Durbin: Investigation Into Trucking Company Oversight Will Move Forward

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the announcement by the Department of Transportation's Inspector General that it will begin an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)'s investigative practices. Durbin called for an investigation in April 2014 after a Chicago Tribune report found a troubling example of FMCSA ordering, but never actually launching, an investigation into an Illinois motor carrier - DND International - with a long histor… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls for Federal Debt Relief for Former Everest College Students

[CHICAGO] - Nearly a year after Corinthian Colleges began to collapse under the weight of its own wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on the U.S. Department of Education to provide meaningful federal debt relief to students who attended the school's local campuses, branded as Everest College. Illinois students who attended Everest College are not currently eligible to discharge their federal student loans because the Illinois campuses were sold as opposed to closed. Durbin is urgi… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on New Rules to Strengthen Railroad Tank Cars

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Department of Transportation announced new rules to strengthen requirements for railroad tank cars. The new rules are intended to help prevent and mitigate the effects of catastrophic spills of the hazardous materials - including ethanol and crude oil - these cars transport through densely populated Illinois cities and towns. Durbin received an update regarding the new regulations during a phone… Continue Reading

Senators Urge Full Funding for Food Safety in Wake of Recalls Following Listeria Outbreak

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following one of the most sweeping food recalls in history by Blue Bell Creameries and yesterday's announcement of a recall of potentially contaminated pasta salad at Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest, 7 Senators joined today in urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety activities authorized by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Since it was signed into law in 2011, the FSMA has been underfunded by less… Continue Reading

To Combat Smoking, Lethal Health Risks from Tobacco, Durbin, Blumenthal, Reed, Boxer Introduce Legislation for Tobacco Enforcement Reforms

WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Tobacco Tax and Enforcement Reform Act (TTERA) to address illegal tobacco trafficking and tobacco product tax disparities, as well as deter consumers - especially among youth - from purchasing tobacco products by increasing federal tax rates on tobacco products. Under current law, tobacco products are disparately taxed, enabling and incentivizing manufa… Continue Reading

Durbin Backs Bill to Raise Federal Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) in introducing a bill to raise the minimum wage to $12 by 2020 to help more families make ends meet, expand economic opportunity, and help build an economy that works for all families, not just the wealthiest few. The Raise the Wage Act would also phase out the $2.13 tipped wage and would index the minimum wage to median wages. "If you go to work and wo… Continue Reading

Durbin: With Amtrak Ridership on the Rise, But Infrastructure Aging, Investing in Passenger Rail Is More Critical Than Ever

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to include several Illinois priorities in their Passenger Rail Reauthorization legislation. Durbin also raised several significant concerns regarding related legislation passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year that would have a significant impact on Illinois' passenger rail system. Illinois is home to the second largest rail network in the cou… Continue Reading

Durbin and Illinois Farm Service Agency Chair Jill Appell to Attend Joint Session of Congress

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will welcome Jill Appell of Altona, Illinois as his guest for a Joint Session of Congress tomorrow morning. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe is the first Japanese Prime Minister to address a Joint Session of Congress. Appell currently serves as Chair of the USDA Farm Service Agency Illinois State Committee. Illinois is the fourth largest pork producing state in the United States, which counts Japan as its primary export market for pork product… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls Out Department of Education for Including Other For-Profit Colleges Under Investigation as "Viable" Transfer Options for Corinthian Students

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out the Department of Education for suggesting students that have been harmed by the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. transfer to other for-profit companies - including Westwood College, ITT Tech, Education Management Corporation's The Arts Institutes and Argosy, and Career Education Corporation's Le Cordon Bleu and International Academy of Design and Technology - that are under investigation by multiple federal and state age… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $1.1 Million Investment in Quincy Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the City of Quincy, Illinois has received a $1,100,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration for infrastructure improvements and upgrades at Quincy Regional-Baldwin Field Airport. This grant will be used to construct a new taxiway, assisting the airport in meeting new design and safety standards, and improving access to the airfield for employers and economic drivers in t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Bipartisan Senators Introduce Bill to Ban Bulk Collection Under Section 215

