Richard Durbin: profile, earnings and record · Chronopin
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, File:Dick Durbin October 2017 (cropped).jpg
Richard Durbin
Minority Whip of the United States Senate · Illinois[1],[2]
Democratic81 years old
Dick Durbin is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois, serving since January 1997 after representing Illinois in the U.S. House from 1983 to 1997. He has been Senate Minority Whip since January 3, 2025 and announced on April 23, 2025 that he would not seek reelection in 2026.
Democrat; Senate Democratic Whip (Minority Whip) since January 3, 2025 and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee; co-chairs the Senate Hunger Caucus and Senate Ukraine Caucus, among others.[2]
Earnings by year3
What each year added up to: salary, plus outside income, royalties, endorsements, prizes and investment income where a source reports them. A financial disclosure gives ranges, shown as such.
One octagon for each phase of the life of Richard Durbin. Each of the eight axes is scored 0 to 5 against a written rubric from documented evidence, with its source; an axis without evidence is a gap, not a zero. There is no total and no ideal shape: it is a profile, not a ranking. Appearance and personality are not axes, because they cannot be scored from evidence.
OverviewGenerated from documented data: the office held, income against IRS percentiles, the highest recorded degree, and the reviewed legal record. Axes with no documented evidence are left out.
No total and no ideal shape: a longer spoke means more of that axis, so a long Misconduct spoke is more documented misconduct.
Scores, rubric and sources
01Education4 of 5
Medium confidenceHighest recorded degree: BS; JD.[2]Highest attainment by then: 1 secondary school, 2 some college, 3 bachelor's degree, 4 master's or professional degree, 5 doctorate.
02Wealth2 of 5
Medium confidenceDocumented income of $174,000 in 2026 is in the top 25% of US returns by adjusted gross income (IRS, tax year 2022, as tabulated by the Tax Foundation). Income, not net worth.[4]Net worth or income against the national thresholds of the time: 1 below the median household, 3 top 5%, 5 top 0.1%.
03Position4 of 5
High confidenceMinority Whip of the United States Senate: a national-level, statewide office.[1]Scope of the role held: 1 entry level, 3 senior manager or legislator, 5 head of state or government, or the top role of a major institution.
04Public standingNo evidence
Public approval or favourability where it was measured: 1 under 20%, 3 35 to 50%, 5 over 65%.
05HealthNo evidence
Documented health where an examination or disclosure exists: 5 no documented concern, 1 a serious documented condition.
06MisconductNo evidence
The documented legal and ethics record within the phase, as in the misconduct meter: 0 none documented, 1 only matters resolved in their favour, 2 an open matter, 3 one finding, 4 two or three, 5 four or more. More is more documented misconduct.
07Social goodNo evidence
Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on health, safety, education, rights and the environment, from official statistics or peer-reviewed evidence: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
08Economic goodNo evidence
Assessed effects of what they did in the phase on efficiency, growth and fiscal sustainability, from CBO and peer-reviewed evidence, as in the good-for-society reading: 0 clearly harmful, 2.5 mixed, 5 clearly beneficial.
Laws and contributions10
Laws8
Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act of 2022[5]Pub. L. 117-176SponsorSeptember 16, 2022Sponsored S. 3103, which became law on 2022-09-16.
Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2008[6]Pub. L. 110-340SponsorOctober 3, 2008Sponsored S. 2135, which became law on 2008-10-03.
Genocide Accountability Act of 2007[7]Pub. L. 110-151SponsorDecember 21, 2007Sponsored S. 888, which became law on 2007-12-21.
Missing Children's Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2023[8]Pub. L. 118-65SponsorJune 17, 2024Sponsored S. 2051, which became law on 2024-06-17.
Human Rights Enforcement Act of 2009[9]Pub. L. 111-122SponsorDecember 22, 2009Sponsored S. 1472, which became law on 2009-12-22.
Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2008[10]Pub. L. 110-415SponsorOctober 14, 2008Sponsored S. 1276, which became law on 2008-10-14.
SIREN Reauthorization Act[11]Pub. L. 118-84SponsorSeptember 26, 2024Sponsored S. 265, which became law on 2024-09-26.
Fair Sentencing Act of 2010[12]Pub. L. 111-220sponsoredAugust 3, 2010Cut the crack-to-powder cocaine quantity ratio from 100:1 to 18:1 and removed the mandatory minimum for simple crack possession.+1.0Assessed impact · Low confidence
Fiscal
+1.0
U.S. Sentencing Commission's 2015 report to Congress (agency retrospective, own-data modelling): 5,984 post-FSA offenders got avg 71 months vs 106 modelled without FSA (15,320 bed-years saved); retroactive reductions to 6,880 prisoners saved 14,333 bed-years; total 29,653. Crack caseload about halved 2010-14 and crack/powder average sentences converged. Savings are modelled, no crime-outcome or recidivism effect of this law measured.
Chair, Senate Committee on the Judiciary[2]ChairFebruary 3, 2021Chaired the Judiciary Committee from February 3, 2021 to January 3, 2025; ranking member since January 3, 2025.
Offices held1
Senate Minority Whip[2]LedJanuary 3, 2025Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, serving as Minority Whip 2005-2007, 2015-2021 and since January 3, 2025.
Sources13
Every statement about Richard Durbin on this page comes from the wiki behind it, which cites each fact to the numbered source it was read from. Read the wiki
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