Senate Proceeding on Oct 21st, 2009 :: 4:14:25 to 4:26:40
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4:14:25 to 4:26:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Patrick Leahy

4:14:30 to 4:14:51( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: quorum mr. ley: the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: i ask unanimous consent the call of the be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: roberto lange will be nominated as a judge to the distrt of south dakota.

4:14:52 to 4:15:13( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: it has been three weeks since mr. lange's nomination was unanimously reported by the judiciary committee to the senate. it shouldn't take thr confirm a consensus nominee, supported by both the republican and democratic senators of his state and was voted

4:15:14 to 4:15:36( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: all republicans, all democratic senators from the judiciary committee. i was hoping i might hear from my friends on the other side who ha stalled this confirmation for the last three weeks, why they did so. but explanation or excuse for the stalling.

4:15:37 to 4:15:58( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: we'll see, i think when we have the vote, we'll see how noncontroversial this nominee. favorably by the senate that remain pending because they are stalled on the other side of the aisle by the republicans. these are 10 other judicial nominations.

4:15:59 to 4:16:19( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: there are 10 other judicial nominations on the senate action, republican all 10 were reported favorably by the senate judiciary committee. two were reported in june and have been waiting for more than four months for senate consideration.

4:16:20 to 4:16:41( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: you know, these always done or when there's no controversy. it is not only a dark mark on the senate for holding us up from doing our work, but it means that the people are being held up have to put their whole

4:16:42 to 4:17:03( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: lives on hold. they've been given this nomination, everything has to come to a stop, usually if they're in a law practice, they can't really take on new clients that -- they know they're to be confirmed. they know whatever the republicans allow a vote, it will be virtually unanimous. but they can't do it so their lives are on hold. every day they're wondering

4:17:04 to 4:17:24( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: what's going on and it makes the senate look i wish my colle people to move quickly. i would ask that my full statement be made part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: mr. president, i ask that my following remarks to be recorded in connection with the

4:17:25 to 4:17:45( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: national defense act and they be considered as morning business, but the time be charged against my time in connection with this nomination. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: yesterday the senate majority leader was required to file cloture with a republican filibuster against the

4:17:46 to 4:18:06( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: department of defense authorization bill. we're in two wars. we're in two wars. from my state of vermont we're about to send about 1,500 members of our national guard to afghanistan. we've -- we have all kinds of things the defense authorization

4:18:07 to 4:18:27( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: bill designed to protect americans serving abroad in harm's way and the republicans department of defense authorization bill. the senate's going to vote on that tomorrow pursuant to our rules. i hope we'll have a bipartisan

4:18:28 to 4:18:50( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: vote proceeding to conclude the debate on that conference report which has been adopted by the house. i expect the sides of the aisle will vote to provide men and women in the armed forces. i wonder if you were a soldier

4:18:51 to 4:19:12( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: or marine on the frontlines in afganistan and you get some news back home that one political party is holding up the department of defense authorization bill. the authorization for your equipment, the authorization for your body armor, the authorization ammunition, the authorization to be going forward, what would you

4:19:13 to 4:19:35( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: think as a bullet is whizzing towards you? i know what i would have thought. i know what i thought when my young son was in the marine corps and got called up for service in the middle east. i know what i would have thought if people were holding up the authorization for the equipment that he needed. also as part of that conference report we're going to adopt the

4:19:36 to 4:19:59( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: hate crime prevention act. includin-- including the provision added by the ranking republican on the senate judiciary committee, senator sessions, to create a new criminal o against service members because of their service. i would hope we'd be moving forward on that after

4:20:00 to 4:20:20( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: a decade congress has -- is fi shepard and jamesbury he act, i know the president will sign this. and i'm proud that congress has come together to show that violence against members of any group, because of who they are,

4:20:21 to 4:20:42( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: is not going to be tolerated in our country. i thank senator collins for cosponsoring the amendment with me. i commend senator levin for working so this provision would go forward as part of the conference report. and i congratulate the majority leader, senator reid, for his essential role in this

