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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.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the Nomination of Judge Beverly O’Connell
Since the American people first elected President Obama, Senate Republicans have been engaged in a concerted effort to filibuster, obstruct and delay his moderate judicial nominees. They have already, during the last four years, filibustered more of President Obama's moderate judicial nominees than were filibustered during President Bush's entire eight years - 67 percent more, in fact - and there is no dispute that President Bush was engaged in an effort to pack the courts with ideological extr… Continue Reading
04.15.13
Leahy: Improving The Background Check System Is A Matter Of Common Sense
[Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) spoke on the Senate Floor Monday in support of a bipartisan amendment to the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act currently before the Senate that would improve the nation's background checks system for gun purchases. The amendment, authored by Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) closes the so-called gun show loophole while protecting Americans' Second Amendment rights.] # # # # # Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Cha… Continue Reading
04.15.13
Leahy Announces Additional Hearings On Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Monday that the Committee will hold another hearing, set for next week, to examine pending legislation to reform the Nation's immigration system. It will be the fifth immigration hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee this year. "Over the course of the next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold two hearings on a forthcoming, bipartisan proposal to reform the Nation's broken immigration system," Leahy said. "I am wor… Continue Reading
04.15.13
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Committee On The Judiciary On IRS Email Access Policy And The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013 (S. 607)
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Committee On The Judiciary On IRS Email Access Policy And The Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013 (S. 607) April 15, 2013 "Like many Americans, I am concerned about the growing and unwelcome intrusions into our private lives in cyberspace. I have long believed that our government should obtain a search warrant -- issued by a court -- before gaining access to our email and other private communications. This wee… Continue Reading
04.11.13
Leahy And Coons Reintroduce Legislation To Encourage The Humanitarian Work Of American Innovators
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Committee member Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) reintroduced legislation Thursday that encourages the use of patented technology to address humanitarian needs. The bill strengthens an awards program created last year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Patents for Humanity Program, which recognizes patent holders who use their technology to improve the quality of life in impoverished countries. Leahy also joine… Continue Reading
04.11.13
Leahy: Republicans Must Allow Debate On Bipartisan Legislation To Reduce Gun Violence
[The Senate will vote today on a procedural motion to consider a legislative package aimed at curbing gun violence. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), lead author of the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 that is included in the broader package, spoke Thursday morning on the Senate Floor in favor of the measure and called on Republicans to allow the debate to go forward, and not to impose a needless filibuster to block debate.] # # # # # Statement of Senator Pa… Continue Reading
04.10.13
Leahy Continues To Lead Open Process For Immigration Reform
[Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the Committee's process for considering comprehensive immigration reform this spring. Leahy has consistently said he will lead an open and inclusive process. The Committee has so far this year heard from 16 witnesses, including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, over the course of three hearings, and will next week hear further testimony from Napolitano and an additional pane… Continue Reading
04.10.13
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee On Judicial Nominations
Today the Judiciary Committee welcomes Sri Srinivasan. I thank Senator Coons for chairing this important hearing. This hearing was originally planned for January, having been delayed from last year when this nomination was first made by the President. I agreed to an additional delay at the request of the Ranking Member in order to allow time for our staffs to better understand what, if any, role the nominee had in his current position as Principle Deputy Solicitor General of the United States… Continue Reading
04.10.13
Leahy and Collins Announce Agreement with NRA On Legislation to Combat Gun Trafficking
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced on Wednesday an agreement has been reached with the National Rifle Association (NRA) on a modified version of the Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 that addresses all substantive concerns and provides law enforcement officials with the tools they need to investigate and prosecute illegal gun trafficking and straw purchasing. "Senator Collins and I are both strong supporters and advocates of Second Amendment righ… Continue Reading
04.10.13
Leahy Announces Fourth SJC Hearing On Immigration Reform
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said Wednesday. "Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its fourth hearing this year on immigration," said Leahy. "Our hearings have informed the Senate and the public of the various and pressing needs to reform the Nation's broken immigration system. I look forward to continuing that discussion next week as we head toward marking up legisla… Continue Reading
04.09.13
Richmond Elementary School
