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

Durbin, Quinn Applaud Nearly $2 Million Federal Investment in Rockford Multi-Modal Station

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today announced that $1.95 million in federal funding has been awarded to the Rockford area for the development and design of a new multi-modal station in Rockford. Today's funding is in addition to the $3 million in Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan funding that was announced last month by Quinn. "With this new multimodal station, Rockford is set to benefit from the economic boost that comes with passenger ra… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Major Housing Settlement

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after a group of States Attorneys General - including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan - reached a $25 billion settlement with the nation's five largest banks over lending practices that led to the housing market crash. Illinois stands to receive $1 billion in assistance. "Today's settlement with five major banks is an important victory for homeowners across the country who have been the victims of heav… Continue Reading

Durbin and Quinn Announce $100,000 for Fair Housing Assistance

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today announced that the Illinois Department of Human Rights will receive $100,000 in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help prevent housing discrimination. The funding was awarded through the Fair Housing Assistance Program, which assists state and local agencies administer fair housing laws that are consistent with the Federal Fair Housing Act. "The i… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces a More Than $414,000 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 $414,162 investment in four 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 t… Continue Reading

Durbin: Both Parties Must Work Together to Prevent Looming Tax Increase on Working Families

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With last year's bipartisan payroll tax cut extension compromise set to expire at the end of this month, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today detailed the additional take-home pay that Illinois workers and families can expect if Congressional negotiators reach an agreement to extend the Middle Class Tax Cut Act through the end of the year. The expected savings, released in a new Congressional Joint Economic Committee report, highlight the importance of preventing the tax cu… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on First Ever Deportation of Human Rights Violators Based on His Use of Child Soldiers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after an immigration judge ordered the deportation of a George Saigbe Boley, a former Liberian military leader and human rights violator. This deportation was the first under the Child Soldiers Accountability Act, a 2008 law authored by Senator Durbin, which made it illegal under US law to recruit or use child solders. Boley was found to have recruited and used child soldiers while fighting in the Liberian … Continue Reading