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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Senate Motion To Proceed To The America Invents Act
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today filed cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1249, the House-passed Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. The Senate will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill when it returns to session in September. "Congress is closer than ever to enacting meaningful reforms to give American inventors and innovators the 21st century patent system they need to compete in an evolving global marketplace. The product of six years of debate, the America Invent… Continue Reading
08.02.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Application Of Material Support Laws To Humanitarian Relief In Somalia
"I have long urged reform of our laws governing so-called material support for terrorism. The current law is so broad as to be unworkable. Aid workers trying to provide relief to starving Somalis fear they could be prosecuted if some of it were to end up in the hands of al-Shabab, an al Qaeda affiliate that controls parts of Somalia. And so while the situation in Somalia grows more desperate each day, with children dying needlessly, the delivery of food and medicines is hampered, first by al-… Continue Reading
08.02.11
Leahy Reacts To Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Solution On The Debt Ceiling Crisis
Remarks of Senator Patrick Leahy Senate Passage Of The Bipartisan Agreement On The Debt Ceiling Tuesday, August 2, 2011 With no time to spare, this bipartisan solution has averted a manufactured crisis that has held hostage our entire economy and every American family in it. A default on U.S. obligations for the first time in our history would have imposed incalculable harm and a credit rate tax on every citizen, every state, every community and every business. This is not a… Continue Reading
08.02.11
Senate – Again – Unanimously Approves Leahy-Authored Faster FOIA Act
(Tuesday, August 2, 2011) - For the second time this year, the U.S. Senate Monday night unanimously approved legislation to make improvements to the nation's premier open government law, the Freedom of Information Act. The Senate passed the Faster FOIA Act in May, but leaders in the House of Representatives tapped the legislation as a vehicle for passing a bill to address the nation's debt ceiling. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D) reintroduced the legislation on Monday, and the Senate acted q… Continue Reading
08.01.11
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy In Support Of The Agreement To End The Debt Ceiling Crisis
This is not a solution I would have preferred, but the compromise finally reached by the White House and congressional leaders has the potential to end this manufactured crisis. It is a solution that puts common sense and the national interest above partisanship and ideology. The country has been brought to the brink of catastrophe. The choice at hand is not this bill or something better. The choice is between the only bipartisan practical solution to the debt ceiling crisis, or a devastatin… Continue Reading
07.30.11
Senate Floor Address By Senator Patrick Leahy, On The Debt Ceiling Crisis
Remarks of Senator Patrick Leahy The Debt Ceiling Crisis Senate Floor Saturday, July 30, 2011 It is unfortunate that a partisan faction first manufactured this debt limit crisis and now continues to prevent a bipartisan solution. An unwillingness to compromise and find a bipartisan solution has led us to the brink. The United States of America is now just three days away from defaulting on its obligations, for the first time in our history. We are needlessly risking financial turmoil t… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy To House Passage Of The Boehner Debt Ceiling Package
"It is unfortunate that a partisan faction first manufactured this debt limit crisis and now continues to prevent a bipartisan solution. Everyone knows that this lopsided House debt package has no chance of averting a debt catastrophe. "Instead of taking days to play political games, Republicans and Democrats should come together in good faith for the good of the country. Vermonters and the rest of the American people want this solved, they want it solved fairly, and they want it solved now."… Continue Reading
07.29.11
Leahy: Nuclear Waste Report Is Impetus For Congress To Forge Sensible Waste Storage Program
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Draft Report On Nuclear Waste Management Of The Blue Ribbon Commission On America's Nuclear Future July 29, 2011 In its draft of its final report today on nuclear waste management in the United States, the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future has made constructive recommendations. If appropriately implemented, their conclusions can become an action plan to renew confidence in the nation's nuclear waste management program. Forging the … Continue Reading
07.29.11
Vermont Delegation Opposes Post Office Closings
, July 29 - A U.S. Postal Service proposal to close more than 3,600 post offices and branches, including 14 in Vermont, drew opposition today from the Vermont congressional delegation. "Post offices in a rural state like Vermont are not just post offices - they are often the heart and soul of the town - and they must not be closed down," Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said in a letter to Postal Service commissioners. "Many of these post off… Continue Reading
07.28.11
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Leahy-Authored Bipartisan Anti-Corruption Bill
(Thursday, July 28, 2011) - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) that will give prosecutors new tools to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal conduct by public officials. The Public Corruption Prosecution Improvements Act (PCPIA) will strengthen existing federal criminal law for acts of public corruption, and raise maximum statutory penalties. The bill will also clarify the… Continue Reading
