Press Room
Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy Chairs Confirmation Hearing With Intellectual Property Nominees
(Wednesday, December 10, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is chairing a confirmation hearing this morning for Michelle Lee, nominated to serve as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and Daniel Marti, nominated to serve as Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC). Testimony, member statements, and a webcast of the hearing are available online. Statement Of Se… Continue Reading
12.10.14
Vermont Wins $33 Million for Pre-K, Delegation and Governor Announce
, Dec. 10 - Vermont was awarded $7.3 million in what is expected to be a $33.4 million, four-year federal grant for pre-kindergarten programs at public schools and Head Start agencies throughout the state. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) announced the grant today. Sanders, a member of the Senate education committee, worked with the U.S. Department of Education, the congressional delegation and the Shumlin administratio… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Leahy Speaks On Release Of Senate’s Historic Report On Torture
(Tuesday, December 9, 2014) - The summary of a thoroughly researched Congressional report on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) use of torture during the Bush administration finally makes details of the program public to policymakers and all Americans who had previously been misled, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a lengthy floor speech on Tuesday. Leahy, who as chairman of the Judiciary Committee presided over several of the many hearings that collected d… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Leahy Statement On The State of Civil Rights
(Tuesday, December 9, 2014) - The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights is currently holding a hearing on "The State of Civil and Human Rights in the United States." Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) helped to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was enacted in 2009 and broadened federal hate crimes law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. He is t… Continue Reading
12.09.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Senate Consideration of Trafficking Legislation
I could not be a stronger supporter of efforts to prevent human trafficking. But we must offer comprehensive solutions that provide meaningful and reliable resources to support these survivors. Just this Congress, I have led the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act - widely recognized as this country's most important tool in combatting human trafficking. The law reasserted the United States as a global leader in fighting trafficking by strengthening tools available to prose… Continue Reading
12.08.14
Senate Monday Night Passes Leahy’s FOIA Improvement Act
(Monday, December 8, 2014) -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) hailed the Senate's passage late Monday of historic legislation that strengthens the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the nation's premier open government law. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2014, which was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee last month, requires Federal agencies to operate under a "presumption of openness" when considering the release of governme… Continue Reading
12.08.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Unanimous Consent Request Seeking Passage of S. 2520 The FOIA Improvement Act of 2014
The Freedom of Information Act is one of our Nation's most important laws. For nearly 50 years, FOIA has given Americans a way to access government information, ensuring their right to know what their government doing. Today, the Senate is poised to build on that important legacy with passage of the Leahy-Cornyn FOIA Improvement Act. The FOIA Improvement Act will codify what the President laid out in his historic executive order in 2009. It will require Federal agencies to adopt a "Presumpti… Continue Reading
12.08.14
Leahy & Cornyn Urge Senate To Pass FOIA Improvement Act TODAY
(Monday, December 8, 2014) -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) urged Senators Monday to pass historic legislation that strengthens the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the nation's premier open government law. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2014, which was approved unanimously by the Judiciary Committee last month, requires Federal agencies to operate under a "presumption of openness" when considering the release of government informatio… Continue Reading
12.05.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Urging Passage of H.R. 1447, the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013
I have long worked to pass legislation to bring additional transparency and accountability to the government. I do so again today by calling on all Senators to support the Death in Custody Reporting Act, a bill that has moved multiple times through the Senate Judiciary Committee and should pass the Senate without further delay. This is about an open and fair government. The Death in Custody Reporting Act requires that local and Federal law enforcement officials report deaths that occur while p… Continue Reading
12.05.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee On Passage of H.R. 5108, To Establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Today, the Senate has acted to ensure that law school students can gain valuable experience providing legal assistance to inventors before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This legislation is a clear win-win: students will gain tangible, hands-on experience in a vital area of the law, and inventors and small businesses will receive valuable legal assistance with their patent and trademark applications. By promoting innovation and helping creators turn their inventions in… Continue Reading
12.05.14
Leahy: Vermont Nets $250,000 For Low-Income Housing Improvements
