Durbin Releases Statement On EPA Decision Not To Move Forward With Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would not be finalizing the volume standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program before the end of 2014. Since the EPA announced the proposed rule more than a year ago, Durbin has worked with members of Illinois' agriculture community and biofuels industry to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed waiver. The EPA announc… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Obama's Immigration Announcement

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Obama's immigration announcement: "It was 511 days ago that the Senate overwhelmingly passed comprehensive, bipartisan reforms to America's broken immigration system. Since that day, this measure has languished in the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders refuse to call it for a vote. Faced with inaction, President Obama has accepted responsibility for moving this country forward and w… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Sale Of Corinthian Campuses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Department of Education announced an agreement to sell 56 Corinthian campuses (accounting for 40,000 students) to Education Credit Management Corporation (ECMC)'s newly created "Zenith Education" non-profit. "Corinthian is Exhibit A when it comes to a for-profit school which misled its students, defrauded the government and walked away with millions of taxpayer dollars," Durbin said. "I belie… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominees In Northern District 2014

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, has unanimously approved the nomination of Jorge Alonso to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Alonso was recommended by Durbin after he conducted extensive interviews with the finalists chosen by a bipartisan screening committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee also approved the nomination of John Blakey to fill a v… Continue Reading

Durbin Thanks Illinois Companies For SEC Conflict Minerals Transparency Report Filing

[WASHINGTON, DC]. - In letters to Illinois companies, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) thanked each for its leadership and effort to create clean supply chains which are free of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In early June, AAR Corporation, Deere and Company, Dover Corporation, IDEX Corporation, and Motorola Solutions, all submitted filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing steps to avoid purchasing minerals from armed groups that fuel the reg… Continue Reading

Durbin, Corker Introduce Water For The World Act of 2014

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN) today introduced The Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation to dramatically improve access to clean water and sanitation around the world. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and led by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX) in the House of Representatives. "Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services sickens and kills t… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Should Use His Executive Authority To Fix Broken Immigration System

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a letter from Senate Democratic leadership to President Obama supporting executive authority to improve the immigration system, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate Floor this morning to discuss the importance of immigration reform. Due to Republican refusal to consider the Senate bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill - which passed over a year ago in the Senate - and bring it to the House Floor for a vote, Durbin urged the President to use… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden for an update on the agency's ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak both domestically and abroad. A photo from today's meeting can be found here. "As the Ebola outbreak claims thousands of lives in West Africa - and two here at home - the CDC continues to demonstrate how imperative it is that our federal agencies are prepared to respond to public health crises whe… Continue Reading

In Meeting With Secretary Duncan, Durbin Continues To Push Better Protections For Students Wronged By Corinthian Colleges

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a meeting with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the Department of Education to do more to protect students and taxpayers following the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. which operates under the name "Everest College" at six campuses in Illinois located in Burr Ridge, Bedford Park, Melrose Park, Merrionette Park, North Aurora and Skokie. "With its stock now trading at pennies, it seems the only investor left in this failed … Continue Reading

Durbin: On One Year Anniversary Of Tragic Illinois Tornado, Communities Continue To Work Together, Rebuild

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of a rare November tornado that tore through Central and Southern Illinois, causing widespread devastation and eight deaths in the state. "The people who live and work in the communities damaged by last year's storms have made incredible progress rebuilding. Thousands of volunteers have helped with the cleanup. Hearing stories of friends and neighbors - and even strangers - wo… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Child Care And Development Block Grant Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded Senate passage of a bipartisan bill that reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program, which provides funding to help working families with the cost of child care. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act - which passed the House of Representatives in September and will now go to President Obama for his signature - would authorize more than $15 billion in funding over 6 years for the grant program, whil… Continue Reading

Durbin, Preckwinkle Hold Roundtable Discussion on Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment

[CHICAGO] - With the second open enrollment period for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) underway, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle held a roundtable discussion at Erie Division Street Health Center with patients currently receiving ACA coverage to discuss the benefits of the program. The discussion included the importance of enrolling in coverage under the ACA, the success of Cook County's CountyCare program - a Medicai… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the Death of Former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after learning of the death of Jane Byrne, the first female mayor of Chicago. "When Jane Byrne moved into Cabrini Green, she proved Chicago's first woman mayor was unafraid to tackle the city's toughest problems head on. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends."… Continue Reading

Energy and Natural Resources Committee Passes Durbin, Kirk Bill To Study New Philadelphia As National Park

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) announced today that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed a bill that takes the first step toward a National Park designation for New Philadelphia, Illinois - the first town in America founded and built by a freed slave before the Civil War. The bill calls for a study of whether a National Park designation is merited. In 2012, national park visitors contributed more than $30 billion to local economies a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk, Bustos Lead Bipartisan Effort To Name Galesburg VA Clinic After Lane Evans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) introduced legislation today to honor the legacy and public service achievements of former U.S. Representative from Illinois Lane Evans by naming a veterans facility in Galesburg, Illinois the "Lane A. Evans VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic." Evans - who represented Illinois' 17th Congressional District for more than 20 years - was known throughout his career in Congress as … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On The Death Of Former Congressman Lane Evans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today released the following statement after learning of the death of former Quad Cities Congressman Lane Evans. "Illinois lost one of its kindest, most caring public servants with the passing of my friend and colleague Lane Evans. When I last visited him I told him our friend Barack Obama still remembered his quiet courage as a Congressman. I recall our many common causes for veterans and our downstate districts and, of course, our many hard foug… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Hold Roundtable Discussion on Women's Economic Security - Rock Island

[ROCK ISLAND] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) held a roundtable discussion with several local women about a range of economic challenges they face today at Skip-a-Long Child Development Services. The discussion looked at how issues such as minimum wage, pay equity, access to child care and health care affect women's financial stability and success. "Too many women face financial pressures simply because of outdated policies that limit economic op… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $26.1 Million in Funding For Illinois Housing and Community Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that communities and housing agencies throughout Illinois will receive a total of $26,128,915 in grant funding through three programs administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help develop urban communities in the area. "This funding will give local development agencies around Illinois the ability to expand and improve affordable housing and other critical services in their communities," Durbin said.… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Administration's Move To Increase Security & Prevent Fraud For Credit and Debit Cards

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded President Obama's decision to issue an Executive Order that is intended to better secure financial transactions and safeguard sensitive consumer data. The Order requires government payment cards - such as the prepaid debit cards that Treasury uses to distribute Social Security benefits - to incorporate secure "chip-and-PIN" technology to store card information instead of relying on the unencrypted magnetic stripe on the back o… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Proposal to Lower Student Loan Interest Rate with SIU Students and Alums

[CARBONDALE] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed the impact of student loan debt and college affordability with students, alumni and staff at Southern Illinois University. While America is home to the best colleges and universities in the world, tuition and fees have more than doubled over the past two decades. An estimated 1.7 million Illinoisans hold a combined $47 billion in student loan debt. Durbin has worked on a variety of proposals to make college more affordable, including… Continue Reading