Title
Special recognition honoring United States Senator Richard J. "Dick" Durbin.
Body
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, Senator Richard J. "Dick" Durbin has devoted more than four decades to public service, representing the people of Illinois with distinction in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, having first been elected to Congress in 1982 and to the United States Senate in 1996; and
WHEREAS, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Senator Durbin has called Illinois home for his entire life; is married to Loretta Schaeffer Durbin; has three children and six grandchildren; and has dedicated his life to serving the people of Illinois and the United States; and
WHEREAS, Senator Durbin is the longest-serving, popularly elected senator in Illinois history and has served as the State's senior Senator and Senate Democratic Whip since 1999, making him the longest-serving Whip of either political party in the history of the United States Senate; and
WHEREAS, throughout his distinguished career, Senator Durbin has championed legislation and initiatives that have strengthened the nation by expanding access to health care, advancing medical and scientific research, improving transportation infrastructure, protecting consumers, supporting veterans and military families, preserving the Great Lakes and the environment, promoting criminal justice reform, increasing college affordability, reducing tobacco use, and investing in communities throughout Illinois; and
WHEREAS, his legislative accomplishments are many, and include helping to establish the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the passage of the Affordable Care Act, leading the enactment of the Fair Sentencing Act and the bipartisan First Step Act, creating protections for consumers through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, establishing a national caregiver support program for veterans, and securing the creation of the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health...
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