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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy, Wicker Statement on Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Demonstrations
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Senate President Pro Tempore, and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Republican Deputy Whip, today issued the following joint statement regarding the ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong: "We are distressed by the use of tear gas, pepper spray, and other such methods against peaceful demonstrators in Hong Kong. We urge the Hong Kong authorities to show restraint and engage in good-faith negotiations to resolve the situation. Hong Kong's … Continue Reading
09.26.14
A Step Closer to Banning Landmines Editorial
The Obama administration has vowed not to use the weapons outside the Korean Peninsula. Now it should close that exception. Anti-personnel landmines have been repudiated for the heavy toll they take on civilians and the lingering threat that buried munitions pose long after hostilities have ceased. Yet, the United States is among the few countries that have not signed a 1997 treaty banning their use. The Obama administration took a long overdue step this week by agreeing to destroy the bulk of… Continue Reading
09.25.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Attorney General Eric Holder
"Attorney General Holder has been an extraordinary leader of the Department of Justice, and is to be congratulated for his service. Under his leadership, the Department has had remarkable success in convicting terrorists and disrupting threats to national security, while upholding the Department's mission of keeping our communities safe from crime and fighting fraud. I particularly appreciate how Attorney General Holder has restored the Civil Rights Division to its historical mission. His ded… Continue Reading
09.24.14
NEWS BACKGROUNDER from the Office of Senator Leahy On New Changes In U.S. Landmines Policy --
The United States now: will not use APL outside the Korean Peninsula; will not assist, encourage, or induce anyone outside the Korean Peninsula to engage in activity prohibited by the Ottawa Convention; and will undertake to destroy APL stockpiles not required for the defense of the Republic of Korea. This change to U.S. policy builds on the announcement in June that the U.S. will not produce or otherwise acquire any anti-personnel munitions that are not compliant with Ottawa, including … Continue Reading
09.24.14
Vt. Receives $1 Million To Reduce Prison Recidivism
(WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced $1 million in federal funding to the Vermont Department of Corrections to meet statewide goals in reducing prison recidivism rates. Vermont was one of five states to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Justice for similar programs authorized by the Second Chance Act. Leahy said: "Reducing recidivism rates is a fundamental step to improving safety in communities around the country. Funding for this program… Continue Reading
09.23.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Sentencing of Sulaiman Abu Ghayth
"The life sentence of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghayth, shows once again the power and competence of our federal criminal court system, and the tremendous record prosecutors have had in securing criminal convictions in terrorism-related cases. Sending Abu Ghayth to Guantanamo would have been a serious mistake, and I commend President Obama, Attorney General Holder, and their national security team for rightly bringing him to face justice in federal criminal court. We can and s… Continue Reading
09.23.14
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To The White House Announcement Of Changes To U.S. Landmine Policy
"This is a crucial step that makes official what has been de facto U.S. practice for a decade and a half. The White House has recognized what our NATO allies declared long ago: These inherently indiscriminate weapons that disproportionately harm civilians have no place in the 21st Century, and those who use them should be condemned. I commend President Obama for taking this step, which brings U.S. policy closer to the international landmine ban treaty. It mirrors my legislation in 1997 cospo… Continue Reading
09.22.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
As members of Congress prepare to head back to their home states, it is important to note that the 113th Congress does not end this week, or for that matter, on November 4. We still have a significant amount of unfinished business that must be resolved before the year's end, and the American people expect and deserve our commitment to getting that work done. I strongly support Majority Leader Reid's decision to reconvene the Senate shortly after the elections so that we can complete work on a … Continue Reading
09.18.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,On Judicial NominationsSeptember 18, 2014 As the Senate prepares to go into recess, Senate Republicans are refusing to allow confirmation votes on the more than 20 judicial nominees who will now be stuck in limbo for months. There is no good reason why the Senate cannot confirm these nominees before the recess other than wholesale obstruction of a co-equal branch of government's nominees. The Senate Republicans' b… Continue Reading
09.18.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On His Vote In Opposition To The Short-Term Continuing Resolution Including Authority For Arming Syrian Rebels
Mr. President, the Senate is about to vote on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government from October 1 to December 11. This vote should not be necessary. There is no good reason why we are not voting on fiscal year 2015 appropriations bills to fund the government the way we used to, rather than a continuing resolution that keeps the government on autopilot despite many new and compelling needs. Chairwoman Mikulski of the Appropriations Committee and her counterpart in the House… Continue Reading