4:20:43 to 4:21:04( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: matter. i also, if i might, mr. president, as i look over my dear friend and colleague, senator on this floor, i want to take the opportunity to rember senator ted kennedy who provided steadfast leadership on this

4:21:05 to 4:21:25( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: issue for more than a decade. i wish he could have bn here to see this bill about which he was so passionate finally enacted. i wish event. and i'm honored to be able to see it through to the finish line for him. i know it would have meant a lot to him and i

4:21:26 to 4:21:46( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: think this is the way we can say to senator kennedy, his good work goes earlier this month was the 11th aiversary of the brutal muer of matthe shepard. he was a college today and who was beaten -- college student who was beaten -- because of his sexual

4:21:47 to 4:22:08( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: orientation. matthew's parents worked courageously an t ensure that this kind of act would not be tolerated in this country. the bill was name well as for jam byrd jr. mr. byrd was a black man who was killed in 1998 because of his

4:22:09 to 4:22:29( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: race and another awful crime, which i won't even describe here it was so gruesome. but it galvanized the nation against hateful violence. and we appreciate and honor contribution of james byrd's family as they worked so hard for this legislation. but, unfortunately, in the years

4:22:30 to 4:22:50( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: since these two horrific crimes have made clear that hate crimes remain a serious problem. just a few weeks ago we saw just a few blocks from t shooting at the holocaust memorial museum. a place that should be sacred ground because of

4:22:51 to 4:23:11( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: remembers. and you saw the vicious hate crime and a man died trying to defend the holocaust memorial museum. i think that this bipartisan legislation will help law enforcement respond more

4:23:12 to 4:23:33( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: effectively to this problem. it's a testament to the importance of this legislation that the attorney general of the united states, eric holder, came to the judiciary committee in june to fest pie in favor of it. -- to testify in favor of it. we've been urged to pass this bill by state an local law

4:23:34 to 4:23:54( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: enforcement -- and local law enforcement. i wish, mr. president, when i had been a state of vermont that we had such legislation. we could call on it when we need help. the improve existing law by making it easier for federal

4:23:55 to 4:24:16( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: authorities to investigate and prosecute crimes of racial or ethnic or religious violence. victims will no long ver to engage in a narrow range of activities such as serving as a major to be protected under federal law. it will crimes committed by people because of their sexual

4:24:17 to 4:24:39( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: orientation or their gender or gender ey identity or disability. these are protections. in addition the legislation will provide resources t state, local, an to address hate president obama has worked closely with us to facilitate a

4:24:40 to 4:25:02( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: quick passage of this vital hate crimes legislation. just in the first few office, he has acted to ensure that federal benefits are awarded more equitably regardless of in previous years -- sexual orientation.

4:25:03 to 4:25:24( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: unlike in previous years this bipartisan hate crimes bill does not face a veto threat. we have a president that understands that crimes motivated by bias are particularly pernicious crimes that affect more than just the victims, the victim's families. mr. president, they affected all of us. they affect us as

4:25:25 to 4:25:45( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: they weaken and demean us as a society. and we should all be opposed to such crimes. i expect the president to sign this legislation without delay. hate crimes instill those who have no connection to the victim other than a shared characteristic, such as, race or

4:25:46 to 4:26:07( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: sexual orientation. for nearly 150 years we've responded as a nation to deter and to pun civil rights by enacting federal laws to protect the civil rights of all of our citizens. matthew shepard and james bd

4:26:08 to 4:26:28( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: hate crimes prevention act of 2009 continues that honorable tradition. matthew shepard, who was murdered because of his sexual orientation. james byrd who was murdered because of his race. but we can say that in passing this legislation, we can say to

4:26:29 to 4:26:41( Edit History Discussion )

Patrick Leahy: them and eve we in the senate, the body that should be the conscience of the that america values tolerance an