FAA Administrator to Visit Aurora Air Traffic Facility

[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today announced that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Michael Huerta, will visit the damaged Aurora FAA facility and meet with members of the Congressional Delegation on the afternoon of Friday, October 3. The visit comes after a fire was set at the Aurora air traffic control facility last week that resulted in a massive air traffic shutdown across the county. Huerta will meet… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $130,000 in Funding to Clean and Redevelop South Cook County Neighborhoods

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS,) has awarded a $130,000 grant to the University of Illinois for a "brownfields" health community pilot project in South Cook County, Illinois. The University of Illinois will use this funding to develop and lead a committee of regional stakeholders to assess, clean, and redevelop "brownfields" contaminated w… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $19 Million in DOJ Funding To Support Illinois Justice Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a total of $19,036,189 in grants to support the establishment or enhancement of several justice system programs in Illinois. "Today's funding is an important investment in the Illinois justice system," said Durbin. "These initiatives will promote school safety, provide vital assistance to those who have been the victims of crimes, and enhance community-oriented policing an… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A More Than $13.8 Million Investment In Illinois Health Care Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a total of $13,881,968 in grants to support the establishment or enhancement of several health care and refugee programs in Illinois. "Today's funding is an important investment in Illinois' public health system," said Durbin. "It will support the essential health research done at our hospitals and universities and promote primary care programs that keep … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Nearly $10 Million in Workforce Development and Training Grants For Consortium Led By Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Labor has awarded a total of $9,956,011 in funding through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program to a consortium led by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville of four community colleges in Southern Illinois. The Building Illinois' Bioeconomy consortium will use this funding to create and expand innovative partnerships between community colleges and businesses to … Continue Reading

Illinois Delegation Members Call For Investigation into Air Traffic Control Facility Sabotage

[CHICAGO, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) today asked the Department of Transportation Inspector General to conduct an immediate investigation into the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s emergency protocol and mitigation measures at Chicago air traffic control facilities. The request comes after a fire broke out last week in the air traffic control c… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $500,000 Investment To Expand Airline Service at Quad City International Airport

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] -U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois a $500,000 grant to grow new air service between the Northwest Illinois and Washington, DC. The funding was awarded through DOT's Small Community Air Service Development Program, which was established by Congress in 2002 to help small, underserved airports around the country improve their air service. The Quad City Int… Continue Reading

Durbin: Defense Department Misses Opportunity To Make Armed Forces More Diverse and Inclusive

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said that the Department of Defense's decision to permit military enlistment of immigrant students known as Dreamers only in very limited circumstances is a missed opportunity. The Defense Department announced today that it will allow Dreamers who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to enlist in the Armed Forces, but only through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) pilot program. At best a h… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights today made the following statement after President Obama announced the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder. "Eric Holder has been a valuable ally for our state and a strong leader for our country's top law enforcement agency. He has been an important partner in working to address gun violence in Chicago and East St. Louis, increasing… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A More Than $15.2 Million Investment in Illinois Health Care Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a total of $15,271,282 in grants to support the establishment or enhancement of several health care programs in Illinois. "Today's funding is an important investment in the Illinois public health system, in the health research done at our hospitals and universities, and in the primary care programs that keep our citizens healthy," said Durbin. "These prog… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $50,000 Investment in Northeastern Illinois Communities To Help Create Jobs and Boost Economic Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded a $50,000 in Manufacturing Asset Map Planning funding to the Institute for Work and the Economy - located in Chicago, Illinois - to help create jobs and boost economic development in northeastern Illinois. "Today's funding will help northeastern Illinois' manufacturing cluster create and implement a plan for continued economic gr… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $3.43 Million Investment To Create Jobs and Boost Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $3,433,547 in funding to communities throughout Southern Illinois to create jobs and aide the construction of critical infrastructure. The projects are expected to create a total of 209 local jobs. "Not only will this federal investment support local construction jobs, it will also leverage private investment and help attract new… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A $1.6 Million Investment To Support Mental Health Training Services in Illinois

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded grants totaling $1,631,487 to help expand behavioral health education and training services at universities across Illinois. This funding will help expand the mental health services workforce, increase access to behavioral health care services for young people, and educate teachers and community members to recognize mental health issues in youth. "This federal fundin… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $1.8 Million Investment in Illinois Schools

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has $791,108 in funding to three Illinois school districts and the Illinois State Board of Education to improve safety in the classroom and help prevent students from entering the school-to-prison pipeline. Today's funding was made available through the Now is the Time Grant program, which supports comprehensive efforts to improve school safety by increasing mental-health services and reduc… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.7 Million in Justice Department Funding For Mentoring, Re-Entry Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently awarded grants totaling $1,749,999 to two organizations in Chicago, Illinois to support mentorship programs that help reintegrate previously incarcerated youth and adults back into the community and reduce recidivism. "The funding announced today will enhance ongoing efforts in Chicago and throughout the state to provide services that support previously incarcerated young … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A More Than $1.4 Million Investment in Champaign First-Responder Capabilities

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $1,492,545 grant to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois for fire prevention and safety. "This federal funding will support the efforts of firefighters and first-responders in the University of Illinois community to prevent and fight fires and prepare for other types of … Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Highlight Potential of Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute - Peoria

[PEORIA, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today outlined the potential impact the new the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (or Digital Lab) will have on the Peoria region and throughout Illinois. The Digital Lab, run by UI Labs, is a first-of-its-kind manufacturing hub that will bring the future of American manufacturing to Illinois. Supported by $320 million-including $70 million in direct federal investment-the Digital La… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schneider Announce More Than $4.9 Million in HUD Funding For Chicagoland Housing and Community Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) today announced that communities and housing agencies in the Chicagoland area will receive a total of $4,913,538 in grant funding through four programs administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help develop urban communities in the area. Under today's announcement, Lake County will receive $3,904,349 in funding. "This funding will give local development agencies around C… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $2.8 Million in Funding for Transportation Improvements in Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, Illinois

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that mass transit districts in both Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, Illinois have received grants totaling $2,802,400 grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Bus and Bus Facilities Program to purchase new buses for both the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System and the Springfield Mass Transit District. "Public transportation serves an important purpose in the daily lives of people in communities across I… Continue Reading

Durbin, Foster Announce More Than $1.2 Million in HUD Funding For Joliet Housing and Community Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) today announced that communities and housing agencies in Joliet, Illinois will receive a total of $1,291,600 in grant funding through two programs administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help develop urban communities in the area. "This funding will give local development agencies in Joliet the ability to expand and improve existing affordable housing in their communities… Continue Reading