Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Consumer and Financial Protection
Durbin Responds to OCC Chief on Interchange, Meets with Small Business About Benefits of Reform
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the Acting Comptroller of the Currency, John Walsh, yesterday, in response to his recent comments about interchange reform. Durbin's letter corrected the record about what the new interchange law will and won't do, and urged the Acting Comptroller to study up on the new law and its benefits to consumers and small businesses. "I write regarding the comments that you submitted on March 4 to the Federal Re… Continue Reading
03.10.11
Durbin Statement on HELP Committee Hearing Investigating For-Profit Colleges
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today submitted a statement for the record at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing chaired by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on Bridgepoint Education, Inc, a for-profit college company. In his statement, Durbin focused on accreditation agencies which, he says, serve as the gateway to federal funding. "As Congress works to reduce the federal deficit, we are appropriately scrutinizing federal spending," Durbin said. "W… Continue Reading
03.10.11
Swipe Fee Reform
Last year, Congress enacted landmark reform of the swipe fees that Visa and MasterCard impose on the debit card system. An amendment I offered to Wall Street reform passed the Senate with 64 votes--47 Democrats, 17 Republicans--and was later signed into law. It was the first amendment out of the first 26 on that bill that was held to a 60-vote standard. Every other amendment before was held to a simple majority. But I was lucky enough, when I offered the amendment, that there was an insistence t… Continue Reading
03.09.11
House Republican Budget Cuts
Madam President, I wish to follow up on what was said by the majority leader. This exercise we are engaged in here, this conversation about how to finish this fiscal year which ends on October 1, is one that I think has gotten out of hand, and I will tell you why. I know the debt is a serious problem facing America. I know the deficit is something that threatens our economy and our way of living. I also know there are sensible, thoughtful ways to deal with it. One of them was addressed by… Continue Reading
03.09.11
Durbin Welcomes East Moline Mayor as Special Guest to the Joint Session of Congress
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today welcomed the Mayor of East Moline, John Thodos, as his guest to an address by the Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard to a joint session of Congress. Durbin, a member of the Senate Escort Committee, met with his guest prior to the joint session to discuss the importance of protecting the $240 million in federal funding to build a new rail line connecting Chicago to the Quad Cities and a new, energy efficient, multimodal station. … Continue Reading
03.08.11
College Tuition Tax Credit Offers Up To $2,500 per Year
President Obama and Congress have taken steps to help students and their families pay for a good college education. However, fewer than half of eligible families have taken advantage of it. If you or your parents haven't claimed the American Opportunity Tax Credit, there is still time. Over the last 5 years, the combined cost of tuition, fees, room and board at four-year public colleges and universities increased by 42% - far outpacing inflation and increases in household income. And wit… Continue Reading
02.25.11
Durbin Vows to Fight House Republican Prohibition on CPSC Database ‘Putting Children and Consumers at Risk'
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today vowed to fight a House Budget provision which prohibits the Consumer Product Safety Commission from providing American families with timely information on dangerous toys and products. The Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) passed by the Republicans in the House of Representatives last week would remove funding for a publicly accessible database where consumers can report and research potential hazards in toys, cribs and other products. Dur… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Durbin, Lautenberg ask MLB Commissioner to Ban Tobacco Use
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Citing the recent announcement by Washington Nationals pitcher Steven Strasburg about the dangers of smokeless tobacco in Major League Baseball (MLB), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today called on the Commissioner of the MLB, Bud Selig, and the MLB Players Association to ban the use of tobacco products on the field, in the dugout, and in the locker rooms at MLB venues. "It has been 28 years since the MLB ended tobacco use in its mino… Continue Reading
02.09.11
Durbin Asks for Meeting With Consumer Product Safety Chairman to Discuss Faulty Pool Drain Covers
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Prompted by a Chicago Tribune investigation, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to the Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Inez Tenenbaum, to request a meeting to discuss existing rules and regulations regarding pool safety, specifically steps taken to prevent entrapments due to pool and spa drains and drain covers. "The issues highlighted by the Tribune story are very concerning and raise serious questions, not only about dangerou… Continue Reading
02.04.11
Durbin and Kirk Express Support for Chicago Area Resident to be ATF Director
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today expressed their support for Andrew Traver to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). President Obama first nominated Traver to be ATF Director in November 2010 and re-nominated him to the post earlier this year. "ATF has been without a Senate-confirmed Director since 2006, and this lack of leadership has hampered our nation's … Continue Reading
