Durbin Requests Information On Trump Admin Political Appointees Who Sought Permanent Jobs At DOJ In Final Year

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting information on Trump Administration political appointees who have converted to civil service positions at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its components. In particular, Durbin requested information about political appointees for whom conversions to civil service positions at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) w… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At "Jim Crow 2021" Hearing On Voting Rights In America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote" hearing. Durbin highlighted America's long history of voter suppression laws that states have passed to disenfranchise Americans of color. He also slammed Georgia's new voting restrictions, which will make it harder for Georgians of color to vote, and criticized the provisions included in the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Screening Committees, Application Process For U.S. Attorney And U.S. Marshal Positions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that they will begin accepting applications from those interested in serving in the following positions: U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Illinois U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois The Senators will be assisted by screeni… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Fuller News Coverage Of Mass Shootings Across All Communities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor about the public health crisis of gun violence in Illinois and across the nation. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of seven-year-old Jaslyn Adams, who was shot and killed in the back seat of a car while at a McDonald's drive through on Sunday afternoon. She was one of 27 people shot in Chicago this weekend; five lost their lives. "These are just some of… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $42.5 Million To Support Head Start And Early Head Start In Chicago

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $42.5 million in federal grant funding to the City of Chicago for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, will support comprehensive child development programs for low-income children from birth to age five. "Head Start and Early Head Start programs are sources of countless … Continue Reading

Durbin, Warnock, Bustos Introduce Bill To Invest In American Workforce

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today introduced bicameral legislation that increases federal investments in worker training and helps prepare workers for the jobs of the future. The Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act would ensure that American workers have the skills needed to successfully navigate the transition into higher-skilled positions and in-demand industries. It has been estimated that… Continue Reading

Durbin Reintroduces Bill To Make Cahokia Mounds A National Historic Park

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced his bill to designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a National Historic Park. Durbin's bill, which would elevate the site beyond its current designation as a National Historic Landmark, will offer additional protections for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties along with Sugarloaf Mound in St. Louis - the city's only remaining mound. "Cahokia Mounds is an important natural, archeological, an… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Colleagues Renew Push To Ban High-Capacity Gun Magazines

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to reintroduce the Keep Americans Safe Act, renewing a concerted effort to ban the importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition. These high-capacity magazines are designed for shooting and killing en masse and have been the accessory of choice in some of t… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Biden To Look At Chicago HEAL Initiative As Model For Community Violence Intervention Programs

WASHINGTON - In response to our nation's public health crisis of gun violence and President Biden's recent announcement to promote community violence intervention programs, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today highlighted the Chicago Hospital Engagement, Action, and Leadership (HEAL) Initiative as a strategy to help the Administration implement its focus on preventing and reducing gun violence in America. The Chicago HEAL Initiative, launch… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker: Judiciary Committee Democrats Are Committed To Addressing Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today pressed back on a letter they received from Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, requesting a Judiciary Committee hearing to… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Refugee Admissions Decision By Biden Administration

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Biden Administration announced it would keep the Fiscal Year 2021 refugee admissions target at 15,000: "This Biden Administration refugee admissions target is unacceptable. These refugees can wait years for their chance and go through extensive vetting. Thirty-five thousand are ready. Facing the greatest refugee crisis in our time there is no rea… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Congressional Black Caucus Virtual Health Summit On Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined a "Virtual Health Summit on Gun Violence" hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. The discussion focused on addressing gun violence in Chicago and nationwide, including how public health systems are conducting violence intervention initiatives to reduce violence. The event was also hosted by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) and Obama Administration Education Se… Continue Reading

Durbin, Leahy, Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Finally Close Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today led 22 Senate Democrats on a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their support for finally closing the detention facility at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In their letter, the Senators wrote that as a symbol of lawlessness and human rights abuses, the detention facility continues to harm U.S.… Continue Reading

Durbin Marks Autism Acceptance Month With The Autism Society Of Southern Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke virtually with the Autism Society of Southern Illinois to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month. The Autism Society of Sothern Illinois provides services to those on the autism spectrum without regard to a person's age, race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or income level. Members of the Autism Society of America, Illinois Autism Task Force, Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Autism Workforce also were on the call. … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Release Of Video Of Fatal Police Shooting Of Adam Toledo

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after footage was released showing the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in Chicago, Illinois, on March 29: "In the midst of the trial of Derek Chauvin and the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, Chicago has come to face the shocking fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. He was a seventh grader at Gary Elementary School in Little Village with his whole life ahead of him… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Senate Republicans To Support Vanita Gupta's Nomination For Associate AG

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the vote to discharge from the Judiciary Committee the nomination of Vanita Gupta, President Joe Biden's nominee to be Associate Attorney General, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to support her nomination. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that Ms. Gupta is a dedicated, eminently qualified leader who can restore integrity and independence in the Justice Department.… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions BOP Director Carvajal On COVID-19 Prison Policies

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) oversight hearing with BOP Director Michael Carvajal. Durbin asked Carvajal about why BOP has not issued more home confinement or compassionate release orders to reduce overcrowding in prisons and protect vulnerable staff and inmates from COVID-19. Durbin shared the recently published story of Jimmy Monk, a first-time offender convi… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions BOP Director Carvajal On Use Of Solitary Confirnement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) oversight hearing with BOP Director Michael Carvajal. Durbin asked Carvajal about BOP's use of solitary confinement and whether the Bureau is working to reduce its use. Solitary confinement - or restricted housing as defined by BOP - places an inmate in an isolated cell for approximately 22 hours per day with only an hour or two of t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Maloney Introduce Legislation To Expand Family Leave Protections

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, today introduced legislation that would modernize the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for the 21st Century. The Family Medical Leave Modernization Act will guarantee small necessities leave and make important updates to the definition of family to ensure a broader range of caregiving relationships are covered by FMLA's prot… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets Virtually with University of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met virtually with University of Illinois trustees, administrators, faculty, and students to discuss higher education affordability, including Pell Grants and open textbooks, and the recently passed American Rescue Plan. On the call, Durbin also praised the COVID-19 testing program developed by the university, SHIELD, which is now being used in more than 80 facilities across Illinois. "The University of Illinois is an institution that o… Continue Reading