Prairie State Wire

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) report on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody, care, and supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York:

Durbin Meets With Rock Island County State’s Attorney Dora Villarreal

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Rock Island County State’s Attorney, Dora Villarreal, and other local attorneys to discuss criminal justice issues.

Attorney General Raoul: Joliet Man And Wilmington Man Plead Guilty To Charges As Part Of Multi-County Video Gaming Burglary Ring

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that a Joliet man and a Wilmington man pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison for burglarizing businesses and stealing cash from video poker machines. The plea is part of an ongoing burglary case Raoul announced in 2022 following a joint investigation with the Illinois Gaming Board, the Illinois State Police (ISP) and several local law enforcement agencies.

Gov. Pritzker Announces One Appointment to Boards and Commissions

Grondin is currently an owner and managing partner at Curioso LLC, overseeing hospitality projects across the United States and Mexico. Prior to founding Curioso, she was a designer with The Gettys Group, working on a variety of hotel projects across the United States and Asia.

Duckworth Reinforces Support for Working Families with United Steelworkers District 7 Members

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with members of United Steelworkers (USW) District 7 to discuss federal efforts to support working families and protect strong union labor.

Duckworth Discusses FAA Reauthorization Priorities with Airlines for America CEO & President Nick Calio

U.S. Senator and pilot Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—met with Airlines for America (A4A) CEO and President Nick Calio to discuss some of her priorities that were included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023, many of which A4A supported. As one of the authors of the legislation, Duckworth successfully secured provisions that will improve safety for consumers, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities.

Duckworth, Fischer, Ernst, Klobuchar, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Solidify Future of American-Grown Sustainable Aviation Fuels

U.S. Senator and pilot Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) along with U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are introducing the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Accuracy Act of 2023, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to identify the standards required to meet the definition of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1 Billion In Federal Funding For Affordable, Reliable High-Speed Internet Infrastructure In Illinois

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive $1,040,420,751 in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Attorney General Raoul Defends Rhode Island’s Restrictions On Large-Capacity Magazines

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 18 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief today defending the state of Rhode Island’s restrictions on large-capacity firearm magazines. The attorney generals filed the brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Ocean State Tactical, LLC, et al. v. State of Rhode Island.

Durbin, Cassidy Inform Consumers Act Goes Into Effect Today

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released the following statement after their Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act went into effect today after passing as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law in December.

Durbin, Duckworth Join Senate Dem Caucus To Introduce Resolution Recognizing June As LGBTQ Pride Month

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined their Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues to introduce a Senate resolution recognizing June as LGBTQ Pride Month.

Duckworth Touts Key Priorities Included in Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation— announced several of her key priorities were included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023.

Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Statement on Completion of Springfield Race Riot Site Special Resource Study

U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) released the following statement in response to the National Park Service releasing its Special Resource Study for the proposed national monument site memorializing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot.

Duckworth Joins Cantwell, Cruz and Moran to Introduce Bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act

U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST), Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 to ensure the United States has safe, reliable and resilient air travel, stronger consumer protections for the flying public, advanced research in aviation innovation and a modernized national airspace system to maintain the gold standard in aviation safety for years to come. Duckworth is the Chair of the CST Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Safety.

Durbin Celebrates Amtrak’s Lincoln Service Schedule Changes

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited Chicago Union Station to highlight schedule changes for Lincoln Service trains, which begin today following the successful implementation of the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed rail project.

Attorney General Raoul Files Brief To Protect Transgender Students’ Privacy

Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 16 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief supporting schools’ ability to protect the privacy of transgender students who have shared their identity with school staff.

Gov. Pritzker's Statement on the Overturning of Affirmative Action

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Affirmative Action is a travesty — reversing nearly 45 years of precedent that advances equity throughout our country's higher education institutions.

Republican State Leadership Committee: ‘Illinois Democrats are once again raising taxes on the hardworking people of the Prairie State!’

The Republican State Leadership Committee is criticizing Illinois' upcoming tax increases on gas and groceries, which will take effect Saturday.

Durbin & Graham Continue To Press The Biden Administration To Support The ICC’s Investigation Into Atrocities In Ukraine

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to President Joe Biden once again urging his Administration to support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into the atrocities committed in Ukraine.

Senate Passes Durbin, Duckworth Resolution Marking One Year Anniversary Of July 4th Mass Shooting In Highland Park