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to introduce legislation to restore Americans' eroded privacy rights by ending the government's dragnet collection of phone records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. An identical bill was introduced in the House on Tuesday, and lawmakers from across the political spectrum called on Congressional leaders to take up the measure ahead of a key deadline for expiring surveillance … Continue Reading

Durbin, Emanuel Announce A Nearly $2.6 Million Investment in Chicago Midway Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chicago Mayo Rahm Emanuel announced today that the City of Chicago, Illinois has received a $2,557,802 grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration for infrastructure improvements and upgrades at Chicago Midway International Airport. This grant will be used to construct a new taxiway and continue efforts to rehabilitate the airport's runway. "Last year, more than 21 million passengers traveled … Continue Reading

Durbin, Waters Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Students' Legal Rights

[WASHINGTON, DC] - On the heels of the closure of Corinthian Colleges, one of the most fraudulent and harmful for-profit college institutions in U.S. history, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) have introduced legislation designed to strengthen students' rights and protections under our court system. The bill, entitled the Court Legal Access & Student Support (CLASS) Act, prohibits any school receiving student aid funding from the Department of Educa… Continue Reading

Durbin, Sanders Lead Call for Living Wage for Senate Employees

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Mark Warner (D-VA) today sent a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) calling for contractors who do business with the United States Senate to pay their employees a living wage and provide fair health care and other benefits. The Senate Rules Committee is responsible for … Continue Reading

Durbin Calls for Stronger Regulations to Protect Youth from E-Cigarette Products

[CHICAGO] - Following a recent report that found e-cigarette use among middle and high school students has not only surpassed conventional tobacco use for the first time, but has tripled in just one year, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finalize common sense regulations to protect young people from the dangers of these products. This week marks the one year anniversary of the FDA's proposed rule to extend its regulatory authority over unr… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Corinthian Colleges Announcement of Final Campus Closures

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after learning that Corinthian Colleges, Inc. will close its 28 remaining campuses effective tomorrow. Up until today, these campuses had continued to participate in the Title IV federal education funding program. "Finally, we see the end of this rotten company, but there are still thousands of students who may never see the end of the damage Corinthian has caused if the Department of Education doesn't move q… Continue Reading

FDA Issues Warnings On Mislabeled Supplements Following Senators' Call To Action

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) welcomed action taken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today in response to their letter calling for increased scrutiny of dietary supplements containing "acacia rigidula" which is often used on dietary supplement labels to mask the inclusion of BMPEA - a potentially dangerous synthetic stimulant. Earlier today, the FDA issued warning letters to five companies regarding eight products which list BMPEA as… Continue Reading

Durbin Pleased That Proposed Industrial Waste facility At Clinton Landfill Won't Go Forward

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after learning that the company, Area Disposal, has dropped plans to locate an industrial waste facility at Clinton Landfill and to dispose of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) above the Mahomet Aquifer. On March 11, following Senator Durbin's urging, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officially designated the Mahomet Aquifer as a sole source aquifer entitling it to special protections. A copy of Sena… Continue Reading

As EPA Finalizes Rule, Durbin, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Call For A Strong Renewable Fuel Standard

The Environmental Protection Agency is working to finalize the proposed rule on biofuels volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard; the latest proposal would create uncertainty for biodiesel producers and undermine job creation In a letter to the EPA, the senators urged the agency to reverse course from the 2014 proposed rule and maintain a strong RFS to drive innovation and growth in America's economy while helping reduce our dependence on foreign oil [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As the … Continue Reading

Durbin, Sessions Statement On Labor Department Response To Call For Investigation Into Abuses Within H-1B Visa Program

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) released the following statement regarding the Department of Labor's response to concerns raised by the senators about reports of U.S. companies using the H-1B visa program to cut wage costs by laying off American workers. On April 9th, Durbin and Sessions led a bipartisan group of ten United States Senators in calling on three federal agencies-the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department… Continue Reading