Durbin, Kirk, Costello, Shimkus: Army Corps to Report Back in One Week on Possibility of Expediting Permit Process

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Congressmen Jerry Costello (D-IL) and John Shimkus (R-IL) announced that the Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to look into how the approval process for upgrades to the Metro East levees system can be expedited to avoid delays that could drive up project costs. In a meeting earlier today, Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy assured the Illinois members that she would report back within one week with her findings. A … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls for Human Rights Awareness in the Congo at the Holocaust Memorial Museum

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called attention to the human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and what the US can do to reduce the violence and hold perpetrators accountable. The speech was part of the "Voices from the Congo" conference, co-hosted by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience, The National Endowment for Democracy, and the Eastern Congo Initiative, which aids grass-… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Funding for Public-Private Partnership Aimed at Protecting the Great Lakes

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL) program has awarded a total of $706,350 in grants to three organizations in Illinois. The Sustain Our Great Lakes program works to protect, maintain, and restore the integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem by supporting habitat restoration, protection and enhancement projects, invasive species control, water quality improvements, and watershed planning and management. "We must ensure t… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Funding to Repair Loyola CTA Station and Take Steps Toward Future Red Line Modernization

[CHICAGO, IL] - The Loyola CTA Station will soon see major improvements, ensuring the safety of passengers and pedestrians, as the result of $11 million in federal funding, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said today. Durbin joined local elected officials, representatives of the CTA and Loyola University, and members of the Rogers Park community at the Loyola CTA Station to announce $18.5 million - including $11 million in federal funds - to begin immediate repairs to the dilapidated Loyola CTA Station … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on House Republicans' Decision to Walk Away from Debt Talks with the White House

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement tonight after House Republicans walked away from debt talks with the White House: "Republicans have repeatedly walked away from serious debt talks, insisting the best way to prevent a default of our nation's debt is to protect tax breaks for millionaires and oil companies and balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and the poor. They were wrong before and they are wrong now.… Continue Reading

Durbin Pays Tribute to Doug Aurand, Former Longtime Winnebago County Treasurer, on Senate Floor

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today paid tribute to Harlem Township supervisor and former Winnebago County Board Member and Treasurer, Doug Aurand, who is retiring from public office after four decades of service to the people of Winnebago County, Illinois. "Doug Aurand was born in Dixon, Illinois, hometown of Ronald Reagan, and he was every bit as proud a Democrat as President Reagan was a Republican. But he never allowed his political affiliation to influence the w… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois State Director of USDA Rural Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Colleen Callahan, Illinois State Director of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, to discuss Illinois agriculture issues including ethanol and other renewable fuels. Durbin originally recommended Callahan for the post, and she was officially named to the position by President Obama in 2009. "Colleen Callahan hails from Peoria county and has been a respected voice for agriculture in th… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Nominee to be First-ever Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On the one year anniversary of President Obama signing legislation that created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) into law, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, the President's nominee to be the Bureau's first-ever Director. Attorney General Cordray was one of the first senior executives recruited at the CFPB, and currently serves as the head of its enforcement division, where he is tasked wi… Continue Reading

Durbin: Metro East Port District Project to Receive Additional $8.5 Million in Funds

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded an additional $8,500,000 in funding Tri-City Regional Port District for a project to continue construction on a regional multimodal transportation hub in Metro East, Illinois. This award was part of $15,000,000 in Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program funding that was redistributed by the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, earlier today. … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Approves More Than $146 Million for Military Construction Projects in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate has approved $146,742,000 in federal funding for military construction projects in Illinois. These projects were included in President Obama's FY2012 Budget and supported by Durbin. The Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Bill for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs includes funding for the following Illinois projects: Army National Guard Readiness Center, Normal, Illinois. $10,000,000 to construct… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $430,000 for Firefighter Recruitment in Godfrey, Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - 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 a $429,603 grant to the Godfrey Fire Protection District, in Godfrey, Illinois, for recruitment initiatives aimed at increasing the number of frontline firefighters. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselve… Continue Reading

Durbin Seeks Explanation of Ventilation Issues at Union Station

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today asked the President and CEO of Amtrak, Joseph Boardman, for an update on their efforts to improve air quality in and around Union Station and an explanation of how the responsibility to ensure the air ventilation systems are operating properly is shared with private land owners near the station. "Amtrak, as the owner of Union Station, has a responsibility to ensure the air ventilation systems under their control are operating properly and … Continue Reading

Durbin Commends the Gates Foundation and USAID for Clean Water Initiatives in the Developing World

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today commended the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for investing $8.5 million in the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) new WASH for Life grant program. WASH for Life will use USAID's Development Innovation Ventures program to seek, test, and scale cost-effective and sustainable clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) delivery systems in developing countries. USAID will match The Gates Found… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $4.5 Million in School-based Health Center Grants to Help Illinois Children

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that 17 school-based health centers in Illinois will receive $4,516,733 in grant funding through the Affordable Care Act. The funding will help school-based health centers to establish new sites or upgrade their current facilities to better serve Illinois children. School-based health centers offer health screenings, health promotion programs, and disease prevention activities and they help children with… Continue Reading

Illinois & Iowa Delegation Members to General: Any Proposal to Relocate JMTC Would Face Bipartisan Resistance in Congress

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The bipartisan, bi-state delegation that represents the Rock Island Arsenal today made clear to General Ann Dunwoody, the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, that any proposal to close or relocate Rock Island Arsenal's Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) would be met with strong resistance in Congress. In a meeting in Washington, Dunwoody reassured the Illinois and Iowa delegation that the Army currently has no plans to close the JMTC, but could not… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Consumer Protection with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Attorney General Lisa Madigan who was in Washington, DC to testify before a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on a scam that involves unauthorized third-party charges on telephone bills - commonly known as "cramming". Durbin commended Madigan for her effort to strength protections for consumers when it comes to fraudulent phone charges and on other issues such as the effort to end the deceptive marketing and recruiting practice… Continue Reading

Durbin Asks Committee to Include Federal Taxpayer Protections in Next Surface Transportation Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today asked the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) to include his Protecting Taxpayers in Transportation Asset Transfers Act in their bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. Also included in today's letter was a list of Illinois priorities that Durbin would like to see incorporated in the EPW committee's legislation including: funding formulas that ensure a more equitable share of federal highway dollars for Illin… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1 Million in FEMA Grants for Illinois Fire Prevention and Research

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded two grants totaling $1,013,069 to two organizations in Illinois for Research and Fire Prevention. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we must ensure that they are equipped with the best tool… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Farm Bureau to Discuss Agricultural Priorities

WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today hosted a meeting with Illinois Farm Bureau President Phillip Nelson to discuss several issues regarding the upcoming Farm Bill, pending trade agreements, and the agricultural impact of the deficit negotiations. "It is important that the current deficit negations still focus on a Farm Bill that will keep American farm land among the most productive in the world," said Durbin. "Bringing groups like the Illinois Farm Bureau to the table… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bennet, Religious Leaders Announce DREAM Act Sabbath

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and more than a dozen religious leaders representing a broad variety of faith traditions, today announced a DREAM Act Sabbath - an initiative enlisting churches, synagogues, and mosques around the country to dedicate time during their regular weekly worship service to a conversation about the DREAM Act. The nationwide event will talk place this fall on September 23rd, September 24th, and Septe… Continue Reading