Durbin Says New Report Clearly Demonstrates Need for Food Safety Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today that the recently released National Academy of Sciences report, "Enhancing Food Safety: The Role of the FDA" highlights the need for an overhaul of the nation's current food safety system. The 500-page report highlights several shortcomings at Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including: outdated legal authority for the agency - specifically no mandatory recall authority or ability to ban food im… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $365,000 in FEMA Grants for 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 6 grants totaling $365,152 to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois for operations and safety. "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 equippe… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $5 Million in USDA Funding Available for Hunger Relief

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made $5 million in grant funding available for investment in research, planning and various hunger relief activities to help end hunger in America. Legislation authored by Senator Durbin and included in the 2007 Farm Bill created the new Hunger-Free Communities grant program which aims to assess hunger in individual communities, promote coop… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $2 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Weatherization Training Centers in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded two grants totaling $1,959,635 for weatherization training center development and expansion projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Wilbur Wright College in Chicago, Illinois, will receive $1,000,000 and the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, will receive $959,635 to develop training centers.The weatheri… Continue Reading

Durbin: Shedd Aquarium to Receive Over $630,000 in Funding for Great Lakes Education

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has awarded $630,038 in federal grant funding to the Shedd Aquarium for an ongoing initiative that educates visitors about the Great Lakes and encourages better stewardship of the marine environment. This funding will help the Shedd Aquarium's Center for the Great Lakes to better engage citizens in making positive change to help the… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Chrysler to Expand in Belvidere

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Chrysler to consider selecting Belvidere, Illinois as the location for the company's planned operational expansion. In a letter to the CEO of Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne, Durbin touted the quality workforce and expertise at the Belvidere Assembly Plant which has reinvented itself many times over the years."For 45 years the employees at the Belvidere Assembly Plant and the Belvidere Satellite Stamping Plant have… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls for Stronger Policing Standards for Puppy Mills

[CHICAGO, IL] - A loophole in current law being exploited by large, negligent puppy breeders would be closed under a measure U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced this week in the U.S. Senate, the senator told animal welfare advocates and dog owners today. The legislation is intended to correct the failures of the unregulated and often hidden elements of the puppy breeding industry, which too often involve puppies housed in cramped, unsanitary and inhumane conditions. The dogs… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Confirms McPherson to be US Marshal in Northern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the United States Senate approved Darryl McPherson to serve as U.S. Marshal in the Northern District of Illinois. "Darryl McPherson will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience from his many years of service to the position of U.S. Marshal in the Northern District," said Durbin. "Darryl has established a reputation for responsibility and professionalism in the law enforcement community. It was an honor r… Continue Reading

Durbin, Gregg Introduce Bill to Expand Successful Charter Schools

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) today introduced legislation that would expand the Charter School Program at the Department of Education (DOE) to make eligible the expansion and replication of successful charter school models. The bill - the All Students Achieving through Reform (All STAR) Act - also takes several steps to strengthen public charter school accountability, transparency, and governance. "We must ensure that each and every child has … Continue Reading

Durbin Praises Agreement to Preserve $119 Million in Highway Funding for Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today that he is "very pleased" that an agreement was reached between House and Senate negotiators over a proposal to revise federal highway formula funding. The original proposal would have caused 13 states and the District of Columbia to lose more than $515 million in total highway funding, including a $119-million reduction in funding for Illinois. "The compromise agreed to today is a win for all involved … Continue Reading

Durbin to Visa and MasterCard: Stop Threatening Small Banks

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a strongly worded letter to the CEOs of Visa and MasterCard, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) told the credit card giants to stop threatening small banks with interchange fee changes and to commit not to take any steps that would purposefully disadvantage small card issuers. Visa and MasterCard began making these threats after Durbin successfully added a bipartisan amendment to the Wall Street reform bill to help reduce the interchange fees that … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves US Marshal Nominee in Northern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, unanimously approved Darryl McPherson to serve as U.S. Marshal in the Northern District of Illinois. His nomination will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate. "Darryl McPherson will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience from his many years of service to the position of U.S. Marshal in the Northern District. It was an honor recommending Darryl'… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $1 Million in FEMA Grants for 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 8 grants totaling $992,001 to fire departments throughout Illinois for operations and safety."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 resources pos… Continue Reading

Durbin Tells Governor: Fight to Retain $119 Million in Transportation Funding for Illinois Continues

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With $119 million in federal highway funding for Illinois in jeopardy, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said he continues to push to curtail efforts by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to change federal highway funding formulas - a proposal that would be harmful to Illinois highway projects. Durbin said he is pushing for a compromise that would allow Illinois and other impacted states to keep all previously committed highway fun… Continue Reading

Durbin Sends Letter to Wall Street Reform Conferees on Interchange Amendment

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a letter to the Senate Conferees for the recently passed Wall Street reform bill, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) pressed members to include his amendment to help reduce the interchange fees that small businesses pay on every credit and debit card sale. Durbin's bipartisan amendment, which passed the Senate by a vote of 64-33, would enable small businesses and merchants to lower their costs and provide discounts for their customers. "My ame… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Introduce Bill to Help Transit Agencies Reverse Fare Hikes and Service Cuts

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in introducing a bill to authorize emergency funding for transit agencies to help reverse fare increases and service cuts. "Nearly two million daily riders and more than 15,000 employees in the Chicago area have been impacted by budg… Continue Reading

In Response to IG Report, Durbin, Vitter Call for Reform of Agency Responsible for Policing Puppy Mills

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In response to a scathing report by the USDA Inspector General (IG), critical of the government's handling of puppy mill investigations, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA) today called for immediate changes at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) and promised to work with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on administrative and legislative reforms. "This report raises serious concerns about APHIS' … Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Great Lakes Task Force in Calling for Greater Authority for Army Corps to Prevent Spread of Asian Carp

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined twelve Senators in asking the Committee on Environment and Public Works to authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take several steps to prevent the spread of Asian Carp and other invasive species. The steps include conducting a study on how to achieve physical separation of the waterways, between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, taking measures to prevent the movement of aquatic nuisance species, purchasing r… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Passes Reform Bill that Puts Main Street Before Wall Street

[CHICAGO, IL] - American consumers are on track to see the strongest consumer financial protections in the nation's history as a result of legislation to bring accountability to Wall Street, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The Restoring American Financial Stability Act, which was approved by the Senate last night by a vote of 59-39, also includes a Durbin-authored amendment to help reduce the interchange or "swipe" fees that small businesses pay on every credit and debit card… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the Passage of Major Wall Street Reform Legislation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Restoring American Financial Stability Act by a vote of 59- 39. "This bill means no more taxpayer bailouts for Wall Street and no more high-flying bank schemes that can drag down our economy. It contains the strongest financial consumer protections in our nation's history and empowers consumers to make the best decisions on mortgages, student loans, and… Continue Reading