WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products Director, Dr. Brian King, and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Brian Boynton, to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the sale of unauthorized e-cigarettes, which has resulte  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's (MWRD) leadership to discuss the department's ongoing projects and top priorities. In their meeting, Durbin received an update on the design and construction of Thornton Reservoir, which was built to reduce chronic flooding. In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), Durbin secured a $20 million for MWRD to address excessiv  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Following his advocacy in Congress to expand the use of E15 fuel, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17), a member of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, applauded a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow for the sale of E15 fuel for this summer. E15 is gasoline blended with 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol, meaning increased profits for farmers. "Allowing for the sale of E15 this summe  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on May 9, 2024: * * * Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report - with criminal referrals - that in 2023, VA improperly awarded $10.8 million dollars in bonuses - incentives that were meant for high-d  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Doris Matsui (CA-07), and Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), co-leads of the Safer Beauty Bill Package, joined advocacy stakeholders for a roundtable discussion on current cosmetic safety issues. Hosted in conjunction with the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), this event highlighted the updates to cosmetic regulation that the Modernization of Cosmetic Regulation Act   more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on May 9, 2024: Today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the Protecting Older Americans Act, which would invalidate forced arbitration clauses that prevent age discrimination victims from seeking justice and public accountability in court. An AARP survey found that 78% of older workers have either seen or experienced age discrimination in the workpla  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on May 9, 2024: Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Steve Dettelbach, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), to discuss the implementation of the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) that was passed by the Senate and signed into law by President B  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release: In case you missed it, support for U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz's nomination to be U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the Sixth Circuit continues to grow, despite Senate Judiciary Republicans' false claims about him. In stark contrast to their current attacks, Senate Republicans strongly supported Mr. Ritz's appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tenn  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, issued the following news release on May 8, 2024: FREEPORT, IL - Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) and the Department of Transporation (DOT) are announcing $400,000 for the City of Freeport to study way the community can increase traffic safety. "Bringing tax dollars back home to invest in infrastructure is one of the best ways we can make our neighborhoods safer and more sustainable," said Sorensen. "I'm proud to join the Department of Tran  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) led a bipartisan group of 24 of his colleagues in calling for funding the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), which invests in rural schools. Sorensen's advocacy is in direct response to outreach from rural school districts in Central and Northwestern Illinois on this issue. "We urge the Committee to adopt robust funding for the Rural Education Achievement Program   more