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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Vermont Delegation: Health Care Law Invests In Vermont Primary Care
, October 8 - Community health centers at Springfield, Plainfield and Richford were awarded $4.3 million in the first round of grants under a new health care law, the Vermont congressional delegation announced today. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) fought for $11 billion in The Affordable Care Act to expand health centers and double to 40 million the number of patients served nationwide over the next five years. "A week after breaking ground on the new health center in Burlington, it is extreme… Continue Reading
10.07.10
Vermont Delegation: Only 10 Days Old, Newly Signed Small Business Jobs Bill Has Already Cleared The $1.5 M. Loan Backlog Of Vermont Firms Wanting To Grow And Hire; 25 New Vermont Jobs On Tap
(THURSDAY, Oct. 7) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) announced Thursday that loan funds from the Small Business Jobs Act signed by President Obama last week (Sept 27) have already cleared the backlog of business expansion loans that had been approved, but not yet funded, for small businesses in Vermont. The lawmakers report that the U.S. Small Business Administration has awarded $1.5 million in loans to five Vermont firms that had applie… Continue Reading
10.07.10
Leahy: 2 Cornerstones Of Southwestern Vermont's Economy Are Able To Stay Strong In A Difficult Economy With New Contracts And New Partners
BENNINGTON, Vt. (THURSDAY, Oct. 7) - During separate tours of Bennington's Energizer and Vermont Composites factories Thursday, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy pointed to new research and development contracts at Energizer and new defense contracts at Vermont Composites as cornerstones of Southwestern Vermont's economic future. Leahy visited the two facilities to announce a $2 million contract at Energizer and to see the work Vermont Composites is doing on several military airframes. "Energizer and … Continue Reading
10.05.10
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Obama’s Signing Of The Leahy “Freedom of Information Act Amendments To The Securities And Exchange Act, Investment Company Act And Investment Advisers Act Of 2010”
"This is a rare and welcome win for FOIA and for the public's right to know. I am pleased that President Obama has signed S.3717 into law. We quickly identified the problem, and with the Obama Administration's support we promptly acted to solve it. By repealing the exemptions to FOIA for the SEC that were enacted in the Wall Street reform bill, Congress and the administration have signaled a commitment to ensuring that FOIA remains an effective tool to provide public access to information abo… Continue Reading
10.04.10
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Justice Department Action Against American Express, MasterCard, And Visa To Eliminate Rules Restricting Price Competition
"The Justice Department's agreement with MasterCard and Visa is intended to prevent payment processors from barring a merchant from offering a discount, product or enhanced service to a consumer for using one brand or type of credit card over another. These are the same merchant restrictions that I fought to purge from the debit card market as a conferee on the Wall Street Reform Bill, and I applaud the Justice Department for using the antitrust laws to protect competition in a way that allows … Continue Reading
10.04.10
Vermont Delegation Wins Food Stamp Extension
, October 4 - The Vermont congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will postpone a pending reduction in food stamp benefits for 16,000 Vermonters for at least three months. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) pledged to continue to fight for a long-term solution to this problem. Sanders authored a letter signed by Leahy and 13 other senators asking Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack to reconsider his d… Continue Reading
10.04.10
Vermont Delegation: New Transit Buses Will Roll Into Vermont
(MONDAY, Oct. 4) - U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Monday announced that Vermont has been awarded $8.8 million in federal transportation grants for public transit providers across the state to purchase new buses. The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) was awarded $6,392,000 to distribute to transit agencies statewide, and the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) was awarded its own $2,475,305 grant. … Continue Reading
10.01.10
Leahy: $31.5 Million Army Contract Addition Will Further Extend Goodrich-Vergennes Plant’s Work On Helicopter Diagnostics Unit
VERGENNES, Vt. (FRIDAY, Oct. 1) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says a new $31,497,430 U.S. Army contract with Goodrich for additional units of the company's groundbreaking helicopter maintenance diagnostic system, produced by the firm's facility in Vergennes, will further extend the plant's planning horizon and underscores again how firmly the advanced system has quickly taken its place as a key maintenance feature of U.S. military helicopter programs. Leahy just last month announced an extens… Continue Reading
10.01.10
Leahy: 22 Vt. Police Depts. Win Bulletproof Vest Grants
WILLISTON (Friday, Oct. 1) - Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Friday announced that 21 Vermont communities and the Vermont State Police have been awarded federal grants to purchase bulletproof vests for officers working in the field. The funding was awarded through the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, a federal grant program authored by Leahy and administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. At a press conference in Williston Friday afternoon, Leahy also announced that he has secured… Continue Reading
10.01.10
Vermont, Fletcher Allen Given Featured Roles In 1st Summit Meeting On Health Quality And Costs Since Enactment Of Landmark Reforms 6 Months Ago
(FRIDAY, Oct. 1) -- Next week's first national health care summit meeting on health quality and costs since enactment of landmark health insurance reforms six months ago will spotlight Fletcher Allen Health Care's success with its innovative steps in boosting quality while lowering costs. The day-long conference will convene Monday (Oct. 4) on Capitol Hill in Washington. At the suggestion of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dr. Melinda Estes, president and CEO of Fletcher Allen Health Care, will… Continue Reading
