Durbin Discusses Landmark Sentencing Reform Legislation

[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) held a news conference today to discuss a landmark, bipartisan agreement he helped broker in the Senate to overhaul the nation's criminal justice policy for the first time in a generation. The bill tackles the mass incarceration that has impacted minority communities across the nation disproportionately and weighed on the nation's finances. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, introduced by Durbin and a bipartisan group of Senators, wou… Continue Reading

Durbin, Markey Announce Support for Chemical Safety Reform Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, as the full Senate prepares to begin debate on a historic bill to overhaul the broken Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) announced their support for the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act after several key improvements were made. Their cosponsorship of the bipartisan bill - written by U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and David Vitter (R-LA) - brings the total number of cosponsors t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement After Announcement That Secretary Duncan Will Step Down in December

[NEW YORK, N.Y.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Obama announce U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will step down in December. Durbin introduced Duncan to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during his confirmation hearing in January 2009. "Arne Duncan has distinguished himself as one of our best Secretaries of Education. Always open to new ideas but never forsaking his commitment to our students, A… Continue Reading

Durbin to Boehner: America Cannot Wait for Action on Transportation Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Three months after the Senate passed a long-term, bipartisan transportation bill, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on Speaker of the House John Boehner to consider legislation that would provide 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 34 stop-gap measures to keep the country's major … Continue Reading

Senators Introduce Landmark Bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015

WASHINGTON-A bipartisan group of senators led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced comprehensive legislation aimed at recalibrating prison sentences for certain drug offenders, targeting violent criminals, and granting judges greater discretion at sentencing for lower-level drug crimes. The package also seeks to curb recidivism by helping prisoners successfully re-enter society. Durbin spoke on the … Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Will County Officials to Discuss Transportation Bill & Local Priorities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with members of the Will County Governmental League who were in Washington, D.C. for their annual fly-in. Durbin and the group discussed local economic development issues and transportation priorities. Although the Senate has acted to pass a long-term authorization of funding federal surface transportation programs, the House of Representatives has yet to take up legislation reauthorizing highway and transit programs. This bill will have a… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $2.36 Million Grant to Create Jobs and Boost Development in Granite City, Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $2,368,520 in funding to America's Central Port District in Granite City, Illinois to create jobs and aide the construction of critical infrastructure. The project is expected to support 250 local jobs and leverage up to $6.5 million in private investment. "Not only will this federal investment support local construction jobs… Continue Reading

IG Investigation Finds Insufficient Contingency Plans & Security Protocols at Chicago Air Traffic Control Facilities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Six members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation today announced that a Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General (IG) investigation concluded that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s contingency plans and security protocols were insufficient at Chicago air traffic control facilities at the time of a September 26, 2014 fire at the Aurora facility. The entire report can be found HERE. After reviewing the IG report U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)… Continue Reading

Senators Durbin, Schatz, Brown, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Raise Smoking Age to 21

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined by seven other Senators, introduced the Tobacco to 21 Act (S.2100), legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. "Thanks to tobacco control measures like banning smoking in public places and placing warning labels on cigarette cartons, far fewer people smoke now than did fifty years ago," said Durbin. "As a result, far fewer families have … Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Call on Governor to Release Committed State Funding for Rockford Airport

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following an announcement by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) that the agency has finalized the $2,581,900 funding conditionally awarded to the Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) Midfield Aviation Industrial Park Project earlier this year, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) today again called on Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to release state funding that has already been committed for the project. To… Continue Reading

Durbin, Murphy, Warren, Brown Introduce Students Before Profits Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in introducing the Students Before Profits Act of 2015, a bill to protect students from deceptive practices and bad actors in the for-profit college sector. The bill ensures students have access to important and accurate information, strengthens oversight and regulation, and holds for-profit schools and their executives a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Quigley, Schakowsky Discuss Impact of Potential Government Shutdown for SNAP Recipients

[CHICAGO] - With the prospect of another federal government shutdown still a possibility, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) held a news conference today to discuss the impact a shutdown would have on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Without Congressional action, the government will shut down on October 1, jeopardizing SNAP benefits for 46.5 million Americans, including two million people in Illinois. … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Resignation of Speaker Boehner

EAST ST LOUIS-U.S. Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Speaker John Boehner's announcement that he will resign from Congress at the end of October: I served with John Boehner in the House and worked with him as a Senator. Despite our differences, I applaud his commitment to our nation and a life of public service. The chaos in the House Republican Conference, the palace intrigue, and the extremism of some of his members have resu… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Address of Pope Francis to Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the address to a joint meeting of Congress by His Holiness Pope Francis: "There was a huge crowd gathered at the White House yesterday to welcome Pope Francis, the first visit by a pope in many years to the United States, and Pope Francis' first visit to our country. We were waiting and waiting and up he drove in his little Fiat car, as a passenger in the back seat. What a remin… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Group of 34 Senators in Calling on Medicare & Medicaid to Ban Long-Term Care Facilities from Using Unfair Arbitration Clauses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and a broad coalition of Senators in calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to prohibit the use of unfair pre-dispute arbitration clauses in contracts with long-term care facilities like nursing homes. These types of clauses make it far more difficult for victims to seek fair redress after they've been wronged. Right now, CMS is taking steps to reform its requireme… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors 'Guardian Angel' Ashley Aldridge of Auburn, Illinois on Senate Floor

[WASHINGTON, DC]. - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate Floor today to commend Ashley Aldridge, a mother of two from Auburn, Illinois, for her bravery and courage. Last week, Ashley risked her life to save Earl Moorman, a fellow resident of Auburn whose wheelchair became stuck in the path of an oncoming train. Her story was first written about in the Springfield Journal-Register. "Auburn's Mayor and Town Council and all the folks around town were hailing Ashley Aldridge as… Continue Reading

Durbin Receives Progress Report on Thomson Prison Activation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a meeting with the Director of the Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons, Charles Samuels, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said the activation of Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois remains on track. Nearly 250 staff positions have been filled at the facility and more than 90 minimum-security inmates have arrived at the Thomson prison satellite camp, with approximately 110 more expected. When fully operational, Thomson prison is expec… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on New Department of Justice Investigation of ITT Tech

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after ITT Tech - a for-profit college already under investigation by at least 18 state Attorneys General and being sued by two federal agencies - announced that it is now also under investigation by the Department of Justice under the federal False Claims Act. ITT Tech currently operates at least four campuses in Illinois including Arlington Heights, Orland Park, Oak Brook, and Springfield. "This a… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Senators in Urging Department of Defense, Education to Redouble Efforts to Protect Military Consumers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Seeking to promote and preserve the special consumer protections afforded to military families, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are calling on U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to renew efforts to ensure that service members get complete, accurate, and timely information about their student loans, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) protections, loan forgivenes… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $4.8 Million in Federal Funding for Illinois Law Enforcement

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program has awarded six communities in Illinois $4,875,000 in funding to recruit or rehire thirty-nine police officers. "Even as tight budgets are forcing many local law enforcement agencies to reduce the number of officers on duty, the safety of our communities must be our top priority. This funding will help meet that goal by putting mo… Continue Reading