Congress Approves Durbin Provision to Encourage Partnerships Between Air and Rail Travel

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A provision, authored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study ways to increase coordination between air and passenger rail travel is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act which was approved today by the U.S. Senate. The provision specifically identifies codeshare agreements as one way that airlines and passenger rail providers can better coor… Continue Reading

Congress Approves Durbin Provision to Encourage Sustainable Airport Design

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A provision, authored by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), that would help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) create a standardized, voluntary set of best practices to help airports operate and build sustainable facilities was included in the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act which was approved today by the U.S. Senate. The provision would establish a working group to develop these standards and help create a voluntary rating system. The… Continue Reading

Durbin Commends Amtrak and Metra for Actions to Lower Pollution, Calls on Old Post Office Owner to Cooperate

[CHICAGO, IL] - A collaborative effort among Amtrak, Metra, and state and federal agencies to reduce diesel soot emissions and improve air quality in and around Union Station has already produced positive results, but further progress requires the full cooperation of adjacent property owners, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. Durbin wrote a letter today to the owner of the Old Post Office located south of Union Station to ask that he properly maintain and operate the ventilation system… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces an Over $2.5 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 $2,538,890 investment in seventeen fire departments and fire protection districts in Illinois. This 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 Americ… Continue Reading

Durbin Says Secretary of the Army Confirms No Decision Yet on Rock Island Arsenal's Future

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After months of speculation and rumor about the future of Rock Island Arsenal, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced, after a personal call with Army Secretary John McHugh, that no decisions have been made and no changes will occur at the Rock Island Arsenal without the Illinois / Iowa Congressional Delegation and the Quad Cities region being fully engaged. "I have heard a lot of speculation and rumor over the last few months about the future of Rock Island Ar… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk, Quinn, Emanuel: EPA Designation Will Allow Chicago Area to Maintain Eligibility for Federal Funds to Reach Eventual Air Quality Attainment

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - At the urging of U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the City of Chicago and surrounding areas should remain eligible for federal funding through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. It is estimated that losing this eligibility would have cost Illinois roughly $80 million in federal funding and jeopard… Continue Reading

Durbin: Illinois in Need of Increased Rail Investment Under New Transportation Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today asked the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to increase funding for job creating Illinois rail and multimodal priorities - including rail line relocation grants, Amtrak and the TIGER grant program - in its bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. Durbin also urged the Committee to reject the proposals in the House Transportation bill that would eliminate or dramatically reduce funding for programs that are ess… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $3 Million for a Rural Development Project in McDonough County

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development division has awarded a loan of $2,192,000 and a grant of $999,200 for the West Prairie Water CO-OP under the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. The project involves the construction of almost 100 miles of water mains in townships across McDonough County. These improvements are expected to alleviate a health and sanitary issue caused by the cont… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces an Over $2 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 $2,052,462 investment in twelve 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 Americ… Continue Reading

Durbin Chairs First-ever Field Hearing on Florida's Voting Law

[TAMPA, FLORIDA] - US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, held a field hearing in Tampa, Florida today, examining the impact of Florida's new voting law, which restricts early voting and makes it harder for third-party groups to help people register to vote. Today's hearing comes just four days before Florida's presidential primary. "Four days from now, hundreds of thousands of people across the state … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Illinois Residents at Senate Committee Hearing on Northern District Judicial Nominations

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced John Lee and John "Jay" Tharp at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on their nominations by President Obama to fill two vacancies on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. Their nominations are expected to receive a vote in the committee within the next few weeks. If approved, their nominations will receive a vote by the full Senate. A spokesperson Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) provided the fol… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senators to FDA: Deceptive Marketing of Cigarettes Must be Stopped

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on marketing by cigarette companies that misleads consumers about the safety of their products. Cigarette companies have adapted their advertising and marketing practices to skirt restrictions signed into law in 2009 and the FDA must take action, the Senators… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Quad Cities Officials to Discuss Rock Island Arsenal and Other Priorities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with officials from the Quad Cities area to discuss their priorities for Rock Island Arsenal and the region. Participants in today's meeting included: Rock Island County Board Chairman, Jim Bohnsack and Moline Mayor Dan Welvaert. "The Quad Cities region has a great history of coming together to build the economy of the entire region," said Durbin. "Meeting with local leaders like Chairman Bohnsack and Mayor Welvaert we can prod… Continue Reading

Durbin Reaction to President Obama's State of the Union Address

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement in reaction to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. "Tonight we heard the President lay out a plan for an American economy that values hard work, promotes fairness and rewards responsibility. He spoke about an economy based on American energy and manufacturing and built by the highest skilled workers in the world." "I support that plan and the President's vision for an America that he… Continue Reading

Durbin will Host Illinois Soldier for Tonight's State of the Union

[WASHINGTON, DC] - In what has become an annual tradition, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) will host a wounded Illinois soldier as his guest for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. U.S. Army Specialist Jacob Owens from the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, will also attend the Secretary of the Senate's dinner immediately preceding the President's address. Durbin has invited soldiers who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as his guests … Continue Reading

Durbin, Harkin: Congress Must Remove Loophole that Encourages For-profit Colleges to Target Veterans

[CHICAGO, IL] - At a forum examining aggressive recruiting and marketing tactics practiced by some members of the for-profit college industry to target veterans and service members, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced legislation that would further limit federal government subsidies to for-profit colleges and eliminate the incentive for these extremely profitable schools to aggressively target veterans and service members. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act is cosp… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senator Mark Kirk

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after learning that his friend and colleague, Illinois Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke:"I was stunned to learn that Mark suffered a stroke. He is young and in good physical condition and I have no doubt he will make a speedy recovery. I have reached out to his staff and offered to do anything I can to help with his Senate duties. Loretta and I will keep Mark and his … Continue Reading

Durbin Travels to Cuba and Haiti

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) is in Havana, Cuba where he been holding two days of high-level meetings with Cuban officials. The trip has focused on changes in Cuba - including Cuba's substantial offshore drilling proposal - as well as discussions on improved relations between the US and the island nation. Durbin also pressed the Cuban government to release Alan Gross, a USAID contract worker who has been jailed since 2009. Gross was arrested and sentenced t… Continue Reading

Durbin: USDA Should Work More Closely with Chicago Public Schools to Eliminate Fraud in School Lunch Program

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Prompted by a Chicago Tribune report unveiling cases of school employees submitting false information in order to enroll more children for free and reduced lunches, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to work more closely with schools and school districts - including Chicago Public Schools - to reduce or eliminate fraud in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Specifically, Durbin asked the USDA to brief… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Field Hearing on Florida Voting Law

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, today announced a field hearing examining the impact of Florida's new voting law, which restricts early voting and makes it harder for third-party groups to help people register to vote. The hearing will be held on January 27th, just days before the Florida Presidential Primary, at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in downtown Tampa. Among oth… Continue Reading