Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) participated in a bipartisan Senate colloquy with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Tuesday to discuss the introduction of their bill, the Immigration Innovation (I2) Act of 2013, which would bring long-overdue reforms to the nation’s immigration laws for high-skilled workers and maintain the United States’ global leadership in innovation.
Monday, January 28 at 7:30 a.m. — The Senator will give the keynote address at a breakfast benefiting the Del-Mar-Va Council of Boy Scouts. The Del-Mar-Va Council provides Scouting opportunities throughout the Delmarva Peninsula, serving approximately 388 units and more than 4,500 volunteers who are delivering the promise to more than 10,000 youth in traditional Scouting programs. Ed Oliver Golf Course, 800 North Dupont Road, Wilmington, DE – Closed to press.
Tuesday, January 29 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee business meeting. S-116, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Wednesday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “What Should America Do About Gun Violence?” Witnesses that are confirmed to testify during the hearing include: CPT. Mark Kelly, Americans for Responsible Solutions; Nicholas Johnson, Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law; James Johnson, Chief of Police, Baltimore County Police Department, and Chair, National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence; Gayle Trotter, Attorney and Senior Fellow, Independent Women’s Forum; and Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, National Rifle Association. 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Wednesday, January 30 at 2:15 p.m. – The Senator will speak at a “State of the Business” meeting hosted by The Real Estate Roundtable. The Real Estate Roundtable brings together leaders of the nation’s top publicly held and privately owned real estate ownership, development, lending and management firms with the leaders of major national real estate trade associations to jointly address key national policy issues relating to real estate and the overall economy. 325 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Wednesday, January 30 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 4:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Thursday, January 31 at 8:30 a.m. – The Senator will cohost a U.S. Global Leadership Coalition breakfast for freshman senators to talk about the importance of the international affairs budget. The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating diplomacy and development alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world. 383 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.
Thursday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 5:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Note: Schedule is subject to change
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The Washington Post published an article on Tuesday reporting that the percentage of students at public high schools who graduate on time has reached its highest level in nearly 40 years. According to research conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, 78 percent of students across the nation in the Class of 2010 are estimated to have earned a diploma within four years of starting high school. The last time the graduation rate was at that level was in 1974.
High school graduation rates are one measure of school success, and educators and policymakers have been trying for decades to stem the number of U.S. students who drop out of high school.
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High school graduation rates have a significant effect on the economy, according to a study last year by America’s Promise Alliance, a foundation created by Colin L. Powell. On average, high school graduates earn $130,000 more over their lifetimes than peers who drop out of school, the study said.
Senator Coons has made education reform a priority. In March, he introduced the American Dream Accounts Act to help increase the number of low-income students able to access and complete a college education after graduating from high school.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work towards increasing college access.
Click here to read the full article on the Washington Post’s website.
Senator Chris Coons questioned Senator John Kerry, nominee to be U.S. Secretary of State, at a Senate Foreign Relations nominations hearing on Thursday. Senator Coons, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, specifically asked what Senator Kerry would do to stem the influence China has on Africa’s economy, and prevent the exploitation of Africa’s resources and wildlife for illegal trade. Senator Coons recently visited several Middle Eastern countries with a bipartisan group of senators, during which time he visited a refugee camp in Syria. Senator Coons questioned Senator Kerry how he, as Secretary of State, would support the opposition forces in Syria now that the American government has recognized them.
Foreign Policy Magazine published an article in its January/February edition entitled, “10 Problems Obama Could Solve Right Now.” The piece features recommendations from ten foreign policy thought leaders on challenges they believe President Obama could solve in his second term.
One of the ten problems that could be addressed, according to John Prendergast, author of Unlikely Brothers and co-founder of the Enough Project and the Satellite Sentinel Project, is the capture of Joseph Kony and leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who have committed crimes against humanity in Central Africa.
Here are three things Obama and his team can do to really bring Kony to justice:
First, Obama needs to strengthen the existing effort to weaken the LRA. This will require more African forces where the LRA is actually operating, backed by expanded human intelligence networks through improved programs to support defectors and more international support for affected communities.
Second, Obama should push for a high-level diplomatic initiative to be launched by the AU and the United Nations to gain access to the areas of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan that are currently LRA safe havens. If the regime in Khartoum continues to deny access, stronger measures — such as U.N. targeted sanctions, an investigation into those providing sanctuary to Kony, and cross-border operations inside Sudan under the international “responsibility to protect” doctrine — should be considered.
Third, Obama should help the AU build an elite special-operations unit — trained, equipped, and working in close cooperation with U.S. military advisors — to directly target Kony and his top deputies. Although some rebel groups continue operating after their leader is removed from the battlefield, the LRA is so tied to Kony’s personality and leadership that his demise or capture would most likely put an end to the group’s activities.
