Press Releases
Members of Congress Call for Ban of E-Cigarettes on Capitol Grounds
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - To ensure that visitors and staff are protected from the potential dangers posed by electronic cigarettes and their vapor, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) today called on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Office Building Commission to include electronic cigarettes in existing … Continue Reading
February 04, 2014
Durbin: It's About Time Congress Passes a Bipartisan Farm Bill
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Illinois farmers will finally have the certainty they need to make plans for the future, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today prior to a Senate vote on the Farm Bill conference report. The legislation will save roughly $23 billion over the next 10 years compared to pre-sequestration budget levels, and reforms several titles to help producers better manage risk, makes key investments in energy and research, ensures programs are in place to help rural communities grow … Continue Reading
February 04, 2014
Durbin Announces Final Passage of Farm Bill That Will Help Illinois Farmers & Working Families
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Illinois farmers will finally have the certainty they need to make plans for the future, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today following Senate passage of the Farm Bill conference report. The legislation will save roughly $23 billion over the next 10 years compared to pre-sequestration budget levels, and reforms several titles to help producers better manage risk, makes key investments in energy and research, ensures programs are in place to help rural communities … Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Durbin Calls for Federal Investigation Into Monday's Deadly Tollway Crash
US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to "immediately and fully" investigate Monday's deadly tollway crash on I-88 in Aurora, Illinois. According to news reports, the driver in the crash had been on the road for more than 30 hours with little to no sleep, in violation of federal law. In a letter to FMCSA's Administrator Anne Ferro, Durbin asked the agency to determine if the driver, or his employer, DND International, violated … Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Durbin: Senate Passes Bill that Will Allow Metro East to Avoid High Flood Insurance Premiums While Upgrading Levees
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said that the Flood Insurance legislation that passed the Senate today will allow Metro East, Illinois officials to take steps to avoid unreasonably high flood insurance premiums while the community is working to upgrade the region's levee system. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act aims to help communities qualify for lower rates if they are in the process of constructing or reconstructing flood protection systems. Three Metro East counties - … Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Durbin Applauds Effort to Better Track Military and Veterans Education Benefits
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education and Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission announced the launch of a new online complaint system designed to collect feedback from veterans, service members and their families who are experiencing problems with educational institutions that receive funding from federal military and veterans educational benefits programs. … Continue Reading
January 28, 2014
Durbin Statement on President Obama's State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today following President Obama's State of the Union address: "Tonight the President gave an optimistic speech about opportunity for American families, an economy on the rise and leveled a call to action to ensure this is a year of progress for the middle class." "From programs to grow the economy and create jobs like the launching of new manufacturing institutes and infrastructure … Continue Reading
January 28, 2014
Durbin Meets with Illinois Servicemember Who Will Be His Guest for the State of the Union
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (HM3) Joseph Marcinkowski from Batavia, Illinois who will be his guest for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address later this evening. Durbin has invited Illinois servicemembers who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as his guests to the State of the Union since 2005 when he hosted Army Major Tammy Duckworth. HM3 Marcinkowski will also attend the Secretary of the Senate's … Continue Reading
January 24, 2014
Durbin, Kirk, Kelly Introduce Bill to Establish National Park in Pullman
[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today announced that they will introduce legislation next week to create the Pullman National Historical Park in the neighborhood's historical district, an architecturally unique neighborhood which played important roles in America's railroad, industrial and labor history. "There is much to preserve and celebrate in Chicago's unique Pullman neighborhood, from its important role … Continue Reading
January 23, 2014
Durbin, Senators Call on EPA to Support Rural America's Economy, Environment & Revise Fuel Standards Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Al Franken (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and twenty-six of their Senate colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy yesterday urging the agency to firmly support the future of biofuels and revise its proposed waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Senators shared their concerns regarding the proposed rule's potential impact on … Continue Reading
January 22, 2014
Durbin, Foster Announce More Than $1 Million Investment in Naperville First-Responder Capabilities
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $1,002,000 grant to the Naperville Fire Department in Naperville, Illinois for hiring initiatives aimed at increasing the number of frontline firefighters. "Today's grant will ensure that when fires or other emergencies occur, firefighters and first-responders will always … Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
Durbin, Bustos: Omnibus Appropriations Bill Helps Ensure Strong Future for Thompson Prison, Rock Island Arsenal
[ROCK ISLAND] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today said that the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which both houses of Congress passed this week on bipartisan votes and now heads to President Obama's desk, contains funding to activate Thomson Correctional Center and secure a strong future for the Rock Island Arsenal. Durbin and Bustos also announced they have written federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels requesting the agency … Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
CTA Poised to Benefit from Funding of New "Core Capacity" Program
[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Transit Authority President Forrest Claypool and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) today said that as the only transit system currently accepted into the FTA's Core Capacity Program, the CTA is poised to benefit from the infusion of funding included in the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which was passed on a bipartisan Senate vote yesterday and now moves to President Obama's desk for his signature. Every … Continue Reading
January 15, 2014
Durbin: The Surgeon General's First Report on Smoking Was a Turning Point, But We Still Have a Long Way to Go
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Tobacco Use, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke on the United States Senate Floor today to recognize the landmark report and the progress that has been made since it first sparked a public debate on the public health impact of smoking half a century ago. Today, Durbin also called for a renewed commitment to halting the still ongoing and deadly epidemic of tobacco, particularly among young people. … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Durbin, Kirk Ask FEMA to Fix Funding Formulas That Hurt Downstate Illinois Communities
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fix the funding formulas that are unfairly putting downstate Illinois communities at a disadvantage following a disaster. Durbin and Kirk note that while FEMA is currently reviewing its disaster assistance process - required by law in the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 - the agency should consider the legislation the Senators introduced following … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Durbin: Omnibus Appropriations Bill Funds Innovation & Research at Argonne National Lab & Fermilab
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014, which was filed in the House and Senate yesterday, preserves essential federal funding for scientific research and development programs that support work at both Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab. Together, Argonne and Fermilab employ roughly 4,725 Illinoisans. The bill, which reflects a budget agreement between the House and Senate, must now be voted on by both … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Senators: Golden Globes Should Celebrate Achievements in Film and Television, Not Smoking and E-Cigarettes
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a primetime broadcast of the Golden Globes that featured prominent images of celebrities smoking e-cigarettes, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) today asked NBC Universal and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to take action to ensure that future broadcasts avoid the glamorization of smoking and protect the health of young fans. Electronic cigarettes - or "e-cigs" - have more … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Omnibus Appropriations Bill Makes Funding Available for CTA Under Core Capacity Program
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014 honors the $120 million included in the President's Budget to fund a competitive grant program he created as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) which was signed into law in 2012. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) became the first transit system accepted into the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s "Core Capacity" Program in … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Durbin: Congress Agrees to Fund Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 Million
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the inclusion of $300 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014 will support ongoing efforts to protect the Great Lakes including: combating invasive species, particularly Asian Carp; reducing and removing pollution, waste run-off and toxic chemicals; and restoring wetlands and other lakefront assets. The bill, which was filed in the House … Continue Reading
January 13, 2014
Durbin & Blumenthal Optimistic FDA's New Online Reporting System Will Better Detect Unsafe Dietary Supplements
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today expressed optimism that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s new online adverse event reporting system will improve submission of reports from dietary supplement consumers and members of the industry and help FDA better detect dietary supplements that pose health risks. Previously, only voluntary reports could be submitted online while mandatory adverse event reports associated with … Continue Reading