest to the Joint Session of Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today welcomed the President of Benedictine University, William Carroll, as his guest to an address given by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to a special joint session of Congress. Before attending the joint session, Durbin and Carroll discussed how the recent increase in Pell Grants included in the Economic Recovery Act that will help more students in Illinois and around the country afford a college education. Durbin also welcomed … Continue Reading
February 26, 2009
Durbin: President Obama's Budget Restores Responsibility and Invests in the Future
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the budget President Obama delivered to Congress today is an important break past policies and responsibly invests in the future of the country. "We've inherited a mess - the result of mistaken policies, misplaced priorities and an era of profound irresponsibility," Durbin said. "This irresponsibility ends right now. The President's budget is up-front and honest about the challenges we face and makes the tough choices necessary to … Continue Reading
February 26, 2009
Durbin, Lowey Introduce Legislation to Address Nationwide Nursing Shortage
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Citing a report by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that predicts the United States will face a shortage of more than one million nurses by 2020, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation in the Senate - Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) will introduce companion legislation in the House next week - to address one of the major causes of the nationwide nursing shortage - an insufficient number of nurse educators. Last year, nursing … Continue Reading
February 25, 2009
Durbin and Wicker Introduce Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act
October 23, 2007
Durbin, Along with Military & Education Leaders, Urges Congress to Support Bright, Accomplished Kids with Bipartisan DREAM Act
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Senate colleagues to come together and support the DREAM Act, a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure which would permit a select group of undocumented students to become permanent residents if they came here as children, are long-term U.S. residents, have good moral character, and attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years. "When I hear some describe this bill as amnesty, I wonder, if someone is willing to … Continue Reading
July 13, 2007
DREAM Act as an Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill
Mr. President, last month we had a controversial and spirited debate over immigration. It went on for several weeks on the floor of the Senate, and many Members of the Senate thought about it and voted one way or the other. The net result is that nothing happened. That is unfortunate. Everybody concedes our immigration laws have broken down. About 600,000 illegal people come into the United States each year and stay. Over 20 years, we now have 12 million people. The number continues to … Continue Reading
May 03, 2007
Homeland Security Education Act--Increase International Competitiveness in Science and Technology
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support the Homeland Security Education Act. This bill encourages initiatives to increase the number of Americans trained in science, technology, engineering, math, and foreign languages. More than a century ago, Henry Ford revolutionized transportation and industry with the creation of the Model T. This car and the process designed to create it were so innovative that it was copied by every other company. The Model T became the base model for … Continue Reading
March 29, 2007
School Libraries--READesign Program and "Adopt a School Library Month"
Mr. President, When I was growing up in East St. Louis, I spent hours reading about faraway places, exciting adventures, and historic figures and events. I spent countless hours in the library discovering wonderful stories and developed a lifelong love of reading. Now imagine going to school where the library is dark and uninviting, and where there is no librarian in sight. These conditions are real. I have visited schools in my home State of Illinois and seen libraries that show … Continue Reading