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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Department of Homeland Security Oversight Hearing
(Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testified Wednesday morning at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Napolitano first appeared before the Committee, which has jurisdiction over immigration, citizenship and related issues, in May. Member statements, witness testimony, and a live webcast are available online.] Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,Oversight Of Th… Continue Reading
12.09.09
Leahy Wins Key Step For Measure Aimed at Reducing Heavy Truck Traffic In Vermont Downtowns
(WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has won initial approval of his legislation to create a pilot program in Vermont to move heavy trucks off state secondary roads and onto the state's Interstate highways for one year, using the practical experience to evaluate impacts on highway safety, bridge and road durability, commerce, truck volumes and energy use in Vermont. Leahy included his provision in the annual transportation funding bill that a House-Senate conference committe… Continue Reading
12.09.09
Leahy Urges Congress To Pass REAL ID Fix
(Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009) - At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged the Senate to quickly approve legislation designed to fix problems in the national driver's license program commonly referred to as REAL ID. Leahy is a leading sponsor of the bipartisan PASS ID Act, legislation that would implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to enhance the security of drivers licenses, while fixing many of the most troubling aspects of the REAL ID Act of 2005. "Se… Continue Reading
12.09.09
Nominees Should Be Confirmed Before Winter Recess
(Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday urged the Senate to consider and confirm the nearly two dozen Judiciary Committee-reported nominations pending on the Senate Executive Calendar, several of which have been pending for months. Nine nominations for federal courts across the country, as well as several nominations for critical leadership positions in the Department of Justice, await Senate confirmation. The Judiciary Committee is schedu… Continue Reading
12.08.09
Comment On On The Obama Administration’s Transparency Directive
"I commend President Obama for issuing an historic directive on government transparency, participation and collaboration that will make our government more accessible and accountable to the American people. I am particularly pleased that, for the first time, the public will have immediate access to government data that for too long had been shielded from view by excessive secrecy and outdated technologies. "From the start of his transition to the White House, I urged President Obama to mak… Continue Reading
12.08.09
Vermont Receives $10.45 Million In New First-Responder Grants
(TUESDAY, Dec. 8) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday announced $10.45 million in new first-responder grants to Vermont. The grants will be used to address the planning, equipment, training and exercise needs of first responders across the state. The new funding includes $6.6 million through the State Homeland Security Grant Program that Leahy authored in 2001. Leahy's all-state minimum funding formula, modified in recent years, ensures that smaller states like Vermont are able to partici… Continue Reading
12.08.09
Comments On The President’s Tuesday Message Outlining The Creation Of New Jobs To Accelerate The Economic Recovery
"The President laid out some broad steps that he believes should be at the heart of our efforts to generate additional momentum to create new jobs. I am pleased that he included bridge and road infrastructure among his priorities - which could help Vermont and New York accelerate construction of a new Champlain Bridge. It is time for Congress to act on these and other ideas so that we can pick up the pace in getting our economy moving again. I agree with President Obama's plan to use TARP fun… Continue Reading
12.08.09
Thomas Fleming School
Mrs. Auch's and Mrs. Coviello's 5th grade classes On December 8, 2009, 46 fifth grade students of the Thomas Fleming School in Essex, VT used a video-conferencing system to speak with Senator Leahy in Washington, DC. After studying the Constitution, the students were eager to ask the Senator about various aspects of his job, his life, and the political processes of the government and Congress. A sample of the questions asked during their 30 minute chat, are listed below. This is the second chat… Continue Reading
12.07.09
Statement On Aminatou Haidar
MR. LEAHY: Last week I spoke about the situation of Aminatou Haidar, a Sahrawi human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike since shortly after November 13th when her passport was confiscated by Moroccan authorities and she was deported to the Canary Islands. She is now in the third week of her hunger strike, and her health has seriously declined. An agreement between the Spanish and Moroccan governments was reportedly reached on Friday, but it fell through at the last minute and Ms.… Continue Reading
12.07.09
Leahy Hails EPA Finding on Greenhouse Gases
(Monday, Dec. 7) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday applauded EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for announcing the agency's official finding that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people. The conclusion, which comes after thorough examination of what EPA describes as overwhelming scientific evidence and a large tide of public comments, sets the stage for agency steps to address the harm of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change… Continue Reading
