Durbin, Duckworth Announce $12.5 Million in DOJ Awards for Illinois to Advance Community Policing

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois law enforcement agencies will receive a total of $12,533,250 in funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to hire 85 new full-timelaw enforcement professionals, including 50 in Chicago. This funding is part of a nationwide announcement of more than $139 million in COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grants to 180 agencies … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Administration's Action to Expand And Strengthen H-2B Visa Program

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), announced that nearly 65,000 supplemental H-2B visas will be allocated in fiscal year (FY) 2023 and that DHS and DOL are implementing changes to address abuses in the H-2B Visa Program: "I have long had serious concerns about the effect of increasing the H-2B cap on… Continue Reading

Durbin Joins Gillibrand In Calling for EPA to Further Address Toxic Peas Pollution in Upcoming Guidance

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with 12 of their colleagues, in sending a letter calling for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase its efforts to stop the flow of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances?(PFAS) into communities. Ahead of the EPA's upcoming guidance to state permitting authorities on how to address PFAS in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, … Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $775,000 for Aurora University to Improve Training for Nursing Students

AURORA - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Aurora University (AU) to discuss the $775,000 in federal funding he secured through Congressionally Directed Spending-commonly known as an earmark-in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 omnibus appropriations bill to provide enhanced hands-on training opportunities for nearly 800 nursing students. This funding will allow the University to obtain new state-of-the-art training technology, including simulation manikins, to teach foundational skills thr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Portman, Rubio Provisions to Ban U.S. Recognition of Any Ukrainian Territory Annexed By Russia Included In Proposed FY23 NDAA Substitute

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) announced their amendments that prohibit the United States from recognizing any Russian claim of sovereignty over any portion of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine have been included in the substitute of the Senate-version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that advanced to the Se… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Lindsay C. Jenkins, Nominated to the Northern District of Illinois, in Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Lindsay C. Jenkins, nominated to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. During the hearing, Durbin highlighted her extensive qualifications and background as a federal prosecutor. Ms. Jenkins spent 15 years as a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois, and in that time, gained … Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $2.25 Billion in Federal Formula Funding for Illinois Infrastructure

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $2,250,129,111 in federal formula funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration for Fiscal Year 2023. This funding is part of the more than $17 billion in federal formula funds that Illinois will receive from the significant increase in federal infrastructure funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. "Today's announced funding wi… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Hearing on Latest Circuit and District Court Nominations

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 on the nominations of Anthony Devos Johnstone, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Daniel J. Calabretta, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California; Matthew L. Garcia, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico; Jeffery Paul Hopkins, to be United… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cassidy Inform Consumers Act Included In Proposed FY23 NDAA Substitute

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced today their Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act has been included in the substitute of the Senate-version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that advanced to the Senate floor today. The legislation will combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by ens… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $6 Million in Grants for Chicago Public Schools

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Chicago Public Schools received $5,893,904 in Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grants to support school curriculum and promote equity efforts. The MSAP grant money, awarded by the U.S Department of Education, will assist Chicago magnet schools in implementing innovative instructional approaches that will support students from a wide-range of social, economic, ethnic, and ra… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls for Passage of NOPEC Act in the Lame Duck Session

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding OPEC+'s decision to dramatically reduce oil production in alliance with Vladimir Putin: "From unanswered questions about 9/11, the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the exporting of extremism, to dubious jailing of peaceful dissidents and conspiring with Vladimir Putin to punish the U.S. with higher oil prices, the Saudi royal famil… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on Fifth Circuit Ruling on DACA

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, released the following statement regarding the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to remand the case on the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to the District Court for further consideration. For now, this decision maintains the status quo - current DACA recipients can continue to live and work under the protections of the progr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Stratton Join Local Officials to Cut Ribbon On Latest Completed Segment of Springfield Rail Improvements Project

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today attended the ribbon cutting for the new 5th and 6th Street Bridges, which are part of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project. The 5th and 6th Street Bridges Project includes new double-track bridges for the Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific corridors at 5th and 6th Streets. It also includes grading, drainage, and trackwork from north of 6th Street to Stanford Avenue. This project improves rail safety and vehicle height restrictions on the h… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Urge Department of Education to Strengthen Regulations Against Informal Removal of Students From Class as a Form of Discipline

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights calling for "informal removal" to be included in the final rulemaking for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As the Senators reiterate in their letter, including informal removal in Section 504 regulations would protect students, particularly those with disabilities, from the discriminatory use of informal remo… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Join Menendez, Velazquez in Bicameral Effort Urging The Biden Administration to Extend Federal Cost Share Waiver and Unlock Federal Resources for Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-07) in a bicameral effort urging the Biden Administration to direct more resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to all municipalities in Puerto Rico that need assistance following the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona. Specifically, the lawmakers asked President Biden to grant FEMA Publ… Continue Reading

Durbin, Welch Statement on Federal Reserve's New Rule to Ensure Debit Card Competition

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) released the following statement after the Federal Reserve finalized updates to the Board's rule concerning debit card transactions: "For years we have worked to bring fairness and competition to debit and credit card swipe fees, and this is a big step forward. The Federal Reserve's rulemaking is a win for competition and good news for Main Street merchants and consumers who are tired of big ban… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $200,000 For Lawndale Christian Legal Center Community-Based Legal Services

LAWNDALE - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited Lawndale Christian Legal Center (LCLC) to discuss the $200,000 in federal funding he secured through Congressionally Directed Spending-more commonly known as an earmark-in the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Omnibus appropriations bill to support and enhance LCLC's ongoing community-based legal services. "Too many of our children have been exposed to tremendous amounts of trauma, which has long term consequences on their ability to succeed and t… Continue Reading

Durbin, Marshall Introduce Amendment to NDAA to Address High Swipe Fees Affecting Our Veterans

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) introduced two amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to address excessively high credit and debit card swipe fees that burden American consumers, small businesses, and veterans. Their first amendment would direct the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Treasury Department to issue a report about a current law, 10 USC 1065, that requires some veteran populations including P… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $58 Million for Variety of Illinois Health Care Programs and Initiatives

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $58,988,919 for a variety of health care programs, initiatives, and community projects across the state. "Illinois is home to a wide-range of programs and health care initiatives dedicated to keeping residents healthy," said Durbin. "With this robust federal funding, these programs and institutions can continue improving the well-being of all Illinoisans-whether that means helping f… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $31 Million for Health Care Research in Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $31,055,926 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) medical research grants for Illinois institutions. The funding will be put toward research programs across the state to support medical advancement in various fields, ranging from cancer prevention to vision research. "Federal investments in medical research equip Illinois' inst… Continue Reading