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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Reflections Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Anniversary Of The Attacks Of September 11, 2001
Eleven years ago today, on a crisp early autumn morning much like today's, I was at the Supreme Court for the semiannual meeting of the Judicial Conference, when I got word of the first attack of 9/11. I quietly informed Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who was presiding over our meeting. Soon afterward we heard a muffled "bump," followed by a report that a car bomb may have gone off across town at the State Department. Of course, we later learned that this had been the sound of another plane… Continue Reading
09.11.12
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Extension Of The Production Tax Credit For Wind Energy
Like others in this body, including Senator Udall of Colorado and my fellow senator from Vermont, Senator Sanders, I support extending the Production Tax Credit for wind energy. This extension is critical to maintaining America's leadership in green energy development and can directly increase domestic job growth. Vermont has already seen the positive results of the Production Tax Credit for wind energy, but the wind industry impacts our entire country. Every American has a stake in the extensio… Continue Reading
09.10.12
Leahy Calls On Senate Republicans To Drop Blockade Of Consensus Judicial Picks
(Monday, September 10, 2012) -The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on the nomination of Stephanie Rose, a federal district court nominee from Iowa who has been pending on the floor since April. While Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) welcomed the chamber's consideration of Rose, he noted that the Senate remains far behind the pace set in considering well qualified judicial nominees in past administrations. A dozen of the 18 pending district court nominees on the Senate… Continue Reading
08.29.12
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Judge’s Ruling In Favor Of Somali Victims Of Torture
[A federal court judge in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday ruled in favor of seven individuals who sued the former prime minister of Somalia, now living in Virginia, for torturing and killing his own people. The seven Somalis were awarded $21 million in Tuesday's decision, eight years after filing suit in 2004 in a case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act does not grant individual immunity to foreigners accused of torture,… Continue Reading
08.27.12
On Anniversary Of Irene’s Onset, Leahy In Burlington Announces Vermont Weather Radar Upgrade
BURLINGTON, Vt. (MONDAY, Aug. 27, 2012) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Monday that the National Weather Service's Forecast Office in Burlington, Vt., now has an upgraded Doppler radar serving the state with a new life-saving technology. Dual polarization ("dual pol") radar provides meteorologists with enhanced information about the atmosphere so they can more accurately track, assess and warn the public of approaching high-impact weather. Burlington, Vt., is the half-way mark… Continue Reading
08.23.12
Senators to Justice Department: Revise Hate Crime Laws to Protect Sikhs
(THURSDAY, Aug. 23) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), together with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), S… Continue Reading
08.22.12
Cardin, Lugar, Leahy Welcome SEC Approval Of Transparency Rules
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dick Lugar (R-IN), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) welcomed action today by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement the "Cardin-Lugar Amendment" on extractives industry transparency. "I'm pleased that the SEC has adopted the long-overdue final rule implementing the Cardin-Lugar Amendment. Increased transparency reduces the risk for U.S. investors and allows citizens in resource-rich countries to hold their leaders accountable. Finally, the U.S. has t… Continue Reading
08.21.12
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Success Of The U Visa Program To Protect Victims Of Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault
[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Tuesday after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it has issued the maximum 10,000 petitions this year for nonimmigrant status under the U Visa program, which allows law enforcement officials to request visas for victims who assist in the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault offenses and other serious crimes. The program was created by the … Continue Reading
08.21.12
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Resignation Of Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams
"I have great admiration for Director Williams. I watched him restore the credibility and reaffirm the mission of one of America's finest organizations. What he and the Peace Corps have achieved shows the best face of America. Marcelle and I consider it a privilege to know him, and to have joined him at meetings with Peace Corps volunteers during his visit this month to Vermont." # # # # #… Continue Reading
08.16.12
The Leahy Letter -- August 2012
Senate Judiciary Committee Evaluates Citizens United Remedies The aftershocks of the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in the Citizens United case continue to ripple throughout the American electoral system. As a champion of open government and accountability, Senator Leahy - on the Senate Judiciary Committee that he chairs, as well as on the Senate Rules Committee, of which he is a member -- continues to seek ways to repair the decision's damage and rectify the flawed outcome. Most recently, the… Continue Reading
08.13.12
Leahy Welcomes News That ICANN Will Extend Public Comment Period Ahead of New Generic Domain Program; Urges Further Steps
