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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Leahy Announces $1.075M. In Economic Development For Southern Windham County
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - Sen. Patrick Leahy joined leadership and staff from Omega Optical, the Brattleboro Food Coop, Windham Housing Trust and representatives of the Town of Guilford Tuesday to announce $1,075,000 in economic development and community development appropriations. The funding will continue Omega Optical's solar research, help the Brattleboro Food Coop and Windham Housing Trust reach construction on a new downtown Brattleboro facility and encourage smart growth in Algiers. "Com… Continue Reading
02.16.10
New Upper Valley Haven Adult Shelter Critical To Serving Area Homeless And Homeless Veterans
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. - During a construction tour of the Upper Valley Haven's new shelter for homeless adults in White River Junction Tuesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy told representatives of the Haven, capital campaign donors and White River Junction Veterans Administration (VA) Director Robert Walton that a $200,000 appropriation he secured for the facility was going to help serve the Upper Valley's homeless and homeless veterans in need of medical care at the nearby VA hospital. As a se… Continue Reading
02.16.10
Leahy Plans Hearing To Examine Libel Tourism
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that the Committee will hold a hearing on Feb. 23, to examine libel tourism, a growing threat to American journalists' First Amendment rights. The hearing is entitled "Are Foreign Libel Lawsuits Chilling Americans' First Amendment Rights?" Permissive libel laws in other countries have resulted in foreign law suits against American journalists, publishers and authors. A widely-publicized case in Britain in which an Ame… Continue Reading
02.13.10
Leahy, Sanders, Welch Hail Vilsack’s OK Of USDA Loan For Northeast Kingdom Biomass Venture
BURLINGTON, Vt. - The members of Vermont's Congressional Delegation - U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D) - Saturday said the approval of a $10 million federal loan -- $9 million of it guaranteed by USDA - for a significant new biomass production facility in Island Pond, Vt., is on target to create new jobs in a strategic emerging sector of Vermont's economy. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, during a town meeting on Vermont agricult… Continue Reading
02.12.10
New Organic Program Rule On Livestock Access To Pasture Is True To Producers And Consumers And Faithful To The Leahy Organics Law
On the eve of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's Saturday meeting with organic producers in Vermont, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says USDA's new organic program rule on organic livestock access to pasture "ensures that the organic label lives up to consumers' expectations and the expectations of our organic producers who have invested so heavily in the organic label and what it stands for." The long-awaited rule, five years in the making and released today (Friday)… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Leahy And Small Businesses Herald Vermont Community Loan Fund
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Representatives of the Vermont Community Loan Fund (VCLF), small businesses from across the state, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Senator Patrick Leahy said Friday that two key loan provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund and the Small Business Administration's Micro-Loan Program - are helping Vermont businesses find access to much-needed capital. Leahy said the Recovery Act… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Comment On Cell Phone Tracking And Electronic Privacy
A hearing today before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will examine the legal standard that should apply when the government requests Americans' cell phone locational information. "In the Information Age, cell phones, BlackBerries and other innovative technologies make it easier for Americans to quickly share information, with countless benefits. But, these technologies also create privacy challenges that were unforeseen when Congress enacted federal electronic privacy l… Continue Reading
02.12.10
Vermont Wins $12 Million for High-Tech Medical Records System
BURLINGTON - Almost $12 million was awarded today to help Vermont doctors and hospitals move from paper records to state-of-the-art computerized medical records. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said the funds will help state agencies, hospitals and doctors' offices develop a standardized system that will improve patient care and maintain the confidentiality and security of patient records. Gov. Jim Douglas said Vermont has led the nation… Continue Reading
02.11.10
Leahy To Introduce Bill To Fix Labor Department’s Exemption Of Dairy Farms From Visa Program For Seasonal Workers
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday said he will introduce legislation to address the U.S. Department of Labor's new rules that exclude the dairy industry from eligibility for certification in the seasonal agricultural worker program, called H-2A visas. "I am deeply disappointed with the Department of Labor's final rule on H-2A agricultural workers," said Leahy. "This rule falls short, leaving dairy farms in the lurch. With the dairy industry reeling in Vermont and across the nati… Continue Reading
02.11.10
Leahy, Feinstein In Letter To President Endorse Use of Federal Courts To Prosecute Terrorists
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday sent a letter to President Barack Obama endorsing the longstanding use of federal criminal courts to prosecute terrorists. Leahy and Feinstein chair the Senate Judiciary Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence, respectively. Leahy and Feinstein have supported the administration's plans to try terrorists in federal court, which have a proven track record over many years of successfully trying terror… Continue Reading
