Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Bi-State Development President To Discuss Metrolink

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with the CEO and President of Bi-State Development Taulby Roach to discuss MetroLink, the bistate transit system serving St. Louis and Metro East. During their meeting, the Senators heard from Mr. Roach about MetroLink's new safety plan and proposed expansion to the transit system. Mr. Roach spoke about federal support for MetroLink, noting Durbin's efforts to secure Federal Transit Admi… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With International Atomic Energy Agency Director

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to discuss Iran's nuclear weapons program and threats to Ukraine's civilian nuclear energy facilities amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. "As I have repeatedly stated, former President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo's petulant withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement made the U.S. and world less safe. It recklessly threatened ou… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws In a Post-Bruen America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen." The hearing focuses on the radical new standard for the constitutionality of modern-day gun safety laws set by the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in 2022. With that dec… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Krishnamoorthi, Ramirez Statement on Surface Transportation Board's Decision To Approve Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Merger

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) and Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Surface Transportation Board's (STB) decision to allow Canadian Pacific (CP) to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS): "We are deeply disappointed that the Surface Transportation Board has sided with corporations over our constituents in the Chicago region. As we h… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws In A Post-Bruen America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned three witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen." Durbin first questioned Stephen Lindley, former member of law enforcement and current Program Manager for Combating Crime Guns Initiative at Brady, about how frequently law enforcement officers are called to respond to incidents … Continue Reading

Durbin, Shaheen Introduce Legislation to Allow Romania to Join the U.S. Visa Waiver Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, today introduced legislation granting Romania eligibility for participation in the U.S. visa waiver program. "Romania emerged from the ashes of Soviet tyranny to become a thriving member of the transatlantic community of democracies, NATO, and the EU,"said Du… Continue Reading

Durbin Applauds President Biden’s FY24 Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) highlighted President Biden's outline of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget proposal. The proposal protects Social Security, strengthens Medicare, adds 25 additional years of solvency to the Medicare trust fund, improves access to affordable and reliable health coverage, including savings on prescription drugs, and invests in affordable housing and quality child care. The budget proposal also restore… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker, Hirono Express Support For Proposed Amendments To Federal Sentencing Guidelines To Implement First Step Act Reforms, Among Other Priorities

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice & Counterterrorism, and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) submitted a public comment letter to U.S. Sentencing Commission Chair Carlton Reeves regarding proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This is the first amendment cycle of the newly-reconstituted Commission. In the l… Continue Reading

Durbin, Padilla, Nadler, Jayapal Encourage USCIS To Maintain And Expand Access To Legal Immigration System In Proposed Fee Changes

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and U.S. Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY-12) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Members of the House Committee on the Judiciary and Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, submitted a public comment to the U.S. Citizenship and Immi… Continue Reading

Durbin: If You Care About The Financial Security Of Working Families, Pass The Paycheck Fairness Act

WASHINGTON - In observation of Equal Pay Day, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the impact of the gender pay gap. In his remarks, Durbin emphasized that pay inequality has long-term impacts on women's ability to save for retirement, afford child care, or support their families. Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963 that mandated that women should not be paid less for their work than men, the pay gap continues to exist. "Today is Equal Pay Day in A… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge SBA To Evaluate Rule Allowing Fintech Companies To Participate In SBA’s 7(A) Loan Program

WASHINGTON - Following the Small Business Administration's (SBA) November 7, 2022, Proposed Rule on "Small Business Lending Company (SBLC) Moratorium Rescission and Removal of the Requirement for a Loan Authorization," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressed concern that the proposed changes to SBA's 7(a) Loan Program may undermine the integrity of the program. The November 7th rule would lift the moratorium on licensing new SBLCs to participate… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker, Whitehouse, Coons Raise Concerns About Proposed Changes To Bop Inmate Trust Accounts

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a comment letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and BOP's proposed rule on the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program. In the letter, the Senators a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker Urge State Department To Impose Sanctions Following Renewed Reports Of Rebel Group M23’s Use Of Child Soldiers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the rebel group M23's troubling activities in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo, and renewed reports of the group's use of child soldiers, and the consequences of such under the Child Soldier Prevention Act (Public Law 110-457). In the letter, the Senators urged Secretary Blinken to impose further sanctions on M23 under Public Law 112-23… Continue Reading

Durbin, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Marking National Social And Emotional Learning Week

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bipartisan resolution designating the week of March 6, 2023 as National Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Week. SEL is centered on developing the self-awareness, ability to manage emotions, and interpersonal skills that are necessary for school, the workplace, and life. Research shows that SEL promotes student academic outcomes, self-efficacy, and mental health, especially for students … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $14.4 Million In Federal Funding For Chicago Public Schools And Illinois State Board Of Education For Student Mental Health And Trauma-Informed Care

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School to unveil new federal funding totaling $14.4 million to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to expand trauma-informed care and increase student mental health personnel in schools. This funding comes from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act(BSCA), which was signed into law last year and is the most significant gun safety reform in nearly th… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Temporary Conversion Of Thomson Prison To Low-Security Facility

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the decision by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to temporarily convert United States Penitentiary (USP) Thomson into a low-security prison and enhance training for the hundreds of Thomson staff who will all remain employed at the institution: "Today's announcement is good news for the Thomson facility-it remains par… Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Protecting Wilderness Areas With Illinois Volunteers From Utah Wilderness Coalition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois volunteers from the Utah Wilderness Coalition to discuss protecting lands and wilderness areas across the country. Durbin plans to reintroduce his legislation, the America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would protect more than eight million acres of land in Utah that is rich in archaeological resources and home to numerous rare plant and animal species. "Our public lands are facing increasing pressure, both fr… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On Congress To Protect Children From Exploitation & Fix Broken Immigration System

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke about a recent New York Timesarticle that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of unaccompanied non-citizen children and found large numbers of such children are being placed with exploitative sponsors and working long hours in dangerous conditions. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has reported a 69 percent increase in illegally empl… Continue Reading

Durbin, Brown, Warren, Smith Urge Department of Labor to Investigate Retirement Plans That Offer Investments In Crypto

WASHINGTON - Following the Department of Labor's (DOL) March 10, 2022, guidance related to 401(k) plan investments in cryptocurrencies, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tina Smith (D-MN) sent a letter to Secretary Marty Walsh urging DOL to expeditiously act on the announcement that it would investigate plans that offer investments in crypto. The Senators requested that DOL provide a detailed report outlining any… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Bill To Revise And Strengthen The D.C. Criminal Code

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead sponsor of the landmark First Step Act, today released the following statement after voting against H.J.Res.26, a joint resolution disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA) of 2022: "Partisan opponents of D.C.'s revised criminal code have claimed that the bill is 'soft on crime' because it reduces maximum sentences for so… Continue Reading