Dick Durbin

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Dick Durbin
Richard Durbin.jpg
U.S. Senate, Illinois
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 1997-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 16
PartyDemocratic
PredecessorPaul M. Simon (D)
Leadership
Senate Majority Whip
January 3, 2007 - Present
Senate Minority Whip
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last election2008
First elected1996
Next election November 4, 2014
Campaign $$18,925,881
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
U.S. House of Representatives, Illinois, District 20
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997
Education
High schoolAssumption High School (1962)
Bachelor'sSchool of Foreign Service at Georgetown University (1966)
J.D.Georgetown University Law Center (1969)
Personal
BirthdayNovember 21, 1944
Place of birthEast St. Louis, Illinois
ProfessionAttorney
Net worth$1,326,065
ReligionRoman Catholicism
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbin (born December 11, 1943) is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate for the state of Illinois. Additionally, Durbin serves as the Senate Majority Whip.

Biography

Durbin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois in 1943.

  • Education
    • Assumption High School (1962)
    • B.A. School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University (1966)
    • J.D. Georgetown University Law Center (1969)

Durbin was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1970, a year after graduating from Georgetown University Law Center. Durbin went on to practice law in Springfield, Illinois.

Durbin attempted a run for the Illinois State Senate in 1976 and for Lieutenant Governor in 1978.

Career

  • 1969-1972: Legal counsel to Illinois Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon
  • 1972-1982: Legal counsel to Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee
  • 1983-1997: U.S. House of Representatives Illinois, 20th District
  • 1997-Present: U.S. Senate
    • 2005-Present:Senate Democratic Whip
    • 2007-Present: The Democratic Party obtained a majority, making Durbin the Senate Majority Whip.

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2013-2014

Durbin serves on the following Senate committees[1]:

  • United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
    • Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
    • Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Members
    • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
    • Subcommittee on Department of Defense
  • United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
    • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
    • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
    • Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Chair
    • Bankruptcy and the Courts subcommittee
  • United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
  • Foreign Relations Committee
    • The Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
    • The Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection, and Peace Corps
    • The Subcommittee on European Affairs
    • The Subcommittee on African Affairs

2011-2012

  • United States Senate Committee on Appropriations[2]
    • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on Defense
    • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (Chairman)
    • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
    • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations[2]
    • Subcommittee on African Affairs
    • Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues
    • Subcommittee on European Affairs
    • Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs, and International Environmental Protection
  • United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary[2]
    • Subcommittee on the Constitution
    • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
    • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security
    • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
    • Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law (Chairman)

Issues

Gang of Eight

Durbin is a member of the group of senators deemed the "Gang of Eight." This term is used to reference eight of the most influential Senators on immigration reform and includes four senators from each party.[3] The group calls for comprehensive and bipartisan immigration legislation that includes their "four basic pillars":

  • 1. A “tough but fair path to citizenship . . . .contingent upon securing our borders and tracking whether legal immigrants have left the country as required”;
  • 2. Reform our legal immigration system with a greater eye toward our economic needs;
  • 3. Workplace verification; and
  • 4. Setting up a system for admitting future workers (although the term “guest worker” is not used).[4]

Senate Judiciary Committee

Dick Durbin was first appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee shortly after he was sworn in on January of 1997 and served until 1999.[5] Durbin was re-appointed to the committee in 2001 when the Democrats regained control of the Senate after the 2000 elections.[5] The Illinois Senator has been on the committee since then and has continued a long period of representation on the powerful committee for the State of Illinois.[5] Former Senator Paul Simon served on the committee from 1985 to 1997 before Dick Durbin became Senator. The other influential Illinois Senator to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee was Everett Dirksen who served on the committee from 1955 to 1969.[5]

Senator Durbin serves as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. Durbin also serves on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Crime and Drugs, The Constitution, Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, Terrorism and Homeland Security.[6]

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Durbin voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[7]

Elections

2008

On November 4, 2008, Durbin won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Steve Sauerberg (R), Kathy Cummings (G), Larry A. Stafford (L), Chad N. Koppie (I), and Patricia Elaine Beard (I) in the general election.[8]


