Sen. Dick Durbin to receive IGPA Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on April 29
University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen will present U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) with the 2026 Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on Wednesday, April 29, in a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The U of I System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs presents the award annually. Nominations are nonpartisan and include elected or career government officials at any level of government and private citizens who significantly contribute to the practice and understanding of ethical behavior and fair play in government.
“We need attention to ethics in government now more than ever, and are grateful for the work of the University of Illinois System for their continued support of the cause of ethics in government,” said Jean Taft Douglas Bandler, daughter of the late Sen. Paul H. Douglas, after which the award is named. “This year, we look forward to honoring Senator Durbin for his decades of honorable, ethical service to the government, the people, for ethics and this award. Senator Durbin interned with my father, has served in my father’s Senate seat, and has championed this award; my father would be proud of his service and this well deserved accolade.”
Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, is Illinois’ senior U.S. senator and convener of the state’s bipartisan congressional delegation. He also serves as Senate Democratic Whip, the second-highest leadership position among Senate Democrats, a role he has held since 2005. Durbin is a Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and also serves on the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees.
Sen. Durbin has led major bipartisan efforts across immigration, criminal justice, health care, and infrastructure. He first introduced the Dream Act more than 20 years ago and helped pave the way for DACA, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of Dreamers to live and work more fully in the United States. Durbin also championed the bipartisan First Step Act, led the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, and advanced major health initiatives, including anti-smoking legislation, Affordable Care Act reforms, and increased medical research funding. For Illinois, he has secured support for transportation, airports, passenger rail, veterans’ care, and infrastructure projects statewide.
“Senator Douglas was my mentor and the man who taught me that the North Star of public service is a commitment to honesty and integrity. The Douglas Award for Ethics in Government was created to recognize Senator Douglas’ legacy of moral governance, and it is a profound honor to receive this award near the end of my tenure in the Senate,” said Sen. Durbin.
The more than two dozen past recipients include former President Barack Obama; Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and John Paul Stevens; Sens. John McCain and Barbara Mikulski; Rep. John Lewis; Dr. Anthony Fauci; Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch; and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney.
Sen. Paul H. Douglas represented Illinois from 1949 to 1967. Douglas was an economist and enjoyed a distinguished academic career. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II. In the Senate, Douglas was a forceful champion of civil rights, social welfare programs, public housing, extension of Social Security, federal aid to education, the environment and labor unions.
