Durbin Urges VA to Raise Current Pay Scale For Health Care Professionals

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to Robert McDonald, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging the department to raise the current pay scale for VA health care professionals in order to improve the recruitment and retention of medical personnel. Salaries for VA primary care doctors and nurses are often lower on average than those of their private sector counterparts. According to the Medical Group Management Association, primary care docto… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $225,000 in DOJ Funding For DuPage County Justice Program

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a $225,000 grant to the DuPage County Sheriff's Department in DuPage County, Illinois to improve the department's ability to utilize DNA technology. Today's funding was made available through DOJ's FY14 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program. "Today's funding is an investment in the safety and security of DuPage Co… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $233,000 in DOJ Funding For Kane County Drug Court Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Kane County Chairman Chris Lauzen today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently awarded a $233,570 grant to Kane County, Illinois to help enhance a variety of drug court services. Today's funding was made available through DOJ's FY14 Joint Adult Drug Court Solicitation to Enhance Services, Coordination, and Treatment program. "This funding will support programs in Kane County that transition nonviolent offenders b… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A More Than $3.4 Million Investment in 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 $3,414,644 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 help promote the fair and cost-effective administration of justice, help justice agencies quickly analyze evidence and solve crimes, and … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $1.6 Million in Funding For Cook County Parks, Outdoor Recreation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, has issued grants totaling $1,654,000 in funding for two outdoor areas in Cook County, Illinois. Today's funding was made available through the National Park Service's Land and Water Conservation Fund grant program. "Parks serve a variety of purposes: they are a place where parents can play with their children and people of all ages can exercise and l… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $11.7 Million for Illinois Health Centers To Expand Primary Care

[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 $11,744,246 in funding for community health centers throughout Illinois. Today's funding - made available through the Affordable Care Act - will be used to hire additional healthcare workers, hire new health care providers, and will allow these centers to stay open for longer hours. The grants will support 78,815 new patients and expand outreach and en… Continue Reading

Durbin, Mikulski, Cochran Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Commemorating 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps National Service Program

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) today announced that they have introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps. Since 1994, the community service organization has provided more than one billion service hours in communities across America. The anniversary is today. "For 20 years, the AmeriCorps National Service Program has provided valuable assistance and services to communities that nee… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on 13th Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

[WASHINGTON] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001: Today, we remember 9/11. The President, First Lady and Vice President led a moment of silence at the White House this morning. The anniversary was observed at the Pentagon, at ground zero in New York, and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Across the country, we are connected by the sadness we all feel as we reflect on the lives lost, … Continue Reading

Durbin, Blumenthal Introduce Bill To Support Veteran-Owned Small Business

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation today that would give veteran-owned small businesses access to surplus federal property, reducing overhead costs and helping these small businesses grow. The Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act would expand the Government Service Administration's excess federal property program, which makes available items that federal agencies no longer need - from computers and office furn… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $53,000 Investment in Western Illinois Communities 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 $53,000 in Economic Development District Planning funding to the Western Illinois Regional Council in Macomb, Illinois to help create jobs and boost economic development in the region. "Today's funding will help Western Illinois create and implement a plan for continued economic growth - one that leverages new investment to promo… Continue Reading

Durbin: Canadian National's Record of Delays, Increased Traffic and Blocked Crossings Make Case For Longer Monitoring Period

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today said that the oversight period for the Canadian National (CN) Railroad should be extended until January 23, 2017. In 2008, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) placed CN under an unprecedented monitoring period to ensure the company fully complies with the promises it made when it acquired the EJ&E rail corridor. In that time, CN has been fined for failure to report blockages along the corridor. The current oversight period is s… Continue Reading

Senators Urge Burger King CEO To Reverse Decision To Turn Its Back on America To Dodge Taxes

[WASHINGTON, DC] - In a letter to the CEO of Burger King, Daniel S. Schwartz, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Carl Levin (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today urged the company to reconsider its decision to turn its back on American taxpayers and consumers by taking advantage of a tax loophole called "inversion" which allows a company to move its headquarters overseas, but only on paper, in order to avoid paying U.S. taxes. "Now, after profiting from… Continue Reading

Durbin, Illinois Department of Public Health Announce CDC Grant To Support Research At Lurie Children's Hospital

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck announced today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago a $314,000 grant - and up to $1.57 million in funding over the next five years - to help expand the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System (IVDRS) statewide. Violence-related deaths and injuries cost the United States an estimated $… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schumer Introduce Legislation To Stem Recent Tide of Corporate Inversions By Limiting Earnind Stripping - Bill Would Curtail Major Incentive Causing U.S. Companies To Merge With Foreign Companies To Skirt U.S. Taxes

Legislation Would Limit Inverted Companies' Ability to Claim the Interest Expense Deduction and Avoid Millions in U.S. Taxes Senators: Curtailing Earning Stripping Should be Major Component of Legislation to End Corporate Inversion [WASHINGTON] - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) unveiled the text of their new legislative proposal to address the recent wave of corporate inversions, specifically targeting the practice of earnings stripping. In earnings st… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $437,000 in Funding For Improvements at University of Illinois-Willard Airport

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the University of Illinois-Willard Airport in Champaign, Illinois has received $ 437,532 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Airport Improvement Program for runway and taxiway rehabilitation. This grant will be used for runway upgrades and to widen the existing taxiway to improve traffic flow at the airport. "For years, I have worked to secure federal funding to improve Illinois' airports. Today'… Continue Reading

Durbin: Workers Should Be Judged On Their Work, Not Their Gender

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Speaking today at a press conference with U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and their colleagues, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) called on the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would discourage gender-based discrimination in the workplace. The press conference followed a procedural vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which gained the necessary number required to advance, but is likely to ultimately fail due to Republican obstruction when a final vote occurs.… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces A More Than $86,000 Investment In Swansea First-Responder Capabilities

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded an $86,180 grant to the Swansea Fire Department in the Village of Swansea, Illinois for operations and safety. "This federal funding will support the efforts of firefighters and first-responder's to prevent fires and other types of emergencies when they occur in the communities they bravely serve," Durbin said. "We m… Continue Reading

Durbin: EPA Renewable Fuel Standard "Seriously Missed The Mark"

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - After meeting with members of the Illinois Farm Bureau, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reiterated his serious concerns regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan, Durbin urged the agency to thoroughly review the proposal, and work toward a final rule that promotes investments in the next gene… Continue Reading

Durbin, Foster, Schakowsky Announce More Than $8.4 Million in Funding To Illinois Schools To Study Cutting Edge Clean Energy Technologies

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded grants totaling $8,435,000 to research centers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Today's funding will be used to study, research and develop cutting edge forms of clean energy. "With the support of federal funding, scientific discoveries are revolutionizing … Continue Reading

Durbin: Let's Call Corporate Inverters What They Really Are: Corporate Deserters

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the U.S. Senate Floor to discuss a tactic called corporate inversions, a move many companies are considering. These companies move their headquarters overseas, but only on paper, to avoid U.S. taxes. Most recently, Burger King decided to renounce its American corporate citizenship by acquiring Canadian company Tim Horton's. Nearly 50 companies have inverted in the last 10 years, with another dozen companies - including three in Illin… Continue Reading