02.10.10
Statement At Nominations Hearing
Today the Senate Committee on the Judiciary will hear from six more of President Obama's judicial nominees. I thank Senator Sessions for working with me to schedule this hearing and to work to include these nominees. We meet today while the Federal Government and most of the city remains shut down in the wake of a blizzard and record snow falls for this area. I commend Senator Klobuchar for chairing and Senator Sessions for serving as the ranking Republican at this hearing. The nominees b… Continue Reading
02.09.10
Senate Confirms Third Circuit Nominee
The Senate Tuesday night unanimously confirmed Judge Joseph Greenaway to a seat on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The nomination, pending before the Senate for more than four months, is just the fifth circuit court nomination confirmed this Congress. The final vote was 84-0. Greenaway first appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing on September 9. The Judiciary Committee unanimously reported the nomination to the full Senate on October 1. Senate Judiciary Commi… Continue Reading
02.09.10
Leahy: Citizens United Decision Has Invited Foreign Influence Over Our Political Process
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday spoke briefly on the Senate Floor about the Supreme Court's decision last month in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision last month that reversed long-standing precedent and declared government restrictions on corporate independent expenditures on elections to be unconstitutional in violation of the First Amendment. Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),Chairman, Sen… Continue Reading
02.09.10
Vilsack Names 5 Vermonters, Nominated By Leahy, To USDA's Farm Service Agency State Committee
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has announced the five Obama Administration appointees to USDA's Farm Service Agency State Committee in Vermont - the advisory body that will guide the work of USDA's Farm Service Agency in Vermont in implementing agriculture conservation, loan, disaster relief, and financial programs, resolving appeals from Vermont's farm community, and informing producers about Farm Service Agency programs. The five Vermonters were recommended to Vilsack by U.S… Continue Reading
02.05.10
Comment On The President’s Appointment Of A Council Of Governors (Including Governor Douglas as Co-Chair) To Implement Leahy’s National Guard Empowerment Act
[Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairs the Senate National Guard Caucus (Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., is the Republican co-chair). Leahy is the author and chief sponsor of the Guard Empowerment Act, signed into law in 2007. The Leahy legislation, among other steps, directs the President to appoint a bipartisan Council of Governors to advise on Guard issues. Governor Douglas of Vermont has been appointed co-chair of the Council.] "I commend President Obama for this step in implementing the Guard … Continue Reading
02.05.10
Passport Center Could Be Huge Boost To City
The City of St. Albans will be home to the only non-metropolitan passport agency in America. There is a single reason why: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The passport center will be located on South Main Street, where the Post Office used to be. The 6,500 square foot center is being remodeled to the tune of between $1 million and $3 million. It's expected to employ just shy of 20 people and to be open no later than October of this year. Hopefully, much sooner. The next closest passport agency is in… Continue Reading
02.05.10
Senatorial Quiz, Via Webcam
BARRE - Who says you can't be in two places at once? Sen. Patrick Leahy was on Thursday and so were nearly 40 sixth-graders at Barre City Elementary and Middle School. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, Vermont's senior senator had the opportunity to play are you smarter than a 6th-grader during a noontime break in the nation's capital. He passed with flying colors. Of course it wasn't a particularly tough test for Leahy, whose familiar face was beamed into Susan Connolly's classroom… Continue Reading
02.04.10
Statement At Hearing On The Comcast/NBC Universal Merger: What Does The Future Hold For Competition And Consumers?
Today, the Antitrust Subcommittee examines the competitive impact of Comcast's proposed acquisition of NBC Universal. This acquisition would combine the Nation's largest cable company with one of the leading television and film content owners, and has significant implications for the media industry. I thank Senator Kohl and Senator Hatch for holding this important hearing. Over the years, the media industry has consistently found innovative ways to provide viewers with an enhanced televis… Continue Reading
02.04.10
Barre City Elementary & Middle School
On February 4, 2010 Senator Leahy conducted his first online chat with 6th grade social studies students of Barre City Elementary and Middle School. Students asked a variety of questions about a variety of topics including Senator Leahy's childhood, what inspired him to become a United States Senator and his favorite part of his job. They also discussed Senator Leahy's role in the movie The Dark Knight and his personal favorite sports teams and foods.… Continue Reading
02.04.10
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy On Vermont Nurses Volunteering in Haiti
MR. LEAHY. Mr. President, on January 22nd, I spoke in this chamber about the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th, and the unprecedented devastation it caused. We now know that an estimated three million people have been affected, including some 700,000 people displaced from Port-au-Prince and living under plastic or other makeshift shelter, and as many as 200,000 may have died. Tens of thousands have suffered injuries, including many whose limbs were amputated. Hundreds of t… Continue Reading
