Durbin Announces New Legislation to Ensure Long-Term Viability of Unemployment Insurance Program

[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - To ensure that Illinois and other cash-strapped states are able to continue providing a critical lifeline to struggling families as they search for work, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that he will introduce legislation in the Senate this week to revamp the unemployment insurance program and ensure its long-term solvency. The Unemployment Insurance Solvency Act will solidify the program's finances while giving states greater flexibility in managing the… Continue Reading

Durbin Praises Record Breaking Attempt of Lincoln "Farewell Address" Reading

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) commended the efforts of organizers in Springfield, Illinois who are kicking off the national Civil War Sesquicentennial observation by reading President Abraham Lincoln's "Farewell Address" on the 150th anniversary of its original delivery. In a statement submitted for the record in the U.S. Senate, Durbin said: "I urge my fellow Senators to join me in recognizing the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's first inauguration, even… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the Situation in Egypt

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned, handing power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and Egypt's military: "For more than two weeks, tens of thousands of Egyptians have been peacefully calling for a voice in choosing a representative government. Today, with the departure of Mubarak, those calls have been heard. Egypt's future is now in the hands of the Egyptian people. … Continue Reading

Durbin and Kirk Statement on Five-Day Delay of O'Hare Lawsuit

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today released a statement following an announcement that a five-day delay has been approved in the lawsuit that United Airlines and American Airlines against the City of Chicago. The agreement to ask for a delay was reached during meetings between representatives of the airlines and city officials. "Today's agreement on a temporary delay of the lawsuit is a positive development in the negotiations between the City of … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $600,000 in FEMA Grant Funding to Illinois Fire Departments

[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 six grants totaling $638,587 to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois. "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 tools possibl… Continue Reading

Durbin and Kirk Statement on the O'Hare Modernization Program Meeting in Washington

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today released a statement following a meeting between United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek, American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "After meeting with the CEOs of United Airlines and American Airlines two weeks ago, we felt confident that there was room for common ground in the dispute over the O'Hare Modernization Program. We asked the airli… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $360,000 in Funding to Accelerate Implementation of Electronic Health Records

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $360,000 in funding to the Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center, located at Northern Illinois University, to provide support and assistance to hospitals so they can quickly implement electronic health records systems. The funding will be distributed to 60 Illinois hospitals and rural health centers around the state - each facil… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $840,000 in USDA Funding to Create Jobs in Mattoon

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $100,000 in grant and $740,000 in loan funding to the Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative, located in Mattoon, Illinois, through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program. The Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative intends to use today's funding for the modernization and renovation of the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center hospital, a… Continue Reading

Durbin Asks for Meeting With Consumer Product Safety Chairman to Discuss Faulty Pool Drain Covers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Prompted by a Chicago Tribune investigation, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Inez Tenenbaum, to request a meeting to discuss existing rules and regulations regarding pool safety, specifically steps taken to prevent entrapments due to pool and spa drains and drain covers. "The issues highlighted by the Tribune story are very concerning and raise serious questions, not only about dangerou… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Administration Plan to Reform the Housing Market

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Obama Administration announced a plan to dramatically reform the nation's housing markets and to end Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government controlled financing agencies: "The Administration's proposal for reforming America's housing finance market is the right step and one that is desperately needed. But two years after the housing market collapsed and plunged the nat… Continue Reading

Senators Call on VA to Stop Dragging Its Feet in Getting Family Caregivers Critical Benefits

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and 16 other Senators from both sides of the aisle, in writing to Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, to urge the Administration to carry out the law and begin providing supportive services to caregivers of wounded veterans. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Heal… Continue Reading

Illinois and Missouri Delegation Members Press VA on Quality Control at John Cochran VAMC

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After learning that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suspended all surgeries at the John Cochran Veterans Affairs Medical Center in St. Louis, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) joined members of the Illinois and Missouri Congressional Delegations in asking the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain the circumstances surrounding this latest potential equipment contamination. Other Members of Congr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk to DOT Secretary: Compromise on O'Hare Modernization is Essential

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After learning that the Department of Transportation is planning to host a meeting this week in Washington between the City of Chicago and both United Airlines and American Airlines, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today sent a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT), Ray LaHood, to stress the importance of finding a compromise on the O'Hare Modernization Program. "Secretary LaHood shares our commitment to moving for… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk, Manzullo and Roskam Tell Chinese Government to Uphold Their Agreements with Illinois Businesses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), have sent a bipartisan letter to the Chinese Ambassador asking for him to intervene in the case of an Illinois business that has been locked out of its own plant and had its intellectual property stolen by its onetime Chinese business partner. "We are writing to request your intervention in an ongoing business dispute brought to our attention by Fellowes, Inc., a business pro… Continue Reading

Durbin and Kirk Ask Federal Officials to Examine Opportunities to Strengthen Protections Along Lake Michigan Shoreline

[CHICAGO, IL] - Following one of the heaviest snowfalls in Chicago's history, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) are asking federal and local officials to determine whether all areas of the Lake Michigan shoreline adequately protect Lake Shore Drive and the City of Chicago. In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers and the Secretary of Transportation, Durbin and Kirk have requested that they consider the impact waves could have had along the shore if Lak… Continue Reading

Durbin and Kirk Express Support for Chicago Area Resident to be ATF Director

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today expressed their support for Andrew Traver to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). President Obama first nominated Traver to be ATF Director in November 2010 and re-nominated him to the post earlier this year. "ATF has been without a Senate-confirmed Director since 2006, and this lack of leadership has hampered our nation's … Continue Reading

Durbin Asks FEMA to Acknowledge Existence of Metro East Levees in Flood Mapping Process

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin helped organize a bipartisan group of Senators that asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stop using it's 'without levee' designation and acknowledge the existence of the Metro East and other levees when mapping flood plains. Last year Durbin announced that, through his efforts, FEMA chose to delay the implementation of the new flood maps for the St. Louis region until December 2011 and stressed the importance of the delay i… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.45 Million in FEMA Grants to Illinois Fire Departments

[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 18 grants totaling $1,453,032 to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois. "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 tools… Continue Reading

Durbin Named to Holocaust Memorial Council

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) has been named to the Holocaust Memorial Council, the board of trustees for United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. "It is a great honor to serve on the Holocaust Memorial Council," Durbin said. "The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is not only a place for remembering the millions of people who lost their lives to the Holocaust, it is also a place to teach a new generation about the mistakes… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Illinois Businesses to Discuss Opportunities to Export to Africa

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Corporate Council on Africa - which included representatives from two Illinois companies - to discuss challenges faced by U.S. companies that want to do business in Africa. Durbin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee listened to the group's ideas on how the U.S. government can more effectively help American companies compete in the African market, particularly against China. "For businesses - both… Continue Reading