Durbin Statement On Fallen Chicago Police Department Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today issued the following statement regarding Chicago Police Department Officer Andres Vasquez-Lasso who was killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, March 1: "The loss of fallen CPD Officer Vasquez-Lasso is heartbreaking. My prayers are with Officer Vasquez-Lasso's family, friends, and colleagues who are grieving. "Our heroic officers deserve to return home after every shift. Gun violence is tearing our communities apart, and I am d… Continue Reading

Durbin Leads Colleagues In Letter To HHS, DOL Requesting Information On Protecting Children From Exploitation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led 16 Senate colleagues in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh requesting information on children's placement with sponsors and investigations into child labor. The letter follows a New York Times article that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of unaccompanied non-citizen childr… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls On His Colleagues To Support The Equal Rights Amendment

WASHINGTON - On the first day of Women's History Month, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a speech on the Senate floor discussed this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would enshrine gender equality into the Constitution. "The Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced in 1923-one hundred years ago-and proposed by a leader named Dr. Alice Paul. At the time, she had just won an important… Continue Reading

Durbin Continues To Call For Closure Of Guantanamo Bay

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the importance of closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called on the Biden Administration to do more to accelerate the closure of the facility once and for all. Durbin began his speech by highlighting Leila Murphy, a young law student who lost her father on September 11th, 2001, when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Tr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Senate Confirmation Of Colleen Lawless To Serve As District Court Judge For The Central District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - 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 U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Colleen Lawless to serve as a District Court Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois: "We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed the nomination of Judge Colleen Lawless to fill a judicial vacancy in the Central District of Illinois. Her experience… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Additional $51.8 Million In Federal Funding To Help Illinois Families Save On Home Energy Bills

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced an additional $51,817,305 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help Illinoisans pay the rising cost of home heating bills this winter. This additional funding brings the total amount of LIHEAP funds released to Illinois in Fiscal Year 2023 to $259,987,786. For more than 40 years, LIHE… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Colleagues To Introduce Legislation To Close Divide On Digital Equity, Inclusion, And Literacy

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) to introduce the Digital Equity Foundation Act, legislation to establish a nonprofit foundation that would channel public and private investments into making progress in closing the divide on digital equity, digital inclusion, and digital literacy. … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Bloomington-Normal One Voice Coalition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, accompanied by the One Voice coalition comprised of members of local government, labor, education, health, and business sectors. During their meeting, the Senators and the group discussed how the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act can support infrastructure projects in Central Illinois. The g… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Attorney General Garland During Hearing On Oversight Of The Department Of Justice

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." Durbin asked AG Garland about the Department's efforts to address gun violence, particularly after the July 4th Highland Park, Illinois, shooting. Specifically, Durbin asked how DOJ is using the authorities and resources provided by the Bipartisan S… Continue Reading

Durbin Talks Clean Energy With Illinois Municipal Electric And Utilities Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Municipal Electric/Utilities Association (IMEA/IMUA) to discuss clean energy tax incentives and grid security. During their conversation, Durbin discussed the impact of theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on the energy sector, highlighting how Illinois is primed to become a leader in clean energy and a trailblazer in electric vehicle production. Durbin and IMEA/IMUA also spoke about the… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Broadcasters Association

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) to discuss priorities for broadcasters, including the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA), which passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan vote last Congress. Additionally, Durbin spoke with IBA about the important role local broadcasting plays in covering news in their community. "Illinois broadcasters are essential to keeping our c… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing On The Department Of Justice

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, "Oversight of the Department of Justice." In his opening statement, Durbin argued that the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has returned to its traditional and proper role-it is no longer the personal law firm of a sitting President, but rather the country's leading defender of the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Secure $66.5 Million For Chicago O’Hare, Peoria, And St. Louis Airport Renovations

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth today announced a combined $66.5 million in federal funding for Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Peoria International Airport, and St. Louis Downtown Airport from theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Airport Terminal Program (ATP). Chicago O'Hare International Airport, awarded $50,000,000, will use these funds to rehabilitate and expand the 60-year-old Terminal 3. This is the largest grant amo… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Train Derailments And Union Agreements With CSC CEO

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Joe Hinrichs, CEO of CSX Transportation, to discuss the recent derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and preventing future hazardous derailments. Durbin heard from Hinrichs about what additional safety measures could be implemented to alert conductors of potential malfunctions. The meeting concluded with Durbin and Hinrichs discussing the need to support improved working conditions for rail emplo… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With CDC Director Walensky

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to discuss the work being done at CDC to address the youth vaping epidemic, as well as efforts to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma at the root of community violence. Durbin and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Resilience Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, a bipartisan bill to incr… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With Illinois Chapters Of Boys And Girls Club Of America

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with leaders of Illinois chapters of the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) to discuss academic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, youth mentoring, and student mental and physical well-being. During their meeting, Durbin learned more about BGCA's after-school programing that focuses on addressing students' academic needs as well as health and wellness. "The Boys and Girls Club of America serve nearly four million youth… Continue Reading

Durbin, Thune Urge Biden To Prioritize E15 Fuel, Utilize American Agriculture

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in urging President Biden to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel in 2023 in order to reduce the United States' reliance on foreign sources of energy and utilize American agriculture as an energy solution. The Senators note that American biofuels are a clean and reliable energ… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Equal Rights Amendment

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution." At today's hearing, the witnesses testified to the necessity of enshrining gender equality into law and Congress' role in ERA ratification. Durbin first asked Kathleen Sullivan, Senior Counsel at Quinn Eman… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Equal Rights Amendment

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, "The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize Ratification and Enshrine Equality in Our Constitution." The witnesses will testify to the necessity of enshrining gender equality into law and Congress' role in ERA ratification. Key quotes: "It was a long time ago, many years, I was a young lawyer on… Continue Reading

Durbin Highlights Recent CODEL To The Munich Security Conference, Georgia, And Romania

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting his recent trip to the Munich Security Conference, as well as the countries of Georgia and Romania. Durbin began his speech by reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and President Biden's recent trip to Kyiv. "Last week the world saw a stark contrast in global leadership. First, Presidents Bi… Continue Reading