Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Confirmation of Eric Miller to be Vermont’s United States Attorney
Last night, the Senate confirmed Eric Miller to be Vermont's 37th United States Attorney. I am confident that he will do an outstanding job as the top Federal law enforcement officer in the state. Before recommending Eric to the President, I consulted prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, law enforcement officials and civic leaders throughout Vermont. They were unanimous in their support for Eric. I was particularly impressed with his thoughtfulness, vision, and depth of experience that he… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Retirement Of Librarian of Congress James Billington
"Dr. Billington's stewardship of the Library of Congress for the last three decades has ensured that the nation's most prominent library is an inspirational haven and unequaled resource for all Americans who visit or use it. In 2012 Dr. Billington and I joined together, both at the Library of Congress and in Vermont, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act authored by Vermont Senator Justin Smith Morrill, which established the land-grant colleges, one of which is the University of… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The 150th Anniversary Of The Second Founding
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. While the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 established the firm foundation for our democracy, it was not complete because it did not address the vexing issue of slavery. It would take more than seven decades and … Continue Reading
06.10.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Recent Developments and the Way Forward in Sri Lanka
I want to speak briefly about recent developments in Sri Lanka where the new government of President Maithrapala Sirisena has taken several important and encouraging steps to promote good governance, human rights and reconciliation since his election on January 8th. Among the government's initial accomplishments are the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which curtails the extensive powers enjoyed by the executive and vests more power in the parliament, limits the presidential … Continue Reading
06.09.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Considering the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Cybersecurity Information Sharing Bill as an Amendment to NDAA
"The Intelligence Committee's information sharing bill will affect the privacy rights of all Americans, yet it has been cloaked in secrecy. It was considered behind closed doors, without a public hearing or public debate. We cannot even read the text of amendments considered at the mark up of this legislation. Senator Burr's information sharing bill also erodes Americans' right to know what their government is doing by weakening the Freedom of Information Act. I am deeply concerned that the … Continue Reading
06.08.15
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Governor Shumlin’s Decision
I talked with the Governor this morning when he called me about his decision, and I told him I'd never forget how he mobilized everyone and every resource to help our state after Irene. Neither of us will ever forget the devastation, and the resilience of Vermonters, that we saw across our state as we visited storm-ravaged communities the day the storm receded. His 'Vermont Strong' resolve and his leadership in the immediate aftermath and in the long-term recovery efforts was exceptional. Mar… Continue Reading
06.05.15
Vermont Electric Cooperative Receives $2.1 M from FEMA for Clean-Up Efforts from the December 2014 Storm
(FRIDAY, June 5, 2015) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Friday announced a $2.1 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) for clean-up and repair efforts following December's severe winter storm. Winter Storm Damon, in December 2014, devastated Northern Vermont, leaving thousands without power and dealing damage to Vermont's electric utilities that rivaled Tropical Storm Ir… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The NSA’s Surveillance Of Internet Communications
"Today's report that the NSA has expanded its warrantless surveillance of Internet traffic underscores the critical importance of placing reasonable and commonsense limits on government surveillance in order to protect the privacy of Americans. Congress took an important step in this direction this week by passing the USA FREEDOM Act, but I have always believed and said that more reforms are needed. Congress should have an open, transparent and honest debate about how to protect both our natio… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Senate Judiciary Committee Approval of the bipartisan PATENT Act
[Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Thursday after the Committee approved the bipartisan PATENT Act, a bill to cut down on abuses in and bring needed transparency to the patent system. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee last Congress, Leahy led bipartisan negotiations to craft a comprehensive and balanced bill to tackle the issue. Leahy continued those bipartisan talks this year as Ranking Member. His full remarks at today's Judici… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Leahy, Portman Reintroduce Bill To Support Ex-Offenders & Reduce Crime
