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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Pending Trafficking Legislation
Earlier today, Senator Cornyn suggested that we make the funds collected from traffickers "subject" to the appropriations process to get around this impasse, but that does not solve the problem. The pending legislation came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, an authorizing committee that does not appropriate funds. We should be telling appropriators that we believe services to trafficking victims are important by authorizing funds. As the most senior member of that Appropriations Committee … Continue Reading
03.19.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Consideration of the Committee Reported Substitute to S. 178
An important debate occurred yesterday on the Senate floor between two of the cosponsors of the bill we are considering. It was what many would call a "C-SPAN Moment," a focused and memorable discussion of a significant issue now before the Senate. It was an honest discussion about what is at stake in the debate we are having right now. The core question is how we are going to support the survivors of what we all agree is a heinous and deplorable crime. Late yesterday, Senator Feinstein arti… Continue Reading
03.19.15
Leahy: The Senate Should Not Put Limits On What Health Services Trafficking Victims Can Seek
(Thursday, March 19, 2015) - Pending legislation in the Senate to combat human trafficking would impose limitations on the health services available to trafficking survivors, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) underscored Thursday. In a floor statement, he urged Senate Republicans to drop this restriction and work across the aisle to pass legislation to combat the scourge of human trafficking. "These are children who have been bought and sold like animals. They h… Continue Reading
03.19.15
Bellows Free Academy Middle School
On March 19, 2015, Senator Leahy held an online chat with the 8th graders of Bellows Free Academy Middle School. He was impressed by the classroom's engagement on the Constitution and its effect on building legislation in the U.S. Senate. He also enjoyed discussing how his experience as Vermont's State Attorney has helped him as a Senator serving Vermonters.… Continue Reading
03.18.15
As Senate Republicans Prolong Partisan Debate, Leahy Calls For Senators to Come Together & Support Survivors of Human Trafficking
(Wednesday, March 18, 2015) - Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged all Senators Wednesday to set aside partisan politics and pass meaningful legislation to combat human trafficking. "We must pay attention to what survivors tell us they need. We have not walked in their shoes. We are not here to second guess, or to assume we know best," Leahy said. "Our job is to listen and do all we can to support them as they rebuild their lives." Over the last week, dozens … Continue Reading
03.18.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Torture
Each year Sunshine Week reminds us that we cannot take for granted our democratic system of government. Our Nation's founders understood that to maintain a true democracy, we must have an open government. Only an open government can be truly accountable to the people. But pulling back the curtain on the internal workings of government agencies is not always easy, and it is not always popular. In some cases, it generates great controversy, as was the case with Senator Feinstein's hard-fought… Continue Reading
03.18.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on “The Impact of Abusive Patent Litigation Practices on the American Economy”
America's patent system fuels our Nation's greatest innovations. It promotes investment in new products and designs that benefit us all. In recent years, however, some bad actors have abused the patent system in ways that detract from its purpose. Small businesses in Vermont have been threatened with patent suits simply for using office equipment they purchased off the shelf. Website owners have faced costly litigation for using basic software in e-commerce. Instead of using patents to driv… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Assault on Press Freedom in Turkey Senate Floor
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have spoken many times on the Senate floor in defense of press freedom because it is a fundamental cornerstone of a democratic society. Today I want to briefly draw the Senate's attention to the situation in Turkey, one of the many countries in the world where this basic right is under threat by officials in the government who seek to silence their critics. Recently, in the latest assault on press freedom, Turkish police arrested and detained nearly two dozen member… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Hearing on “Immigration Reforms Needed to Protect Skilled American Workers”
Almost two years ago, the Senate came together to pass comprehensive legislation to reform our broken immigration system. The bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S.744) took meaningful steps to help U.S. businesses fill critical job needs, while ensuring protections remain in place to help and train American workers. Importantly, it did so while focusing on our broken immigration system as a whole. The Senate bill acknowledged that we can only … Continue Reading
03.17.15
Leahy: Victims Of Trafficking Deserve Our Attention
(Tuesday, March 17, 2015) - In a floor speech Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) called on lawmakers to listen to trafficking survivors and victims' advocates who are urging the Senate to take partisan politics out of pending legislation to combat human trafficking. At issue is language in the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act authored by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and pending in the Senate that would restrict the access of victims of human traffic… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee On Voting in Opposition to Cloture on the Committee Reported Substitute to S. 178