On Tuesday, April 9, Senator Leahy held his third online chat of the 113th Congress with fourth-grade students from Richmond Elementary School. Using the internet to communicate with the students and their teachers, Senator Leahy answered the students' questions on several issues, including his day-to-day life in the Senate, his favorite hobbies and what issues he is working on as a member of the Senate Agricultural Committee. Students also asked about his work in several Batman films. Leahy h… Continue Reading
04.09.13
Senate Votes To Confirm Shwartz To Third Circuit
The Senate voted Tuesday to approve the nomination of Patty Shwartz to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. A highly qualified nominee with the support of New Jersey's Republican governor, Shwartz's nomination was stalled for 13 months. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) welcomed the Senate's vote of 64-34 to approve Shwartz's nomination, but he noted that "This is another of the many judicial nominees who could have been confirmed last year." "Judged on her qualificati… Continue Reading
04.09.13
Leahy: Senators Should Support Measure To Fight Gun Trafficking Crimes
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday called on the Senate to support legislation that would explicitly make illegal the abusive practice of straw purchasing and trafficking of firearms. The bipartisan Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act would assist law enforcement officers fighting gun crimes. It goes after gun traffickers and closes a gaping loophole to background checks by also penalizing straw purchasers, who buy firearms for another person who is proh… Continue Reading
04.09.13
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On “Current Issues In Campaign Finance Law Enforcement”
[Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a longtime champion of efforts to promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process, issued the following statement for today's Senate Judiciary Committee Crime & Terrorism Subcommittee entitled "Current Issues in Campaign Finance Law Enforcement." Leahy has been a leading sponsor of the DISCLOSE Act that would shed light on secret spending in elections and strengthen campaign finance laws. Despite broad support, Repu… Continue Reading
04.05.13
Leahy, Sanders, Welch, and Shumlin: $1.6 M. Disaster Grant Will Help Prevent Digital Isolation In Future Disasters
MONTPELIER, Vt. - U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy, Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch, and Governor Peter Shumlin announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Economic Development (EDA) has awarded the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) a $1.6 million grant to help deploy disaster resilient cellular and broadband services to towns impacted by Irene and other 2011 flooding. The grant comes from disaster funding Leahy, Sanders, and Welch fought to include in the 2012 federal budget in the wa… Continue Reading
04.02.13
Leahy Continues Dialogue On Process For Immigration Reform; Letter To Senator Rubio
[Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sent the following response Tuesday to Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) regarding the Committee's process for considering immigration reform legislation. Senator Rubio had sent Senator Leahy a letter Sunday night concerning the Committee's timeline for proceeding to legislation. Senator Leahy said in January that the Committee would devote considerable time this spring to the issue of reforming the Nation's immigration system, and he chai… Continue Reading
03.27.13
Leahy, Sanders, Welch, Shumlin: In One Of Largest Grants To State For Rebuilding After Irene, Vermont To Receive Nearly $18 M. In Federal Community Development Funds
In one of the largest single grants to the state to help after Tropical Storm Irene, Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), Congressman Peter Welch (D) and Governor Peter Shumlin (D) Wednesday announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is releasing $17,932,000 in community rebuilding funds to Vermont from a disaster relief appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed by the President in January. Leahy, Sanders and Welch supported the disaster … Continue Reading
03.25.13
A Window Of Opportunity For Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Guest Column By Senator Patrick Leahy, Brattleboro Reformer, March 12, 2013 It's a busy time in our national conversations - around kitchen tables, in Town Meetings, and in the halls of Congress -- about a lengthening list of big questions. Many of these issues are on the minds of Vermonters these days, if my visits around Brattleboro last weekend are any guide. One that comes up often is the need to fix our broken immigration system. Our immigration laws are outdated. After years of debate… Continue Reading
03.23.13
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee On the Nominations of Ketanji Jackson, Raymond Moore, and Troy Nunley
Last week, I spoke at the Judicial Conference about the damaging effect of sequestration on our Federal courts and our system of justice. These indiscriminate cuts are already causing both Federal prosecutors and Federal public defenders to be furloughed. The Administrative Office of U.S. Courts has done its best to address these cuts, but the judicial system can only weather the effects of sequestration for so long before it is irreparably harmed. In a letter dated March 5, 2013, Judge Thoma… Continue Reading
03.22.13
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on Health Reform's Third Anniversary
Three years ago tomorrow, President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act. This landmark law will extend health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans when the reforms are fully implemented next year. Getting to this point has been an arduous process. But in the end, this achievement proved that real reform is possible, and that the voices of so many Americans who over the years have called on their leaders to act have finally been heard. Since its passage, Americans… Continue Reading
