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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Another Environmental Activist Assassinated in Honduras
Mr. President, it has been four months and 8 days since Berta Caceres, an internationally respected indigenous Honduran environmental activist, was shot and killed in her home. Ms. Caceres had led her Lenca community in a campaign over several years against the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project financed in part by a Honduran company, Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA), on the Gualcarque River which the Lenca people consider to be sacred. Honduran police officers tampered with the crime scene, and … Continue Reading
07.13.16
Senate Wednesday Night Passes Bill Cosponsored By Leahy To Target Opioid And Heroin Abuse
Senate Wednesday Night Passes Bill Cosponsored By Leahy To Target Opioid And Heroin Abuse Leahy: Bill Treats Addiction As An Illness And Reflects Vermont's - And Rural America's - Experiences In Coping With The Crisis . . . Leahy Continues To Push Lawmakers To Put Real Resources Behind These New Efforts WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, July 13, 2016) - The U.S. Senate Wednesday night, in a vote of 92 to 2, passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), addressing the nation's opioid and he… Continue Reading
07.13.16
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Cloture Vote of S.524, the Comprehensive Addiction And Recovery Act
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Cloture Vote of S.524, the Comprehensive Addiction And Recovery Act July 13, 2016 Today, Congress is taking a step forward in how it responds to opioid addiction. By advancing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), we are leaving behind decades-old misconceptions about how to confront addiction. For too long, Congress relied on punitive measures that only served to push addicts further unde… Continue Reading
07.13.16
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Senate Passage of S. 2944, Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2016
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary On Senate Passage of S. 2944, Public Safety Officers' Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 July 12, 2016 Our nation's law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders face threats every day to ensure the safety and security of our communities. Last week's senseless attack in Dallas is yet another painful reminder of dangers faced by law enforcement. Today the Senate came together in supp… Continue Reading
07.12.16
House Passes Leahy-Backed Bill To Support Active Shooter Training For Officers, Which Now Goes To White House For Signature
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On House Passage Of The POLICE Act July 12, 2016 [On Tuesday, the House passed the POLICE Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to allow law enforcement officers in Vermont and throughout the country to use federal Justice Department grant funds to train and better prepare for active shooter situations. The bill unanimously passed the Senate in May, and now goes to the White… Continue Reading
07.12.16
Opening Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy - Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Freedom Of Information Act
Opening Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy - Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Freedom Of Information Act WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, July 12, 2016) - The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing entitled, "FOIA at Fifty: Has the Sunshine Law's Promise Been Fulfilled?" Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is the coauthor of the bipartisan FOIA Improvement Act, a bill signed into law last month which ushered in the most meaningful update to FOIA since its enactment 50 years ago. Leahy has long … Continue Reading
07.08.16
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy After The Senate Passes Bill To Implement GMO Labeling ‘Deal’
"The Senate's GMO bill vote is a well-funded travesty, a setback for consumers' right to know. They deserve clear labels, not scavenger hunts."… Continue Reading
07.08.16
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Tragedy In Dallas
"Marcelle and I are praying for the families of the Dallas officers who were murdered last night, as well as those who were wounded. This was a heinous and cowardly attack, and we join Americans across the country in support of the Dallas law enforcement community. It has been a particularly painful week for our country. There is so much anger, frustration and grief, and we must find ways to heal and rebuild trust after such unnecessary loss of life. Violence is never the answer." # # # # #… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Leahy Calls On FCC To Strengthen Privacy Protections For Consumers
(THURSDAY, July 7, 2016) - Americans' personal information is increasingly shared online, but the necessary protections against invasions of privacy are not in place. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who has long worked to protect consumer privacy, joined Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and others this week to urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to address an essential element of online privacy by adopting strong rules to regulate how broadband providers can use personal information. In… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Nets $1.3 Million For Super-Size Culvert Under U.S. Route 7 In Brandon, In Latest Post-Irene Mitigation Grant From FEMA
(THURSDAY, July 7, 2016) - Many Vermonters saw the dramatic photos in 2011 documenting the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. The Neshobe River overflowed and swept through downtown Brandon with such force that the flood closed the state highway and damaged several businesses and other structures. [NOTE: Here are links to two YouTube videos of this flooding in Brandon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LarR9JifsMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YBIVoai8-E ] Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sen.… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Leahy’s Latest Senate Floor Speech Today During Senate’s Debate On The Bill To Derail Vermont’s GMO Labeling Law