U.S. Senate, Illinois General Election, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgRichard J. Durbin Incumbent 67.8% 3,615,844
     Republican Steve Sauerberg 28.5% 1,520,621
     Green Kathy Cummings 2.2% 119,135
     Libertarian Larry A. Stafford 0.9% 50,224
     Constitution Party of Illinois Chad N. Koppie 0.5% 24,059
     Independent Patricia Elaine Beard 0% 1
Total Votes 5,329,884

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Durbin is available dating back to 2002. Based on available campaign finance records, Durbin raised a total of $18,925,881 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 3, 2013.[10]

Dick Durbin's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2008 U.S. Senate (Illinois) Won $11,317,550
2002 U.S. Senate (Illinois) Won $7,608,331
Grand Total Raised $18,925,881

2008

Breakdown of the source of Durbin's campaign funds before the 2008 election.

Durbin won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2008. During that re-election cycle, Durbin's campaign committee raised a total of $11,317,550 and spent $13,112,372 .[11]


Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

2013

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Durbin is a "moderate Democratic leader".[12]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Durbin ranked 3rd in the liberal rankings in 2012.[13]

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Durbin ranked 3rd in the liberal rankings among U.S. Senators.[14]

Voting with party

2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Dick Durbin voted with the Democratic Party 95 of the time, which ranked 18 among the 51 Senate Democratic members in November 2011.[15]

Lifetime missed votes

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Durbin missed 51 of 5,168 roll call votes, which is 1.0% from Jan 1997 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 1.00%, which is better than the median of 1.7% among currently serving senators as of March 2013.[16]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Durbin paid his congressional staff a total of $2,883,154 in 2011. He ranks 13th on the list of the highest paid Democratic Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 15th overall of the highest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Illinois ranks 9th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[17]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Durbin's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $1,208,567 and $1,443,564. That averages to $1,326,065, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2011 of $20,795,450. His average net worth increased by 20.60% from 2010.[18]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Durbin's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $999,551 and $1,199,549. That averages to $1,099,550, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Senators in 2010 of $19,383,524 .[19]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Dick + Durbin + Illinois + Senate

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Dick Durbin News Feed


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Personal

Durbin and his wife, Loretta, had three children, Christine, Jennifer and Paul,as well as one grandchild, Alex. Christine died on November 1, 2008 due to a congenital heart condition.[20] They currently reside in Springfield. Senator Durbin makes approximately 50 round trips a year between Washington and Illinois.[21]

See also

External links

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References

  1. ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 18, 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 About Dick Durbin--U.S. Senator Dick Durbin "Committee Assignments" Accessed October 14, 2011
  3. ↑ ABC News "Who Are the Gang Of 8 in Senate Immigration Debate?" Accessed May 7, 2013
  4. ↑ Washington Post "Gang of Eight immigration plan: Reality-based legislating" Accessed May 7, 2013
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Senate Judiciary Committee" List of past members
  6. ↑ "Senate Judiciary Committee" List of Subcommittees
  7. ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  9. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996"
  10. ↑ Open Secrets "Dick Durbin" Accessed April 3, 2013
  11. ↑ Open Secrets "Dick Durbin 2008 Election Cycle," Accessed November 7, 2011
  12. ↑ Gov Track "Dick Durbin," Accessed April 30, 2013
  13. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
  14. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
  15. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  16. ↑ GovTrack, "Dick Durbin," Accessed March 29, 2013
  17. ↑ LegiStorm "Dick Durbin"
  18. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Dick Durbin, (D-Ill), 2011"
  19. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Durbin, (D-IL), 2010"
  20. ↑ Chicago Tribune.com "Daughter of Illinois Sen. Durbin dies at 40" Accessed October 14, 2011
  21. ↑ About Dick Durbin-- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin "Senator Durbin's Biography" Accessed October 14, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Paul M. Simon 		U.S. Senate - Illinois
1997-Present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Dick Durbin (D) • Mark Kirk (R)
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