Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Jobs and the Economy
Durbin, Bustos Announce $756,000 Investment For Mississippi River Ferry Boat Terminal in Moline
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced a $756,350 federal investment that will go to the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District for the construction of a new Channel Cat Passenger Ferryboat Terminal on the Mississippi River in Moline. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Discretionary Passenger Ferry Grant Program. "This federal funding will create jobs and make improvements t… Continue Reading
04.30.14
Durbin: People Who Work Hard Everyday Should Not Have To Live In Poverty
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Opposition to raising the federal minimum wage for millions of Americans is unacceptable and wrong, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today during a press conference with Senate Democratic Leadership following a 54 to 42 procedural vote on the Minimum Wage Fairness Act. A 60 vote threshold was needed in order to open debate. The bill would increase the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over the next two years. It would also raise the tipped minimum wage, which ha… Continue Reading
04.30.14
Durbin Commends Rock Island Arsenal Workforce While Chairing Hearing On U.S. Army
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense, today highlighted the accomplishments of the Rock Island Arsenal civilian workforce during a hearing reviewing the budget of the United States Army. "I see the value of our civilian workforce every day in Illinois at the Rock Island Arsenal," Durbin said. "When the private sector couldn't provide our troops with what they needed for the fight in Iraq, the civilian workers at Rock Island st… Continue Reading
04.14.14
Durbin Urges Congress to Raise Federal Minimum Wage to $10.10 an Hour
[COLLINSVILLE] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage by passing the Minimum Wage Fairness Act. The legislation raises the federal minimum to $10.10 an hour, raises the minimum wage for tipped employees to nearly 70 percent of that rate, and indexes yearly wage minimums to inflation. The wage increases provided for in the bill would be phased in gradually over a two year period. "People want to do what it takes to support themselves and… Continue Reading
04.14.14
Durbin Announces FutureGen 2.0 Labor Agreement
[JACKSONVILLE] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced an agreement between the FutureGen Alliance and local labor unions which gives the local unions primary responsibility for hiring the workers needed to build the FutureGen 2.0 project. "In addition to producing affordable, reliable electricity in an environmentally-friendly way, FutureGen will also create hundreds of high-skilled construction jobs," Durbin said. "The agreement announced today allows the project to move forwar… Continue Reading
03.26.14
Durbin and Silicon Valley Leaders Meet to Discuss Support for American Innovation & Discovery
[WASHINGTON, DC] Today, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin met with members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, including Mountain View, California Mayor Chris Clark, to discuss efforts to maintain America's global leadership and economic competitiveness through scientific research. Earlier this month, Durbin introduced the American Cures Act, which would support the future of scientific research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Depart… Continue Reading
03.12.14
Durbin Introduces the American Cures Act
[WASHINGTON, DC] With a decline in federal biomedical research threatening our standing as a leader in discovery and innovation and our global competitiveness, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the American Cures Act, to support the future of research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Defense Health Program (DHP), and the Veterans Medical & Prosthetics Research Program. "In the last two centuri… Continue Reading
03.05.14
Durbin: Obama Budget Preserves Funding for Innovation & Research at Argonne National Lab & Fermilab
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the budget that President Obama delivered to Congress today preserves essential federal funding for scientific research and development programs that support work at both Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab. The President's budget request includes $5.1 billion for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the primary funding source for both Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab. Together, Argonne and Fermilab employ roughly 4,600 Illinois… Continue Reading
02.27.14
Durbin, Bustos Ask President to Include Additional Funding for Thomson in his 2015 Budget
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today sent a letter to President Obama asking him to include the necessary funding for the second year of activation of the Thomson Correction Center in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget request which will be released on Tuesday. "We write today to respectfully request that you prioritize the activation of Illinois' Thomson Correctional Center in your FY15 budget proposal which is expected to be released on March 4, … Continue Reading
02.06.14
Durbin Announces More Than $4.5 Million in Funding For Energy Efficiency Projects in Chicagoland
WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $4,592,900 in Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) funding to MicroLink Devices, based in Niles, Illinois, and Gas Technology Institute based in Des Plaines, Illinois. MicroLink Devices will receive $3,600,000 in funding and Gas Technology Institute will receive $992,900 in funding. The funding will be used to develop new solar energy converters and storage systems wh… Continue Reading
01.28.14
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 investment… Continue Reading
01.28.14
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 dinner… Continue Reading
01.23.14
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 our … Continue Reading
01.22.14
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 sta… Continue Reading
01.13.14
Durbin, Bustos: Robust Funding for Prison Activation in Omnibus Appropriations Bill Is Good News for Thomson
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (IL-17) today announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014, which was filed in the House and Senate earlier today, includes funding for the activation of the Thomson correctional facility in Thomson, Illinois. The bill, which reflects a budget agreement between the House and Senate must now be voted on in both chambers and signed into law by President Obama. Though today's bill … Continue Reading
01.13.14
Durbin, Bustos: Omnibus Appropriations Bill Improves Rock Island Arsenal Competativeness, Ensures Steady Workload in Future
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) today announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014, which was filed in the House and Senate earlier today includes two provisions that will help solidify the future of Rock Island Arsenal. The bill, which reflects a budget agreement between the House and Senate, must now be voted on by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama. "As a result of the p… Continue Reading
01.10.14
Durbin Announces More Than $2.9 Million for Illinois Housing Development and Self-Sufficiency Programs
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that communities across Illinois will receive a total of $2,953,707 in grant funding through two programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (PH-FSS) Program and the Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency Program develop strategies which help families learn skills, gain experience, and obtain employment… Continue Reading
01.09.14
Durbin, Kirk React to Denial of Federal Public Assistance for Southern and Central Illinois Counties
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today expressed disappointment after receiving word that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied the State of Illinois' request for Public Assistance to help nine Illinois counties recover from the deadly tornadoes that struck the state on November 17, 2013. The State of Illinois plans to appeal the decision. "This was some of the worst storm damage I have ever seen," said Durbin. "While the Individual… Continue Reading
01.08.14
Durbin, Quinn, Branstad Discuss Illinois Impact of EPA Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following individual phone conversations today with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad regarding the importance of the biofuels and ethanol industry to Illinois jobs and the economy, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reiterated his strong opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) current proposal reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Quinn recently took over chairmanship of the Na… Continue Reading
01.08.14
On Fiftieth Anniversary of the War on Poverty, Durbin Calls for a Renewed Commitment to Creating Opportunity for All Americans
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War on Poverty," U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate Floor today to call for a renewed commitment to the government social safety net programs that have helped lift millions of Americans out of poverty. Today, Durbin asked his Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle to consider legislative efforts to expand opportunity for all Americans, including increasing the minimum wage and extending emergency u… Continue Reading