On Fiftieth Anniversary of the War on Poverty, Durbin Calls for a Renewed Commitment to Creating Opportunity for All Americans

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War on Poverty," U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate Floor today to call for a renewed commitment to the government social safety net programs that have helped lift millions of Americans out of poverty. Today, Durbin asked his Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle to consider legislative efforts to expand opportunity for all Americans, including increasing the minimum wage and extending emergency u… Continue Reading

Durbin Holds Hearing on Syrian Refugee Crisis

Washington, D.C. - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, held a hearing today on the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. "The ongoing civil war in Syria has created the world's worst humanitarian and refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide and perhaps since World War II," Durbin said. "Of the nearly 2.3 million Syrian refugees that have fled the bloody civil war, nearly half are children. W… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Asian Carp Management Study

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after reviewing an Army Corps of Engineers report examining several options for containing invasive species, including Asian Carp, in the Great Lakes. Durbin joined U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Carl Levin (D-MI) and other Great Lakes Senators in requesting and authorizing the report entitled the Great Lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin Study. "This study tells us that while we have bee… Continue Reading

Senators Urge Swift Review of FDA Rule to Regulare the Manufacturing, Sale, and Marketing of E-Cigarettes

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As tobacco products like electronic cigarettes and flavored cigars continue to grow in popularity and increase nicotine addiction and tobacco use among young people, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Ed Markey (D-MA) today called on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to promptly complete its review of a proposed rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which would expand the FDA's regulatory authority over … Continue Reading

Durbin Asks IRS to Issue Rule Limiting What Hospitals Can Charge Poor, Uninsured for Care

Washington, D.C. - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote to the Acting IRS Commissioner, Daniel Werfel, today asking him to complete the rulemaking process that would restrict what hospitals can charge for services to people without health care coverage and would prohibit hospitals from aggressive pursuit of medical debts from people who do not have the financial wherewithal to pay them. The rule was required as one of the consumer protection provisions found in the Affordable Care… Continue Reading

Durbin, Reed, Warren: Student Loan Debt Is Hurting America's Middle Class

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today vowed to do more to address America's exploding student loan debt crisis that is reducing homeownership, jeopardizing retirement security, limiting the formation of small businesses, and leading to more income inequality in this country. On a conference call with reporters, the three Senators discussed the higher education priorities they will focus on next year to help working families bet… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Priorities for Creating Jobs and Growing America's Middle Class

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - During a press conference with Senate Democratic Leadership, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed Senate Democrats' commitment to creating jobs and providing economic certainty for America's middle class. Senator Durbin spoke on several issues including extending federal unemployment benefits, helping hardworking families tackle the burden of student loan debt, and raising the federal minimum wage. The first bill the Senate will consider when it returns in January will … Continue Reading

Durbin, Bustos Applaud New Task Force to Fight Violent Crime in Winnebago County

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Following today's announcement of the formation of the Winnebago County Violent Crime Task Force, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) commended local law enforcement leaders for coordinating their efforts to address violent crime in the Winnebago County area. The new partnership is an outgrowth of a meeting Durbin and Bustos convened with law enforcement leaders in Rockford earlier this year to discuss strategies for coordinating crime f… Continue Reading

Durbin And Kirk Support Argonne Proposal To Help Mass Transit Systems Handle Emergency Events

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) joined together yesterday to write U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in support of Argonne National Laboratory's proposal for the Department of Transportation's new research program examining the capacity of mass transit systems to plan for and respond to emergency events. Argonne's proposal was developed in partnership with Metra, Pace Suburban Bus Service, the Illinois Department of Transportatio… Continue Reading

Durbin And Kirk Support Argonne Proposal To Help Mass Transit Systems Handle Emergency Events

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) joined together yesterday to write U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in support of Argonne National Laboratory's proposal for the Department of Transportation's new research program examining the capacity of mass transit systems to plan for and respond to emergency events. Argonne's proposal was developed in partnership with Metra, Pace Suburban Bus Service, the Illinois Department of Transportatio… Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk, Delegation Call on President to Provide Federal Public Assistance for Southern and Central Illinois Counties

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) were joined by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation today sending a letter to President Obama asking him to provide Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance to help nine Illinois counties recover from the deadly tornadoes that struck the state on November 17, 2013. "The tornado damage from severe storms this fall in Central and Southern Illinois that I saw firsthand was some of the worst I ha… Continue Reading

Durbin to Chair Hearing on Ongoing Syrian Refugee Crisis

Washington, D.C. - Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that he will hold a hearing on the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis on Tuesday, January 7, 2014. The hearing will be held at 2:30pm in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. The hearing will focus on the plight of Syrian refugees fleeing the violent civil war in their home country. Approximate… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators in Protesting EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a bipartisan group of Senators in a meeting on Capitol Hill with the Administration of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gina McCarthy, to protest the agency's recent proposal reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). After the meeting, Durbin made the following statement: "I was proud to join a bipartisan group of Senators today in opposing the EPA's effort to undermine … Continue Reading

Durbin Applaud CFPB'S Call for Transparency Regarding Campus Debit Card Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today commended the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) call for financial institutions to publicly disclose agreements with colleges and universities to market financial products to students, including debit, prepaid, and other products. Durbin and U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, have been leaders in calling attention to this issue, and submitted a … Continue Reading

Durbin and Kelly Urge Centers for Disease Control to Study Threat to Public Health Posed by Pet Coke

[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today sent a pair of letters in response to the potential threat posed to Southeast Chicago residents by nearby petroleum coke storage sites. Petroleum coke, a potentially harmful byproduct of petroleum refining more commonly known as pet coke, is stored in open-air sites near residential blocks in the area. Durbin visited some of those communities today. Kelly visited the communities previously. "To… Continue Reading

Durbin Introduces Legislation to Ensure All Foreign Medical Schools are Held to Same Standards

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would close a loophole that has given special treatment to a small number of medical schools in the Caribbean that, last year, took in more than $450 million in U.S. Department of Education Title IV funding. Durbin's Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act would require five Caribbean medical schools - four of which are for-profit institutions - to meet the same minimum requirements that every othe… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Senate Resolution Encouraging Peaceful Resolution of Crisis in Ukraine

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and others this week in introducing a Senate Resolution urging the government of Ukraine and members of the opposition to find a peaceful and democratic resolution to the country's current political crisis. "The mounting political impasse in Ukraine is deeply troubling," Durbin said. "Ukraine is an important friend and ally of the United States th… Continue Reading

Durbin: Amtrak Ridership in Illinois is on the Rise

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As Amtrak ridership numbers continue to grow, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with Amtrak Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Coscia and former Mayor of Macomb, Illinois and current member of the Amtrak Board of Directors, Thomas Carper. A photo of today's meeting is available here. "Amtrak made incredible progress under Chairman Carper's leadership, and we have already seen that trend continue with Chairman Coscia," Durbin said. "Congress must also do its part … Continue Reading

Durbin: Biofuels Critical to Achieving Energy Independence, Protecting Our Environment, and Supportin Rural Economy

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following an oversight hearing today held by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to examine the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal reduce the renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reiterated his commitment to working with his Congressional colleagues and Illinois' industry stakeholders to improve the proposal. The biofuels industry is a major job creator, especially in rural ar… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $3.3 Million for Illinois Health Centers to Expand Healthcare Enrollment Assistance

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $3,358,809 in funding through the Affordable Care Act to hire 132 additional healthcare workers at community health centers throughout Illinois to help individuals and families enroll into affordable health insurance plans. This funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will help these centers expand outreach and enrollment assistance efforts as more Illinoisans are able to access afforda… Continue Reading