02.01.11
Durbin Calls on College and University Heads to be "Better Stewards of Taxpayer Dollars"
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the leaders of over 300 colleges and universities to become 'better stewards of taxpayer dollars' by doing more to ensure those investments are matched with student achievement. Durbin called on schools to make certain students are completing degrees and gaining useful knowledge, not just piling up mountains of student loan debt. "I'm here to tell you that you cannot afford to stand on the sidelines of this conversation any… Continue Reading
01.11.11
Durbin, Kirk Announce Release of New U.S. EPA Guidelines for Monitoring Chromium 6 in Drinking Water
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has issued guidance on how communities should test for and sample drinking water specifically for Chromium-6. Last month, the agency announced plans to issue this guidance following a meeting in Washington, DC between Administrator Lisa Jackson and ten U.S. Senators including Durbin and Kirk. Also today, Durbin and Kirk received a response from … Continue Reading
01.04.11
Durbin's Food Safety Bill Signed Into Law
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law by President Obama today, marking most comprehensive reform of the nation's food safety system in over decades. The bipartisan bill, authored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), will grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authorities and resources to ensure the safety of our food supply. "With the signing of this bill into law, the FDA finally has the tools it needs to ensure that… Continue Reading
01.04.11
Durbin's Food Safety Legislation To Be Signed Into Law by the President Today
[CHICAGO, IL] - The ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect the safety of the nation's food supply will dramatically improve now that Congress has passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. Durbin was joined at a news conference-held the same day the President is expected to sign the bill into law-by Nancy Donley, Board President of Safe Tables Our Priority (STOP) and mother of Alex, who died in 1993 at age six after eating a ha… Continue Reading
12.23.10
Durbin Asks Treasury, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Protect Consumers from Deceptive Banking Practices, Prepaid Cards
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Elizabeth Warren, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Treasury and the woman tasked with setting up the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, yesterday asking her to protect consumers from attempts to circumvent new regulations by pushing consumers to less regulated products like prepaid debit cards. "It is an unfortunate reality that the big banks and card network giants often try to circ… Continue Reading
12.21.10
Durbin Food Safety Bill Passes House, Goes to President for Signature
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act passed the House today marking most comprehensive reform of the nation's food safety system in over a decade. The bipartisan bill, initiated by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), will grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authorities and resources to ensure the safety of our food supply. The bill now goes to the President for his signature. "Today's vote will finally give the FDA the tools it needs to he… Continue Reading
12.16.10
Durbin Statement on Release of Proposed Interchange Rule
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Federal Reserve Board released proposed rules to implement interchange fee reform. Durbin included a bipartisan amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that directed the Fed to establish standards to ensure that debit interchange fees are "reasonable and proportional" to the real cost of processing a debit card transaction. "Today's draf… Continue Reading
12.01.10
Durbin Introduces Legislation to Delay Flood Map Implementation for Five Years
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in introducing a bill to delay the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement for five years in communities with newly designated flood maps across the country - including Metro East, Illinois where up to 30,000 properties will be affected. "I have been working closely with members of the Senate Banking Committee including Senator Schumer to see that the … Continue Reading
11.30.10
Historic Bipartisan Food Safety Bill Passes Senate
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act passed the Senate today marking most comprehensive reform of the nation's food safety system in over a decade. The bipartisan bill, initiated by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), will grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authorities and resources to ensure the safety of our food supply. "Today's vote will finally give the FDA the tools it needs to help ensure that the food on dinner tables and store sh… Continue Reading
09.26.10
New Law Will Give Small Businesses Better Access to Credit and Spur Job Creation
[CHICAGO] - Illinois small businesses will receive a much-needed lifeline that will improve their access to credit and jumpstart job creation following passage of the Small Business Jobs Act, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Melissa Bean said today. The legislation, which President Obama will sign into law on Monday, provides incentives for community banks to extend small businesses the capital they need to grow their businesses and hire additional workers, as well as $12 … Continue Reading