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Dick Durbin
Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
5:08pm
Tue Feb 19

Chicago Immigration Reform Advocates Trek To D.C. To Call For Moratorium On Deportations

More than 250 advocates and immigrant workers, including approximately 60 members from the Latino Union of Chicago, met in Washington D.C. last week to make their voices heard by legislators and push for a moratorium on deportations while a deal on immigration reform is being hashed out.

On February 13, immigrant groups from across then nation, organized by the United Workers Congress, attended the first Senate hearing on immigration, met with U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D, IL-4), rallied on the Hill and met with legislators from their respective states.

Members of the Latino Union of Chicago met with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the bipartisan group of senators dubbed the Gang of Eight, to ask about features of their recently released proposal “Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”

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Quick Hit
by Steven Ross Johnson
11:40am
Fri Feb 15

Advocates Call On Lawmakers To Have A Heart When It Comes To Federal Budget Cuts (VIDEO)

As the deadline looms for Congress to agree on a budget plan that would avoid an automatic series of spending cuts, a coalition of worker rights', veteran and anti-poverty advocates convened at Federal Plaza Thursday to voice their concerns over the potential negative impact such a move would have for the most vulnerable Americans.

More than $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade, known as sequestration, are set to go into effect March 1. According to a report released last September by the White House Office of Management and Budget, reductions would be made across the board, impacting more than 1,200 agencies and programs.

Singing such tunes as “Stop in the Name of Love”, some 40 to 50 protesters stood in the cold to give what organizers described as a “Valentine’s Day message” to both Illinois Democrat U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk to preserve funding for the country’s social safety net.

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Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
8:42pm
Mon Feb 4

Odds Of Thomson Prison Opening Look Good

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) says there is continued commitment to open Thomson Correctional Center in Northwest Illinois, a prison that has sat mostly vacant since it was built in 2001.

Durbin sat down with Charles Samuels, director of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons, last week and was assured the process of opening Thomson was moving forward. U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-17) joined the meeting by phone.

A timeline for the opening of Thomson has not been released yet, though. Funding for the necessary updates for the prison to meet federal standards is contingent on the president’s FY 2014 budget, which has not yet been submitted.

“When President Obama releases his budget in the next few weeks, it should include funding for prison activation,” said Durbin in a press release. “Over the next few months, I will be working with Congresswoman Bustos to ensure that opening Thomson prison – and bringing jobs and economic activity to Northwest Illinois communities – remains a priority.”

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Quick Hit
by Steven Ross Johnson
3:36pm
Mon Dec 17, 2012

Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security Vital To Illinois Economy, New Report Finds

As lawmakers continue to make little progress in their negotiations over the federal budget, local senior rights advocates warn that proposed cuts in spending to the country’s social safety net would negatively affect many of the state’s elderly and most vulnerable residents.

The importance of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid was the focus of a new report that illustrates the positive impact these programs have on the state’s economy, as well as those who receive the benefits.

“We need to remember Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are truly the foundation of the middle class,” said Emily Stuart, director at the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans. “Without them, the middle class would most certainly suffer.”

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