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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Federal Appeals Court Ruling On The Defense Of Marriage Act
[Senator Leahy is a leading cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). He chaired the first-ever congressional hearing examining the effects of DOMA on American families. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he led the panel's consideration of the legislation. The Committee approved the bill in November 2011.] "This latest court decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals echoes testimony heard during an historic hearing be… Continue Reading
10.17.12
Leahy: Vt. Law Enforcement Agencies Receive Federal Grants To Buy Bulletproof Vests For Their Officers
(WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded grants to 25 law enforcement departments across Vermont to aid in the purchase of bulletproof vests for state and local officers. Jurisdictions slated to receive awards include individual towns, counties and the Vermont State Police. The grants are made possible by the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, which Leahy authored in 1998. Since its inception the Bul… Continue Reading
10.16.12
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The 2013 Social Security COLA Announcement
[Today (Tuesday) the Social Security Administration announced that monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 62 million Americans will rise 1.7 percent in 2013. Beginning in January, Social Security beneficiaries will receive, on average, $21 more per month ($252 per year) as a result of the cost-of-living increase. Cost-of-living increases have averaged about four percent, but in the last three years there have been two years with no increase and one y… Continue Reading
10.16.12
Leahy And Shumlin Applaud Revision’s Turnaround Of Newport Helmet Manufacturing Facility And Planned Doubling Of Workforce
NEWPORT, Vt. (TUESDAY, Oct. 16) -- Governor Peter Shumlin (D-Vt.) and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday said Revision Military's plans to double the helmet manufacturer's workforce from 40 to 80 by the end of the year is achieving "a great turnaround" for a facility that was on the ropes only six months ago. The assessment of the facility came as the pair announced that Revision had begun work on a new $21.6 million contract for more than 90,000 new helmets. Revision Military CEO Jonat… Continue Reading
10.15.12
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Death Of Senator Arlen Specter
[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statement on the death of Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). Senator Leahy served as ranking member of the Judiciary Committee while Senator Specter served as chairman and vice versa. They enjoyed a close and cooperative bipartisan relationship that spanned nearly three decades, with the two working on issues ranging from protecting civil liberties following the Sept. 11 attacks to advancing bipartisan asbestos l… Continue Reading
10.11.12
Leahy To Introduce The Dalai Lama At Middlebury College On Saturday
Saturday, October 13 -- 9:00 a.m. - Senator Leahy to introduce the Dalai Lama during public event at Nelson Arena, Middlebury College. [BACKGROUND: Senator Leahy has long been a leading champion of human rights, including the human rights of the Tibetan people in the face of the Chinese government's campaign to obliterate Tibetan Buddhism. He has labeled that campaign a form of cultural genocide. He has met many times with the Dalai Lama on these issues. As chairman of the budget committ… Continue Reading
10.04.12
Wave Of Anti-Voter State Laws Detailed By GAO
, Oct. 4 - New state laws that make it harder for millions of voters to cast ballots are detailed in a Government Accountability Office report released today. The comprehensive study was requested by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). The senators asked the non-partisan research arm of Congress to investigate what they called an "alarming number" of new state laws that will make it "significantly harder" for millions of voters … Continue Reading
10.03.12
VTel Wireless A Winner In FCC’s First ‘Mobility Fund Auction,’ Netting $2 M. To Build Out 941 More Miles Of Wireless Coverage In Vermont
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.): "Advances in wireless technology are vital to Vermont's economy, and good coverage and quality are important in Vermonters' daily lives. Rural areas have lagged the rest of the country as networks have built out broadband access and mobile phone coverage, and Vermont's terrain also has been a longstanding factor. Vermonters deserve the same 3G and 4G coverage that is available in other parts of the country. I am pleased that VTel has won these new re… Continue Reading
10.02.12
Vermont Wins Two Grants For Regional Development
BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 2 - The Northern Border Regional Commission has awarded grants totaling $373,447 for regional development projects in Vermont, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced today. The grants will support the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Lamoille County and develop key regional business clusters in the Northeast Kingdom. The $249,982 grant for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail will be leveraged by a $5.2 million grant Sanders p… Continue Reading
10.01.12
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Expiration Of The Current Farm Bill At Midnight Sunday Night
[Current Farm Bill programs expired Sunday night (Sept. 30, last night) at Midnight, with no new Farm Bill in place. House leaders failed to bring a Farm Bill to the House Floor after the Senate passed a bipartisan Farm Bill on June 21 with a strong bipartisan vote. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the most senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, And Forestry, led efforts to include several key components in the Senate Farm Bill, including a new dairy safety net program … Continue Reading
10.01.12
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On DHS Deferred Action Policy For Same Sex Partners
[Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced that DHS's prosecutorial discretion policy concerning immigrants that pose no risk to national security will expressly cover those in same-sex relationships. The policy will direct immigration officials to consider LGBT family ties when evaluating eligibility for relief under administration policy. The announcement follows up on Napolitano's announcement in June concerning deferred action for qualifying young people… Continue Reading
09.28.12
President Friday Signs Into Law Leahy-Authored Bill To Renew Successful Job-Creating Foreign Investment Program
(FRIDAY, Sept. 28, 2012) - President Obama Friday signed into law legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that will extend a successful, job-creating immigrant visa program that has helped promote economic growth in Vermont and in communities throughout the country. Without Leahy's bill the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center program would have expired this weekend, on Sunday, Sept. 30. Leahy's new charter will extend the program for three years. The EB-5 program enjoys broad… Continue Reading
09.27.12
Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy At Jay Peak For The Announcement Of A $500 Million Economic Development Initiative Made Possible By The EB-5 Program
It is a great pleasure to be with all of you today. And it is even more special to be here on the heels of Congress' passage of a reauthorization for the EB-5 Regional Center Program. I'm delighted that we persevered right to the end of the congressional session and that my bill reached the President's desk right on time for today's announcements. About a year ago, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce recognized Bill as Vermont's 2011 Citizen of the Year - largely in recognition of what he has … Continue Reading
09.25.12
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Obama’s Announcement Of New Initiatives To Fight Human Trafficking
[TUESDAY, September 25 -- Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the lead sponsor of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Leahy introduced the bipartisan legislation last June, and last November he moved the bill through the Judiciary Committee with a bipartisan vote. The legislation currently has 52 cosponsors, including 14 Republicans. The latest proposal is the fourth reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which was first… Continue Reading
09.24.12
Senate Republicans Leave Town After Blocking Dozens Of Judicial Nominations
(Monday, September 24, 2012) -The Senate recessed last week with 15 district court nominees left pending on the executive calendar, and another four circuit court nominees also still awaiting Senate approval. With court vacancies at historic highs, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) blasted Republicans for allowing just two pending district nominees to be confirmed before leaving town. "We all know that justice delayed is justice denied. By denying confirmation votes to … Continue Reading
09.21.12
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Amendment Of Senator Rand Paul
Mr. President, we were all outraged by the video that denigrated the Muslim faith, and the mob violence - some of it reportedly encouraged by Al Qaeda or other extremist groups - against our embassies and diplomats in Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, and other countries around the world. Secretary of State Clinton said it well: "The United States rejects both the content and message of that video . . . and deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others." The Secretary … Continue Reading
09.20.12
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy Criticizes Unprecedented Partisan Obstruction Of Consensus District Court Picks
(Thursday, September 20, 2012) - Senate Republicans objected today to approving the 17 district court nominees who have been pending on the Senate calendar since as far back as April, including those who enjoy the support of their home state Republican Senators. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has repeatedly called for the Senate to clear the backlog of nominations, and criticized the partisan obstruction of consensus picks today.] # # # # # Statement of Senator Patr… Continue Reading
09.20.12
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Legislation To Implement Patent Law Treaties To Help U.S. Businesses Overseas
(Thursday, September 20, 2012) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved legislation to implement a pair of patent law treaties that will help American businesses expand into foreign markets by reducing obstacles for obtaining patent protection overseas. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member, introduced bipartisan implementing legislation for the treaties last month, and there is a companion bill in the House. The legislation was approved… Continue Reading
09.20.12
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2012
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am very pleased to join today with the senior Senator from Oklahoma, Senator Inhofe, in introducing legislation that has already attracted broad support from across the social and political spectrum. This bill, titled the Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2012, seeks to address a much neglected, global human rights and humanitarian problem - the inhumane treatment of people in foreign prisons and other detention facilities. On any given day, millions of… Continue Reading
09.19.12
Remarks Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Launch of the “National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction”
Thank you, Rich, for your very kind remarks and for all your hard work on this issue. I can honestly say that, if not for the dedicated attention to this issue from Vermonters, and from you in particular, we would not be standing here today. Spurred on by Rich and others of you here today, I worked to pass into law a provision requiring the National Institute of Justice at the Department of Justice to study the collateral consequences of criminal convictions federally and in every state. Once… Continue Reading
