Durbin Joins Booker, Colleagues to Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Improve Clearance Rates for Homicides and Gun Violence

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), also members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to reintroduce the bipartisan Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Act (VICTIM Act), a bill to help improve the clearance rate for murders and violent gun crimes. The legislation would establish a grant program at the Department … Continue Reading

Durbin Leads 17 Senators in Urging President Biden to Act Swiftly to Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today led 17 Senate Democrats in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to act swiftly to finally close the detention facility at U.S. Naval Station Guantánamo 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. national security by serving as a propaganda tool for America’s enemies and hindering… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Nominee for the Northern District of Illinois and Other District Court Nominees at Latest Judiciary Committee Nominations Hearing

WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Amir Ali, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia; Judge Sunil Harjani, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jasmine Yoon, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Virginia.  Durbin began his questions by asking Mr. Ali about his work that bridges… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Latest Judiciary Committee Hearing on Judicial Nominations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Amir Ali, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia; Judge Melissa DuBose, nominated to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Rhode Island; Judge Sunil Harjani, nominated to be U.S. District Judge forthe Northern District of Illinois; Robert White, nominated to be U.S. D… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Improving Infrastructure With Illinois Transportation Secretary

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Omer Osman to discuss improving infrastructure in the state.  During their meeting, Durbin and Secretary Osman spoke about the Chicago Hub Improvement Program (CHIP), Amtrak’s portfolio of projects to improve Midwest rail via Chicago Union Station (CUS), for which Durbin has repeatedly urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to consider for federal grants.  … Continue Reading

Durbin, Young Introduce Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) today introduced their Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, legislation that extends funding forpublic health efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve childhood survival rates, prevent premature death and disability, and increase quality of life for the two-and-a-half million Americans living with congenital heart disease (CHD).  Heart defects are the deadliest … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Republicans Voting Against Procedural Motion on the Bipartisan National Security Supplemental & Border Security Deal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today released the following statement after enough Republicans voted against a procedural motion on the bipartisan national security supplemental and border security deal: “I’m profoundly disappointed.  We have a problem facing our nation at the border.  Republicans challenged us to address it and Democrats worked in good faith to find a bipartisan solut… Continue Reading

Durbin Slams Republicans on their Inability to Support Meaningful Immigration Reform, Address Urgent National Security Needs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor condemning his Republican colleagues for their failure to help secure the border and provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan to meet urgent national security and humanitarian needs.  Durbin began his speech by highlighting the Senate’s bipartisan national security supplemental agreement that was announc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Great Lakes Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Extend Great Lakes Protections

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Great Lakes Task Force, joined U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) and additional Great Lakes lawmakers in introducing the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024, which extends the critical program for another five years through 2031, and increases annual funding levels from $475 million in 2026 to $500 million from 2027 through 2… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on GAO Report on BOP's Continued Failure to Eliminate Overuse of Solitary Confinement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report on the Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) use of solitary confinement, also known as restrictive housing, in federal facilities, which Durbin requested: “Solitary confinement must be a last resort, limited to the briefest term and under the least restrictive conditions possible.  We know the overuse of… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Talk Accessibility of Higher ED, Job Training Programs with Illinois Higher Education Leaders

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with the leaders and members of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) and the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities (FIICU), which represents 58 Illinois private, nonprofit colleges across the state.  During the meetings, Durbin and Duckworth advocated for doubling the maximum Pell Grant and supporting other federal student aid programs to hel… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces U.S. Service Academy Nominations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the names of 43 individuals whom he has nominated to attend four of the nation’s service academies for the upcoming school year. “Each year, I have the privilege to nominate some of Illinois’ best and brightest young leaders to our nation’s esteemed service academies,” said Durbin. “I know that they will make their families—and our nation—proud as they continue their education and serve our country.” The academies include U.S. Militar… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Director of Illinois State Police Brendan Kelly

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with Illinois State Police (ISP) Director Brendan Kelly and Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association (IDEOA) board members.  Durbin and the group discussed the importance of continued federal funding for initiatives related to the intersection of drugs, guns, and human trafficking, including funding for the Byrne-JAG federal grant program, which supports state and local drug enforc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cartwright, Nunn Introduce Legislation to Streamline Collection of Educator Workforce Data

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Matthew Cartwright (D-PA-08) and Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) today introduced bicameral and bipartisan legislation to collect demographic data on public school teachers and principals to improve the accuracy of educator workforce data.  The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act would establish a permanent, national mechanism to collect teacher and principal data at the school district-level to assist in recruitment an… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Floor Speech on the Bipartisan Agreement on the National Security Supplemental and Border Security

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor regarding the bipartisan agreement on the national security supplemental and border security.  During his speech, Durbin praised the inclusion of critical aid to Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Taiwan to meet their urgent national security and humanitarian needs.  During his speech, Durbin condemned Republicans’ dema… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Screening Committee, Application Process for Federal District Court in the Central District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that they will begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as a Federal District Court Judge in the Central District of Illinois.  The Senators will be assisted by a screening committee whose task is to review and vet District Court candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates’ qualifications and fitness for t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Bipartisan Agreement on the National Security Supplemental and Border Security

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today released the following statement regarding the bipartisan agreement on the national security supplemental and border security: “Our broken immigration system cannot keep up with the unprecedented numbers of refugees coming to our border.  We need an orderly process to restore the integrity of our border, which I believe includes a path to citizenshi… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Chicago Children's Advocacy Center to Discuss Legislation to Crack Down on Online Child Sex Abuse

CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today visited Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center (CCAC) to discuss his Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act of 2023 (STOP CSAM Act), which supports victims and increases accountability and transparency for online platforms. This comes following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Durbin led on Wednesday entitled “Big Tech and the Online Child S… Continue Reading

RECAP: Senate Judiciary Committee Presess Big Tech CEOs on Failures to Protect Kids Online During Landmark Hearing

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed the CEOs of Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X on their failures to protect kids from sexual exploitation online. The landmark, bipartisan hearing marked the first time a group of Big Tech CEOs testified about online child sexual exploitation before Congress, including first-time Congressional appearances from the CEOs of Discord, Snap, and X. “I’ve had the honor of serving in the House and Senate, and now as Chair of th… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Bill to Create Interagency Committee to Improve Oversight Over For-Profit College Industry

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), today reintroduced the Proprietary Education Oversight Task Force Act, legislation that will establish an interagency committee tasked with improving coordination of federal oversight of for-profit colleges to ensure that students are not scammed out of an education and into a mountain of debt.  The bill would require … Continue Reading