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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Supporters Amp Up Pressure For Senate To Take Up & Pass Historic NSA Reform Ahead Of Key Vote Tuesday
(Monday, November 17, 2014) - Supporters of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 continued urging Senators to take up and pass the legislation, which faces a critical procedural vote on Tuesday. An unprecedented coalition of the nation's leading technology companies sent an open letter to the Senate on Monday declaring that "Now is the time to move forward on meaningful change to our surveillance programs." The letter was signed by AOL, Apple, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Tw… Continue Reading
11.15.14
2015 Health Care Open Enrollment - November 15, 2014 – February 15, 2015
For Vermonters already enrolled in Vermont Health Connect: If you have changes to your information (income, employment, personal), you must complete this form and mail to: VERMONT HEALTH CONNECT, 103 SOUTH MAIN STREET, WATERBURY, VT 05671-8100. You may visit Vermont Health Connect at any time to estimate your premium tax credit and browse new plans. Useful information on the Affordable Care Act Tax Provisions can be found here. For Vermonters signing up for the first time: If… Continue Reading
11.14.14
Leahy: Vermont’s Village Revitalization Initiative Recognized With Award By The National Trust For Historic Preservation
(FRIDAY, Nov. 14, 2014) - The Village Revitalization Initiative - a cooperative effort between Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and the Preservation Trust of Vermont - is drawing more national recognition as the recipient of a National Trust for Historic Preservation Richard H. Driehaus Award for the preservation and restoration of Vermont's historic buildings and communities, in downtowns across the state. The award to the Trust and to Leahy was presented at the annual National Preservation Confe… Continue Reading
11.14.14
Further Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The FairPoint Labor Impasse
I am encouraged to see that FairPoint, IBEW, and CWA have responded positively to the meeting requested by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS), scheduled to convene in Boston on November 18. Hopefully the exploratory nature of this meeting, as part of the FMCS process, will present an opportunity for the parties to re-engage in dialogue. Thousands of Vermonters and customers throughout New England rely on FairPoint for their businesses, residential, and emergency services. … Continue Reading
11.14.14
Leahy Statement on President’s $3 Billion Climate Change Pledge Friday, November 14, 2014
(FRIDAY, Nov. 14, 2014) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) released a statement about the announcement of President Obama's pledge that the United States will contribute as much as $3 billion to a new international fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), to help the world's poorest countries limit the impacts of climate change. The GCF has many similarities with Global Environment Facility (GEF), which was strongly supported by the administration of President George W. Bush. With this announceme… Continue Reading
11.14.14
Broad Coalition of Stakeholders Line Up In Support Of NSA Reform Ahead Of Key Senate Vote Next Week
(Friday, November 14, 2014) - Privacy advocates, technology leaders, and reformers from across the political spectrum are urging the Senate to take up and pass the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 next week. Senators are expected to vote on a procedural motion Tuesday on the bipartisan legislation. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the author of the bipartisan bill to end the government's dragnet collection of phone records, is urging Senators to act ahead of next year when key… Continue Reading
11.13.14
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Committee on the Judiciary On Senate Consideration of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act
As another polar vortex bears down on states across the country this week, we must consider how the dropping temperatures across the nation will impact those who do not have refuge from the cold. The issue of homelessness is especially urgent in places like my home state of Vermont. For those of us lucky enough to have warm homes, winter brings a magical beauty. But for those without shelter, the cold nights can be deadly. Unfortunately, for homeless teens, winter can also mean even greater vu… Continue Reading
11.13.14
Leahy Recognized For Leadership In Addressing Global Water Issues
(THURSDAY, Nov. 13, 2014) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday was presented with the WASH Advocate Award for his strong support for ending the global safe drinking water crisis. In a presentation in the U.S. Capitol, Leahy was joined by Vermont advocates Carolyn Meub and Barbara Carris of Pure Water For The World. Also on hand was his wife, Marcelle Leahy, a Registered Nurse. In one of Leahy's visits to Haiti to inspect relief efforts funded by Leahy's panel in the aftermath of the mas… Continue Reading
11.13.14
Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Judicial Nominations
As we return from recess for the remaining days of the 113th Congress, I begin by congratulating my friend, Senator Chuck Grassley, who will become Chairman of the Judiciary Committee beginning in the 114th Congress. We have a very good working relationship, and I hope that this will continue when he assumes the chairmanship in January. We still have several weeks left in this Congress with much work left to be done. As history shows, when both sides work together, the lame duck session can b… Continue Reading
11.12.14
Senate Poised To Take Up USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 This Month
(Wednesday, November 12, 2014) -Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday urged swift passage of the USA FREEDOM Act in the final weeks of the 113th Congress, after the Senate moved toward a vote on the historic legislation. The bipartisan bill, which Leahy introduced in July, will restore Americans' privacy rights by ending the government's dragnet collection of phone records and by requiring greater oversight, transparency and accountability for domestic surveillance aut… Continue Reading