Senator Coons has been a leader in the Senate in calling for Joseph Kony and members of the LRA to be brought to justice. In August, the Senate passed a resolution Chris introduced which condemns the crimes committed by the LRA.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to stop Joseph Kony and the LRA
Click here to read the full article on Foreign Policy’s website.
Senator Chris Coons joined colleagues of both political parties to support legislation that would improve access to mental health services for people who come into contact with the criminal justice system and provide law enforcement officers the tools they need to identify and respond to mental health issues in the community.
People with mental health conditions are disproportionately arrested and incarcerated. In fact, the president of the Major Counties Sheriffs Association recently estimated that up to 30% of inmates under his supervision have mental health conditions. Using our criminal justice system as a mental health system places our law enforcement officers in danger, inundates our courts with cases involving the mentally ill, and is costly to taxpayers who foot the bill for high incarceration costs and overcrowded correction facilities.
The Justice & Mental Health Collaboration Act (JMHCA), which was introduced on Wednesday by Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) and cosponsored by Senator Coons, attempts to fix these problems by reauthorizing and improving the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA).
JMHCA will:
• Continue support for mental health courts and crisis intervention teams, both of which save lives and money;
• Emphasize evidence-based practices that have been proven effective through rigorous study;
• Authorize investments in veterans treatment courts, which serve arrested veterans who suffer from PTSD, substance addiction, and other mental health conditions;
• Support the development of curricula for police academies and orientations;
• Increase focus on corrections-based programs, like transitional services that reduce recidivism rates and screening practices that identify inmate with mental health conditions; and
• Give local officials greater control over program participation eligibility.
Both MIOTCRA and JMHCA are bipartisan pieces of legislation that have received support in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Across the country, 170 organizations have endorsed JHMCA, including leading law enforcement and corrections groups, veterans’ services organizations, and mental health advocates.
Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to help our law enforcement officers.
For 40 years, the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade has protected the right of women in Delaware and around the country to make their own decisions about reproductive health and family planning.
As we mark the anniversary of this landmark decision, we must redouble our efforts to protect this fundamental right and to ensure that women and families have access to safe and affordable reproductive health care, no matter where they live or what their income level.
Although Roe v. Wade is settled law, the rights that it protects remain under assault. In the past two years, 30 states have passed 135 new laws restricting access to abortion – despite the fact that 63 percent of Americans do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.
It is therefore critical that we remain vigilant about protecting the rights of women and their families to make their own private health care decisions, and to ensure accessible and affordable reproductive care for Delawareans and all Americans.
Senator Chris Coons met with a group of more than 30 attorneys from around the country on Tuesday for a roundtable discussion on judicial vacancies and ways of improving the nominations backlog. U.S. courts are currently facing a significant number of judicial vacancies with 82 District Court judgeships and 20 Circuit Court judgeships vacant or shortly to become vacant.
During the roundtable, Chris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, emphasized that four U.S. Circuit Courts are facing a “judicial emergency” with over 700 cases per panel or a vacancy of 18 months plus enormous caseloads.
“We have got a lot of work to do to speed up the nominations process and fill judicial vacancies around the country,” Chris said. “As attorneys, you all see and feel the burden that comes with having vacant spots in our courts.”
Click here to watch and read Chris’ floor speech on Senate gridlock of judicial nominations.
Following his trip to the region, Senator Coons offers his take on the state of U.S. policy and the crisis in Syria.
Monday, January 21 at 11:30 a.m. — The Senator will attend the 57th Presidential Inauguration. Front steps of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to credentialed press.
Tuesday, January 22 at 11:00 a.m. — The Senator will speak at a meeting of the Committee for a Fair Judiciary. One of a series of meetings hosted by the Committee, Senator Coons will join Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island to talk about judicial nominees. Both senators are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. SVC-215, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, January 23 at 9:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing entitled, “Benghazi: The Attacks and Lessons Learned.” The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will deliver testimony during the hearing. 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Wednesday, January 23 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. The following judicial nominees will testify during the hearing: Nelson Stephen Roman, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Raymond P. Moore, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado; Analisa Torres, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Derrick Kahala Watson, to be United States District Judge for the District of Hawaii; Claire R. Kelly, to be a Judge of the United States Court of International Trade. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Wednesday, January 23 at 3:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 4:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.
Thursday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing for the Honorable John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, nominated to be Secretary of State. 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.
Thursday, January 24 at 6:30 p.m. — The Senator will speak at the 42nd Annual Delaware Agriculture Industry Dinner. The Delaware Council of Farm Organizations sponsored the first Agricultural Industry Dinner in February 1971. The purpose of the Delaware Council of Farm Organizations is to promote agricultural pursuits by encouraging cooperation among farmers and farm related organizations, specifically in regards to legislative policy and regulations impacting agriculture in the state. Dover Downs, Dover, DE – Open to press.