Dick Durbin: “we all know the Senate of the United States is composed of two Senators from each State. Today I have news. My home…”

“we all know the Senate of the United States is composed of two Senators from each State. Today I have news. My home State of Illinois just picked up a third senator. Last month, the Irish Prime Minister--Taoiseach--Enda Kenny, announced eight appointees to the Irish Senate. One of the appointees is my dear friend in Chicago, Billy Lawless. Billy is the first Irish citizen living in the United States to be appointed to the Irish Senate. This is truly historic. Today Billy takes a seat in the Irish Senate. Ireland will get a senator who will fight for the disenfranchised, the dispossessed, and those yearning to work hard for a better life. No one has been a stronger voice and advocate for the Irish diaspora and immigration reform than Billy Lawless of Chicago, IL. Prime Minister Kenny couldn't have made a better choice. For generations, sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle have landed on our shores in search of the American dream. Billy Lawless is no different. As a young boy, he grew up on a dairy farm in Galway, a city in western Ireland, delivering unpasteurized milk to local restaurants and hotels. As an adult, he made a name for himself as a prominent businessman in Galway. He ran several pubs, restaurants, and hotels. Life was good, but for years he had always had a dream of opening a restaurant in the United States. When his youngest daughter earned a full college scholarship in the United States, Billy took that as a sign from Heaven.…”