11.12.14
Leahy Applauds Groundbreaking U.S.-China Agreement To Combat Climate Change
(WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12, 2014) - U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) released the following statement about the announcement made Tuesday night by President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping on significant near-term pollution cuts that will help the two largest emitters in the world chart a path to the deep reductions needed by mid-century to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Leahy spoke with Secretary of State Kerry about the agreement on Wednesday: "This announcement from the world'… Continue Reading
11.12.14
Leahy Introduces Bill to Ensure Equal Treatment for All Spouses Under the Copyright Act
(Wednesday, November 12, 2014) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday introduced legislation to close a loophole in the Copyright Act that discriminates among lawfully married couples. A provision in the Copyright Act grants rights to the surviving spouse of a copyright owner only if the marriage is recognized in the owner's state of residence at the time he or she dies. This means that a writer who lawfully marries his or her same-sex partner in Vermont or Cali… Continue Reading
11.07.14
Judiciary Chairman Leahy On The Expected Nomination Of Loretta Lynch To Be The Attorney General Of The United States
Judiciary Chairman LeahyOn The Expected Nomination Of Loretta LynchTo Be The Attorney General Of The United States November 7, 2014 "I congratulate Loretta Lynch, the expected nominee to be the next Attorney General of the United States. The Attorney General serves as the chief law enforcement officer for the entire Nation, and it is important for that person to have the right prosecutorial and management experience for the job. Ms. Lynch is an experienced prosecutor, and if confirmed, she … Continue Reading
11.07.14
Leahy Calls On Speaker Boehner To Let House Vote On Bipartisan, Senate-Passed, Immigration Reform Bill
"I agree with Speaker Boehner that Americans want their government 'to get things done.' And that is exactly why he should simply allow the House to vote on the comprehensive immigration bill that a bipartisan majority in the Senate passed last year. For years, Congressional Democrats have been working to fix our broken immigration system and have led efforts to do that under both Republican and Democratic Presidents. But a vocal bloc of Republicans has consistently stood in the way. House l… Continue Reading
11.06.14
In Letter, Senator Leahy, Senator Feinstein and Senator Durbin Urge President Obama To Reject Bush-Era Interpretation Of International Treaty Against Torture
In a letter released Friday, Senator Leahy, Senator Feinstein and Senator Durbin urged President Obama to reject the Bush-Era interpretation of the International Treaty Against Torture. The letter can be found here.… Continue Reading
11.06.14
Judiciary Chairman Leahy, On Today’s FTC Settlement Concerning Patent Demand Letters
[The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday announced a settlement agreement with MPHJ Technology Investments LLC and its law firm concerning charges that they made deceptive claims and false legal threats in letters that accused thousands of small businesses around the country of engaging in patent infringement. The FTC settlement bars the company and its law firm from making deceptive representations when asserting patent rights. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced bipa… Continue Reading
10.29.14
Leahy Hails Extension Of Signup Deadline For New Dairy Price Insurance Program For Farmers
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is urging Vermont's dairy farmers to take advantage of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's decision to extend for a week the signup period for the new dairy farm production price insurance program created under the 2014 Farm Bill. Vilsack on Wednesday afternoon announced that the signup deadline for the new Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) will be extended to December 5, 2014, and that the comment period for the new MPP-Dairy rule would be exte… Continue Reading
10.28.14
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Impasse Between FairPoint And Its Workers
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy On The Impasse Between FairPoint And Its Workers Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 "Thousands of Vermonters rely on FairPoint for their businesses, residential and emergency services. These are essential connections for real people, and I encourage all parties involved in the negotiations to return to the bargaining table and work in good faith to resolve the remaining differences. Vermonters expect both sides of the table to be respectful and to remain focused on the … Continue Reading
10.23.14
Judiciary Chairman Leahy Presses Leading Broadband Providers To Fight Against Internet Fast Lanes
(Thursday, October 23, 2014) - Following a letter to Comcast sent earlier this week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday continued his call for leading broadband providers to take a stand against fast lanes on the Internet. In letters sent to AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and Charter Communications, Leahy pressed for concrete commitments that the companies will not enter into paid prioritization agreements to charge websites for priority access over the… Continue Reading
10.22.14
U.S. Energy Department Awards $3 Million in Solar Energy Grants to Vermont Companies
BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 22 - Vermont's congressional delegation - Sens. Patrick Leahy (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) - announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy awarded more than $3 million in grants to two Vermont companies to help make solar energy more affordable and accessible. "These Vermont companies are on the forefront of reducing the cost of solar energy, a crucial element in helping transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into renewable energ… Continue Reading