One of the lessons that I have learned in my time as a Senator is that if you listen to the people you serve, really listen to them, you will almost always do the right thing. This morning, as some Senators are trying to shut off debate and end our efforts to provide a comprehensive, victim-centered response to the horrible crime of human trafficking, I ask that we stop and listen. Listen to the voices of the survivors. What they are saying is clear: Please stop playing politics with our lives. … Continue Reading
03.17.15
Sunshine Week Guest Column From Senator Patrick Leahy: Building A Stronger Democracy Through Government Transparency
Sunshine Week is a time to celebrate one of our nation's most basic values, the public's "right to know." Our very democracy is built on the idea that our government should not operate in secret. James Madison, a staunch defender of open government, whose birthday we celebrate each year during Sunshine Week, wisely noted that for our democracy to succeed, people "must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives." Transparency enables the American people to hold their government accountable.… Continue Reading
03.17.15
Victims’ Groups Continue Urging Senate Republicans To Take Politics Out Of Trafficking Debate
(Monday, March 16, 2015) - Organizations dedicated to providing vital services to victims of human trafficking are urgently calling on Senate Republicans to work across the aisle and pass meaningful legislation to address a critical issue affecting thousands of Americans. The call from groups representing children, trafficking victims, and survivors of domestic and sexual violence comes one day before the Senate casts a procedural vote on legislation containing controversial language authored b… Continue Reading
03.16.15
Leahy: Lynch’s Historic Nomination Facing Historic Delay
(Monday, March 16, 2015) - The Senate Republicans' continued delay to consider the nomination of Loretta Lynch to serve as the next Attorney General of the United States has reached historic levels. As of tomorrow, Tuesday, her nomination will have languished on the floor longer than the five previous Attorney General nominees, combined. In a floor statement Monday, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) criticized the deliberate and unnecessary delay of this historic nominati… Continue Reading
03.16.15
Leahy Hails U.S.-Canada Pre-Clearance Agreement That Brings Closer The Goal Of Restoring Vermont-To-Montreal Passenger Rail Service
(MONDAY, March 16, 2015) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says years of work on the goal of restoring passenger rail service between Vermont and Montreal took a major step forward Monday as the United States and Canada signed a long-awaited agreement designed to improve cross border travel and security between the two countries. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Steven Blaney signed a new pre-clearance agreement in Washington that was negotiate… Continue Reading
03.16.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Senate Republicans’ Continued Delay in Considering the Nomination of Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General
"Loretta Lynch has been confirmed by the Senate twice before to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she has had an impeccable record for prosecuting terrorists and criminals. When she is finally confirmed to be the Attorney General of the United States, Loretta Lynch will be the first African American woman to serve as the country's chief law enforcement officer. Unfortunately, rather than move forward with this historic nomination, Senate Republicans appear i… Continue Reading
03.13.15
Anti-Trafficking Groups Call On Senate To Take Politics Out Of Debate & Pass Meaningful Legislation That Helps Victims
(Friday, March 13, 2015) - Organizations dedicated to providing vital services to victims of human trafficking are calling on Senate Republicans to cast partisan politics aside and pass meaningful legislation to address a critical issue affecting thousands of Americans. Many groups are also urging support for a trafficking alternative introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The Leahy alternative, which is cosponsored by 23 Democratic Senators, provides a n… Continue Reading
03.12.15
Leahy Calls on Senate to Support Victims of Trafficking
(THURSDAY, March 12, 2015) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is leading an effort on the Senate floor to advance homeless and runaway youth remedies to combat human trafficking. In a floor speech Thursday, Leahy highlighted the work of Vermont service providers and urged lawmakers from both parties to come together behind his legislation to target traffickers and protect runaway and homeless youth. "The Executive Director of the Vermont Coalition of Runaway & Homeless Youth Programs wrote to… Continue Reading
03.12.15
Leahy & Democratic Senators Propose A Path Forward On Trafficking Legislation
(Thursday, March 12, 2015) - Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday offered a noncontroversial, comprehensive solution to move forward on the stalled trafficking legislation and called on all Senators to support the effort. The substitute is cosponsored by 16 Democratic Senators. "The Senate has been on this trafficking bill now for three days -- but progress on the bill has been thwarted by the inclusion of a divisive provision that would limit the services av… Continue Reading
03.11.15
Anti-Trafficking Groups Call On Senate Republicans To Take Politics Out Of Policy Debate
(Wednesday, March 11, 2015) -Organizations dedicated to providing vital services to victims of human trafficking are calling on Senate Republicans to cast partisan politics aside and pass meaningful legislation to address a critical issue affecting thousands of Americans. At issue is controversial language slipped into legislation authored by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) that would restrict victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation from being able to access needed health services. T… Continue Reading