(THURSDAY, July 7, 2016) -- Following is a LINK to Leahy's full remarks today during the Senate's debate on the bill to nullify Vermont's GMO labeling law: https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/full-statement-of-senator-patrick-leahy-d-vt-on-the-senates-hasty-attempt-to-preempt-state-laws-and-thwart-a-consumers-right-to-know # # # # #… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Senate’s Hasty Attempt To Preempt State Laws And Thwart A Consumer’s Right To Know
It has been just two weeks since negotiators released what can only be called a farce of a proposal to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. Less than a week after it was released - without any Committee action, any testimony or recorded feedback from proponents or opponents - the Senate Majority Leader filed cloture on a privileged vehicle to fast-track the bill. Gone are the promises of regular order. Gone are the pledges of the open amendment process. Instead, the Senate w… Continue Reading
07.07.16
Full Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Senate’s Hasty Attempt To Preempt State Laws And Thwart A Consumer’s Right To Know
It has been just two weeks since negotiators released what can only be called a farce of a proposal to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods. Less than a week after it was released - without any Committee action, any testimony or recorded feedback from proponents or opponents - the Senate Majority Leader filed cloture on a privileged vehicle to fast-track the bill. Gone are the promises of regular order. Gone are the pledges of the open amendment process. Instead, the Senate w… Continue Reading
07.06.16
Comment On DOJ Announcement Regarding State Department Email Investigation
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On The Announcement by the Department of Justice Regarding State Department Email Investigation July 6, 2016 "The Attorney General has followed through on her commitment to accept the unanimous recommendation of FBI Director Comey and career prosecutors at the Department of Justice. I have every confidence that this investigation was conducted in an independent, apolitical, and professional manner. This inves… Continue Reading
07.06.16
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy Conference on S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, Conference on S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 July 6, 2016 The ravages of opioid addiction have reached every corner of the country. But this epidemic has struck my home state of Vermont like nothing I have seen before. From testimony I received at Senate Judiciary Committee field hearings to conversations around kitchen tables across the state, I have heard how this addiction h… Continue Reading
07.06.16
Senate Should Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Not Partisan Legislation
Leahy: Senate Should Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Not Partisan Legislation WASHINGTON (Wednesday, July 6, 2016) - A pair of partisan immigration bills that would harm communities and divert critical resources for law enforcement were defeated in the Senate on Wednesday. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who opposed the measures, challenged Republican leaders to instead work to pass comprehensive immigration reform, just as Democrats did in the last Congr… Continue Reading
07.06.16
Senate’s New “DARK Act” An Insult to Consumers’ Right To Know
Leahy: Senate's New "DARK Act" An Insult to Consumers' Right To Know . . . Leahy Files Series Of Amendments . . . "Shortsighted, Meaningless Labeling 'Deal' Is Aimed At Derailing Vermont's Consumer-Friendly Law" WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2016) - Vermont's U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D) Wednesday blasted new federal legislation, being readied for fast-track handling by its backers, that would preempt Vermont's first-in-the-nation genetically engineered labeling law, leaving consumers with… Continue Reading
07.06.16
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Judicial Nominations
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations July 6, 2016 This week we mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence and celebrate the values upon which this Nation was founded. Back in Vermont, we celebrated on July 4th with parades and fireworks displays, as did millions of Americans around the country. It is important, however, not only to celebrate our values on July 4th, but also to live by them year-round. This mean… Continue Reading
07.06.16
As Senate-House Negotiators Meet On Opioid/Heroin Bill, Leahy Urges Support For Rural Communities & For Fully Funding The Bill (CARA Act)
Leahy Urges Lawmakers To Support Rural Communities& To Fully Fund Legislation Combatting Opioid & Heroin Abuse . . . Members, Including Leahy, Meet For Senate-House Discussions On Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act WASHINGTON (WEDNESDAY, July 6, 2016) - During the Senate-House negotiations Wednesday on legislation to combat the nation's epidemic of opioid abuse, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged lawmakers to pass legislation that provides real … Continue Reading
07.05.16
Ahead Of Public Meeting Wednesday, Democratic CARA Conferees Call For Addition Of Real Funding To Combat Opioid & Heroin Addiction
Ahead Of Public Meeting Wednesday, Democratic CARA Conferees Call For Addition Of Real Funding To Combat Opioid & Heroin Addiction WASHINGTON (Tuesday, July 5, 2016) - Ahead of Wednesday's public meeting of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) conference committee, Democratic conferees are urging their Republican counterparts to support the addition of $920 million fully paid for by bipartisan offsets for states to provide critical resources to respond to the nation's opioid … Continue Reading
