Durbin Says Code of Conduct Shows Willingness of For-profit College Industry to Improve Transparency; Encourages Further Action

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after many for-profit colleges announced that they have signed on to a voluntary agreement called, "Standards of Responsible Conduct and Transparency". "For-profit colleges signing on to a voluntary code of conduct shows that some in the industry are willing to take a first step towards establishing standards of transparency and accountability. More needs to be done and those schools which resist even t… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on the President's Jobs Address

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement tonight after President Obama's address to a Joint Session of Congress on job creation: "Tonight the president challenged Congress to work together to put America back to work. His plan, the American Jobs Act, will create new jobs for teachers, veterans and construction workers. It will cut taxes for small business owners and middle class families and give tax credits to companies that h… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces Over $6.2 Million Investment in Illinois Housing Agencies

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that Illinois Housing Agencies will receive $ 6,289,102 in grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grants provide funding for housing counseling along with funding for local units of government. "Improvements to public housing will enhance the quality of life for individuals who rely on this important service - including nearly 80,000 people in Illinois," said Durb… Continue Reading

Durbin: States Making it Harder for People to Vote

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, chaired a hearing today which examined a rash of new state voting laws that threaten to suppress turnout across the country. New laws in over a dozen states significantly reduce the number of early voting days, require voters to show restrictive forms of photo identification before voting, and make it harder for volunteer organizations to register new v… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $600,000 in DOJ Funding for Illinois Judiciary Programs

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently awarded a total of $652,570 in grants to support the enhancement of two Illinois programs that seek to provide representation for potentially wrongly convicted defendants and to provide better services through drug treatment courts. The following Illinois entities and programs will receive funding: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL: $202,879 in funding has bee… Continue Reading

Durbin: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Bill That Preserves Essential Funding for Fermilab and Argonne National Lab

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which he is a member, has approved a bill that preserves essential federal funding for scientific research and development programs that will support work at two Illinois labs - Argonne National Laboratory and FermiLab which together employ roughly 4,800 Illinoisans. These projects were included in President Obama's FY2012 Budget and supported by Durbin. "We must reduce our spend… Continue Reading

Durbin Welcomes Illinois AFL-CIO President as Special Guest to Joint Session

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will welcome the President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, Michael T. Carrigan, as his guest to an address by President Barack Obama to a joint session of Congress this evening. Durbin met with his guest prior to the joint session to discuss the importance of growing the economy, creating jobs and putting people back to work in Illinois and across the country. "It's a false choice to say that government cannot create jobs and reduce the debt," … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $18.7 Million Investment in Illinois Airport Infrastructure

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that three Illinois airports have received a total of $18,702,075 in grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for infrastructure improvements and upgrades. "Today's grants will allow airports in Illinois to make needed improvements and upgrades to help them reduce noise and serve travelers more safely and efficiently," said Durbin. The following investments in Illinois' transportation infrastructure were m… Continue Reading

Durbin Lauds DOE Decision to Award Argonne National Laboratory A Nearly $2 Million Competitive Grant

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) today commended the U.S. Department of Energy's selection of the Lemont, Illinois-based Argonne National Laboratory to receive a $1,875,000 competitive grant. Argonne was selected for its ability to contribute to the development of innovative technologies that produce hydropower more efficiently, reduce costs, and increase sustainable hydropower generation. "Argonne is one of our nation's premier research and innovation labs as well as an impor… Continue Reading

As a Result of Durbin-authored Law, Family Caregivers Of Veterans Start Receiving Financial Assistance

[CHICAGO, IL] - Hundreds of families who have taken on the enormous task of caring for America's most seriously wounded warriors are now receiving financial assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs' Family Caregiver Program, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. The Family Caregiver Program provides technical, financial and practical support to family caregivers of post-9/11 veterans seriously injured in the line of duty. To date, 36 Illinois families are participating in the … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $5 Million in DOJ Funding to Enhance Community and Law Enforcement Safety

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently awarded a total of $5,118,812 in Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants to support Illinois law enforcement officers. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, named in memorial of a young police officer who was killed while on duty, is administered by The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The grants are awarded to states and… Continue Reading

Durbin to Chair Hearing Examining New State Voting Laws that Threaten to Suppress Turnout Nationwide

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, today announced a hearing examining a rash of new state voting laws that threaten to suppress turnout across the country. These new laws significantly reduce the number of early voting days, require voters to show restrictive forms of photo identification before voting, and make it harder for volunteer organizations to register new voters. Supporters of t… Continue Reading

Durbin: Peoria International Airport to Receive a Nearly $3.5 Million Grant for Improvements

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $3,489,278 grant to the Greater Peoria Airport Authority for several safety and improvement projects at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport. This funding will be used to improve the airport's aircraft rescue and fire fighting building as well as for the rehabilitation of two runways and a taxiway. "Peoria International Airport … Continue Reading

Durbin, Kirk and Delegation Call on President to Provide Federal Relief for Illinois Counties

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) were joined by members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation today in requesting that President Obama issue a major disaster declaration for the State of Illinois and to provide relief to three Illinois counties - Carroll, Jo Daviess and Stephenson - affected by severe storms and flooding that occurred in late July. A Presidential disaster declaration would allow cities and counties to apply for federal reimbursements to… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $8.3 Million in Funding to Fight and Prevent Substance Abuse

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Illinois $8,324,317 to help fight and prevent substance abuse. The funds will be used by communities throughout Illinois to provide more comprehensive screening, prevention, and early intervention programs as well as referrals to treatment for people at high risk for substance abuse. Today's grant is part of roughly $137 million awarded na… Continue Reading

Chicago to Participate in National 9/11 Moment of Remembrance

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today in announcing that Chicago will join the growing list of cities committed to participating in a national Moment of Remembrance on 9/11. The city will be encouraging local residents to memorialize the September 11th terrorist attacks with one minute of reflection, marked by the ringing of bells, sounding of sirens and other actions to remember the lives lost that day. "We … Continue Reading

Illinois Officials Announce Silver Cross Victory for Area Vets

[JOLIET, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) today were joined by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL-11th) in celebrating a long-anticipated agreement to transform the emergency room facility at Joliet's Silver Cross Hospital into a 60,000 square foot outpatient mega-clinic for area veterans. Lawmakers began lobbying for the project three years ago after Silver Cross announced it would be moving its current operations to New Le… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $16.3 Million in Illinois Airport Infrastructure

[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that several Illinois airports have received a total of $16,328,409 in grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for infrastructure improvements and upgrades. "Today's grants will allow airports in Illinois to make needed improvements and upgrades to help them serve travelers more safely and efficiently," said Durbin. The following investments in Illinois' transportation infrastructure were made under this … Continue Reading

Durbin Lauds Obama Administration Announcement on Dream Act Deportation Cases

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, in a letter to Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 21 other Senators, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that the Administration has established a new process for handling the deportation cases of DREAM Act students and other sympathetic individuals. If fully implemented, the new process should stop virtually all DREAM Act deportations. "The Obama Administration has made the right decision in changing the way they hand… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces More Than $5.7 Million in USDA Funding for Rural Development

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development division has awarded a total of $5,709,200 in Community Facility Grants and Loans and Water and Waste Disposal Grants and Loans to local organizations in Illinois. "Community facilities and services are an important part of everyday life for millions of rural Illinoisans," said Durbin "This funding makes a significant investment in the continued operation an… Continue Reading