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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy Comments On Floor Schedule For Patent Reform Act
(Friday, Feb. 18, 2011) - The Senate has entered into an agreement to proceed to the Patent Reform Act of 2011 on February 28. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the lead author of the bipartisan Patent Reform Act, which was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 3. Leahy has been pressing for floor consideration of the legislation. "In his State of the Union address, President Obama challenged the nation to out-innovate, out-build and out-educ… Continue Reading
02.18.11
Senate Adopts Leahy-Authored Provision Extending Public Safety Officers Benefits To Nonprofit EMS Personnel
(Feb. 18, 2011) - The Senate Thursday night approved legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to extend the federal Public Safety Officers Benefits (PSOB) program to paramedics and emergency medical technicians who work or volunteer for nonprofit ambulance services, and their families, when they are disabled or killed in the line of duty. The legislation was adopted as an amendment to the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. "I'm glad that all the work… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Leahy, Cornyn Bring Back Proposal To Root Out Public Corruption
(Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation Thursday to give prosecutors new tools to identify, investigate, and prosecute criminal conduct by public officials. It is the third Congress in which Leahy and Cornyn have introduced the proposal. 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 … Continue Reading
02.17.11
Leahy Introduces Bill To Extend Public Safety Officers Benefits To Nonprofit EMS Personnel
(Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday introduced legislation to extend the federal Public Safety Officers Benefits (PSOB) program to paramedics and emergency medical technicians who work or volunteer for nonprofit ambulance services, and their families, when they are disabled or killed in the line of duty. The Dale Long Emergency Medical Service Providers Protection Act is named in honor of the Bennington emergency medical technician who was tragically killed in an… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Leahy: Committee Should Vote On PATRIOT Act Legislation March 3
(Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011) - Consideration of legislation to extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act was further delayed Thursday, after Judiciary Committee Republicans raised last minute objections to considering the previously-reported legislation. Committee debate on the bill will now be delayed another two weeks. "The USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act is virtually identical in substance to legislation approved by a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee last Cong… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Leahy Backs Ending Term Limits On Guaranteed Farm Loans
(THURSDAY, Feb. 17) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined as a cosponsor in introducing legislation Wednesday to eliminate term limits on guaranteed loans from the Farm Service Agency to many borrowers across the nation. If enacted, the bill (S.368) - whose chief sponsor is Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) -- will help more farmers and ranchers receive the help they need to maintain their farms and continue to support and expand their operations. The Farm Service Agency provides much-needed financ… Continue Reading
02.17.11
Vermont Small Businesses In Search Of Contracts Can Find ‘Matches’ With Government Agencies And Prime Contractors At Feb. 24 ‘Contacts to Contracts’ Event
BURLINGTON, Vt. (THURSDAY, Feb. 17) - Senator Patrick Leahy announced Thursday that more than 30 government agencies and prime contractors will be available to meet with Vermont's small businesses during a contract matchmaker event next Thursday, February 24th, at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington. The event will also feature Governor Peter Shumlin, U.S. Small Business Administration New England Regional Administrator Jeanne Hulit, and U.S. General Services Administration R… Continue Reading
02.16.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The House Vote To End The F-35 Alternate Engine Program
"The House vote to delete funding for the F-35 alternate engine from the fiscal year 2011 budget bill may be good short-term politics for some, but it is shortsighted defense policy for all Americans. I agree with Speaker Boehner that in the long run the alternative engine will save money and make us stronger. This is a serious national security slipup that would detract from the only fighter jet we will be adding to our air fleet for a generation. "Lawmakers have the responsibility to cut th… Continue Reading
02.16.11
Leahy Chairs Hearing On Costly Problem Of Online Infringement
(Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011) - The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), held a hearing Wednesday morning about the growing problem of online infringement and online sales of counterfeit goods. The hearing follows the Committee's unanimous vote in 2010 to approve the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, which was aimed at combating online infringement and bolstering law enforcement's tools to suspend infringers' access to unsuspecting American consumers… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Extension Of Expiring Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider S. 193, the Leahy-authored USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2011 on Thursday, Feb. 17. The Senate will vote tonight on a three-month extension of provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act that are set to expire on February 28. In less than two weeks, the current short-term extension of three authorities authorized by the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. I thank the two leaders for working to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to conside… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Twenty-four Senators Urge for Establishment of Independent Human Rights Monitor on Iran
