Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Consumer and Financial Protection
Durbin & Senators Press JUUL Labs, Inc. For Answers On Marketing Addictive E-Cigarette Vaping Product To Teens, Urge FDA To Take Swift Action
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with 10 of his Senate colleagues, sent two letters to JUUL Labs, Inc. and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about JUUL e-cigarette vaping products. In the letter to Juul Labs, Inc. Durbin and his colleagues ask a series of questions about how the product is marketed to children and teens, what ingredients are in the flavorings that accompany these devices, and requests that the company take a series of important steps… Continue Reading
04.16.18
Durbin Questions FCC On Sinclair Dictating Content To Local News Stations While It Weighs Proposed Mega-Merger With Tribune
CHICAGO-Following reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair) required local news anchors at Sinclair-owned television stations across the country to deliver a scripted promotional message on-air, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to carefully consider Sinclair's conduct and the significant harm it poses to the public interest as he weighs the proposed merger between Sinclair and Tribune Media Company (Trib… Continue Reading
04.13.18
FDA Answers Durbin, Brown, Blumenthal Call to Ban Deadly Powdered Caffeine
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will act to ban the retail sale of pure and highly concentrated bulk caffeine products in both powder and liquid forms. In guidance issued earlier today, the FDA has clarified that dietary supplements containing pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms are unlawful when sold in bulk quantities directly to consumers. Given the fa… Continue Reading
04.10.18
Durbin Questions Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees entitled "Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data": "Mr. Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?" Durbin asked. "Um, uh, no," Zuckerberg replied. "If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you messa… Continue Reading
04.04.18
Durbin Questions Sinclair Broadcasting Dictating Content To Local News Stations
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Sinclair Broadcasting Group Executive Chairman David Smith to explain his company's policy regarding mandating content for local news stations, as well as whether employment consequences exist for local news anchors who do not deliver scripted content from the broadcasting giant. A recent report showing local news anchors reading the same script verbatim continues the troubling history of Sinclair dictating content to its… Continue Reading
02.08.18
Durbin & Duckworth Demand Answers On Reports Of CFPB'S Stalled Investigation Into Equifax Breach
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Brian Schatz (D-HI) and a group of 28 senators in demanding answers on reports that, under the Trump administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted its investigation into how credit reporting agency Equifax failed to protect the personal data of over 145 million Americans. More than 5.45 million Illinois residents were affected by the breach. "We are deeply troubled by recent news… Continue Reading
01.24.18
Durbin, Bipartisan Senators Introduce Music Modernization Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bob Corker (R-TN), Doug Jones (D-AL), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today introduced legislation they said would be the "most significant change in music licensing laws in decades" to help songwriters get paid fair value for their songs. The Music Modernization Act would create a new, simplified licensing entity to make it easier for digital mus… Continue Reading
01.05.18
Durbin, Duckworth Urge DOJ And FCC To Closely Scrutinize Proposed Sinclair-Tribune Merger
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and seven other senators in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to closely scrutinize media mergers that fall within their jurisdictions, particularly, the proposed Sinclair Broadcasting-Tribune Media merger. A combined Sinclair-Tribune would own 233 television stations and reach 72 percent of American households, af… Continue Reading
12.15.17
Durbin Joins Resolution to Restore FCC's Net Neutrality Rules
WASHINGTON-Following the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) vote to dismantle net neutrality protections, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and 14 other Senators to announce their plan to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would undo yesterday's action by the FCC and restore the 2015 net neutrality rules. "Yesterday, the FCC walked away from its statutory duties and effectively eliminated its oversight over high-speed internet access.… Continue Reading
12.12.17
Durbin, Duckworth Call on FCC to Abandon Plan to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to abandon his plan to repeal the agency's net neutrality rules, which would give internet providers the ability to freely block or slow down consumers' access to the internet. The senators' letter comes ahead of a Thursday vote by the FCC to dismantle the net neutrality protections. "Your plan gives a broadband provider the ability to sig… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Durbin, Duckworth Call On President Trump To Swiftly Nominate Head Of Consumer Watchdog Who Will Put Main Street Ahead Of Wall Street