(THURSDAY, Dec. 4, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday joined in announcing $250,000 in awards to four organizations across Vermont to improve housing conditions for low-income rural residents. Two of the grants were given preference because of the Leahy-led Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom -- a USDA Rural Development Designation recognizing the unique rural nature of a region that prioritizes the region's grant applications. Thanks in part … Continue Reading
12.05.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Supporting Government Transparency And Urging Passage of The FOIA Improvement Act of 2014
The Freedom of Information Act is one of our Nation's most important laws. James Madison said the people "must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives." For nearly 50 years, FOIA has given Americans a way to access government information ensuring their right to know what their government doing. The FOIA Improvement Act advances this fundamental democratic principle. It is why I urge all Senators to support the FOIA Improvement Act of 2014, without delay. This legislation builds on what … Continue Reading
12.04.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Expiring Authorization for the Bulk Records Collection Program Under Section 215 of FISA
[The current FISA court authorization for the government to engage in the bulk collection of phone records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act expires on Friday. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the author of the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, which would end this dragnet collection of Americans' phone records.] "Last month, Senate Republicans filibustered the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, which would have ended the NSA's bulk collection of innocent American… Continue Reading
12.04.14
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Thursday’s Final Extension Of Enrollment Deadline For New Dairy Insurance Program Will Further Help Vermont Farmers Weigh Their Options
Vermont's congressional delegation - Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) - commended U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for announcing Thursday that the application deadline for the new dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) will be extended until Dec. 19, 2014. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "This final extension is helpful to Vermont's dairy farmers as well as those across the country who may still be weighing their… Continue Reading
12.03.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Mexico And The Leahy Law
"There are two laws -- both of which I wrote and defend each year against attempts by some in Congress and the Pentagon to weaken them -- which tie a portion of our aid to foreign governments, and to Mexico specifically, on protection of human rights and punishment of those who violate human rights. The Mexican Army and police have a long history of violating human rights with impunity, and no one in Congress has worked harder than I have to keep our aid to Mexico from going to those who commit… Continue Reading
12.03.14
Judiciary Committee Approves Nominee To Lead Key Immigration Office
(Wednesday, December 3, 2014) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved the nomination of Sarah Saldaña to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, where she will lead the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) hailed the nominee and called on the Senate to quickly confirm her. "Ms. Saldaña has earned a reputation as a tough but fair prosecutor. She has stated unequivocally that she will enforce the law, and w… Continue Reading
12.02.14
Senate Judiciary Committee To Hold Hearing On Families & Immigration Next Week
(Tuesday, December 2, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced on Tuesday that the Committee will hold a hearing next week about the impact of the President's executive action on immigrant families and the need to keep children and their parents together. The hearing follows up on the Committee's hearing last year entitled "How Comprehensive Immigration Reform Should Address the Needs of Women and Families." Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), an immigrant who … Continue Reading
12.02.14
Leahy: Vermont Nets $100,000 To Connect Schools And Local Farms
(TUESDAY, Dec. 2, 2014) - A farm-to-school program championed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is investing $100,000 in bringing locally grown food to cafeteria tables and classrooms in Vermont. Leahy, who has led the national farm-to-school efforts in the Senate, commended VT FEED, a partnership of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-Vt.), and Shelburne Farms, which Tuesday received a federal grant to support farm-to-school initiatives across the Green Mountain State. L… Continue Reading
12.01.14
ADVISORY for TOMORROW (Tues.): Judiciary Chairman Leahy Meets With Atty Gen. Nominee Loretta Lynch
********N E W S A D V I S O R Y ********* TOMORROW: SJC Chairman Leahy To Meet With AG Nominee Loretta Lynch Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will meet with Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee to be the next Attorney General of the United States, TOMORROW, Tuesday, December 2, around 11 a.m. in Room S-126 in the Capitol. Photo-op at the top of the meeting, around 11 a.m. Camera pre-set at 10:50 a.m. Contact: Jessica Brady, 202-224-7703, David Carle, 202-224-3… Continue Reading
12.01.14
Leahy & Cornyn Press For CIA To Retain Email Records
(Monday, December 1, 2014) -Responding to reports that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is seeking to adopt a new email retention policy that would allow the agency to purge thousands of emails from nearly all of its employees, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) are urging the archivist of the United States to reject the proposal that undermines oversight of the agency. "We are concerned that this policy would undermine the ability o… Continue Reading