09.18.14
Leahy Ushers Legislation To Reduce Rape Kit Backlogs Through The Senate Thursday Night
(THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014) - U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday praised the Senate's passage of legislation to reauthorize the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Reduction Program and urged Senators to support passage of a broader criminal justice bill - the Justice For All reauthorization bill - in the upcoming lameduck session. Leahy late Thursday brought the bill directly to the Senate Floor and asked unanimous consent for the Senate to pass it. He secured that… Continue Reading
09.18.14
Leahy: $650,000 In Grants Available To Organizations To Address Water Quality And Conservation Concerns On Lake Champlain
(THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday joined the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) in announcing $650,000 in federal funding available to local watershed groups, towns and other organizations in Vermont and New York in the continued effort to implement a long-term management plan for Lake Champlain. The funding will play a key role in assisting local organizations respond to serious water quality and conservation concerns on the lake as well as working to enhance … Continue Reading
09.18.14
Leahy Bills OKd by Judiciary Committee…To Reduce Prison Recidivism And Crack Down On Human Trafficking Involving Runaway And Homeless Youths --
(Thursday, September 18, 2014) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to reauthorize the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism. In recent months, the Committee has considered ways to reduce prison costs for federal, state and local governments. Approval of the Second Chance Act on Thursday is the latest in that effort. The bill extends a 2008 law aimed at t… Continue Reading
09.18.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch, Shumlin: $891,697 Awarded Under Farm Bill For Economic And Community Development In Northern Vermont
(THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014) - Vermont's congressional delegation -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) - and Governor Peter Shumlin (D) Thursday announced that the State will receive $891,679 in Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) funds for economic development projects in Northern Vermont. This is a $400,000 increase over funds awarded in Vermont last year. The NBRC funds will be disbursed in five grants to five organizations in Nor… Continue Reading
09.17.14
Leahy Panel Hears Testimony Urging FCC To Support NET NEUTRALITY --
An Overwhelming Call To Protect A Free & Open Internet A record 3.7 million Americans have weighed in with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on its proposed rules to protect an open Internet. An overwhelming number of these comments from hardworking Americans called on the FCC to enact meaningful rules that will protect consumers and preserve competition online. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), author of the bicameral Online Competition and Consumer Ch… Continue Reading
09.17.14
Leahy Chairs SJC Hearing On Protecting an Open Internet
(Wednesday, September 17, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is chairing a hearing this morning entitled "Why Net Neutrality Matters: Protecting Consumers and Competition Through Meaningful Open Internet Rules." The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently undertaking a rulemaking to restore open Internet protections in light of a D.C. Circuit Court decision earlier this year. Leahy also chaired a field hearing on the issue in Vermont in July. Testimon… Continue Reading
09.17.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: USDA Awards $658,175 In Research Grants for UVM
(Wednesday, September 17) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) Wednesday announced the University of Vermont Extension program received two grants totaling over $650,000 for agricultural research. The grant announcement is the most recent step in implementing the 2014 Farm Bill. Leahy, the senior most member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, was a conferee on the bill. The grants will be used to study soil quality on Vermont farms, foc… Continue Reading
09.16.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Anniversary Of The Constitutional Convention
Tomorrow we will mark Constitution Day - a day set aside to reflect on our nation's charter and how it has shaped what it means to be American. On September 17, 1787, George Washington, James Madison, and their fellow Framers made the momentous decision to sign the Constitution and send it along to the American people for ratification - marking a new beginning in our nation's profound experiment in democracy. As important as the original charter continues to be, the Founders did not design it … Continue Reading
09.16.14
Leahy & Matsui in The Hill: Keep the Internet Free and Open for All
(Tuesday, September 16, 2014) - Below is the text of an op-ed coauthored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) published today in The Hill on the issue of net neutrality. The two joined together in June to introduce the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act, legislation directing the FCC to ban paid prioritization agreements online. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently undertaking a rulemaking to restore o… Continue Reading
09.16.14
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On Vermont Health Connect
"Vermont has been, and continues to be, a leader in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. I am glad that Governor Shumlin is taking this critical step to fix Vermont Health Connect to ensure that it works as intended to help thousands of Vermonters gain access to quality health insurance. He is absolutely right that technology offers us benefits but also additional challenges when it comes to health care, and making these systems in Vermont and everywhere work as they should, and maki… Continue Reading
