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

Durbin Statement on General Selva's Senate Confirmation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement congratulating General Paul Selva on his confirmation as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Selva currently serves as Commander of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base. A photo of Durbin's meeting with General Selva in Washington on July 9, 2015 can be accessed here. "During his tenure at Scott Air Base, General Selva has distinguished himself as a strong, capable lead… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on U.S.-Turkish Agreement to Establish Safe Zone in Syria

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the United States and Turkey announced the outline of a plan to establish a safe zone along Syria's border with Turkey. The plan will aid efforts by the U.S. and Turkey to drive ISIS forces out of the area, and create a de facto humanitarian safe zone to protect Syrians fleeing the horrific violence of the civil war. "The brutal conflict in Syria is a humanitarian nightmare," said Durbin. "More than 200,000 S… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Firefighter Grant for Addison Fire Protection District and Surrounding Communities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded a $218,182 Assistance to Firefighters Grant to the Addison Fire Protection District for a driver simulator for emergency vehicles. This simulator will allow the fire Department to practice defensive driving skills without jeopardizing the public. This grant was a regional award th… Continue Reading

After Weeks of Heavy Rain, Durbin, Kirk Lead Illinois Delegation Call for Federal Relief for Illinois Farmers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) were joined by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation today sending a letter to President Obama asking him to issue a Secretarial Disaster Declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Illinois counties impacted by heavy rainfall, which will allow farmers in the region severely impacted by flooding to receive low interest emergency USDA loans. Today's delegation letter comes in support of Illi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Leahy, Ellison, Cicilline Introduce Bill to Enhance Protections for International Religious Freedom

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison (D-MN) and David Cicilline (D-RI) today introduced legislation to enhance protections for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing religious persecution, hold accountable the perpetrators of religious freedom violations, and reauthorize and reform the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). "Our country has a long tradition of promoting religious freedom around the g… Continue Reading

Durbin Fights for Transit Funding Increase in Senate Transportation Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During the Senate's negotiations on a long-term reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) fought aggressively for robust funding for bus and rail transit program that provide services to communities across Illinois. Durbin worked to secure as much as $600 million additional spending for rail transit programs - which would benefit agencies like the Chicago Transit Authority - that were funded at a much lower level in the origi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Gutierrez Urge Cooperation to Expedite Bubbly Creek Restoration

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) today urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work together to expedite the restoration of the South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River - known as "Bubbly Creek". "It's important for communities in and around Chicago that this cleanup of Bubbly Creek moves forward," said Durbin. "In order to do that, we need the Army Corps and EPA wo… Continue Reading