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Press Releases
Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
The President’s Nomination Of Judge Glen E. Conrad To Serve On The Fourth Circuit Court Of Appeals
(Thursday, May 8, 2008) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) commended the President Thursday for heeding the recommendation of Virginia Senators John Warner (R) and Jim Webb (D) by sending to the Senate the nomination of Glen E. Conrad to fill the second Virginia vacancy on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The nomination comes after years of contentiousness and failed nominations for the Fourth Circuit, including those of Jim Haynes, Claude Allen and, most recently, … Continue Reading
05.07.08
Hearing On Judicial Nominations
(Wednesday, May 7, 2008) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) held a hearing today on three judicial nominations from Michigan, including two nominees to fill the final vacancies on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. It was the seventhnominations hearing of 2008, and the fifth for judicial nominations. Last week, the Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Steven Agee to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as two district court nominations. The Judiciary… Continue Reading
05.07.08
Senate Judiciary Committee To Examine Explosive Rise In Oil Prices
(Wednesday, May 7, 2008) - The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing later this month to examine the rising price of crude oil and its effect on gas prices across the country, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced today. In a hearing scheduled for May 21, the Judiciary Committee will examine how the price of crude oil - unrefined petroleum that is processed and used as gasoline to power vehicles, airplanes and farm equipment - affects the price consumers pay at gasoline stations acr… Continue Reading
05.06.08
The Introduction Of The “Runaway And Homeless Youth Protection Act
(Tuesday, May 6, 2008) - Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy today introduced legislation to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), a critical Federal grant program established to help states and local communities address the needs of runaway and homeless youths in both urban and rural areas. One week after the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Leahy chairs, heard testimony from expert witnesses about the benefits of the RHYA, Leahy introduced the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection… Continue Reading
05.06.08
Sen. McCain’s Speech On Judicial Nominations
"Senator McCain today chose to pander to those on the far right who prefer partisan fights designed to energize a political base during an election year. He ignored his own history in supporting filibusters against circuit court nominees, as well as his record of flip flops depending on which party holds the presidency. He ignores the progress we have made in repairing the damage Republicans did to the confirmation process and our efforts to reduce judicial vacancies after Republicans blocked … Continue Reading
05.02.08
Senators Announce Additional Funding For National Center on PTSD
, May 2 - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT), a member of the Committee, announced today that Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake has allocated an additional $2 million to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, headquartered at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont. This decision follows months of communication between Secretary Peake and Senators Akaka and Sanders, including… Continue Reading
05.02.08
Vermont Delegation Wins MILC Program Expansion In Farm Bill Negotiations
(Friday, May 2) -- The Vermont Congressional Delegation - Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), and Rep. Peter Welch (D) -- scored a major win for Vermont dairy farmers after Midnight Friday when congressional negotiators agreed to extend and dramatically strengthen the safety net that protects dairy producers when milk prices plummet. Conferees from the Senate and House agriculture committees early Friday morning agreed by voice vote to Leahy's proposal to renew and expand the Milk … Continue Reading
05.01.08
Hearing on Judicial Nominations
(Thursday, May 1, 2008) - The Senate Judiciary Committee today held a hearing today for three judicial nominations, including a nominee to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The hearing was the sixth nominations hearing of the session, and the fourth for judicial nominations. The Senate this year has confirmed five judicial nominations, including one to fill the final vacancy on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Three nominations are pending on the Senate's executive calendar. On Wednesday, … Continue Reading
04.30.08
Vermont’s Congressional Delegation Presses FTC To Use Its New Mandate To Police Oil Price Gouging
(Wednesday, April 30) - The Vermont Congressional Delegation - U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) - Wednesday asked the Federal Trade Commission to use new authority Congress has given the agency to protect consumers from price gouging as gasoline prices continue to escalate. Leahy, Sanders and Welch cite a new mandate to protect consumers from oil price manipulation, added by Congress in an energy policy bill enacted last Decemb… Continue Reading
04.30.08
Hearing On
I thank Senator Feingold for holding this important hearing. To paraphrase James Madison, if men were angels we would need no laws. We are not angels, and our government needs laws to guide its actions. But laws that are created, defined, or interpreted in secret might as well not exist. Secret law is not a check on the government; when law is kept secret, the rule of law suffers. This administration has, for years, set out to shield itself from constraint and accountability by employing un… Continue Reading
04.30.08
The Consideration Of A Senate Resolution
