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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy To File Bipartisan Amendment To PATRIOT Act Extension Bill
(Monday, May 23, 2011) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) will file an amendment later today to legislation pending before the Senate that will extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act until June 1, 2015. The Leahy-authored amendment will be cosponsored by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul and others, and closely tracks legislation Leahy introduced earlier this year. That bill won approval by a bipartisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee in March. The t… Continue Reading
05.23.11
Leahy-Backed Agriculture And Capital Initiatives Aim To Grow Vermont’s New Economy And Enhance Vermont’s Marketing Identity
CHARLOTTE, Vt. (Monday, May 23) - During a visit to an organic grain farm in Charlotte Monday, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy unveiled two dozen value-added agricultural projects and the creation of a new risk capital fund for value-added agricultural and green economy businesses in Vermont. The two initiatives, the Vermont Agricultural Innovation Center and a risk capital fund created by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), the VSJF Flexible Capital Fund, L3C, are beneficiaries of Leahy-secured … Continue Reading
05.19.11
Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On President Obama’s Arab Spring Speech And Funding Request
This is an historic time in the political geography of the Middle East, and this is a crucial time for our relations with the people in that region. The President movingly expressed our nation's support for universal human rights, and for those who are protesting for better governance and a better future. It was a speech that gave voice to American values, while identifying our national interests as the Arab Spring unfolds. I will review the President's proposal to provide additional aid fo… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Leahy, Graham Unveil Next Steps For National Guard Empowerment Reforms
"This is the boldest, most far-reaching agenda for the Guard that I've ever seen in Congress." --Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C., Co-Chair, Senate National Guard Caucus, at a news conference Thursday with Co-Chair Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.) [Senate National Guard Co-Chairs Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Thursday introduced their new National Guard Empowerment Act, which builds on earlier reforms proposed and enacted through the work of Leahy and the National Guard Caucus, … Continue Reading
05.19.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Proposed Changes To The EB-5 Foreign Investor Program
"I commend Director Mayorkas for taking these very positive steps to improve the EB-5 Regional Center Program. The administration and Director Mayorkas clearly recognize the potential of the EB-5 Regional Center Program as an important economic engine for communities across the country. With these improvements, stakeholders will benefit from a more efficient and predictable process for the approval of capital investment projects. Investor confidence will be bolstered, and the agency will have… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Cloture On The Nomination Of Goodwin Liu To The Ninth Circuit
The Senate should confirm the nomination of Professor Goodwin Liu of California to fill a judicial emergency vacancy on the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Certainly, his nomination should not require cloture in order to have an up-or-down vote. Professor Liu is admired by legal thinkers and academic scholars from across the political spectrum. He has spent his career in public service, private practice and as a teacher since receiving degrees from Stanford University and Yale Law Sc… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Vote On The Motion To Invoke Cloture On The Nomination Of Goodwin Liu To The Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals
"The partisan filibuster of Goodwin Liu's nomination is another example of Republicans' shifting standards on judicial nominations. I have not been this disappointed in a vote on a judicial nomination since Senate Republicans voted in lock step to reject Missouri Justice Ronnie White in 1999. Professor Liu deserved better treatment than the Senate has allowed. All Americans suffer from this filibuster." # # # # #… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Leahy-Grassley Anti-Fraud Bill
(Thursday, May 19, 2011) - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved legislation authored by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to bolster law enforcement's ability to investigate and prosecute fraud. The Fighting Fraud to Protect Taxpayers Act will enhance existing efforts to investigate fraud, including the scourge of mortgage, foreclosure, financial and health care fraud that has victimized thousands of unsuspecting Americans. The legislation w… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Leahy: Vermont Nets More Than $8.5 M. In Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Grants
(THURSDAY, May 19) - State and local law enforcement will receive more than $8.5 million in federal grant assistance to help with prevention and preparedness, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday. The grants will be released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "Police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and a long list of other first responders keep criminals off the street, protect our communities, and help secure our borders," said … Continue Reading
05.19.11
Senate Judiciary Committee Sends Leahy-Authored Environmental Crimes Enforcement Bill To Full Senate
(Thursday, May 19, 2011) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to boost accountability for corporations and individuals responsible for environmental crimes. The Environmental Crimes Enforcement Act (ECEA) is aimed at deterring environmental crime while protecting and compensating victims of environmental crimes. "Too often corporations treat fines and monetary penalties as a mere cost of doing business to be factored against… Continue Reading