Twenty-four senators today urged Secretary of State Clinton to work at the United Nations Human Rights Council session, which begins March 1, to establish an independent human rights monitor on Iran. In their letter, the senators maintain that an independent human rights monitor achieved some progress in Iran from 1984 to 2002, but that the situation has deteriorated since 2002, when the monitor was removed. The following senators signed the letter to Secretary Clinton: Carl Levin (D-Mich… Continue Reading
02.15.11
Leahy Introduces Bill To Boost Penalties For Environmental Crimes
(Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday renewed his efforts to enact legislation to enhance penalties for corporations and individuals responsible for environmental crimes. Leahy first introduced the Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act in June 2010, following the April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The Leahy authored bill will strengthen penalties for companies who violate the Clean Water Act and provide victims of environmental cri… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Delegation Joins Forces on Home Heating Assistance
BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 14 - The Vermont congressional delegation today opposed a White House budget proposal that would nearly cut in half a heating assistance program for seniors and low-income families with children. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said "heat in the winter is not a consumer choice. It's not a luxury." Instead of cutting heating assistance, Leahy said Congress should end tax breaks for oil companies that "are just using them t… Continue Reading
02.14.11
Senator Patrick Leahy’s Statement On The Deep Cuts Proposed For The LIHEAP Program
[(MONDAY, Feb. 14, 2011) -- Vermont's delegation in Congress -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I), and Congressman Peter Welch D) - Monday held a news conference at the Champlain Senior Center in Burlington, Vt., to discuss their opposition to the president budget proposal for deep cuts in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Also on Monday, the Northeast-Midwest Coalition - a study group in Congress - confirmed that Vermont would lose half of its LIHEAP fu… Continue Reading
02.11.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Departure Of President Mubarak
President Mubarak's departure is an extraordinary, epochal event. It also illustrates the power of social media and modern telecommunications in connecting people in pursuit of their common aspirations. Egypt's military leaders have both the ability and the responsibility to support a process that honors the Egyptian people's yearnings for liberty and opportunity. That will require a credible and transparent transition to the freedom and open society values voiced by the protestors. The res… Continue Reading
02.10.11
Senator Leahy Launches Facebook Page And Twitter Account
(THURSDAY, Feb. 10) - Senator Patrick Leahy has formally launched his Government Official Facebook page and has simultaneously joined the world of Twitter. Long known for his enthusiasm for and leadership on Internet and technology issues, Leahy was one of the first senators to launch a website, write a blog and conduct online chats with school students. Leahy often heralds the Internet's value in improving access to information and in connecting people. He said social media such as Facebook … Continue Reading
02.09.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Obama’s Establishment Of Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committees
"I am pleased that the President has established a series of Intellectual Property Enforcement Advisory Committees, including the committee required by the PRO-IP Act. I am also glad that he has created a Cabinet-level Senior Advisory Committee. The creation of these Committees is another important step toward fulfilling the promise of the PRO-IP Act. That legislation established the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, to provide greater coordination of our intellectu… Continue Reading
02.09.11
Leahy, Grassley Press DOJ, USDA For Follow Up To Agriculture Competition Workshops
(Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, seeking follow up on a recent series of competition workshops held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The conferences, which were held in locations across the country from March 2010 to December 2010, focused on vertical i… Continue Reading
02.08.11
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Expiring Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act
"In less than three weeks, the current short-term extension of three authorities in the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. The House of Representatives will vote later today to extend these expiring provisions until December. It should not take an entire year to pass improvements to these provisions, which we should have adopted last year, and we should not extend this debate into an election year and risk that some will play politics with our national security. "I do not support efforts to permane… Continue Reading
02.08.11
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On The House Budget Allocations
MR. LEAHY. Mr. President, last week the House Appropriations Committee announced its 302(b) budget allocations for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. I am sure other subcommittee chairmen have views on what this proposal would mean for the agencies and programs under their jurisdiction, but I want to speak briefly about the impact the House action would have on the Department of State and foreign operations. It is notable that the House defines diplomacy and development as "non-security" spen… Continue Reading