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling on him to follow the law and swiftly nominate a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) who will put working families ahead of Wall Street. In their letter, the Senators cited the CFPB's "aggressive enforcement and supervision," which has resulted in $12 billion in relief to 29 million American consumers who were cheated by financial companies. … Continue Reading
11.15.17
Durbin, Duckworth Call For Impartial Investigation Into Potential Quid Pro Quo Between Chairman Ajit Pai, Trump Administration, And Sinclair Broadcasting
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined 12 of their Senate colleagues to request the inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) open and investigation into the objectivity and impartiality of the FCC's review of the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcasting and Tribune Media. "We have strong concerns that the FCC's ongoing review of the proposed merger of Sinclair Broadcasting and Tribune Media may be gained by a series of actio… Continue Reading
11.13.17
Durbin Warns Against FCC Efforts To Rollback Media Ownership Rules
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) efforts to rollback media ownership rules that prevent one company from owning or controlling multiple broadcast stations within a single local media market. Ownership limits were originally created to prevent large companies from having excessive influence in local media markets by protecting local broadcast stations from being controlled by major national networks. If these pr… Continue Reading
11.08.17
Durbin, Schatz, Degette Reintroduce Legislation To Raise Smoking Age To 21
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) reintroduced the Tobacco to 21 Act, bicameral legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. Five states, the District of Columbia, and more than 200 localities in an additional 13 states have raised the minimum tobacco age of sale to 21 - including Chicago, Lake County, and ten other localities in Illinois. Studies have shown that three-… Continue Reading
10.30.17
Durbin: Sinclair-Tribune Mega-Merger Is Not In The Interest Of The American People
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today warned that if the proposed acquisition of the Tribune Media Company (Tribune) by the Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair) is approved, it would threaten diversity and localism in broadcasting, ignore the unique concerns and interests of local audiences, and harm competition. If approved, the merged Sinclair-Tribune company would own or operate 233 stations nationwide and reach 72 percent of U.S. TV households-making it the nation's largest televis… Continue Reading
10.04.17
Durbin Urges Equifax To Protect Consumers By Paying Credit Freeze Fees At The Other Major Credit Reporting Agencies
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), in a letter to Equifax Interim Chief Executive Officer Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., called on the massive credit-reporting agency to assume fees incurred by consumers freezing, temporarily lifting, and unfreezing their credit reports at the two other major credit reporting agencies: Experian and TransUnion. Durbin also pressed Equifax to reimburse consumers who have already paid such fees since Equifax announced the massive breach of its… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Durbin, Brown, Reed, Blumenthal, Markey, Franken Introduce Legislation To Reduce Youth Tobacco Use, Close Tax Loopholes
WASHINGTON-U.S Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D- IL) and U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Al Franken (D-MN) announced the Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2017 which would help reduce tobacco use by closing loopholes in the tax code that have long been exploited by the tobacco industry to avoid regulation and taxes for their products. This legislation would apply tax parity across all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Inc… Continue Reading
09.21.17
Durbin Urges MLB To Extend Safety Netting At All Ballparks
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today wrote to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, urging him to push for extended safety netting at all 30 major league ballparks. Full text of Durbin's letter: September 21, 2017 Mr. Rob Manfred Commissioner Major League Baseball 245 Park Avenue New York, New York Dear Commissioner Manfred: The latest tragic incident of a young child struck by a foul ball at Yankee Stadium should be a clarion call to professional ba… Continue Reading
09.20.17
Durbin, Merkley, Cartwright, Cohen Introduce Bicameral Bill To Crack Down On Predatory Lending Practices
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) were joined by U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (D-PA-17) and Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) in introducing the bicameral Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act, legislation that would eliminate the excessive rates and fees that many consumers are charged for payday loans, car title loans, and other types of credit. Cash-strapped consumers nationwide pay, on average, annual interest rates of 400 percent for payd… Continue Reading
09.12.17
Durbin, Franken, Cortez Masto To Equifax: End Use Of Consumer-Harming Forced Arbitration Clauses
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) in pushing Equifax-the massive credit bureau that recently made public a data breach affecting 143 million Americans-to completely end its use of forced arbitration agreements, which limit the ability of consumers to pursue justice in a public court of law or challenge widespread corporate wrongdoing. Equifax, one of the three biggest credit bureaus in the Unite… Continue Reading