Durbin Statement on Address of Pope Francis to Congress

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding the address to a joint meeting of Congress by His Holiness Pope Francis: "There was a huge crowd gathered at the White House yesterday to welcome Pope Francis, the first visit by a pope in many years to the United States, and Pope Francis' first visit to our country. We were waiting and waiting and up he drove in his little Fiat car, as a passenger in the back seat. What a remin… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Group of 34 Senators in Calling on Medicare & Medicaid to Ban Long-Term Care Facilities from Using Unfair Arbitration Clauses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and a broad coalition of Senators in calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to prohibit the use of unfair pre-dispute arbitration clauses in contracts with long-term care facilities like nursing homes. These types of clauses make it far more difficult for victims to seek fair redress after they've been wronged. Right now, CMS is taking steps to reform its requireme… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors 'Guardian Angel' Ashley Aldridge of Auburn, Illinois on Senate Floor

[WASHINGTON, DC]. - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate Floor today to commend Ashley Aldridge, a mother of two from Auburn, Illinois, for her bravery and courage. Last week, Ashley risked her life to save Earl Moorman, a fellow resident of Auburn whose wheelchair became stuck in the path of an oncoming train. Her story was first written about in the Springfield Journal-Register. "Auburn's Mayor and Town Council and all the folks around town were hailing Ashley Aldridge as… Continue Reading

Durbin Receives Progress Report on Thomson Prison Activation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a meeting with the Director of the Department of Justice's Bureau of Prisons, Charles Samuels, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said the activation of Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois remains on track. Nearly 250 staff positions have been filled at the facility and more than 90 minimum-security inmates have arrived at the Thomson prison satellite camp, with approximately 110 more expected. When fully operational, Thomson prison is expec… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on New Department of Justice Investigation of ITT Tech

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after ITT Tech - a for-profit college already under investigation by at least 18 state Attorneys General and being sued by two federal agencies - announced that it is now also under investigation by the Department of Justice under the federal False Claims Act. ITT Tech currently operates at least four campuses in Illinois including Arlington Heights, Orland Park, Oak Brook, and Springfield. "This a… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Senators in Urging Department of Defense, Education to Redouble Efforts to Protect Military Consumers

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Seeking to promote and preserve the special consumer protections afforded to military families, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are calling on U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to renew efforts to ensure that service members get complete, accurate, and timely information about their student loans, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) protections, loan forgivenes… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $4.8 Million in Federal Funding for Illinois Law Enforcement

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program has awarded six communities in Illinois $4,875,000 in funding to recruit or rehire thirty-nine police officers. "Even as tight budgets are forcing many local law enforcement agencies to reduce the number of officers on duty, the safety of our communities must be our top priority. This funding will help meet that goal by putting mo… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $1.3 Million in Federal Funding to Purchase Body-Cameras, Support Community Policing Efforts in Chicago Area

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded three Illinois communities $1,323,000 through the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program to support law enforcement efforts and improve community policing. "This funding is an investment in the safety and security of both our nation's law enforcement officers and the people they are called upon day after day to serve and protect," Durbin said. "We must ensure that loc… Continue Reading

Durbin Asks Federal Government to Look into Legionnaires Outbreak at Veterans Facility in Quincy

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make certain that the Illinois Veterans' Home-Quincy is taking the proper steps to provide a high quality of care to our veterans and to prevent any future outbreaks. A recent Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the facility has so far resulted in 13 deaths-12 of them being residents of the state veterans' home-and an additional 54 people… Continue Reading

Durbin: HHS Awarded Clay County $100,000 Federal Grant as Part of Pilot Program to Reduce Opiod Overdose in Rural Communities

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that Clay County Hospital in Flora, Illinois has been awarded a $100,000 grant through the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The grant is made available through a new pilot program that was created to support rural communities in reducing opioid overdose and death. Clay County Hospital and its local partners will use this funding to collaborate on strategies to reduce opioid abuse and… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos: Not Following Through with Committed Funding for Rockford Airport Would Put Jobs in Jeopardy

[WASHINGTON, D.C] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) today encouraged Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to follow through on the state of Illinois' commitment to provide $16.3 million for the Chicago Rockford International Airport's midfield improvement project which is currently being considered for up to $2.5 million in federal Economic Development Assistance funding. "In 2014, the state promised to contribute $16.3 million. This money shoul… Continue Reading

Bipartisan Group of U.S. Senate and House Lawmakers Join More Than One Hundred 9/11 First Responders & Former Daily Show Host Jon Stewart to Push for Permanent Extension of James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - With the 9/11 Health and Compensation programs set to begin expiring at the end of September, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), and U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY), more than 100 first responders and survivors, and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart to push Congress to pass a full and permanent extension … Continue Reading

Durbin, Shaheen Meet with USAID Nominee Gayle Smith, Call on GOP to Stop Blocking Her Confirmation

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today met with Gayle Smith, whose nomination to head the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is currently being blocked from consideration on the floor of the Senate. "USAID is charged with coordinating America's response to humanitarian crises around the world, and the catastrophic civil war in Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time," said Durbin. "Senate Republicans are hamstringing… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Members of Congress in Introducing Bill to Restore Pell Grant Eligibility for Students

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) in introducing the Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2015. They were also joined by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Representatives Maxine Waters (CA-43) and Janice Hahn (CA-44) and 42 other members of Congress. "In spite of the warning signs, the federal government did not step in soon enough to prev… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Should be Prepared to Accept 100,000 Syrian Refugees

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a speech on the U.S. Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called for a drastic increase in the number of Syrian refugees who are resettled in the United States. Durbin also spoke of his meeting last week with Syrian families who have recently resettled in the Chicago area. "We have a history of responding to humanitarian crises. We need to do it again. What the Administration has posed is modest: 10,000. Too modest, as far as I am concerned. I believe … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $20.5 Million for Illinois Community Health Organizations

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a total of $20,516,234 in funding for community health centers throughout Illinois. Today's funding - made available through the Affordable Care Act - will increase access to health care services for thousands of new patients in Illinois. "Community health centers are an invaluable resources for families in Illinois, particularly in rural and urban medicall… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Announce $1.67 Million Investment in Peoria International Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) announced $1,676,309 in federal funding for infrastructure improvements and upgrades at General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport in Peoria, Illinois. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration, and will be used to help rehabilitate the airport's apron. "Airports and reliable air service are crucial to the economic succ… Continue Reading

Durbin: Repeating Votes in Hopes of a Different Outcome a Colossal Waste of Time

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after the Senate voted again to not advance a resolution of disapproval of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. The Senate took the same vote on Thursday night. Last Thursday, the Senate voted to not advance a resolution of disapproval of the Iran Nuclear Agreement-the culmination of eight weeks of thorough review, briefings, and reflection by Senate Dem… Continue Reading

Detergent PACS Act Cosponsors Commend Efforts to Increase Safety of Liquid Detergent Packets

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) joined cosponsors of the Detergent Poisoning and Child Safety (PACS) Act - U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) - in commending new standards to reduce the safety hazards associated with liquid detergent packets. The standards are expected to be finalized tomorrow by the American Society for Testing and Materials - a nonprofit multi-s… Continue Reading

Durbin, Emanuel, Quigley Announce $6.6 Million Federal Investment in O'Hare and Midway Airports

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation has awarded a total of $6,625,292 in funding to Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. "Airports and reliable air service are crucial to the economic success of our state," said Durbin. "If we are going to be a great leader in the world economy, we need an infrastructure to… Continue Reading