Durbin Questions U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees At Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned nominees to the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission at the latest Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Congress created the bipartisan Sentencing Commission in 1984 and charged the Commission with the critical task of promoting transparency and consistency in federal criminal sentencing. "An amazing array of talent, strong resumes… thank you for being here to… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Judiciary Committee Hearing On U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees

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 Carlton W. Reeves to be a Member and Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission; Laura E. Mate, Claire McCusker Murray, and Luis Felipe Restrepo to be Members and Vice Chairs of the United States Sentencing Commission; and Claria Horn Boom, John Gleeson, and Candice C. Wong to be Members of t… Continue Reading

In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Applauds Department Of Education For Group Discharge Of Student Loans For Borrowers Who Attended Now-Shuttered Corinthian Colleges

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senator floor applauding the Department of Education's recent decision to discharge all remaining federal student loans for those who attended any campus owned or run by the predatory Corinthian Colleges. In April 2015, after Corinthian abruptly closed all of its schools, Durbin first urged the Department to issue widespread relief as he stood in front of a Corinthian-operated school in Chicago with then-Illinois… Continue Reading

President Biden Signs Durbin, D. Davis, Underwood Bill Restoring Education Benefits To Veterans Into Law

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, President Joe Biden signed the Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-7), and U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), into law. The legislation will help more than 300 Illinois veterans who were scammed out of their benefits by the unaccredited, for-profit Future Tech Career Institute (FTCI) in Chicago. "During the pand… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Professor Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on domestic terrorism following the mass shooting in Buffalo that killed ten Black Americans in a racist act of violence. Durbin asked Professor Pape about the threat of the "Great Replacement" con… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism Following Buffalo Massacre

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining the 'Metastasizing' Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack." This hearing-the Committee's third on domestic terrorism this Congress-will explore the continued threat posed by violent white supremacists and other extremists, including those who have embraced the so-called "Great Repla… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Releases Garnell Whitefield, Jr.'s Testimony At Hearing On Domestic Terrorism

WASHINGTON - Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee released Garnell Whitfield, Jr.'s prepared testimony at today's hearing entitled "Examining the 'Metastasizing' Domestic Terrorism Threat After the Buffalo Attack." Mr. Whitfield's mother, Ruth, was one of the ten victims of the May 14, 2022, massacre in Buffalo, New York. Key quotes as prepared: "Our lives are forever changed… forever damaged by an act of profound hate and evil. Nothing will ever take away the hurt, the pain or the ho… Continue Reading

Durbin: This Senate Cannot Escape Our Responsibility To Act On Gun Violence

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging Senate Republicans to join Democrats and pass legislation to reduce gun violence following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among American children and teens. In 2020, 45,222 Americans died by gun violence. Next week, the Senate Jud… Continue Reading

Durbin Honors Former Congressman John Porter On Senate Floor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor honoring the legacy of former Congressman John E. Porter, who represented northern Illinois in Congress for 21 years. In his remarks, Durbin spoke about Porter's reputation as a principled, bipartisan leader within the Illinois congressional delegation. "John Porter was raised in a home where public service was a way of life…[He] believed that public service was a noble profession, that… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $245,000 In EPA Funding To Support Water Quality Monitoring

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $245,000, through the BEACH Act grant program, to Illinois. The grant funding will support the state in developing and implementing a beach monitoring and notification program that will protect the public by monitoring beaches for bacteria, identifying local pollution sources, and reporting these results to EPA. "The Gr… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $6 Million For Runway Improvements At Springfield Airport

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $6,020,767 in federal funding awarded to Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the airport's reconstruction of taxiway lighting and runway updates. "Today's funding is a significant federal investment in the service and safety of those who fly in and out of Springfield's airport, which is a critical element of Illinois e… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Devastating Impact of Gun Violence During National Gun Violence Awareness Day

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today held a news conference with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and medical officials from Cook County Health to discuss the devastating impacts that gun violence has on victims and communities. Durbin thanked the medical staff at Cook County's John H. Stroger Hospital for their heroic efforts to save victims of gun violence, while highlighting the need for Congress to enact common sense gun safety… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $15.2 Million In Upward Bound Grants For Educational Institutions

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded 46 grants, totaling $15,217,775, to Illinois educational institutions through the Upward Bound program. As one of the eight TRIO programs, Upward Bound aims to provide opportunities for high school students from low-income families and families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree to succeed academically and ultimately graduate from institutions… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Rep. Kelly Introduce Wear Orange Resolution For Gun Violence Awareness

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-2) have introduced a Congressional resolution establishing June 3, 2022, as "National Gun Violence Awareness Day" and designating June as "National Gun Violence Awareness Month." Today, communities across the country will participate in a Gun Violence Prevention Day of Action. Every day, 321 people are shot in the United … Continue Reading

Durbin Releases Statement On Department Of Education's Group Discharge Of Student Borrowers Who Attended Now-Shuttered Corinthian Colleges

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Department of Education announced the widespread discharge of all remaining federal student loans for those who attended any campus owned or run by the predatory Corinthian Colleges: "The day after Corinthian collapsed in April 2015, I stood in front of a Corinthian school in Chicago with then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to call on the Department of Education to issue widesprea… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Chicago Delegation Announce $12 Million In Funding For MWRD

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and members of the Chicago delegation today announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year 22 Work Plan included $12 million in funding for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). While the funding was awarded to reimburse MWRD for its work on the design and construction of Thornton Composite Reservoir, MWRD plans to use the reimbursed funds toward a ne… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Call For Immediate Federal Investigation Into Inmate Deaths, Allegations Of Staff Abuses At USP Thomson

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead cosponsor of the First Step Act; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General to immediately open an investigation into allegations concerning a Bureau of Prison (BOP) facility in Thomson, Illinois. In a letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the lawmakers cite a disturbing new r… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $21.2 Million For Head Start Programs In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $21.2 million in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to support Head Start services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. The funding, awarded by the HHS Administration for Children and Families, will go to five organizations across Illinois. "Head Start programs, even through the COVID… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $18.9 Million For Health Care Providers In Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $18.9 million in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants. The funding will go to 15 providers throughout Illinois to invest in groundbreaking research, improved care, and efforts to reduce tobacco use. "Illinois is home to world-class health care providers and biomedical research institutions. If we hope to expand our understanding of diseases, better treat patien… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $250,000 In Federal Funding For Fox River Restoration

CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $250,000 in new federal funding he secured to complete the long-delayed feasibility study for the environmental restoration of the Fox River in Elgin. Durbin secured the funds in the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus appropriations bill to restart and complete the feasibility study for the environmental restoration project, with the collaboration of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Fox R… Continue Reading