12.06.09
Statement Regarding Amendment To Cap Attorney Fees In Medical Malpractice Cases
We will soon be voting on a one-sided amendment that will hurt injured Americans who seek to recover damages in our court system. It may not be obvious to the non-lawyers listening to this debate that many ordinary Americans who suffer an injury through another's negligence cannot afford to pay an attorney up front. Our legal system allows for a plaintiff and an attorney to negotiate to determine compensation. In these cases, the parties sign a contract where the attorney may agree to work on… Continue Reading
12.04.09
As Hibernation Season Nears, Agency Issues New Guidance On Slowing Spread Of Mystery Illness That Has Decimated Northeast’s Bat Populations
(Friday, Dec. 4) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday released guidance for slowing the spread of the bat disease pandemic that has already killed millions of hibernating bats across the Northeast. The agency has developed a process of structured decisionmaking to guide management recommendations described in the report, which outlines the best known approaches to managing the risk of spreading the disease, known as White Nose Syndrome (WNS). The causes of the outbreak are still unkn… Continue Reading
12.04.09
U.S. Labor Department To Survey Construction Wages In Vermont
(Friday, December 4, 2009) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) announced Friday that the U.S. Labor Department will conduct a building and heavy construction wage survey in Vermont to determine the prevailing wages that should be paid for future federal construction projects. Leahy, Sanders, and Welch requested the updated survey in a September 2008 letter to the Labor Department. In the joint statement, Leahy, S… Continue Reading
12.03.09
Senate Committee Approves Leahy Bill To Extend Federal Death Payments To Nonprofit EMS Personnel
(Thursday, Dec. 3) - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved legislation authored by U.S. 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, for coverage when they are killed or disabled in the line of duty. Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the PSOB program, and he has successfully steered several PSOB improve… Continue Reading
12.03.09
Opening Statement, Senate Committee On The Judiciary, Executive Business Meeting
The Committee meets today with a full agenda. We have the opportunity to vote on five judicial nominees and six executive branch nominees. As we approach the end of the year, I hope that none of them will be needlessly delayed. They should be reported to the Senate now for final action before the end of the year. We have a number of bills to consider including two, the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act and the Dale Long Emergency Medical Service Providers Protection Act, that I wo… Continue Reading
12.02.09
Senate Judiciary Committee Examines Supreme Court Of The United States Decisions On Pleading Standards
(Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today chaired a hearing examining the impact of two recent Supreme Court decisions on Americans' access to courts. The focus of the hearing was the Supreme Court's decisions in Iqbal and Twombly. Member statements, witness testimony, and a webcast are available online. The full text of Leahy's statement follows. Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,Hearing On "Has … Continue Reading
12.02.09
Statement On Aminatou Haidar
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to bring to the attention of Senators who may not already be aware, a situation that has been unfolding in Morocco and the Canary Islands. Last year, I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Aminatou Haidar, called by some the "Saharawi Ghandi", who received the 2008 human rights award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. Ms. Haidar is a focus of attention again today because she is on a hunger strike in the Canary Islands after being summ… Continue Reading
12.02.09
Vermont Receives $536,400 for Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates
, December 2 - Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced that Vermont's Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program will receive an additional $536,400 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the program provides rebates to consumers replacing used appliances with new Energy Star-certified appliances. Vermont's program, which will be administered by the Vermont Energy Investment Corpo… Continue Reading
12.01.09
Leahy To File Antitrust Repeal Amendment Today
(Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday announced that he will file an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will repeal the health insurance and medical malpractice insurance industries' exemption from federal antitrust laws. Leahy introduced the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act in September. Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held a hearing about the legislation in October. The bill is cosponsored by 18 sen… Continue Reading
12.01.09
On The Cartagena Landmine Ban Treaty Review Conference
Senator Leahy Comments on Landmine Ban MR. LEAHY. Madam President, I want to speak briefly on a subject that many Members of Congress - Democrats and Republicans - have had an abiding interest in over the years. Throughout this week, delegates from countries around the world will gather in Cartagena, Colombia, to participate in the Second Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.… Continue Reading
