Durbin Announces Nearly $4.2 Million in FEMA Grants to Illinois Fire Departments

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded 24 grants totaling $4,170,473 to fire departments throughout Illinois for vehicle acquisition, operations, and safety. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we must ensure that th… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces a Nearly $1 Million FEMA Grant for Fire Prevention and Safety Research at University of Illinois

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $999,801 grant to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for fire prevention and safety research. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we must … Continue Reading

Durbin to Fiscal Commission: We Must Ask the Right Questions to Find the Right Answers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) participated in the first meeting of the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform today, where he urged the other members of the Commission to focus on the long-term goal of making smart investments in our country's future while sensibly managing our national debts, rather than only focusing on short-term discussions of spending cuts and tax increases. "To solve the problem of our… Continue Reading

Durbin Reconvenes Bipartisan Screening Committee; Calls for Applications to Fill Federal Judgeship in Central District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today announced that he will ask a bipartisan screening committee to meet again to assist in selecting a Federal District Court Judge for the Central District of Illinois. At the end of February, Judge Joe Billy McDade took senior status, creating a third vacancy in the Central District. The other two vacancies were created by the announced retirements of Judge Michael Mihm and Judge Jeanne Scott, and Senator Durbin has previously sub… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $4.5 Million in Grant Funding for O'Hare Noise Mitigation at Roosevelt Elementary

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $4,500,000 grant to the City of Chicago for noise mitigation at Roosevelt Elementary School in Park Ridge, Illinois, roughly two miles from O'Hare International Airport. This funding will be used to replace existing windows with acoustic windows units, revise mechanical and electrical systems, and install acoustic ceilings, vestibules, and… Continue Reading

Durbin: Legislation Supporting Families of Severely Disabled Service Members Approved by Congress

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that legislation to provide essential support services to family caregivers of severely disabled veterans was unanimously approved by Congress. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009 includes a Durbin-authored provision that establishes a program to provide technical, financial and practical support to family caregivers of veterans or members of the Armed Forces seriously injured in the l… Continue Reading

Durbin: Legislation to Address Quality of Care for Nation's Veterans Approved by Congress

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that legislation to provide essential support services to family caregivers of severely disabled veterans was unanimously approved by Congress. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009 includes a Durbin-authored provision aims to improve quality control measures at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical facilities by creating a new national quality assurance officer position. This will … Continue Reading

Durbin: Reform Bill Empowers Consumers Against Excesses of Wall Street

[CHICAGO, IL] - A bill to bring accountability to Wall Street will give American consumers the strongest consumer financial protections against abusive lending practices in history, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The measure, set to be debated next week in the Senate, also includes strict new regulations to stop Wall Street from gambling America's financial security. The Wall Street reform bill would create a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, housed in the … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $2.65 Million in Grant Funding to Clean and Redevelop Contaminated Illinois Sites

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded 8 grants totaling $2,650,000 to Illinois communities to assess, clean, and redevelop "brownfield" contaminated waste sites. Today's funding is part of $78.9 million awarded nationwide by the EPA. The grants target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged areas. Since 1995, the EPA has awarded more than 2,500 grants totaling nearly $… Continue Reading

Durbin: White House Nominates Chang to Fill Federal Judgeship in Northern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that President Obama has nominated Edmond Chang for a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. Chang is the third individual to be nominated to fill one of five pending vacancies in the Northern District. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the President's first two nominations: Sharon Coleman and Gary Feinerman. Those nominations will now pro… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $25 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Energy Efficient Buildings in Chicago

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will receive $25 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Today's funding is part of $452 million announced by the Department of Energy for 25 projects nationwide. CMAP will use the funding to retrofit commercial buildings for increased energy efficiency in downtown Chicago and provide a range of financing and … Continue Reading

Durbin, Bean: While Canadian National Continues to Ignore Safety Rules Surface Transportation Board Should Respond Decisively

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Melissa Bean (D-IL) today urged the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to consider exercise its statutory authority on Canadian National (CN) after hearing of the company's dangerous underreporting of more than 1,400 blocked crossings. "CN should not be allowed to under report the true impact of its operations at roadway crossings," the Illinois members wrote. "Community officials and fi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Lugar Ask Secretary Napolitano to Stop Deportations of Dream Act Students

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today, asking her to halt deportations of immigrant students who could earn legal status under legislation they have introduced called the DREAM Act (S.729). The DREAM Act is a narrowly tailored, bipartisan measure which would permit undocumented students to become permanent legal residents if they came here as child… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Decision to Appoint Andrew Velasquez as FEMA Regional Administrator

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded President Obama's decision to appoint Andrew Velasquez as the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Regional Administrator for Region 5. Velasquez has been the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) since March 2007. As Region 5 Administrator, he will coordinate FEMA's preparedness, mitigation and disaster response and recovery activities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and W… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cohen Along With Others Introduce Legislation to Restore Fairness in Student Lending

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Al Franken (D-MN) today joined U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Danny Davis (D-IL) to introduce legislation in both the Senate and the House that will restore fairness in student lending by treating privately issued student loans in bankruptcy the same as other types of private debt. Before changes were made to the bankruptcy code in 2005, only government issued or guaranteed student loans were prote… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominees in Northern District

[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 first two individuals to fill five pending vacancies on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois: Sharon Coleman and Gary Feinerman. Both nominations will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate. "Sharon Coleman and Gary Feinerman will each bring a great depth of experience and legal ability to the bench,"… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $1.1 Million in FEMA Grants to Illinois Fire Departments and Ambulance Services

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded 14 grants totaling $1,084,370 to fire departments and ambulance services throughout Illinois for operations and safety. "Our nation's firefighters are called upon day after day to protect America's citizens," Durbin said. "As these brave men and women put themselves in harm's way, we must ensure that they are… Continue Reading

Durbin Resolution Expressing Sympathy to the Polish People Passes Senate

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - A resolution expressing sympathy to the people of Poland over the death of president, Lech Kaczynski, unanimously passed the Senate today, one day after it was offered by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL). The resolution marks the tragic death of President Kaczynski, his wife, and 94 others who were killed in a plane crash on Saturday. The resolution passed after the Senate held a brief moment of silence in honor of the Polish President. Polish Amb… Continue Reading

Durbin Chairs Hearing on CPSC Budget

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today chaired a hearing on the FY11 budget request for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and to review the steps it has taken to improve product safety after years of high-profile product recall. "In just a few short years, the CPSC has gone from a watchdog agency with no bite to being a robust, proactive agency with greater enforcement powers and more frontline inspectors," Durbin said. "The dramatic… Continue Reading

Durbin: White House Nominates McPherson to be U.S. Marshal in Illinois' Northern District

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that President Obama has nominated Darryl McPherson to serve as U.S. Marshal in the Northern District of Illinois. "Over the length of his career, Darryl McPherson has shown a unique dedication to giving back to communities in and around Chicago," said Durbin. "I am confident that he will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience from his many years of service to the position of U.S. Marshal in the Northern Dist… Continue Reading