Press Releases
Durbin, Leahy, Booker Introduce Legislation To Ban The Death Penalty
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced legislation to immediately ban the use of the death penalty by the federal government. The legislation comes after Attorney General (AG) William Barr's announcement that federal executions will resume for the first time in more than 16 years. While there have been only three federal executions in the last five decades, AG Barr has ordered th… Continue Reading
07.31.19
Durbin Calls On McConnell To End Legislative Graveyard & Protect Our Elections From Foreign Interference
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to end his legislative graveyard and bring comprehensive election security bills to the floor. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin noted that one of the most important takeaways from Special Counsel Mueller's report is that Russia was able to successfully attack our democracy in 2016. Page one of the Mueller report … Continue Reading
07.31.19
Durbin Introduces Bill to Increase Federal Research Into Marijuana
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would lift federal barriers and increase research into cannabis. The Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act would remove restrictions on federal research into cannabis and expand studies on the potential benefits and harms from cannabis use. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2017 examined the current state of cannabis research and found conclusive evidence that marijuana is ef… Continue Reading
07.31.19
Senate Confirms Nominations of Martha Pacold & Mary Rowland To Serve As U.S. District Judges For The Northern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate confirmed the nominations of Martha M. Pacold and Mary M. Rowland to serve as District Judges on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, based in Chicago: "We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Martha Pacold and Mary Rowland. They have the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as district court judges in the Northern … Continue Reading
07.31.19
Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Democratic Caucus To Introduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus to introduce the Democracy for All Amendment, a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and other disastrous court decisions, help get big money out of politics, and put power back in the hands of the American people. "I was proud to preside over a hearing and lead the markup of this amendment as the chair of the Senate Judiciary S… Continue Reading
07.30.19
Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan, House-Passed Venezuela TPS Legislation
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans today blocked bipartisan, House-passed legislation that would designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and protect approximately 200,000 Venezuelan nationals in the United States from deportation. U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) was joined by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on the Senate floor to make a unanimous consent (UC) request to immediately pass the Venezuela TPS Ac… Continue Reading
07.30.19
Durbin Introduces Bill To Make Cahokia Mounds A National Historic Park
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced a bill that would designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Historic Park. Cahokia Mounds is currently a National Historic Landmark, but Durbin's bill would provide a new designation that ensures protection for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties along with Sugarloaf Mound in St. Louis-the city's only remaining mound. "The Cahokia Mounds represent the indigenous peoples and landscapes that once… Continue Reading
07.29.19
Illinois Congressional Delegation Urges FEMA to Support State's Request For Preliminary Flood Damage Assessment
WASHINGTON - The entire Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Peter Gaynor supporting Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's request for an extension in conducting its Preliminary Damage Assessment from flooding events between February and July. A flood of this duration had not been seen in Illinois since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, and at least 35 percent of the State's counties were affected and declared a disaster… Continue Reading
07.29.19
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Push Devos, Illinois Community Colleges To Help Midstate College Students
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today urged the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to take immediate steps to assist the estimated 183 students affected by the planned August 14, 2019, closing of for-profit Midstate College in Peoria, Illinois. The members, in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, pressed ED to provide students information about eligibility and applying for closed school discharges, … Continue Reading
07.29.19
Durbin Statement on Trump Administration's Continued Effort To Sell Arms To Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after voting to override President Donald Trump's vetoes of the joint resolutions of disapproval regarding arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The original resolutions of disapproval passed the Senate with 51 and 53 votes, but today's veto override fell short of the two-thirds needed. "The Saudi government and royal family continue to deny any involvement in Mr. Khashoggi's brutal disappearance and murd… Continue Reading
07.29.19
Durbin, Kennedy Urge DEA To Use Its Authority To Reduce Opioid Production Quotas
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Kennedy (R-LA) today urged the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to apply its new authorities to prevent and limit the pharmaceutical industry's excessively high opioid production levels. Durbin and Kennedy were authors of the 2018 legislation that enhanced DEA's existing opioid quota-setting authority by improving transparency and enabling DEA to adjust quotas to prevent opioid diversion and abuse while ensuring an adequate supply for … Continue Reading
07.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Renew And Expand Funding For The Great Lakes
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), today introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand funding for the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 will reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2021, for another five years. The bill increases the current authorization level f… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $673,000 For Veterans Airport Of Southern Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion will receive $673,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The funding will be the final reimbursement on the recently completed new airline terminal project. "Investing in our airports is key to Illinois' economic success," Durbin said. "The funding announced today will help modernize our aviation infrastr… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $3 Million For Decatur Airport
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Decatur Airport will receive $2,929,500 from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The funding will be used to support continued runway rehabilitation. "Investing in our airports is key to Illinois' economic success," Durbin said. "The funding announced today will help modernize our aviation infrastructure and improve the experience for Southern Illinois trave… Continue Reading
07.26.19
Following Visit To Inspect & Investigate Southern Border Facilities, Durbin Joins Senate Dems In Demanding Trump Administration Immediately Address A Number Of Issues The Senators Witnessed
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senate Democrats in a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan outlining serious concerns regarding the conditions at the southern border that the Trump Administration's policies have exacerbated, and demanding the Administration immediately answer and remedy several issues that the Senators observed on their rec… Continue Reading
07.25.19
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Sweeping Environmental Justice Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced sweeping legislation to address the environmental injustices that harm communities of color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities around the country. The Environmental Justice Act of 2019 would require federal agencies to mitigate environmental injustices through agency action and would strengthen the legal protections of those affected by environmental in… Continue Reading
07.25.19
Durbin Meets With Trump Nominee To Be U.S. Ambassador To UN, Kelly Craft
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Kelly Craft, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). In today's meeting, Durbin pressed Ambassador Craft on her plan to work with our allies to advance U.S. policies; how she plans to address crises around the world - including in Venezuela, Burma, and the Middle East; how she plans to address global threats and conflicts, as well as the ensuing challenge of protect… Continue Reading
07.25.19
Durbin To Acting FDA Commissioner: You Must Act On The Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic In Order To Earn My Support
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless to get off the sidelines and address the public health epidemic of youth use of e-cigarettes. In a letter to Sharpless, Durbin said that if the Acting Commissioner were to be nominated to serve in a more permanent role, he would need to see more action to address youth use of e-cigarettes, not just strong statements, in order to support Sh… Continue Reading
07.24.19
Durbin Meets With Illinois Soybean Growers
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, today met with the Illinois Soybean Association to discuss agriculture priorities in Illinois, including crop conditions, biodiesel markets, lock and dam upgrades, and the damage done by Chinese tariffs. "This has been a tough planting season - and when you combine it with the President's mystifying decisions like a reckless trade war and secret oil refinery waivers that destroy … Continue Reading
07.24.19
Durbin Introduces Fair Elections Now Act
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 24 Senate colleagues, today introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, which would dramatically change the way U.S. Senate elections are financed. Under the legislation, qualified Senate candidates would earn grants, matching funds, and television vouchers to run competitive campaigns based on small-dollar contributions, rather than rely on funding from wealthy donors and corporate special interests. The Fair Elections Now Act w… Continue Reading