09.30.10
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 September 30, 2010
"I am pleased to cosponsor Senator Menendez's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. In the opening days of this Congress, I expressed my steadfast commitment to reform of our nation's broken immigration system. The problems we face in our immigration laws are very real today, and action is long overdue. "The legislation Senator Menendez and I have introduced is an important starting point for this debate. It protects the rights and opportunities of American workers, while ensuring that Ameri… Continue Reading
09.30.10
Senate Passes Leahy-Collins Bill To Make Veterans Groups Eligible To Receive Surplus Federal Property
(Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) that would make veterans groups eligible to receive surplus property donations from the federal government. The Senate's action clears the way for the House of Representatives to consider the Formerly Owned Resources for Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act (FOR VETS Act). The bill is cosponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). The… Continue Reading
09.30.10
Leahy: 3 Vermont Communities Receive Grants For Police Hiring
(Thursday, Sept. 30) - Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday that three Vermont communities have been awarded grants through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. Law enforcement agencies in Orange County, Castleton, and Barre will receive grants to hire or re-hire law enforcement officers. "The federal, state and local law enforcement partnership is on display every day in Vermont," said Leahy. "Vermont law enforcement agencies have benefited from COPS grant… Continue Reading
09.30.10
Senate Recesses Without Confirming Judicial Nominees
(Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010) - The Senate Wednesday night recessed until after the November elections without confirming any of the 23 judicial nominations pending on the Executive Calendar. One nomination, Fourth Circuit nominee Albert Diaz, was unanimously reported by the Judiciary Committee more than eight months ago, but Senate Republicans have yet to give consent to schedule a vote on his nomination. Seventeen of the 23 judicial nominations pending on the calendar were reported by the Commi… Continue Reading
09.30.10
Leahy-Authored Bill To Improve Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Set To Become Law
(Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010) - Legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to make improvements to the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) is set to become law, following a vote by the House of Representatives this evening. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate in May, and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law. The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act will address certain parts of the LEOSA certification process, making it more flexibl… Continue Reading
09.29.10
Leahy: $200,000 Grant Will Continue Key Outreach Efforts For Vermont’s Runaway and Homeless Youths
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Congress's leading champion of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, reports that a new $200,000 federal grant will enable the Vermont Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs (VCRHYP) to continue to help disconnected teens stay safe and healthy. Each of Vermont's 12 programs operate within its own community-based, nonprofit youth and family service organization. The Washington County Youth Service Bureau/Boys & Girls Club serves as the administrative ag… Continue Reading
09.29.10
Governor Douglas and Congressional Delegation Announce Northern Border Regional Commission Awards
Montpelier, Vt. - Two Vermont projects will receive a total of $375,000 in federal funds to support jobs and economic development in the Northeast Kingdom through the Northern Border Regional Commission (NRBC). Governor Jim Douglas joined Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Peter Welch in announcing $234,000 has been awarded for the Northern Vermont Fiber Optic Connection project and $141,150 has been awarded to the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Vermont's federal d… Continue Reading
09.29.10
Leahy Proposes Bill To Allow Retired Justices To Sit On Court By Designation
(Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday introduced legislation to permit retired Supreme Court justices to sit on the Court by designation in cases where an active justice has recused. Such legislation was first suggested to Leahy by Justice John Paul Stevens, in a meeting earlier this year with Leahy, before Stevens announced his retirement plans. Under the proposed bill, the active justices of the Supreme Court would be permitted to v… Continue Reading
09.29.10
Delegation Welcomes Release of Funds for ‘Vermonter’ High-Speed Rail Project
, Sept. 29 - Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today welcomed the release of $50 million in federal stimulus funds for the "Vermonter" rail line from St. Albans to Vernon, Vt. The high-speed rail project will be the second in the nation to break ground using funds that Congress approved in last year's economic recovery act. (Maine's "Downeaster" line was first.) The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad A… Continue Reading
09.29.10
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy on Assistance for Afghanistan
MR. LEAHY. Mr. President, at a time when many Americans are increasingly concerned with the situation in Afghanistan, I was interested in an investigative report on U.S. aid for Afghanistan in the August 2, 2010, issue of the Christian Science Monitor weekly magazine. The report describes several aspects of the U.S. Agency for International Development's approach to development in that country, and I want to take a minute to clarify what may be a misconception about the Congress' expectations.… Continue Reading
