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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Editorial: Curbing spy powers
06.02.15
Senate Passes Historic Lee-Leahy USA FREEDOM Act
(Tuesday, June 2, 2015) - The Senate on Tuesday passed the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, an historic bill coauthored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to rein in surveillance authorities for the first time since passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee last Congress, Leahy convened six high-profile hearings on surveillance authorities. The Senate's Tuesday passage of his bipartisan and bicameral measure comes after two years of wo… Continue Reading
06.02.15
Leahy: Senators Should Not Support Efforts To Weaken Bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act
(Tuesday, June 2, 2015) - As the Senate continued consideration of the historic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 to end the NSA's bulk collection program, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) urged Senators Tuesday not to weigh the legislation down with unnecessary changes that would ensure continued expiration of key surveillance authorities without any reform. Instead, Leahy said, "The Senate must pass this bill without any amendments so that the President can sign it into l… Continue Reading
06.02.15
People’s Academy of Morrisville,
On June 2, 2015, Senator Leahy held an online chat with multiple grades at the People's Academy of Morrisville. The Senator enjoyed a lively discussion with the students, and enjoyed their questions regarding minimum wage and the importance of supporting the needs of Vermonters. He was especially impressed by the students' discussion on the future of Congress and the country as a whole.… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Comment Of Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), On The Need To Pass The USA FREEDOM Act TODAY
"I have tried since last year to move legislation through the Senate to accomplish reform well before the sunset deadline. In November Senator Reid brought the USA FREEDOM Act to the floor but Senate Republican leaders blocked debate on it. When Republicans took over the Senate, they assured us that they would send bills - including this one - through appropriate committee work and an open amendment process on the floor. Instead, Republican leaders squandered time and bipartisan consensus and… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Senate Showdown On NSA Surveillance Reform
We are coming down to the wire today on a hard-fought effort to restore Americans' privacy rights. The nation's libraries, often on the front lines as privacy issues are debated, once again are in the vanguard in advocating for a solution that protects Americans' civil liberties. Librarians and like-minded legislators in Washington have worked together for almost two years to ensure that the National Security Agency cannot engage in the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and other per… Continue Reading
06.01.15
Leahy: Senators Should Pass USA FREEDOM Act TONIGHT
(Sunday, May 31, 2015) - Senators should not delay passage of bipartisan, commonsense legislation to reform surveillance authorities that are set to expire in a matter of hours, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said late Sunday. Leahy, a coauthor of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, noted that Republican leaders prevented the Senate from taking up the measure earlier this month which has forced a last-minute debate on this critical issue. With time running out, Leahy s… Continue Reading
05.31.15
Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015
The Senate must take up and pass the USA FREEDOM Act tonight. Opponents of this bipartisan, common-sense legislation have run out of time and run out of excuses. There is only one viable and responsible path remaining. The Senate should pass the USA FREEDOM Act tonight and send it to the President's desk. There is no other choice. If we do not pass the USA FREEDOM Act tonight, the PATRIOT Act provisions at issue will expire at midnight. The USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 is a carefully crafted, b… Continue Reading
05.31.15
Time is now to restore privacy rights
We are coming down to the wire today on a hard-fought effort to restore Americans' privacy rights. The nation's libraries, often on the front lines as privacy issues are debated, once again are in the vanguard in advocating for a solution that protects Americans' civil liberties. Librarians and like-minded legislators in Washington have worked together for almost two years to ensure that the National Security Agency cannot engage in the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and other pers… Continue Reading
05.31.15
Comment Of Senator Leahy On The Death Of Beau Biden
Comment Of Senator Patrick LeahyOn The Death Of Beau Biden "He was an impressive, down-to-earth person and a natural leader. That came across in his work as Delaware's attorney general and every time Marcelle and I would see him with his family. I enjoyed visiting with him while he was serving in Baghdad and enjoyed recounting that visit with his dad. "He was the best of the best, and the news hit hard when Marcelle and I learned of his passing. Our hearts go out to his family." # … Continue Reading
05.29.15
Tanning: The Ticking Time Bomb Of Skin Cancer
It's (finally!) the start of summer, and May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month -- a good time to take note that skin cancer is on the rise, but that we can protect ourselves and those we love. As I explain before groups large and small, I am a melanoma survivor, and a Registered Nurse. But my most significant credential is as a mother and grandmother, and here is my current "public service announcement" for my family, and yours. Skin cancer has reached epidemic propo… Continue Reading
05.29.15
Tanning: The Ticking Time Bomb Of Skin Cancer
It's (finally!) the start of summer, and May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month -- a good time to take note that skin cancer is on the rise, but that we can protect ourselves and those we love. As I explain before groups large and small, I am a melanoma survivor, and a Registered Nurse. But my most significant credential is as a mother and grandmother, and here is my current "public service announcement" for my family, and yours. Skin cancer has reached epidemic propo… Continue Reading
05.28.15
Leahy, Sanders, Welch: 6 Vermont Communities Net Brownfields Grants Totaling $2 M.
Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Thursday announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected six Vermont communities to receive a total of $2 million for grants under the Brownfield Grant Program that will help them assess and clean up contaminated properties to facilitate their redevelopment and reuse. In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: "These investments protect public health and the environment in communities. But even beyond those benefits, the… Continue Reading
05.27.15
Leahy, Sanders Voice Opposition To Oil Drilling In Arctic Ocean
(WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2015) - Following the recent ecologically devastating oil spill in California coastal waters, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) this week voiced their deep disappointment in the administration's decision to allow oil drilling in up to six offshore wells in the Arctic Ocean, an area the senators have long sought to protect. Leahy and Sanders were joined by 16 other senators in a letter warning U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell had "not… Continue Reading
05.27.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Marselis “Div” Parsons
For most Vermonters, Div Parsons defined the role of anchor in our state as television news grew, matured and adapted over the last several decades. He is a friend and for years has been the face of TV news in Vermont. His skill and his confident voice made him a sure and steady presence in our homes as he reported on events large and small that have continued to shape our state. Div and I have kept in touch since his retirement, and I will always fondly remember those wide-ranging chats… Continue Reading
05.26.15
Comment Of Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), On The USA FREEDOM Act
"Because the Senate failed to complete its work last Saturday, passage of the USA FREEDOM Act remains the only viable legislative option that will bring real reform and ensure no lapse in intelligence authorities. The House-passed bill is the only bill the Senate can pass and send to the President before Sunday night's deadline. "We remain disappointed that despite broad support for the USA FREEDOM Act, the Senate has blocked it from consideration. The Senate has another chance to act respons… Continue Reading
05.24.15
Short memories
[The following is an excerpt from Barrie Dunsmore's guest column in the Times Argus on rewriting the history of Iraq. The full article can be found on the Times Argus website here. Barrie Dunsmore is a former foreign correspondent for ABC News and lives in Charlotte, Vt.] "The Islamic State is but one of the Middle East's problems of recent years. The hopes for a more democratic region engendered by the Arab Spring, have been dashed. Egypt is now more of a military dictatorship than it was und… Continue Reading
05.23.15
Leahy: Senate Must Have Meaningful Debate About Americans’ Privacy Rights
(Saturday, May 23, 2015) - Senate Republicans delayed for another week debate on the USA FREEDOM Act, an historic bill to rein in surveillance authorities and ensure Americans' privacy rights. Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), coauthor of the bipartisan legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House just last week, said Republican leaders should not be putting off such a critical debate. However, Leahy said the broad coalition that supports reform will be ready… Continue Reading
05.22.15
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Ranking Member Senate Judiciary Committee On Senate Republicans’ Last-Minute Bid To Reauthorize Surveillance Authorities Without The Reforms Of The USA FREEDOM Act
Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Senate Republicans' Last-Minute Bid To Reauthorize Surveillance Authorities Without The Reforms Of The USA FREEDOM Act May 22, 2015 "Democrats and Republicans have been working for two years to build consensus on legislation that ends the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and reforms expiring surveillance authorities. While I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we held six hearings on this i… Continue Reading
05.22.15
From the Left to the Right, Support Builds for the USA FREEDOM ACT of 2015
(Friday, May 22, 2015) - Supporters from all corners continue calling on Senate Republican leaders to take up and pass the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill to end the bulk collection of Americans' phone records and bring needed reform to key surveillance authorities that are set to expire in the coming days. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure last week. The bill is supported by a majority of Senators, yet Republican leaders continue to block reform and have no alternative … Continue Reading