07.28.11
Leahy-Chaired Panel Approves Bill To Make Designer Drugs Known As “Bath Salts” Illegal
(Thursday, July 28, 2011) - A panel chaired by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday approved legislation to make synthetic drugs known commonly as "bath salts" illegal. The Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act was approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and will make so-called "bath salts" a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs have the highest abuse potential, and are not used for medical treatment in the United States. The h… Continue Reading
07.27.11
Leahy: Leadership, Stability, Continuity Needed At The FBI
(Wednesday, July 27, 2011) - The U.S. Senate later today will vote on the President's nomination of Robert S. Mueller, III, to be the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for up to two additional years. Mueller's 10-year term is set to expire on August 2. In May, President Obama requested that Congress enact legislation to provide for a one-time extension of Mueller's service. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced bipartisan legislation in May to resp… Continue Reading
07.27.11
Leahy Chairs Hearing On Consular Notification Treaty Obligations
(Wednesday, July 27, 2011) - The Senate Judiciary Committee under the Chairmanship of Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) held a hearing Wednesday about U.S. obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), a key treaty ensuring access to consulates for citizens detained abroad. "Each year, thousands of Americans - including from every state represented by the Members of this Committee - are arrested overseas while they study, travel, work, and serve in the military," said Leahy. "Thei… Continue Reading
07.27.11
The Washington Post: Freedom of Information Act Needs a Push
Today, The Washington Post published an editorial endorsing the Faster FOIA Act, legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to make improvements to the nation's premier open government law, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Leahy has been a longtime leader in Congress on open government issues, and has partnered with Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas to author recent laws to strengthen FOIA, including the OPEN Government Act and the OPEN FOIA Act. The Senate unanimously ap… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Renomination Of Robert S. Mueller, III, To Be The Director Of The FBI
"I am pleased the President has signed the bill to extend the FBI Director's term and sent the nomination of Robert Mueller to the Senate. I urge Senate leaders to promptly schedule a vote on the nomination. There is no time to waste to ensure that there is no lapse in leadership at the FBI." # # # # #… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Delegation Announces Northern Border Regional Commission Funding
, July 26 - Vermont's congressional delegation today announced that the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will begin accepting applications for federal assistance beginning August 1st, with the goal of awarding approximately $1.25 million by September 30th. Vermont's delegation was influential in creating the NBRC, which directly invests federal resources for economic development and job creation in economically distressed regions of northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Senator Leahy's Address On The Debt Limit Crisis And The Proposed Solution Introduced Tuesday By Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
I applaud President Obama and Majority Leader Reid for real leadership and persistence over many months in trying to find a bipartisan solution to the debt crisis. Senator Reid has put forward a solution that would end the current crisis and reduce our unsustainable national debt. This is a solution that has the potential to draw support from lawmakers from both parties who are willing to put common sense and the national interest above partisanship and ideology. By repeatedly walking away fr… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Sanders And Leahy Promote New Effort to Expand Community Supported Agriculture
July 26 - Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Patrick Leahy (D) on Tuesday introduced legislation to charter a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Vermont is a leader in the successful movement that directly links consumers with the farmers who grow their food. Since the concept first took hold 20 years ago there are now thousands of CSA farms across the country, with more than 100 farms in Vermont o… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Senate Confirms Two To Federal District Courts
(Tuesday, July 26, 2011) - The U.S. Senate Tuesday voted unanimously to confirm two nominees to fill vacancies on U.S. Federal District Courts. Paul Engelmayer was confirmed to fill a judicial emergency for the Southern District of New York, and Ramona Manglona was confirmed to fill a 10-year term on the District Court for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Both nominations were reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee without opposition on April 7, nearly four months ago.… Continue Reading
07.26.11
Freedom Of Information Act Needs A Push
THIS YEAR MARKS the 45th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a crucial, if sometimes sluggish, vehicle through which journalists can demand greater government openness and accountability. In May, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) won unanimous Senate passage of the Faster FOIA Act, which would establish an advisory panel to examine the backlog of more than 69,000 FOIA requests. It's time for the House to take it up. While … Continue Reading