(MONDAY, August 13, 2012) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) welcomed the decision of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to extend the time for public comments to be filed concerning ICANN's program to expand the number of generic top level domains available on the Internet. The announcement came just days after Leahy, along with the House Judiciary Committee chairman and ranking members from both panels, called on ICANN to work with the bro… Continue Reading
08.07.12
Senate & House Judiciary Leaders Press To Ensure Expansion Of Internet Domain Names Protects Consumers And Trademark Holders
TUESDAY, August 7, 2012 - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) today sent a letter to the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) seeking additional information about the Internet governance body's program to expand the number of top level domain names made available to Internet users. The let… Continue Reading
08.03.12
Senate Approves Leahy Bill To Continue Job-Creating Foreign Investment Program
(FRIDAY, AUG. 3) - The U.S. Senate has approved legislation authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to continue the EB-5 foreign investment program that Vermont has used to create hundreds of jobs across the state. Leahy's measure, approved Thursday night, would extend the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center program for three years. Current authority for the pilot program runs out at the end of September. The legislation - paired with extensions of other programs also set to expire - now … Continue Reading
08.03.12
President Nominates Leahy To U.S. Congressional Delegation To The United Nations
(FRIDAY, Aug. 3) -- President Obama has nominated Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to be a representative of the United States with the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, for the upcoming 67th Session of the UN's General Assembly. The General Assembly's session opens Sept. 18. Leahy, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on the State Department and Foreign Operations, has long been a leader in the U.S. Senate on human rights and foreign policy issues. Also nominated to t… Continue Reading
08.03.12
Joint Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch On Their Meeting With FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate
(This meeting with the Vermont Congressional Delegation was set up several weeks ago and was held on Wednesday, Aug. 1, in Senator Leahy's office in the U.S. Capitol.) "As Vermont nears the anniversary of Irene and it's aftermath, we asked for this meeting as part of our ongoing communication with FEMA and other federal agencies about Vermont's recovery needs. The response and recovery effort has been a mammoth undertaking at all levels, and maintaining clear and constant channels of communica… Continue Reading
08.03.12
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Folly Of Setting Budget Decisions On Autopilot
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am disappointed that Congress has agreed to put government funding decisions on autopilot for the first six months of fiscal year 2013 through another continuing resolution. This means, in effect, that a half year's worth of hearings, briefings, and drafting of a dozen appropriations bills will have been for naught. I recognize there are many factors at play this year as the clock ticks toward the end of a fiscal year and toward November. But continuing resolution… Continue Reading
08.02.12
Leahy Hails Confirmation Of Four PCLOB Nominees, Calls For Confirmation of Board’s Chairman
(Thursday, August 2, 2012) -- The Senate tonight confirmed four of the five pending nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The Board was originally created by Congress in 2004, at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, and it was originally located within the Executive Office of the President. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, later worked to make the Board an independent entity within the Executive Branch. The nominations of Jam… Continue Reading
08.02.12
Leahy, Grassley Introduce Legislation to Implement Patent Law Treaties That Will Help U.S. Businesses Obtain Patent Protections Overseas
(Thursday, August 2, 2012) - U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation today to implement two patent law treaties that will help American businesses expand into foreign markets by reducing obstacles for obtaining patent protection overseas. "In this global economy, it is not enough to have an effective domestic patent system; we must also help American inventors and businesses to protect their inventions and thrive in markets around the world," sai… Continue Reading
08.02.12
Leahy: Threats To Cybersecurity Must Be Addressed
(Thursday, August 2, 2012) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a champion of protecting individual privacy and promoting American innovation, issued the following statement today after the Senate's cybersecurity legislation was stalled on a procedural vote. Leahy had filed a number of privacy-related amendments to make further improvements to the bill, and had worked with the bill's cosponsors to seek their inclusion in the bill, had debate moved forward.] Statement… Continue Reading
08.02.12
Delegation Announces $3.1 Million for Vermont Covered Bridges and Other Transportation Projects
, Aug. 2 - Vermont won more than $3.1 million in Federal Highway Administration competitive grants, including funds to repair the Longley Covered Bridge in Montgomery and the Brown Covered Bridge in Shrewsbury, the congressional delegation announced today. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced the awards. "Vermont fared very well in this very competitive round of funding," they said. "These grants will make possible important transportatio… Continue Reading
