Durbin, Padilla Ask Secretary Becerra For Answers Regarding Reports That Warnings Of Threats To The Safety And Well-Being Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Were Dismissed

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting information related to reports that HHS received warnings that unaccompanied children were being released from HHS custody into situations that presented a risk of labor exploitation and tr… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Rejecting Affirmative Action In College Admissions

ROCKFORD - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina: "I'm disappointed in the Supreme Court's ruling effectively barring the use of race as a factor in college admissions. The Court's conservative majority just upended near… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With March Fourth To Discuss Gun Violence Prevention Efforts

CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with members of March Fourth, a gun violence prevention organization that was founded in the aftermath of the Highland Park shooting on July 4, 2022. "Next week marks one year since the horrific mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. That gunman scarred a community for a lifetime, shooting more than 80 rounds in 60 seconds, at what was supposed to be a joyful community… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Remarks On “Bidenomics” & Democratic Efforts To Grow The Middle Class

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks before President Joe Biden's address touting "Bidenomics" in Chicago. Durbin spoke about the sustained economic growth we've seen under the Biden Administration and how it is growing America's middle class, as well as how legislation passed last Congress-including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act-is contributing to this growth. Key Durbin quotes: "Under President Joe Biden,… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Nomination Of April Perry To Serve As U.S. Attorney For The Northern District Of Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate April Perry to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "We are pleased that President Biden is nominating April Perry to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. She was highly regarded by our screening committee a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On DOJ OIG Report On Death Of Jeffrey Epstein In BOP Custody

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) report on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody, care, and supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York: "I thank the Inspector General for conducting a thorough investigation that reiterates many concerns I have long raised an… Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Genesis Medical Center To Address Health Care Workforce Shortages In Rural Illinois

ALEDO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a news conference with Illinois health care leaders to highlight his "Roadmap to Grow Illinois' Rural Health Workforce." The partnership with hospitals, community health centers, medical and nursing schools, community colleges, dentists, physicians, and nurses will organize efforts and provide new funding to address health care workforce shortages and staffing crises in rural Illinois. The full Roadmap report can be viewed here. "For the past… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Over $360,000 In Federal Funding For Amboy Fire Protection District

AMBOY – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited the Amboy Fire Protection District to discuss the $361,000 in federal funding they received through his Supporting and Improving Rural EMS Needs (SIREN) Act, legislation that authorized new funding for a grant program to directly support rural fire/EMS agencies. Funding can be used to train and recruit staff, conduct courses to satisfy certification requirements, and purchase equipment—everything from naloxone and first aid kits, to power str… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy Inform Consumers Act Goes Into Effect Today

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released the following statement after their Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act went into effect today after passing as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law in December. The legislation combats the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ensuring trans… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Rock Island County State’s Attorney Dora Villarreal

ROCK ISLAND - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Rock Island County State's Attorney, Dora Villarreal, and other local attorneys to discuss criminal justice issues. During the meeting, they discussed mental health resources for kids who have witnessed traumatic events, support for restorative justice initiatives, and Durbin's efforts to protect kids online and combat child sex abuse material (CSAM). "I'm grateful to Rock Island Coun… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1 Billion in Federal Funding for Affordable, Reliable High-Speed Internet Infrastructure in Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $1,040,420,751 in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This funding will help to deploy affordable, reliable high-speed internet infrastructure to help close the digital divide across Illinois. Today's announcement is part of more than $42 billion announced nationwide to expand high-speed internet … Continue Reading

Durbin Celebrates Amtrak’s Lincoln Service Schedule Changes

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Chicago Union Station to highlight schedule changes for Lincoln Service trains, which begin today following the successful implementation of the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed rail project. The schedule changes for Lincoln Service trains will enable passenger rail service to reach 110 mph. With this new high-speed schedule, passengers will see their travel time reduced by 15 minutes from 90 mph runtimes and 30 minutes from 79 mph runtimes.… Continue Reading

Durbin & Graham Continue To Press The Biden Administration To Support The ICC’s Investigation Into Atrocities In Ukraine

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to President Joe Biden once again urging his Administration to support the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into the atrocities committed in Ukraine. Durbin and Graham previously wrote to President Biden in March to emphasize the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Dem Caucus To Introduce Resolution Recognizing June As LGBTQ Pride Month

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined their Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues to introduce a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month. The Senators' resolution highlights the contributions LGBTQ+ Americans have made to our country, notes several major milestones in the fight for equal treatment of LGBTQ+ Americans, and resolves to continue efforts to achieve full equalit… Continue Reading

Senate Passes Durbin, Duckworth Resolution Marking One Year Anniversary Of July 4th Mass Shooting In Highland Park

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressing the condolences of the Senate and honoring the memory of the victims on the first anniversary of the mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4, 2022. Specifically, the Senators' resolution: 1) Expresses sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of Katie Gold… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Greater Springfield Chamber Of Commerce

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to discuss local priorities, including economic development, transportation improvements through the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, and education initiatives at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Lincoln Land Community College. "The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and its members are an important backbone of our economy in Southern Illinois. Dur… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Failed Republican Effort To Weaken The National Firearms Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today voted against a Republican-sponsored Congressional Review Act resolution to repeal a vital gun safety regulation under the National Firearms Act. Reversing this common sense provision would have weakened the regulation of stabilizing braces that can convert pistols into short-barreled rifles and that have been used in multiple recent mass shootings. The resolution failed 49-50. Before the… Continue Reading

In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Defends The Rights Of LGBTQ+ Americans

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today celebrated the historic progress made in protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. He also called on his colleagues to remain steadfast in defending these rights against a tidal wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced across the country, particularly targeting transgender youth. "This weekend, cities around the globe, including Chicago, will be h… Continue Reading

Durbin: It’s Now Up To Congress To Protect Women And Health Care Providers From The Results Of The Disastrous Dobbs Ruling

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor about the dangerous consequences for women and the doctors who care for them post-Dobbs. Two months ago, Durbin held a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "The Assault on Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs America." Durbin said, "We had ori… Continue Reading

ICYMI: Durbin Vows Action On Supreme Court Ethics Legislation In Senate Judiciary Committee

WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, the Washington Post highlighted the announcement by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, to hold a markup on Supreme Court ethics legislation after the July 4threcess. Key quotes: "Scrutiny of the Supreme Court intensified Wednesday after Justice Samuel A. A… Continue Reading