Durbin Joins Mayor Spring and Cape Air to Dedicate Newly-Opened Maintenance Facility at Quincy Regional Airport

[QUINCY, IL] - As passenger traffic at Quincy Regional Airport reaches an all-time high, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin signaled the strength and importance of the Quincy community's relationship with Cape Air today by dedicating a new facility for regular and unscheduled airplane maintenance. With this facility, Cape Air increases its presence in the Quincy community and adds three highly skilled and good-paying jobs to the area, with the potential for additional job growth. "The opening of this ma… Continue Reading

Durbin, Emanuel Announce $65 Million in Tax Credits to the Chicago Development Fund

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that the Treasury Department has awarded $65,000,000 in New Market Tax Credits to the Chicago Development Fund which will use these tax credits to invest in projects and businesses in Chicago's low-income communities. New Markets Tax Credit Program, established by Congress in December 2000, is designed for community development organizations with the goal of saving and creating jobs and spurring … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces a Nearly $1.4 Million Investment in Illinois First-Responder Capabilities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made a $1,377,472 investment in five fire departments in Illinois. Today's funding will help support and improve the capability of each department and protection district to respond to fires and other types of emergencies. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As… Continue Reading

Durbin, Reed Statement on CFPB Inquiry into Impact of Overdraft Fees on Consumers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jack Reed (D-RI) today released the following statements after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announce they are launching an inquiry into checking account overdraft programs to determine how these practices are impacting consumers. The CFPB also announced that they are developing a "penalty fee box" - a disclosure on a consumer's checking account statement that would highlight the amount overdrawn and total overdraft fee… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces New Safety and Security Measures in East St. Louis Federal Housing

[EAST ST. LOUIS, IL] - Increased security measures at East St. Louis Housing Authority properties will help protect innocent families, U.S. Dick Durbin (D-IL), an East St. Louis native, said today as he announced the installation of security cameras at six high-rise properties and the hiring of a new security coordinator. "Residents of East St. Louis suffer from one of the highest violent crime and homicide rates in the country. The people raising their families in this community deserve bet… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Accreditor to Make Details of University of Phoenix Review Public So Students Can Make Informed Decisions

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) late yesterday urged the Higher Learning Commission, which reviews and accredits colleges and universities, to make public the details of their upcoming review of the University of Phoenix. According to Durbin, with the University of Phoenix being the subject of at least five state lawsuits and an investigation by the General Accountability Office, students and families should have complete access to the Higher Learning Commissions findings i… Continue Reading

Durbin: House Republicans Should Go Back to Drawing Board on Transportation Bill

[CHICAGO, IL] - The House Republicans should go back to the drawing board rather than piece together a partisan transportation bill that has little chance of passing, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said today. Federal funding for transportation agencies throughout Illinois-including the Chicago Transit Authority and Metra-is at serious risk under the House Republican proposal. The Senate's transportation funding bill-an alternative proposal which enjoys bipartisan support-passed a major procedural hu… Continue Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominees in Northern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and a representative from U.S. Senator Mark Kirk's (R-IL) office today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Durbin is a member, has approved by voice vote John Lee and John Tharp for federal judgeships on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. Their nominations will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate. "I am pleased the Judiciary Committee has approved these two outstanding Illinois nominees,… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces an Over $1.7 Million Investment in Illinois First-Responder Capabilities

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made a $1,700,759 investment in seven fire departments and fire protection districts in Illinois. Today's funding will help support and improve the capability of each department and protection district to respond to fires and other types of emergencies. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America'… Continue Reading

Durbin and Coburn Question Twitter on New Censorship Policy

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - US Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) sent a letter to Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo, asking for detailed information about the social media giant's announcement that it would begin censoring content in particular countries. Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, and Coburn have held two hearings examining tech industry practices in internet-restricting countries and efforts to promote internet fre… Continue Reading

Durbin-Snowe Bill to Eliminate the Practice of Child Marriage Overseas Passes Committee

