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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy Commends Judge Sessions For Years Of Service To Vermont
(Wednesday, January 15, 2014) - U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions on Wednesday informed the President that he will be taking senior status after 18 years on the federal bench. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) praised Sessions for his years of service and vowed to find a highly qualified nominee for the next vacancy on the federal bench in Vermont. "I commend Judge Sessions for his years of service to our state and to this Nation. His commitment to the rule of law has made him among … Continue Reading
01.14.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch Preserve Role And Funds For VSAC
(January 14, 2014) - The spending bill released late Monday night that funds federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year includes a provision, advocated by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), requiring the U.S. Department of Education to continue its contract with the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC) and other nonprofit student loan servicers nationwide. A provision in an earlier budget agreement, passed last month, could have af… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Leahy Opens His 4th Hg. On NSA Surveillance, w/All 5 Members Of President’s Intelligence Review Group
President's Intelligence Review Group Appears Before Senate Judiciary Committee WASHINGTON (Tuesday, January 14, 2014) -The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing featuring all five members of the President's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies to discuss their recent recommendations to overhaul the government's surveillance authorities. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), author of the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act, has also presided over three earlier oversight hear… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Decision on Net Neutrality Rules January 14, 2014
[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Tuesday on the D.C. Circuit's decision striking down core parts of the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.] "I am disappointed by today's ruling that struck down core elements of the FCC's Open Internet rules. Network neutrality is a bedrock principle of the Internet, one that has allowed it to grow and flourish into the ultimate marketplace of ideas. I will be closely monitoring th… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Summary Of Egypt Aid Limits In The Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Sec. 7041(a) Egypt The input from authorizers was received and considered, and SACFO addressed appropriations matters for assistance for Egypt, leaving authorizing issues to the respective Committees. What the provision does not do: The provision does not include broad waiver authority requested by the Administration and included in other legislation for assistance for Egypt. The provision does not exclude Congress from considering events in Egypt for two fiscal years - as other propos… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Fiscal Year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act
Mr. President, after many long days and nights of four-party negotiations across a dozen subcommittees over the past month, on Sunday night the Appropriations Committee completed work on the fiscal year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act. I want to commend Chairwoman Mikulski, without whom this would not have been possible. It was, above all, her relentless pursuit of this goal, and her unmatched ability to rally her subcommittee troops, that got us to this point. And it would not have b… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Senate Confirms Wilkins To The D.C. Circuit
(Monday, January 13, 2014) -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday applauded the confirmation of Robert Wilkins to serve on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. With Wilkins's confirmation, the D.C. Circuit now has a full complement of 11 active judges. "As we begin 2014, I hope we can set aside our differences and do what is best for this country by confirming qualified nominees to fill critical vacancies facing our Federal Judiciary," Leahy said in a statement, refer… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Leahy: New Advanced Helmet Contract Is Expected To Bring 43 Jobs Back To Newport
(MONDAY, Jan. 13, 2014) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says a new Defense Department contract with Revision, the Vermont-based manufacturer that specializes in protective gear for service members and first responders, is expected to bring 43 jobs back to Newport, Vt. The contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is a $21 million award for 90,000 Advanced Combat Helmets (ACH) primarily to be delivered during 2014 and 2015. If this development is coupled with selection of Revision to pr… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Release of Funds to Support the Victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing
[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Monday after the Department of Justice announced the release of funds through the Crime Victims Fund to support those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing of last year. For years, Leahy has led bipartisan congressional efforts to protect the Crime Victims Fund, which was established through the 1984 Victims of Crime Act, to provide support for crime victims and their families. The Fund is financed by crimi… Continue Reading
01.09.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Nomination of Robert Wilkins
As we begin 2014, I hope we can set aside our differences and do what is best for this country by confirming qualified nominees to fill critical vacancies facing our Federal Judiciary. We can do this today by voting to end the filibuster of Judge Robert Wilkins, who has been nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Judge Wilkins was nominated last June, and it is time that he received an up-or-down vote on his nomination. Last month, before we adjourned the Senate… Continue Reading