(THURSDAY, June 4, 2015) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined with Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) Thursday to introduce a strengthened version of their earlier bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local reentry programs to reduce recidivism and provide those leaving prison with real opportunities to rebuild their lives after they are released. Leahy has long championed the Second Chance Act, which supports programs like the Vermont Cou… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Bipartisan Bill That Will Protect VT Businesses From Patent Abuse
(THURSDAY, June 4, 2015) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation coauthored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and other leading senators that protects Vermont businesses and innovators who too often become the victims of so-called "patent trolls." The bill goes next to the full Senate for consideration. The PATENT Act was approved by a vote of 16 to 4. The vote comes after nearly two years of negotiations led by Leahy and other Senate members to craft a… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, on Executive Business Meeting
Almost two years ago, this Committee began working on legislation to address abusive conduct in our patent system. In April, seven bipartisan members came together to introduce the PATENT Act, which builds off the extensive negotiations we held last Congress. Since then we have expanded our ranks to 15 members working on further additions to the bill. This Committee works best when we come together to incorporate ideas from across the spectrum. That hard work is reflected in the Managers' Am… Continue Reading
06.04.15
Leahy & Grassley Introduce Legislation To Improve & Extend Job-Creating Foreign Investment Program
(THURSDAY, June 4, 2015) - Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday introduced bipartisan legislation to extend and significantly improve the job-creating immigrant investor visa program, known as EB-5, which is set to expire in September. Leahy introduced the bill with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). The American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act would reauthorize the EB-5 Regional Center program for five years an… Continue Reading
06.03.15
Editorial: Curbing spy powers
06.02.15
Senate Passes Historic Lee-Leahy USA FREEDOM Act
(Tuesday, June 2, 2015) - The Senate on Tuesday passed the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, an historic bill coauthored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to rein in surveillance authorities for the first time since passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee last Congress, Leahy convened six high-profile hearings on surveillance authorities. The Senate's Tuesday passage of his bipartisan and bicameral measure comes after two years of wo… Continue Reading
06.02.15
Leahy: Senators Should Not Support Efforts To Weaken Bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act
(Tuesday, June 2, 2015) - As the Senate continued consideration of the historic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 to end the NSA's bulk collection program, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged Senators Tuesday not to weigh the legislation down with unnecessary changes that would ensure continued expiration of key surveillance authorities without any reform. Instead, Leahy said, "The Senate must pass this bill without any amendments so that the President can sign it into l… Continue Reading
06.02.15
People’s Academy of Morrisville,
On June 2, 2015, Senator Leahy held an online chat with multiple grades at the People's Academy of Morrisville. The Senator enjoyed a lively discussion with the students, and enjoyed their questions regarding minimum wage and the importance of supporting the needs of Vermonters. He was especially impressed by the students' discussion on the future of Congress and the country as a whole.… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Comment Of Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), On The Need To Pass The USA FREEDOM Act TODAY
"I have tried since last year to move legislation through the Senate to accomplish reform well before the sunset deadline. In November Senator Reid brought the USA FREEDOM Act to the floor but Senate Republican leaders blocked debate on it. When Republicans took over the Senate, they assured us that they would send bills - including this one - through appropriate committee work and an open amendment process on the floor. Instead, Republican leaders squandered time and bipartisan consensus and… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Senate Showdown On NSA Surveillance Reform
We are coming down to the wire today on a hard-fought effort to restore Americans' privacy rights. The nation's libraries, often on the front lines as privacy issues are debated, once again are in the vanguard in advocating for a solution that protects Americans' civil liberties. Librarians and like-minded legislators in Washington have worked together for almost two years to ensure that the National Security Agency cannot engage in the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and other per… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Leahy: Senators Should Pass USA FREEDOM Act TONIGHT
(Sunday, May 31, 2015) - Senators should not delay passage of bipartisan, commonsense legislation to reform surveillance authorities that are set to expire in a matter of hours, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said late Sunday. Leahy, a coauthor of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, noted that Republican leaders prevented the Senate from taking up the measure earlier this month which has forced a last-minute debate on this critical issue. With time running out, Leahy s… Continue Reading
