Durbin Announces Witnesses For Hearing On State of Civil & Human Rights In The United States

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights , today announced witnesses for his upcoming hearing entitled, "The State of Civil and Human Rights in the United States." The hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 9th, and will examine the status of key civil and human rights issues, including police-community relations, criminal justice reform, and voting rights. Panel I The Honorab… Continue Reading

Durbin-Corker Water For The World Act Clears Committee

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today unanimously advanced The Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation to significantly improve access to clean water and sanitation around the world. The bill is sponsored by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN), cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and led by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX) in the House of Representatives. "Inadequa… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Illinois Delegation Reception With Governor-Elect Rauner

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today attended an Illinois Congressional Delegation reception with Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner. A photo of today's meeting is available HERE. Earlier today, Durbin met with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "When it comes to Illinois, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have always come together to tackle the toughest issues. I am confident that tradition will continue next year in the new Congress, which will see the introduction of two new … Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds Chicago Nurse Treating Ebola Patients In Liberia Durbin Holiday Season

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a speech on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded Chicago nurse Janet Teasley, who has volunteered to spend her holiday season in Liberia treating patients with the Ebola virus. Teasley - who was featured in a Chicago Tribune article earlier this week - is part of a growing number of health care workers who are being recruited to help stop the spread of the disease in West Africa. She has been a nurse for 17 years, working in emergency care and i… Continue Reading

Senate Approves Bipartisan Legislation To Name VA Clinic After Lane Evans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) announced that the Senate unanimously approved legislation that would name a veterans facility in Galesburg, Illinois the "Lane A. Evans VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic." U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) has led the effort in the House of Representatives to honor the legacy and public service achievements of the former Congressman from Western Illinois. The bipartisan legislation is supported by the entire Ill… Continue Reading

Durbin Provision To Reduce Risks Of Tobacco Related Illness Among Servicemembers Included in Defense Authorization Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today applauded the inclusion of a provision in the compromise National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that eliminates the military's price discount for tobacco products. Durbin authored a similar provision in the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Appropriations Bill, which was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this year. Almost one-quarter of U.S. servicemembers smoke, and m… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets with Attorney General Nominee Loretta Lynch

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with President Obama's nominee for Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, to discuss her nomination and issues facing the Justice Department. Lynch currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, a position she has held since 2010. "I was pleased to meet today with Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, who has a distinguished record as a federal prosecutor," Durbin said. "We spoke about issues of importance t… Continue Reading

Durbin To Hold Hearing On State of Civil & Human Rights In The United States

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - On Tuesday, December 9th, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, will hold a hearing entitled "The State of Civil and Human Rights in the United States." The hearing will examine the status of key civil and human rights issues, including criminal justice reform, voting rights, and police-community relations. Following enactment of legislation like the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, bi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Reed Lead 40 U.S. Senators In Backing DOD Plan To Better Protect Military Families From Abusive Financial Practices

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and today led a group of 40 Senate colleagues in supporting the Department of Defense's (DOD) plan to update the Military Lending Act (MLA) and close existing loopholes in order to better protect soldiers and their families from abusive financial practices. The letter, sent to U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, expresses strong support for the proposed new rule to help prevent lenders from charging excessive fe… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On FAA Review Of Security And Emergency Response Protocols At Air Traffic Control Center Facilities

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the results of a review of security and emergency response times at air traffic control facilities following the sabotage of at the air traffic control facility in Aurora, Illinois earlier this year. At the request of Durbin and other members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Department of Transportation Inspector General is also currently c… Continue Reading

Durbin and Kirk Recommend Three Finalists For Next U.S. Marshal For Illinois' Northern District

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today recommended three candidates for the position of United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois to President Obama for consideration. The three finalists are, in alphabetical order: Edward Gilmore, Joel Kirch, and Russell Laine. "Today we are pleased to recommend three exceptional candidates to be the next U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois," Durbin and Kirk said. "Each brings a wealth of l… Continue Reading

Durbin Releases Statement On EPA Decision Not To Move Forward With Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would not be finalizing the volume standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program before the end of 2014. Since the EPA announced the proposed rule more than a year ago, Durbin has worked with members of Illinois' agriculture community and biofuels industry to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed waiver. The EPA announc… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On President Obama's Immigration Announcement

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Obama's immigration announcement: "It was 511 days ago that the Senate overwhelmingly passed comprehensive, bipartisan reforms to America's broken immigration system. Since that day, this measure has languished in the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders refuse to call it for a vote. Faced with inaction, President Obama has accepted responsibility for moving this country forward and w… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Sale Of Corinthian Campuses

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Department of Education announced an agreement to sell 56 Corinthian campuses (accounting for 40,000 students) to Education Credit Management Corporation (ECMC)'s newly created "Zenith Education" non-profit. "Corinthian is Exhibit A when it comes to a for-profit school which misled its students, defrauded the government and walked away with millions of taxpayer dollars," Durbin said. "I belie… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Federal Judicial Nominees In Northern District 2014

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, has unanimously approved the nomination of Jorge Alonso to fill a vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Alonso was recommended by Durbin after he conducted extensive interviews with the finalists chosen by a bipartisan screening committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee also approved the nomination of John Blakey to fill a v… Continue Reading

Durbin Thanks Illinois Companies For SEC Conflict Minerals Transparency Report Filing

[WASHINGTON, DC]. - In letters to Illinois companies, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) thanked each for its leadership and effort to create clean supply chains which are free of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In early June, AAR Corporation, Deere and Company, Dover Corporation, IDEX Corporation, and Motorola Solutions, all submitted filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing steps to avoid purchasing minerals from armed groups that fuel the reg… Continue Reading

Durbin, Corker Introduce Water For The World Act of 2014

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN) today introduced The Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation to dramatically improve access to clean water and sanitation around the world. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and led by Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX) in the House of Representatives. "Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services sickens and kills t… Continue Reading

Durbin: President Should Use His Executive Authority To Fix Broken Immigration System

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following a letter from Senate Democratic leadership to President Obama supporting executive authority to improve the immigration system, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate Floor this morning to discuss the importance of immigration reform. Due to Republican refusal to consider the Senate bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill - which passed over a year ago in the Senate - and bring it to the House Floor for a vote, Durbin urged the President to use… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden for an update on the agency's ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak both domestically and abroad. A photo from today's meeting can be found here. "As the Ebola outbreak claims thousands of lives in West Africa - and two here at home - the CDC continues to demonstrate how imperative it is that our federal agencies are prepared to respond to public health crises whe… Continue Reading

In Meeting With Secretary Duncan, Durbin Continues To Push Better Protections For Students Wronged By Corinthian Colleges

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a meeting with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged the Department of Education to do more to protect students and taxpayers following the collapse of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. which operates under the name "Everest College" at six campuses in Illinois located in Burr Ridge, Bedford Park, Melrose Park, Merrionette Park, North Aurora and Skokie. "With its stock now trading at pennies, it seems the only investor left in this failed … Continue Reading