Durbin Applauds Move by Department of Education to Better Protect Taxpayers from ITT Tech

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded a decision by the Department of Education to require ITT ‎Educational Services, Inc. (ITT Tech) to increase its surety - money held in escrow by the Department that would be used to offset taxpayer losses in the even the company collapses - from $80 million to about $123.6 million. Durbin has urged the Department of Education to more aggressively use its authority to require Letters of Credit and other forms of surety to b… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on NGA Decision of Record

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after learning that NGA Director Robert Cardillo issued his decision of record for the North St. Louis site, and not the St. Clair County site next to Scott Air Force Base: "I am deeply concerned about the security of the St. Louis site and I do not believe we have received acceptable answers from Director Cardillo," said Durbin. "His decision today is short-sighted and ignores not only safety issues, but also l… Continue Reading

Durbin: CFPB's Proposed Rule Would Crack Down on Payday Lending Industry Abuses

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today commended the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for its proposed rule aimed at addressing abuses in the payday lending industry. The proposed rule is one of the first efforts by the federal government to rein in small-dollar loans, which often carry interest rates exceeding 300%. ‎ "Payday lenders offer a quick way to make ends meet, but often with devastating consequences," said Durbin. "Lenders are, in many instances, making th… Continue Reading

New GAO Report Highlights Value of Broadcasting Supreme Court and Appellate Court Proceedings

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) released the following statement on a newly released Government Accountability Office report on video and audio coverage of Supreme Court and other appellate court proceedings. The report cites stakeholders who state that the benefits of such coverage include enhancing public access to the courts, educating the public on the judiciary, and providing a useful window into how courts think about the issues in a case. Som… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on TSA Security During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement as travelers head to airports around the country to take advantage of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Last Friday, Durbin convened a meeting with Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) Administrator Peter Neffenger, airline representatives and federal, state and local officials at O'Hare International Airport to discuss new measures to address the massive delays at airport security lines across the cou… Continue Reading

Durbin & Kirk Announce Senate Passage of Bill to Name Aurora Post Office After Ken Christy

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today announced that the Senate has unanimously passed legislation designating the U.S. Post Office facility located at 525 N. Broadway in Aurora, Illinois, as the Kenneth M. Christy Post Office Building. The bill must now pass in the House of Representatives where U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced an identical bill -supported by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation - in Ap… Continue Reading

Senators Call on ITT Tech to Halt Use of Mandatory Arbitration Clauses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today called on ITT Educational Services, Inc. (ITT Tech) to follow the lead of the University of Phoenix and DeVry and halt the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in college enrollment agreements. In a letter to the CEO, the Senators wrote, "ITT Tech, under your leadership, has long been an advocate in the for-profit college industry for the continued use of mandator… Continue Reading

Durbin: Defense Appropriations Bill Invests in Groundbreaking Research & Protects Illinois Priorities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill - which provides $574.6 billion in funding for the military and intelligence community, our national security requirements and the daily needs of over two million active duty and reserve servicemembers - funds Illinois defense installations and protects important Illinois priorities. The legislation was … Continue Reading

On Bill to Fund Homeland Security Department, Durbin Includes Amendments Zeroing in on TSA Security at Chicago Airports

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that two of his amendments to help reduce wait times at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in airports around the country were approved as part of the FY2017 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. Specifically, Durbin's amendments would: · Direct TSA to make PreCheck more accessible by expanding the number of office hours available (including the possibility of weekend hours… Continue Reading

Durbin & Kelly: Resolution Establishing “National Gun Violence Awareness Day" Introduced in House & Senate

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At least sixteen U.S. Senators and eleven U.S. Representatives joined together to introduce a resolution in the House & Senate establishing June 2nd as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and designating June as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month." Every day in America, an average of 297 men, women and children are shot, 91 of them fatally. Establishing a day to bring attention to the issue of gun violence honors the thousands of Americans who are victims of gun … Continue Reading

Summary of Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON-The Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations Act, 2017 provides $574.6 billion in base and Overseas Contingency Operation (OCO) funding, compared to $572.9 billion enacted in fiscal year 2016 and $576.5 billion in the President's budget request. The base budget appropriation is $516 billion with $58.6 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations of the Department of Defense. The Subcommittee's allocation conforms to the spending levels set by the Bipartisan Budget Act and provide… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Officials from Springfield & Sangamon County in Washington

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with officials from Springfield, Illinois, and Sangamon County to discuss local priorities including economic development, the Illinois Air National Guard's 183rd Fighter Wing and transportation and infrastructure improvements. "My hometown of Springfield is well positioned to take advantage of the long-term transportation bill that Congress passed last year," said Durbin. "I will continue working to fully fund the grant programs in… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.6 Million in Federal Funding for Illinois First-Responders

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded $1,635,535 in grants to fire departments and municipalities throughout Illinois. "This federal funding will ensure that when fires or other emergencies occur in our communities, our nation's firefighters and first-responders have access to the best resources and the equipment necessary to help protect them as they… Continue Reading

Senators Urge HHS Inspector General to Conduct Study to Determine Amount of Federal Waste from One-Size-Fits-All Drug Vials

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) in urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General today to conduct a study to determine the amount of waste from inappropriately sized drug vials. Drug manufacturers are distributing expensive cancer drugs in vials that contain larger dosages than needed by the average patient. According to a recent report published in BMJ and reported ab… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Apollo Announcement That Universiry of Phoenix Will No Longer Use Mandatory Arbitration Clauses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today expressed cautious optimism about the University of Phoenix's commitment to eliminate the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in its student enrollment agreements. Durbin has long opposed the use of mandatory arbitration clauses by for-profit colleges, including in a recent op-ed for The Hill in which Durbin urged the Department of Education to protect the interests of students by implementing a full ban of mandatory arbitration clause… Continue Reading

Durbin: More Needs to be Done to Fix Massive Delays at Airports in Chicago, Across America

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor today about the urgent need to address the massive delays at airports in Chicago and around the country. Durbin will bring Transportation Security Administrator (TSA) Peter Neffenger to Chicago Friday to discuss ways to bring wait times down while protecting passenger safety. "We've all seen the footage of people waiting in line to go through security screening at major airports, particularly in the city of Chicago, both O… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Meet with Acting Director of Bureau of Prisons to Discuss Thomson Prison Activation

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Following a meeting with the Acting Director of the Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons, Tom Kane, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today said the activation of Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois remains on track. Photos of the meeting are available here. "We are happy to report that the Obama Administration is making progress toward its goal of opening and operating Thomson prison in a responsible and humane m… Continue Reading

Durbin: TSA Administrator to Come to Chicago to Discuss Airport Security Delays

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will bring the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Peter Neffenger to Chicago on Friday to meet with airport officials and local stakeholders to discuss new measures to address the delays at airport security lines in Chicago and across the country. "I'm convening this meeting in Chicago for TSA Administrator Neffenger to get a firsthand look at what airline passengers are experiencing, and to ensure that state a… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Call for Major Airlines to "Do Their Part" to Reduce Airport Security Lines

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a letter to the trade group representing the major U.S. airlines, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called for an immediate suspension of checked baggage fees for the summer travel season to help reduce alarmingly high wait times at security checkpoints across major U.S. airports. "According to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, baggage fees have contributed to increasing the number of carryon-on luggage that must be screened at security che… Continue Reading

CBO Announces Three Quarters of a Billion Dollars in Savings to Taxpayers for Grassley-Durbin Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), co-authors of the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act released the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that the legislation would save taxpayers $318 million over five years and $722 million over ten: "The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act represents years of work on an issue that has the ability to change lives. We have an obligation to change the way w… Continue Reading