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Legislation introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) which seeks to end the destructive practice of child marriage overseas was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, sending the measure to the full Senate for consideration. The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act would require that the U.S. develop an integrated, strategic approach to reduce, and ultimately end, the practi… Continue Reading

Senate Democrats Urge Chief Justice Roberts to Release Ethics Rules

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Al Franken (D-MN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to the Supreme Court's Chief Justice, John Roberts, yesterday, urging him to take steps to improve the transparency of the Court by publicly releasing all of its ethics rules and affirming that the Justices follow the same ethics code which applies to all other federal judges. "… Continue Reading

Durbin Bill to Aid Reforestation Efforts in Haiti Clears Committee

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A bill introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) to dedicate U.S. expertise and resources to reforestation efforts in Haiti was passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, clearing the way for consideration by the full Senate. Once covered by thick tropical forest, Haiti is now 98 percent deforested. That deforestation has caused widespread soil erosion; the destruction of natural barriers from hurricanes; and contributes to widespread and ab… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Inland Bank's Decision to Adopt Fee Disclosure Form

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Inland Bank CEO, Howard Jaffe, yesterday applauding the bank's decision to voluntarily adopt a disclosure form designed to make checking and savings accounts terms and fees transparent and easy for consumers to understand, as he has been urging. A copy of that letter is pasted below and attached. "Inland Bank's decision to voluntarily adopt a simple and clear fee disclosure form will help consumers and shows that transpare… Continue Reading

Durbin: Consumers Deserve Clear, Concise Information About Their Health Care Costs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As additional consumer-oriented provisions of the landmark health care reform law continue to be implemented, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded a new federal rule that will help Illinoisans and all Americans better understand their out-of-pocket health care costs, make better health insurance choices, and prevent after-the-fact sticker-shock. The rule requires insurers to provide a clear, concise summary of a plan's benefits and coverage costs as well a simple … Continue Reading

Durbin: President Obama's Budget Would Create Jobs in Illinois and Maintain a Path Towards Reducing Our Debt

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the budget that President Obama delivered to Congress today makes tough choices to get us back on a stable financial footing while investing in three key areas - education, innovation and infrastructure - that will create jobs and strengthen the United States' role as a global leader in the 21st century. "America owes over $15 trillion to our creditors and we still have millions out of work," said Durbin. "The Pre… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $500,000 in HUD Funding for Safety and Security

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois communities and housing agencies will receive $498,100 in grant funding through the Emergency Safety and Security Program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "Public housing agencies offer important affordable housing opportunities to residents throughout Illinois. This funding will help ensure that those residents are safe and secure in their homes," Durb… Continue Reading

Lincoln's Footprints in the Senate

The Abraham Lincoln Association Banquet Springfield, Illinois I want to thank Tom Schwartz for that generous introduction. Good evening, Abraham Lincoln Association President Bob Lenz, members of the association's board of directors, distinguished guests and scholars. The first time I ran for the United States Senate, in 1996, my opponent and I agreed to take part in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate in Charleston. Except for the length, it was disconcertingly authentic - right down to th… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $2 Million in Federal Funding for Springfield Transit

[SPRINGFIELD, IL] - Transit users in Springfield will soon be able to ride on cleaner, more efficient buses as the result of nearly $2 million in federal transit funding, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The Springfield Mass Transit District received $1.95 million to replace five aging buses with new clean diesel models through the Federal Transit Authority. "These new buses will allow Springfield to save money on fuel and keep our air clean because they use fuel more efficiently … Continue Reading

Durbin, Grassley Bill to Require Televising Supreme Court Proceedings Passes Committee Test

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A bill to require open proceedings of the Supreme Court to be televised, introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 11-7. The Cameras in the Courtroom Act of 2011 would require television coverage of all open sessions of the Court, unless the Court decides, by a vote of the majority of justices, that doin… Continue Reading