Durbin Announces More than $350,000 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 6 grants totaling $353,282 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 too… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces a More than $600,000 VA Grant for Quincy Veterans Facility

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a $643,500 grant to the State of Illinois. This funding will be used to assist the construction of a bus and ambulance garage at the State Veterans Home in Quincy, Illinois. The Quincy State Veterans Home, founded in 1886, is the largest and oldest of Illinois' Veterans Homes. The Home provides a broad range of facilities and services including… Continue Reading

Durbin, Specter Bill Seeks to Get Fugitives Off the Street

[Washington, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL.) and Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), have introduced legislation that seeks to increase the number of State and local fugitives who are arrested and prosecuted. The Fugitive Information Networked Database Act of 2010 (FIND Act) is designed to coordinate state and local data on warrants into the national database, increase the number of extraditions of fugitives caught in other states and to ascertain whether pretrial… Continue Reading

Durbin: New Report Shows Foreclosure Crisis Has Rising Impact on Middle Class

[CHICAGO, IL] - More homeowners across Chicago find themselves at risk of foreclosure as property values drop and families struggle with unemployment, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today at a news conference to release National People's Action's 2009 Chicago Foreclosure Report. "Foreclosures are no longer being driven primarily by predatory lending," Durbin said. "Most of those homes, sadly, are already gone. The crisis has now evolved into an 'underwater' problem and an unemploy… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1 Million in Grant Funding for Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $1,079,000 grant to the Springfield Airport Authority. This funding will be used to acquire new land for aircraft approaches, rehabilitate a runway, and improve safety and security at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois. "The Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is a critical transportation link for the Springfield area," sa… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces a More than $10,000 FEMA Grant for Addison Fire Protection

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $10,563 grant to the Addison Fire Protection District #1 in Addison, Illinois for fire prevention 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 t… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $550,000 in FEMA Grants to Illinois Fire Department

[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 12 grants totaling $543,216 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 equipp… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Reports Durbin's Fair Sentencing Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A bipartisan bill to curtail the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine was unanimously reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 19-0. The Fair Sentencing Act, introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) was amended by the Judiciary Committee and will reduce the current 100:1 sentencing disparity to roughly 20:1. "Drug use is a serious problem in America and we need tough legislation to combat it. But i… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Approves Legislation that Would Bring $600 Million in Medicaid Assistance to Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the United States Senate approved legislation that would bring an additional $600 million in funding for the Medicaid program in Illinois. The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010 would extend the increased Medicaid federal match rate - or federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) - made available to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The bill will now be s… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Blommington-Normal Officials to Discuss Economic Development Priorities

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today met with leaders from the Bloomington-Normal area who were in Washington, DC as part of the fourth annual One Voice trip. Durbin and members of the group discussed the region's economic development and federal funding priorities for 2011. "One Voice does a great job of coming together to promote a unified agenda for the entire Bloomington-Normal region," said Durbin. "I was happy to meet with members of the group today and look forward… Continue Reading

Durbin, Costello: Time for Federal Government to Take Responsibility and Fully Assess Risk of Metro East Flood

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) today called on the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Craig Fugate, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Jo-Ellen Darcy to produce information that led to the determination that levees in the Metro East area could not be certified. Both Fugate and Darcy pledged to investigate the recent lack of information, work with local officials to assemble an adequate amount of… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $750,000 in Recovery Act Funding for Rock Island Disaster Recovery

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has invested $750,000 in the Bi-State Regional Commission's Disaster Recovery Project, which operates in Rock Island, Illinois. This investment, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will create a new revolving loan fund to serve small businesses in Mercer County, Illinois, and Muscatine County, Iowa and is expected to create 64 jobs and… Continue Reading

Durbin: Insurance Company Premiums--and Profits--Soar at Families' Expense

[CHICAGO, IL] - Illinoisans are facing up to a 60 percent increase in health insurance premiums this year at the same time that insurance companies are benefiting from some of the highest profits in their history, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said today a news conference to highlight the need for healthcare reform."Families are facing skyrocketing costs," Durbin said. "Emergency rooms are overflowing. Health centers are struggling to meet the increasing demand. Yet insurance companies continue to ra… Continue Reading

Durbin: Recovery Act Investment in CREATE Project Means More Jobs for Illinois

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin issued the following statement regarding the $133 million CREATE Englewood Flyover Project, funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act: "Unsnarling this bottleneck will stop trains from idling and start moving train traffic more quickly and safely. But this project is not just about saving time, money and cleaning our air. It's about jobs. "The rail industry is already a big employer in Illinois. More than 16,000 freight railr… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $600,000 in Recovery Act Funding for Rock Island Mass Transit

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $600,000 in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District. Today's funding will be used to construct a solar thermal system that will provide hot water for the transit facility's operations and maintenance sections. The solar thermal system will help reduce the Quad Citie… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $1.5 Million in Recovery Act Funds for Chicago Transit

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation has awarded $1,500,000 in funding to the Chicago Transit Authority for the construction of electrified vehicle stalls that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary fuel consumption. "The funding announced today will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago," said Durbin. "As more and more people are choosing to leave their cars at home for their daily commute, hel… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More than $11.1 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Illinois Transit

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that several Illinois transit projects have been awarded funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This announcement is part of more than $600 million in formula-based Recovery Act funding distributed to almost 200 transit agencies and municipalities by the Department of Transportation to modernize and continue operations, as well as create green jobs. Illinois Department of Tran… Continue Reading

Durbin: Illinois Among Finalists in Phase One of Innovative Race to the Top Education Reform Competition

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Education has named Illinois among 16 finalists for Phase One of its Race to the Top competition. The Race to the Top Fund provides competitive grants to encourage and reward states like Illinois that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform."Illinois is to be congratulated for the strong Race to the Top application they submitted. Illinois' selection today is a … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $1.5 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 17 grants totaling $1,448,822 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 equipped with … Continue Reading

Durbin: University of Illinois to Receive $22.5 Million in Recovery Act Funding to Expand Broadband Internet Access

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Commerce (DOC) has awarded $22,534,776 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to build 187 miles of fiber-optic broadband network in Urbana, Champaign, and Savoy. The funding will also be used to support fiber-to-the-home services in four low-income neighborhoods and provide high-speed connectivity to 143 community anch… Continue Reading