Durbin Statement on Proposed Rate Changes for Illinois Health Exchange

CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the insurer-proposed rate changes that could impact Illinoisans purchasing individual health insurance through the Illinois' Health Marketplace next year: The Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) - which operates Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) in Illinois - sent their highest ranking officials to meet with me in Washington in April and told me they were losing money and considering pulling out of Illinois. Something … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.2 Million for Early Head Start in Cook County

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,226,568 in federal funding for Early Head Start programs in Cook County. Under this announcement, the Proviso Leyden Council for Community Actions, Inc. will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support early childhood development and comprehensive services for infants and toddlers from low-income households. "We know that a child's first years are the most crucial in their brain development. Ea… Continue Reading

Durbin, Collins, Bipartisan Senators Urge CMS to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Coverage

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today led a bipartisan group of 29 senators urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve access to substance abuse treatment by amending the Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion. In a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, the senators asked the agency to further expand covered services to include substance abuse treatment in all medically necessary care settings in response to A… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $615,000 to Develop Teaching Resources, Professional Development Opportunities in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today four Illinois education organizations will receive a total of $615,164 in grant funding through the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program, a federal grant program administered by the Library of Congress to develop teaching resources and professional development opportunities that focus on the effective use of digitized primary sources in K-12 classrooms. "The Library of Congress is an invaluable resource to students an… Continue Reading

Durbin, Emanuel, Members of Illinois Delegation Announce $25 Million TIGER Grant for Garfield Green Line Gateway

PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL-7) and Bobby Rush (D-IL-1), and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced $25 million in federal funding to create an updated, convenient transit gateway at the Garfield Green Line 'L' station in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood. This investment, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER grant program, will support improvements to the existing operational Green Line station and resto… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $14 Million TIGER Grant for Springfield Rail Improvement Project

PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $14 million in federal funding for the second phase of rail transit infrastructure improvements in Springfield, IL. Today's investment, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER grant program, will support the construction of an underpass at Ash and Laurel Streets as well as the design and planning of a new multimodal facility, which will include an Amtrak station and a bus transfer location. Once the project is c… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.7 Million for Head Start & Early Head Start in McHenry County

PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,786,656 in federal funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in McHenry County. Under this announcement, the Community Action Agency for McHenry County, Inc. will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support early education and comprehensive services for low-income children and families. "The Head Start program is the source of countless success stories in Illinois and around the c… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $5 Million for Maternal & Child Health

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Illinois Department of Public Health $5,265,846 to improve health outcomes in women and children. Today's funding will support efforts by the Illinois Department of Public Health's Office of Women's Health and Family Services to improve health care access and provide preventive services for women, children, and adolescents. "We must ensure that all Illinois families… Continue Reading

Durbin, Quigley, Emanuel Announce More Than $3.6 Million to Expand CTA Electric Bus Fleet

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-5), and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that the Federal Transit Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has awarded the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) $3,620,000 to expand its electric bus fleet. Today's funding will enable the CTA to purchase up to four electric buses and two chargers. The CTA was the first major transit agency to use all-electric buses as part of daily servi… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Continuing Unrest in Turkey

CHICAGO-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the continuing unrest and politically-motivated arrests occurring in Turkey: President Erdogan, who made great progress in his first term as prime minister strengthening both Turkey's economy and standing in the international community, should not use this attempted coup as an excuse to tighten his grip on Turkish society by rounding up political opponents. This is a critical moment for President Erdogan to demonstrat… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators Send Letter to DEA Calling for Stricter Limits on Opioid Pills

[ROCKFORD, IL] - In a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Edward Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) called on the agency to use its power to ‎more aggressively combat the opioid epidemic that is affecting communities across the country. With its existing quota-setting authority, the DEA effectively serves as a gatekeeper for how many opioids can be produced and sold in the Unit… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $2.4 Million to Protect Winnebago County Families from Lead Hazards

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will award Winnebago County $2,492,455 to control lead-based paint hazards in low-income homes with children. Today's funding will allow the county's health department to address hazards in 150 housing units, protecting families from dangerous lead exposure. A total of $52,645,790 was awarded nationwide today as part of HUD's Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program and Hea… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Initiatives to Combat Heroin and Prescription Opioid Epidemic

ROCKFORD - As the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic continues to impact communites arond Illinois and the country, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with local advocates, first responders, health professionals, and people whose lives have been impacted by addiction to discuss efforts to combat the crisis. Durbin has introduced several pieces of legislation to expand treatment for heroin addiction and increase access to drug prevention programs that have been proven to save li… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $2.8 Million in HUD Funding for Illinois Housing & Community Development

[BELVIDERE, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that 22 communities in Illinois will receive a total of $2,846,926 in grant funding through the Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (PH-FSS) Program, a federal grant program administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop strategies which help families learn skills, gain experience, and obtain employment in the hopes of leading to economic independe… Continue Reading

Durbin Sends Letter to DEA Calling for Stricter Limits of Opioid Pills

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), calling on the agency to use its power to ‎more aggressively combat the opioid epidemic that is affecting communities across Illinois and the country. With its existing quota-setting authority, DEA effectively serves as a gatekeeper for how many opioids can be produced and sold in the United States every year. Durbin has urged DEA to help keep the dangerous pills from flooding the … Continue Reading

Chicago, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Chicago, Illinois native Johanna Mintz spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the federal … Continue Reading

Chicago, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Chicago, Illinois native Lee A. Smith III spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the feder… Continue Reading

Murphysboro, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

WASHINGTON - Murphysboro native Lorna Gilmore spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the federal govern… Continue Reading

Darien, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Darien, Illinois native Michael Jurkash spent three months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the… Continue Reading

Naperville, Illinois Student Interns in Durbin's Washington, DC Senate Office

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Naperville, Illinois native Reeny John spent two months this summer interning for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in his Capitol Hill office. Each year, close to 50 interns work in Durbin's Washington, D.C. office. Interns process constituent requests and calls, help with legislative duties, and lead Capitol tours for Illinois residents visiting Washington, D.C. During that time, they gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process, learn about the inner-workings of the fe… Continue Reading