At the request of Sens. Carper, Coons, major credit reporting agencies commit to provide free credit monitoring to active duty service members

WASHINGTON – In response to a letter from U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) in August 2019, three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) have committed to providing free credit monitoring to all active duty service members. This week, the Senators sent a letter to the credit agencies commending them for their attention to this important matter. 

“We are pleased that the three largest credit reporting agencies in the United States will offer this important free credit monitoring service to all active duty military members,” the Senators wrote. “This decision will result in broader financial protection for active service members and make a profound difference in the lives of their families.”

A new law, authored by Senators Carper and Coons and enacted in May 2018, was intended to require the CRAs to provide free credit monitoring for all active duty service members. However, final rules released in July by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) only require the service to be provided to service members while they are assigned to a mission away from their duty station. This limited definition could have resulted in service members receiving limited and unequal consumer protection.

Despite the FTC rules, the CRAs have committed to offer the new service to all active duty service members. Equifax, Experian, and Transunion made this commitment following the Senators’ letter on August 1, 2019 encouraging them to provide this new service more broadly than is technically required. The CRAs agreed to utilize the Department of Defense’s recommended definition of active duty status and active status for the National Guard and Reserve for the purpose of carrying out this new law.

“We are grateful the credit reporting agencies (CRAs) have agreed to use the Department of Defense (DoD) definition of active duty service member,” said the National Military Family Association. “Even after nearly 18 years of continuous combat operations, the vast majority of an active duty service member’s time is spent at their ‘usual duty station.’ Continuing to protect the credit of those who serve our country after they return from deployment or temporary duty (TDY) at another location is the right thing to do.”

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Senator Coons’ statement on the attack on Saudi oil facilities

Wilmington, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on the attack on Saudi oil installations.

“Following the recent attacks on oil fields in Saudi Arabia, I am concerned by President Trump’s statement that he is ‘waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed.’ If President Trump wants to take any military action in response to the attacks, he needs to brief Congress on the relevant intelligence and make the case to Congress and the American people that a military response is necessary and justified. 

“Under our Constitution, the President cannot wage war unless there is an imminent threat to the United States or Americans abroad. Military force should be the last resort. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have had an important partnership for decades, but Saudi Arabia is not a treaty ally, and the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the conduct of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen have strained our relationship.

“Still, Iran is the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism and continues to destabilize the Middle East in places like Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. U.S. military power helps to deter Iran from taking additional military action through its proxies. If intelligence proves Iranian responsibility for these recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, we should weigh our options carefully and consult with our regional and European allies and partners, which will only strengthen our response.”

Carper, Coons Call on Majority Leader McConnell to Act after House Judiciary Passes Gun Safety Bill to Ban High-Capacity Magazines

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to act on their Keep Americans Safe Act (S.447), which would prohibit high-capacity magazines. Companion legislation passed the House Judiciary Committee last night.

“The Keep Americans Safe Act is a common sense gun safety measure that we should consider right now to protect our communities,” said Sen. Carper. “The overwhelming majority of Americans, including gun owners, want us to use common sense and pass gun safety measures like this one. Leader McConnell and Republicans should listen.”

“The American people want Congress and the Administration to take action to address gun violence, and so do the majority of gun owners,” said Sen. Coons. “The Keep Americans Safe Act is commonsense legislation that I’m proud to support, and I strongly urge Majority Leader McConnell to bring this legislation to the Senate floor for a vote. The time is now to take action that will help save lives.”

There have been 289 mass shootings so far this year according to the Gun Violence Archive, not counting the thousands of other acts of gun violence that have devastated communities across the country. A common thread found in many of the nation’s most high-profile mass shootings in recent years has been the use of high-capacity magazines that hold more than ten rounds and enable a shooter to fire dozens of rounds without having to stop and reload.

In Dayton, Ohio, the mass shooter used a high-capacity rifle equipped with a 100-round drum magazine, which enabled him to fire 41 rounds in 32 seconds. In El Paso, Texas, and Gilroy, California, both shooters are believed to have used an AK-47 style assault rifle, another high-capacity rifle, which generally holds at least 30 rounds.

Experts have recently expressed restrictions on the capacity of bullet magazines could make the attacks less deadly, giving potential targets precious seconds to escape while the shooter reloads a gun.

Joining Sens. Carper, Coons, Menendez, and Schumer in cosponsoring the Keep Americans Safe Act are Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Angus King (I-Maine), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons: “Reliable, enforceable patent rights are the lifeblood of our innovation economy.”

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property yesterday held a hearing on the STRONGER Patents Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to protect and support inventors and innovators and ensure that our patent system protects this essential property right. U.S. Representatives Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.) are the lead sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives. At the hearing, Senator Coons delivered the following remarks.

“Supporters of this bill understand that without reliable and enforceable patent rights, inventors, entrepreneurs, and businesses will struggle to finance, to defend, to advocate, to pioneer new technologies. We all depend on these new and disruptive and compelling technologies to fuel our economy, to promote our national security, to save lives, and to make ours the most robust, innovative economy on the planet,” said Senator Coons.

Video and audio available here.

Video and audio of Senator Coons’ Q&A available here.

