U.S. Senator from Illinois
Dick Durbin
Democrat · Illinois
Serving since 1997, former Senate Majority Whip. Judiciary Committee chair. Authored DREAM Act (multiple times). Focus on immigration, judiciary, and consumer protection.
Record
Progressive Democrat and senior Senate leader. Authored DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Led Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings. Strong consumer protection and civil rights advocate.
Legislative Record
Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)
- S.5194 — A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to improve the maintenance, alteration, and construction of United States courthouses, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5060 — A bill to comprehensively combat child marriage in the United States. (Introduced, Jul 21, 2026)
- S.4979 — PROMISE Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
- S.4955 — Gateway Arch National Park Boundary Revision Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 13, 2026)
- S.4608 — Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (Introduced, May 20, 2026)
- S.4566 — Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act (Introduced, May 19, 2026)
Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act This bill provides for coverage without prior authorization requirements of annual lung cancer screenings under Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance for individuals for whom screenings are recommended under U.S. Preventive Services Task… - S.4541 — Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2026 (Introduced, May 14, 2026)
- S.4515 — Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act of 2026 (Introduced, May 13, 2026)
Notable votes
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Hirono Amdt. No. 5506 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)
- S.1289 — 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5190 — A bill to prohibit forced arbitration in work disputes, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5201 — A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to protect more victims of domestic violence by preventing their abusers from possessing or receiving firearms, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.4850 — Diversity Jurisdiction Inflation Adjustment Act (Introduced, Jul 27, 2026)
- S.4709 — UNLOCK AUKUS Act (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5093 — PROKID Act (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5108 — A bill to protect and expand nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5121 — A bill to amend chapter 57 of title 28, United States Code, to provide for a code of conduct for justices and judges of the courts of the United States, establish an Ethics Investigations Counsel, and require disclosure of recusals. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
Voting analysis
Dick Durbin has cosponsored more legislation than all but one member measured on this site, and has served since the early nineteen-eighties. He is ranking member of the judiciary committee and of its crime and counterterrorism subcommittee.
Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.
First elected in 1983, now serving across 22 terms. Dick Durbin falls in the veteran cohort.
Funding it, and refusing another
Four of his departures belong to one spending bill, which he supported at passage, at cloture twice, and on an amendment folded into it. That is the full procedural sequence, cast against his caucus each time.
On a different bill he did something more unusual. He voted against it at passage while supporting three separate amendments to it — all three offered by Republicans, all three rejected. Backing the other party's changes and then rejecting the result describes a senator who wanted a substantially different bill and did not get one.
| Roll call | Date | Outcome | Their vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.R. 7148 H.R. 7148, as Amended On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7148 · roll call 119 | Jan 30, 2026 | Bill Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 5371 H.R. 5371, As Amended On Passage of the Bill H.R. 5371 · roll call 119 | Nov 10, 2025 | Bill Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 5371 Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 5371, As Amended On the Cloture Motion H.R. 5371 · roll call 119 | Nov 10, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 5371 Collins Amdt. No. 3937 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3937 to H.R. 5371 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Nov 10, 2025 | Amendment Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 5371 Motion to Invoke Cloture: Collins Amdt. No. 3937 On the Cloture Motion S.Amdt. 3937 to H.R. 5371 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Nov 10, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 2296 S. 2296, as amended On Passage of the Bill S. 2296 · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 2296 Curtis Amdt. No. 3697 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3697 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 2296 Scott (FL) Amdt. No. 3535 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3535 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 2296 Paul Amdt. No. 3761 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3761 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 1968 Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 1968 On the Cloture Motion H.R. 1968 · roll call 119 | Mar 14, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Yea (party: Nay) |
Above the Illinois average
Illinois returns two Democratic senators, and Durbin departs the more often of the two.
Among the 2 Democrats in the Illinois delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 4.6%. Dick Durbin is above that average at 6.9%.
What he legislates on
The filings sit close to the judiciary jurisdiction: improvements to the maintenance and construction of federal courthouses, a comprehensive measure against child marriage, a promise act, a national park boundary revision, and a prohibition on the federal death penalty.
Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Dick Durbin's cluster into: Crime and Law Enforcement (1), Education (1), Emergency Management (1), Public Lands and Natural Resources (1), Social Welfare (1).
Attendance
His absences are few.
By the numbers
In the 119th Congress, Dick Durbin has 2181 bills sponsored, 10521 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.
Committee assignments
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Commodities, Derivatives, Risk Management, and Trade
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Defense
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Energy and Water Development
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Financial Services and General Government
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Crime and Counterterrorism (Ranking Member)
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