01.09.14
Fact Sheet: The Personal Data Privacy And Security Act
Fact Sheet The Personal Data Privacy And Security Act LINK to news announcement on introduction of the bill LINK to Section-By-Section Summary of the bill LINK to complete text of the bill The Personal Data Privacy And Security Act (PDPSA), And CFAA: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) currently makes it a crime to for a person to use a computer in a manner that "exceeds" their "authorized access." The bill contains several provisions to help ensure that the government uses the imp… Continue Reading
01.08.14
Senator Leahy Praises Governor Shumlin’s Plan To Address Opiate Addiction
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday praised Governor Peter Shumlin for his focus on the startling rates of opiate addiction in Vermont in his State of the State address. Leahy applauded Governor Shumlin for his commitment to programs and policies to help address growing rates of addiction in Vermont. Leahy, a former Vermont prosecutor who now chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, in recent years has hosted Judiciary Committee field hearings on drug addiction and drug-related crime in Rutl… Continue Reading
01.08.14
Leahy Reintroduces Data Privacy Legislation
(Wednesday, January 8, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday reintroduced sweeping legislation to protect Americans' personal information and ensure their privacy. Leahy also announced the issue of data privacy would be the subject of a committee hearing early in the new Senate session. Leahy first authored and sponsored the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act in 2005, and he has reintroduced the legislation in each of the last four Congresses. The … Continue Reading
01.07.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Farm Bill Conference, Senate Floor, January 7, 2014
In this new year and this new congressional session, the Farm Bill remains as one of the Nation's top legislative priorities. Yet it has languished in Congress's in-box. As the Senate begins this new session, it is a relief -- at last -- to be able to say that there are new glimmers of hope that Congress is finally nearing the point of being able to complete work on a Farm Bill. Like other Committees here in Congress, the Farm Bill Conference Committee, led by Chairwoman Stabenow and Chairman… Continue Reading
12.31.13
Comment Of SJC Chairman Leahy On Chief Justice Roberts' Year-End Report On The Federal Judiciary
"The Chief Justice's annual year-end report again focuses on the significant financial strain on our Federal courts. These cuts have a real impact for Americans seeking justice, and pose real threats to the dedicated public servants who work in our nation's Federal courts as well as to members of the public. A return to regular order in our appropriations process will, I hope, ensure that our courts have the resources they require. "In his report, Chief Justice Roberts warns against the dang… Continue Reading
12.23.13
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Agreement By Governor Shumlin, Attorney General Sorrell And Entergy, Concerning Vermont Yankee
"I am pleased to hear that the State of Vermont and Entergy have been able to come to agreement with respect to the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, and I look forward to learning the details of this agreement when they become available. Moving ahead with a safe decommissioning of Vermont Yankee is of the utmost importance to the State of Vermont, and especially to the Vermonters in the plant's vicinity. I believe that safety must remain a top focus as this process moves forwa… Continue Reading
12.22.13
Bad Times for Big Brother
It has been a long week for the National Security Agency. Last Monday, a federal judge ruled for the first time that the agency's continuing sweep of Americans' phone data -- a once-secret program legally sanctioned for seven years and illegally conducted for five years before that -- was very likely unconstitutional. Judge Richard Leon denounced the agency's activities in collecting data on all Americans' phone calls as ''almost Orwellian.'' Two days later, the Obama administration released a … Continue Reading
12.22.13
President’s Review Group To Appear Before SJC Next Month
(Sunday, December 22, 2013) - The members of the President's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month to provide testimony on their recent recommendations to overhaul the government's surveillance authorities, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Sunday. This will be the Judiciary Committee's first full committee hearing in the new year. "The recommendations from the President's Revie… Continue Reading
12.20.13
Senate Republicans Block Nine Judicial Nominees From Confirmation
(Friday, December 20, 2013) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) blasted Republicans for needlessly blocking the confirmation of nine judicial nominees currently pending on the floor before the end of the year. "Republicans are once again-for the fifth year in a row-rejecting the longstanding Senate practice of scheduling confirmation votes on consensus nominees before the end of the session," Leahy said. "The result is that we will spend a significant portion of the next… Continue Reading
12.20.13
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the First Session Of The 113th Congress Progress Made And Much Left Incomplete
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the First Session Of The 113th Congress Progress Made And Much Left Incomplete As the first session of the 113th Congress comes to a close, it is appropriate to reflect on some of the accomplishments of the year, while acknowledging that so much more could have been done had Republicans in both the Senate and the House cooperated. We have passed some common sense, good government legislation. As Chairman of the Se… Continue Reading