(Wednesday, April 30, 2008) - The Senate tonight unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that John McCain, a U.S. Senator from Arizona currently serving his fourth term in the Senate, is eligible to run for President of the United States. McCain is the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency. McCain was born on a U.S. military base in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 to American citizens. In February, The New York Times published a report calling … Continue Reading
04.30.08
Leahy Notices Hearing For Two Circuit Nominees
(Wednesday, April 30, 2008) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today noticed a hearing for three judicial nominees, including two circuit court nominees to fill the final vacancies on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The hearing will be held Wednesday, May 7. The Committee will consider the nominations of Judge Helene White and Raymond Kethledge to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the nomination of Steven Murphy for a seat in the Eastern District of Michigan.… Continue Reading
04.29.08
Hearing On "Living On The Street: Finding Solutions To Protect Runaway And Homeless Youth"
(Tuesday, April 29, 2008) - The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today focusing on the problems facing runaway and homeless youth in urban and rural communities across the country. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) presided at the hearing featuring an expert panel of witnesses, including a two-time Oscar nominated actor and two representatives from Spectrum Youth and Family Services, a non-profit organization located in Leahy's home state of Vermont. Leahy invited Academy Award nominee D… Continue Reading
04.28.08
S. 2829, A bill To Make Technical Corrections To Section 1244 Of The National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2008
I am pleased to join the bipartisan group of Senators on this bill who all recognize our obligation to help those Iraqis who have assisted the United States in Iraq. This legislation will remove obstacles encountered by the Departments of State and Homeland Security in issuing the 5000 Special Visas that Congress authorized in January for those Iraqi citizens. As part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress provided 5000 Special Immigrant Visas for Iraqis who had aided the Uni… Continue Reading
04.28.08
The Introduction Of A Resolution To Honor The Sacrifices Made By The Men And Women Who Serve As Law Enforcement Officers
(Monday, April 28, 2008) - Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy today introduced a resolution honoring law enforcement officers across the country for their hard work and sacrifice while keeping the public safe. The resolution designates May 15, 2008, as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and urges Congress to continue supporting the nation's law enforcement officers and the initiatives that keep law enforcement officers safe. More than 181 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2007, the mos… Continue Reading
04.28.08
The Supreme Court Decision In Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (Voter Identification)
Today the Supreme Court failed to protect access to the ballot box for some of the most vulnerable Americans. We have seen an effort by this administration, its political appointees and some partisans to use the specter of purported "voter fraud" for political advantage. They do so at the expense of vulnerable communities and have excluded millions of elderly, low-income, disabled, and minority voters, even though in-person voter fraud has been proven time and time again to be a myth. Justice S… Continue Reading
04.26.08
Leahy And Dodd Announce Federal Funding To Hire Additional Firefighters In South Burlington
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (Saturday, April 26) - The author of a landmark federal firefighting grant program, U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) visited with members of the South Burlington Fire Department Saturday to announce that South Burlington has received a $632,550 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. The funding will be used to hire six additional firefighters and to provide more consistent advanced life support services. Do… Continue Reading
04.25.08
Vermont Witnesses To Be Joined By Oscar-Nominated Actor At Hearing Before Leahy Panel
(Thursday, April 25, 2008) - Two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou will join representatives from Vermont in testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a hearing to identify and explore solutions to address rising numbers of runaway and homeless youths, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced today. Leahy invited Hounsou to offer testimony before the Senate panel and to share his firsthand experience with youth homelessness. He will bring his personal insight about how the is… Continue Reading
04.25.08
Expanded DNA Collection By The Federal Government
(Friday, April 25, 2008) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is urging policy makers on Capitol Hill to scrutinize a proposed Federal rule that will sanction the collection of DNA from all citizens arrested for Federal crimes. Under the proposal, the personal, genetic information of arrested or detained individuals would be included in the nation's leading DNA database known as CODIS. In a statement Thursday, Leahy pointed to serious civil liberties violations that coul… Continue Reading
04.24.08
Judiciary Committee Reports Three Judicial Nominations
(Thursday, April 24, 2008) - The Senate Judiciary Committee today continued its progress in considering judicial nominations, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm three more lifetime appointments to the Federal bench. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) expedited the Committee's unanimous votes on three district court nominees, whose confirmation hearings were held just three weeks ago. The nominees ordered to be reported to the full Senate include the district court nominations of Mark Davis… Continue Reading