05.19.11
Senator Leahy Welcomes Vermont Companies To Washington D.C. For The Sixth Annual Taste Of Vermont
Senator Patrick Leahy will welcome over 50 Vermont businesses and vendors to the United States Capitol on Thursday, May 19, 2011, for the sixth annual Taste of Vermont. The following Vermont companies will be represented at the event: Against the Grain Gourmet Foods Alec's Spicy Pretzels Bakery at Farmhouse Kitchen Ben & Jerry's Bien Fait Specialty Cakes Bove's of Vermont Cabot Creamery Cooperative Castleton Crackers Cellars at Jasper Hill Center for an Agricultural Economy Champl… Continue Reading
05.18.11
Leahy And Other Senators Praise Navy Decision To Name New Supply Ship For César Chávez
(WEDNESDAY, May 18) -- U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and 14 other senators are commending Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on his decision to name a new supply ship after labor and civil rights leader César Chávez, a Navy veteran who enlisted at age 17. Secretary Mabus announced the decision Wednesday at an event in San Diego, where the T-AKE 14 ship is currently under construction. Mabus has explained that the naming of the César Chávez is part of a tradition of namin… Continue Reading
05.18.11
Leahy Chairs Hearing On Challenges For Immigration Courts
(Wednesday, May 18, 2011) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) chaired a hearing Wednesday morning focused on "Improving Efficiency and Ensuring Justice in the Immigration Court System." It was the second hearing related to immigration matters held in the Judiciary Committee this week. Last week, President Obama spoke about the need for immigration reform in a speech in Texas. Backlogs in the nation's immigration courts have resulted in an average time for case complet… Continue Reading
05.18.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senate Debate Of S. 953, The Offshore Production And Safety Act Of 2011
"The Senate begins debate this morning on a Republican bill that would give exclusive jurisdiction of civil cases involving Gulf of Mexico oil spills to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. This provision is nothing more than forum shopping to benefit big oil. "Damage claims from environmental disasters should be heard in the states affected. This provision would hurt the rights of those in Florida, Alabama, and elsewhere, and set a dangerous precedent. States' rights were once a bipartisan c… Continue Reading
05.17.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Bill To Scale Back Oil Company Tax Loopholes, And On The Filibuster Of The Bill
[Senator Leahy is a cosponsor of the bill. Tonight (6:45 p.m.), in a vote of 52 to 48, the U.S. Senate failed to end a filibuster that has prevented a full debate and vote on the bill, falling eight votes short of the supermajority of 60 votes needed.] "These tax expenditures paid for by the American people go day in and day out to some of the wealthiest and most profitable oil companies of all time. If these tax breaks were ever justified, that time passed long, long ago. Budgets are about … Continue Reading
05.17.11
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Extension Of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) For Haiti Beneficiaries
"I commend the Secretary for extending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the United States. Sixteen months after the devastating earthquake, Haiti is still struggling to rebuild, to promote public health and to protect its citizens, as I saw firsthand during my recent visit. An extension of TPS is the right step to take for humanitarian reasons, but it also will aid Haiti in much broader ways as Haitians in the United States work and contribute to their families' and their nation's re… Continue Reading
05.17.11
Delegation announces job-training funding for young Vermonters
BURLINGTON, Vt., May 17 - Vermont's congressional delegation on Tuesday announced a $1,024,000 Department of Labor grant to help young Vermonters earn their high school degrees and develop valuable skills. The grant is part of nearly $76 million in funding for YouthBuild programs that provide training to young people throughout the nation. The over $1 million in funding to Vermont will go to ReSOURCE, a non-profit located in Burlington, to implement a two year YouthBuild program that will enrol… Continue Reading
05.17.11
Leahy Introduces Benchmark Bill To Update Key Digital Privacy Law
(Tuesday, May 17, 2011) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday introduced anticipated legislation to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), one of the nation's premier digital privacy laws. Leahy was the lead author of the 1986 law, which was enacted to protect the privacy of Americans' electronic communications. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) Amendments Act will make commonsense changes to existing law to improve privacy protections for consumers' electron… Continue Reading
05.17.11
Senate Confirms Long-Pending Second Circuit Judicial Nominee
(Tuesday, May 17, 2011) - A bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate Tuesday voted to confirm a long-pending nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Susan Carney of Connecticut. Carney was first nominated in May 2010, and appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September. Her nomination received strong bipartisan support in the Judiciary Committee, but was one of 19 nominations approved by the Committee yet returned to the President at the conclusion of the 111th … Continue Reading
05.17.11
Leahy To U.S. Border Chief: Restore Amtrak Service From Vt. To Montreal
(Tuesday, May 17, 2011) - At a hearing in Washington Tuesday, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy pressed the top official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to work with state officials to help restore important Amtrak service from Vermont to Montreal. The Commissioner of CBP, Alan Bersin, testified at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing focused on security and commerce along the northern border and at ports of entry. Amtrak service from Vermont to Montreal was suspended in the 1980s… Continue Reading
