Durbin Statement On The Death Of Former Israeli President And Prime Minister Shimon Peres

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after learning of the death of Shimon Peres, former Israeli president and prime minister. "Israel has lost one of its true champions. It was my honor to meet Shimon Peres and to be a part of the delegation welcoming him to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. He had a passionate commitment to Israel and to the cause of peace."… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Secretary Of Education To Discuss Debt Relief For ITT Tech Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Department of Education Secretary John King, Under Secretary Ted Mitchell, and Chief Enforcement Officer Rob Kaye to discuss the closure of ITT Tech Educational Services, Inc. (ITT Tech), debt relief options for ITT Tech students, and the future of for-profit colleges. The group was joined by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). During the meeting, Senator Durbin praised the Department for its decision in Augu… Continue Reading

Durbin: Taking In Refugees Not Only The Right Thing To Do, It’s Best For America’s National Security

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today served as ranking member of a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration entitled Oversight of the Administration's FY17 Refugee Resettlement Program. "We are in the midst of the largest refugee crisis in history," said Durbin. "More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The brutal Syrian conflict, the epicenter of this crisis, has killed hundreds of thousands, injured more than a million, and dis… Continue Reading

Durbin, Coons, Democratic Senators Introduce Bill to Limit Use of Solitary Confinement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Al Franken (D-MN) today introduced legislation to reduce the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) use of solitary confinement and improve conditions for inmates separated from the general prison population. The Solitary Confinement Reform Act limits solitary confinement to the briefest term and under the least restrictive conditions possible, improves access to mental health service… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have introduced legislation to help Americans burdened by the costs of illness or injury. The Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016 would make the bankruptcy process more forgiving for those driven to insolvency by health care-related debt or loss of income. "Nobody should ever have to choose between their physical health and their financial health, yet far too many Americans are driven in… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On EPA To Protect American Families From Toxic Asbestos And Flame Retardants

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to list asbestos and flame retardants among the top priority chemicals it will review under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which reforms the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Signed by President Obama in June, the law gives the EPA new authority to review and regulate chemicals based on the impact they have on the most vulnerable: infants, pregnant women, … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $9 Million To Combat Violence Against Women

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded Illinois agencies, organizations, and universities grants totaling $9,339,711 to prevent, combat, and investigate sexual assault and violence against women. Today's funding will also support critical victims' services, including counseling and housing assistance. "This investment not only improves our law enforcement's ability to prevent, investigate, and prosecute sexual assault and dome… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Demand Answers On Government Use Of Private Prisons

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined leading Democratic Senators to press the Obama administration on the use of private prisons and contract facilities by the Department of Homeland Security. The letter comes amid an internal review at DHS regarding its use of private prisons, and the Senators urged DHS to ensure the review was meaningful and genuine. In their letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, the Senators state that "we strongly oppose the use of for-profit prison compan… Continue Reading

Durbin, Warren, Schatz Introduce Bill To Reform College Accreditation And Strengthen Accountability For Students And Taxpayers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016 (AREAA), which seeks to reduce student debt and protect students and taxpayers by reforming higher education accreditation and strengthening the Department of Education's (ED) ability to hold accreditors accountable. College accreditation is the cornerstone of the nation's higher education quality assurance system, with accre… Continue Reading

Durbin, Leading Democratic Senators Call On Wells Fargo To End Use Of Forced Arbitration To Allow Customers To Seek Justice In Court

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and others to call on Wells Fargo to end the use of forced arbitration clauses that prevent customers whose names were used to open fraudulent accounts from seeking justice in court. Arbitration clauses force consumers to waive their rights to bring a claim in court or to band together in a class action, before any dispute has arisen. These clauses also deny access to the courts even when… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $3.7 Million To Address Youth Violence In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded Illinois counties and agencies grants totaling $3,738,028 to address the problem of youth violence in Illinois. These investments will support programs that provide critical intervention services to keep youth from entering the juvenile criminal justice system and prevent juvenile offenders from relapsing into criminal behavior. "Exposure to violence has a profound psychological impact … Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker Introduce Legislation To Promote Study Abroad

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) today introduced legislation that creates a competitive grant program for colleges and universities to expand study abroad opportunities for American college students and encourage more minority, low-income, and non-traditional students to spend part of their undergraduate experience abroad. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act seeks to bolster young Americans' foreign language skills and cultural competency. Named … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Education Department Termination Of Deadbeat Accreditor

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced its decision to terminate recognition of the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Universities (ACICS). Durbin had called for the Department to terminate ACICS, which accredited now-defunct Corinthian, ITT Tech, and Westwood Colleges. "ACICS repeatedly showed that it was not a reliable authority on educational quality or worthy of its responsibility as a gateke… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Group Of 38 Democratic Senators In Call To Protect Women’s Access To Contraceptive Coverage

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined a group of 38 Democratic Senators calling on the Obama Administration to protect women's access to affordable birth control under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the senators argue that when Congress passed the ACA it clearly intended to provide contraceptive coverage to women and families, and that the current accommodation policy appropriately guarantees women access to that cov… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Senate To Pass Bill To Extend G.I. Housing Benefits For Veterans Affected By Itt Tech Closure

WASHINGTON - In light of the recent closure of ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT Tech), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the need to pass the Veterans Education Relief and Reinstatement Act (VERRA) to temporarily extend G.I. Bill housing benefits to veterans whose schools abruptly close. The bill could help ITT Tech veterans who lost this critical benefit and now may be in danger of losing their homes due to the closure of ITT Tech. "When it closed earli… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Devry Decision To Limit Revenue From Federal Student Aid

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after DeVry University announced it would limit the share of revenue its six colleges derive from federal taxpayers, including tuition assistance provided through the Department of Defense and G.I. Bill benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. "It is breathtaking to say that any for-profit business will 'limit' its federal subsidy to 85% of its revenue, but in the bizarre world of for-profit schools, this is … Continue Reading

Durbin, Chicago Public Schools Announce More Than $1 Million For Mental Health Services

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chicago Public Schools Chief Education Officer Janice K. Jackson announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Chicago Board of Education $1,274,909 to support mental health services for students affected by violence and improve awareness of childhood trauma among educators and school support staff. Under this announcement, Chicago Public Schools will establish the Healing Trauma Together (HTT) program, allowing the district to b… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk Introduce Bill To Name Evanston Post Office After Abner Mikva

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced legislation in the Senate to designate the U.S. Post Office facility located at 1101 Davis Street in Evanston, Illinois, as the Abner J. Mikva Post Office Building. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-9). Abner Mikva, who passed away on July 4th at the age of 90, was a five-term Democratic congressman from Illinois, chief judge of the United Stat… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Call On Education Department To Increase Debt Relief For Itt Tech Students

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 21 senators in sending a letter commending the U.S. Department of Education for its decision to stop additional federal student aid from flowing to ITT Educational Services, Inc. Following these restrictions, and serious concerns echoed by law enforcement agencies and ITT Tech's accreditor, with regard to the company's "deceptive practices, dubious educational quality, and financial integrity," ITT Tech announced… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $25.3 Million For Rural Development Projects In Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $25,323,840 in federal funding, including $3,011,840 in grant awards, to support rural development projects across Illinois. Today's funding, provided through the USDA's Rural Business Development grant and loan programs, will support water and waste infrastructure projects and local economic development. "This federal investment will create local, good-paying jobs in c… Continue Reading