Durbin Echoes Department Of Education Inspector General's Alarm On For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) semi-annual report to Congress where retiring Inspector General (IG) Kathleen Tighe raised the alarm on for-profit colleges. In the report, IG Tighe noted, "We disagreed with the Department's proposed elimination of the gainful employment regulations without an adequate replacement to ensure accountability. My predecessors and I have testified before… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement Honoring Illinois' Bicentennial

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today honoring the 200th anniversary of the founding of the State of Illinois. Earlier this year, Durbin and Duckworth introduced a resolution - that unanimously passed the Senate - honoring and celebrating the State of Illinois and the Illinoisans who have participated in cultivating the rich history of the State. "Illinois has seen a lot over its 200-year history and today we celebrate ev… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Passing Of George H.W. Bush

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the passing of 41st President of the United States George H.W. Bush: Read the book "Fly Boys" and you will never think of President George H. W. Bush as anything other than one of the heroes of World War II. Ready to give his life as a young Navy Pilot who trained at Navy Pier in Chicago, President Bush devoted his entire life to America. He was humble, caring, and principled, qualities we ve… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Residents To Get Covered Before ACA Enrollment Deadline On December 15th

PEORIA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged those who need health insurance for 2019 to sign up for a health plan before the December 15th deadline. Nearly 350,000 people in Illinois purchase their health insurance in the individual market and eight out of ten of them are eligible for tax credits that help keep their monthly premiums below $100 a month. People in Illinois can call (Get Covered Illinois: 866-311-1119), go online (www.Healthcare.gov), or get in-person help to sign up fo… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Fall 2018 Recipient Of The Ed Greelegs Scholarship Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced Irving Moran, a sophomore at Elgin Community College as the Fall 2018 recipient of the Ed Greelegs Scholarship Program. This scholarship, open to students from Illinois or those studying in Illinois, is an opportunity for the students to receive financial assistance while obtaining first-hand experience in Senator Durbin's office. The program was created in honor of Durbin's former Chief of Staff who passed away in March 2017 due to … Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill To Improve Concussion Safety In Youth Sports

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, a bill that would strengthen elementary and secondary school procedures for preventing, identifying, and treating student-athletes who suffer concussions. The National Federation of State High School Associations estimates that about 140,000 students playing high school sports suffer concussions every year, though many go unreported. The bill requires states to adopt "when in doubt, … Continue Reading

Durbin Presses For Stronger Action On Kid-Friendly E-Cigarette Flavors In Meeting With FDA Commissioner

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to discuss recently announced regulations on e-cigarette flavorings, flavored cigars, and menthol cigarettes. Durbin thanked Gottlieb for his decision to implement stronger oversight on e-cigarette flavorings being sold to teenagers and kids, and urged him to take even stronger action moving forward. Photos of today's meeting are available here. "E-cigarette use among… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schneider, Duckworth, Lipinski, Foster Introduce Bill To Require EPA To Revise Standards For Ethylene Oxide Emissions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), along with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representatives Dan Lipinski (D-IL-03) and Bill Foster (D-IL-11), today introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions standards for medical sterilization and chemical facilities, which have been the source of harmful emissions in Illinois. The bill also requires the EPA to notif… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Congress To Halt Unauthorized U.S. Military Involvement In Yemen Ahead Of Senate Vote On War Powers

WASHINGTON-Following a classified briefing on the Saudi's war in Yemen from Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - CIA Director Gina Haspel was troublingly not allowed to attend - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Senate to pass a bipartisan joint war powers resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Yemen. The Senate is expected to vote on the matter this afternoon. "The American people entrust us [Senators] with … Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Victims Of Shooting At Mercy Hospital

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today in a speech on the Senate floor honored the victims of last week's shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, in which a gunman killed Chicago Police Department Officer Samuel Jimenez, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, and Dayna Less. "Officer Jimenez, Dr. O'Neal, and Ms. Less were all doing work that mattered - and mattered greatly. All three were dedicated to helping others - Officer Jimenez as a protector, and Dr. O'Neal and Ms. Less as healers. Their death… Continue Reading

Durbin Criticizes Trump Administration After Watchdog Finds Vulnerabilities At Facility Charged With Caring For Children In Health Department's Custody

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) responded to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) that identified significant vulnerabilities at a facility in Tornillo, Texas, tasked with caring for children as part of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program. The report found that HHS waived the requirement that the facility conduct required Federal Bureau of Investigation … Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Republicans Should Oppose Nomination Of Thomas Farr

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged his Republican colleagues to vote against Thomas Farr's nomination to be a judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina given his decades-long history of supporting and defending efforts to restrict the right to vote. All 49 Senate Democrats have come out against Farr's nomination. "When we bring Thomas Farr for a vote this week in the United … Continue Reading

Durbin & Senators Call On HUD To Improve Oversight Of Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with nine of his Senate colleagues, today sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urging the agency to immediately improve its oversight of lead-based paint hazards in federally-assisted housing to ensure that families and children are protected from exposure to lead. The letter comes on the heels of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommending that HUD take immediate action to improve all of… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Shooting At Mercy Hospital

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, in which a gunman killed three people including Chicago Police Department Officer Samuel Jimenez: My heart is with Mercy Hospital in Chicago tonight. I am praying for the victims, their families, and those who were traumatized by the shooting this afternoon. And I am grateful to the men and women of the Chicago Police Department who responded with bravery, … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Sign Bicameral Amicus Brief To Protect National Monuments Against Unconstitutional Attacks By Trump Administration

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), 25 Senators, and 92 House members, submitted an amicus brief in support of plaintiffs in five cases before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that challenge the Trump Administration's decision to significantly diminish the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in southern Utah. In the bri… Continue Reading

Senators Unveil Revised Bipartisan Prison, Sentencing Legislation

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced revised legislation to reduce recidivism, promote public safety, and improve fairness in sentencing of federal crimes. The revised First Step Act, S.3649, has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. "This compromise represents years of work by a bipartisan coali… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Renew Call For Illinois Public Health Director Shah To Resign Over Botched Response To Legionnaires' Outbreak At IVH Quincy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today reiterated their call for Illinois Public Health Director Nirav Shah to resign given reports that the Rauner Administration and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) botched a water-system repair at Illinois Veterans Home (IVH) Quincy, which was in violation of state health codes, and then chose to deliberately withhold that information from the public and not cite the facility for a mistake. In documents r… Continue Reading

Durbin Urges Senate Colleagues To Support Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today encouraged his Senate colleagues to support the revised First Step Act, bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation. The legislation includes key sentencing reforms from the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act - a bill authored by Durbin and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in Fe… Continue Reading

Durbin, Murkowski Statement On New FDA E-Cigarette Regulations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new regulations on e-cigarette flavorings and flavored cigars: E-cigarette use among children and teenagers is an epidemic, just ask our federal health agencies or any school teacher in America. The FDA is finally moving in the right direction by cracking down on the sale of kid-friendly flavors in e-cigarettes and cigars, an… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster, Schneider Meet With Acting EPA Administrator, Call For Action On Cancer-Causing Pollution In Lake And DuPage Counties

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL-11) and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), today met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to discuss cancer risks caused by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions at Sterigenics Inc. in DuPage County, Illinois and Medline Industries, Inc., and Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc., in Lake County, Illinois. The members urged Acting Administrator … Continue Reading