Senator Coons’ remarks, as delivered:

Thank you, Chairman Tillis. Let me just start by thanking you, both, specifically, for agreeing to hold this hearing on the STRONGER Patents Act, but more broadly for the strong, positive, and constructive relationship we’ve enjoyed. We are the co-chairs of the Human Rights Caucus. Senator Tillis as the chair and I as his ranking on this IP subcommittee, have tackled a number of, I think, important issues in the intellectual property space. You have been a great colleague to work with and I appreciate your diligence, thoroughness, and openness.

We may have some small, but meaningful, areas of disagreement about this particular piece of legislation, and I think the great tool we have available to us as Senators to sort of hash some of that through is to call in experts that are in favor of the bill, who have questions about the bill, or who are opposed to the bill. That’s how we sharpen legislative proposals. This is how it should work. We are actually here to hear you, rather than to talk across each other or to race outside and score points on cable. So, thank you, Chairman Tillis, for being a great partner. His staff and mine have worked very well together on putting this together, and I’ll make just brief further comments and then we’ll get to the hearing.

I initially introduced the STRONG Patents Act, and then the revised STRONGER Patents Act, because I think reliable, enforceable patent rights are the lifeblood of our innovation economy, which is rooted in personal experience in my home state. And I am deeply grateful to my colleagues who are co-sponsors of the STRONGER Patents Act and it’s a pretty strikingly broad range, ideologically. Senators Cotton and Hirono, Kennedy and Durbin, Kramer and I, represent – thank you Senator Hirono, I was just thanking you for being a co-sponsor of this bill, and a tireless advocate for inventors and innovation. It also enjoys broad support in the House, but I’ll mention Congressmen Stivers and Foster who are leading the bill in the House.

Supporters of this bill understand that, without reliable and enforceable patent rights, inventors, entrepreneurs, and businesses will struggle to finance, to defend, to advocate, to pioneer new technologies. We all depend on these new and disruptive and compelling technologies to fuel our economy, to promote our national security, to save lives, and to make ours the most robust, innovative economy on the planet.

We’ve seen, I think, over the last decade or more, a steady erosion in patent rights. A patent, although it is a constitutionally created property right, is only meaningful if it can be enforced against infringers. And one of the concerns I had about where we’ve been since the eBay opinion and some other changes is the weakening of injunctive relief, presumption for injective relief, which I think can effectively reward infringement followed by costly litigation instead of incentivizing upfront, good faith negotiation with patent owners and I look forward to getting competing input on that, what’s the right path forward. I think the bill would change that by reestablishing a presumption in favor of an injunction for ongoing infringement of valid patents. 

It would also make other changes. Of course, you talked about, Mr. Chairman, the challenge of repeat challenges at the USPTO and PTAB. Under a lower standard of proof that applies in district courts, we’ve seen, I think, all too many abuses of attacks of American innovators. For solo invention, this can feel like death by 1,000 cuts, and that’s why this would limit the number of times a patent owner should have to defend exactly the same patent claims and I think we can debate whether we’ve gotten that right in this language or not. But I think for a startup that relies on venture capital, being able to enforce a patent can determine whether or not that startup gets the funding needed to survive, to scale up and to thrive, or whether it dies early.  

I’ll just point out one of a number of indices, the [2018] Bloomberg Innovation Index, saw us sharply decline from a number one ranking in 2013 to not even in the top 10, and I think that ought to concern all of us. Our founders, a number of whom were inventors, understood the importance of innovation in the success for our nation and recognized that granting exclusivity for a period of time would encourage inventors to invent and then share the technical underpinnings of those inventions with the public. 

So, I look forward to hearing from the panel today about how restoring a stronger patent system would incentivize and reward innovation, live up to its founding ideals. And if I could, Mr. Chairman, before we begin, I have a collection of statements for the record I would like to submit in support of the STRONGER Patents Act from a diverse group of supporters: The Innovation Alliance, property rights advocates, solo inventors, universities, the National Small Business Association, and several others.  

Thank you, Chairman Tillis, thank you to our witnesses, I look forward to your testimony, and please know that what we will miss, as we run back and forth to vote for or against a whole series of judges, we will make up by reading the transcript. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

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[AUDIO] Sen. Coons on gun safety negotiations: “I think the politics of this are clear”

Sen. Coons: “What should drive us is wanting to improve the safety of our schools, our communities, and our families.”

Sen. Coons: “We should take up and vote on the bipartisan background check bill that the House sent us six months ago.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss what Congress and the Trump Administration should do to address gun violence.

“I think there is a lot we could and should do on background checks, on taking weapons of war off the streets of the United States, in dealing with mental health, on improving the tools that communities and families have to deal with dangerous situations, but I am concerned that we will take very small steps relative to the very large problem we have as a country with gun-related violence,” said Senator Coons. 

Audio is available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Sen. Coons on September 11: As we talk on September 11, it is important to remember the sacrifice of thousands of Americans. We’ve lost 2,300 in Afghanistan and 4,400 in Iraq and have spent nearly $6 trillion in combatting terrorism. Later today, we have a hearing on a bipartisan bill to improve our strategy. But today, let’s focus on guns.

Sen. Coons on whether it’s clear what President Trump wants: No. Exactly one of the challenges of legislating with our President is that he can make a public commitment on Tuesday and then reverse himself and reject exactly the same bipartisan compromise on Thursday. I am optimistic after several conversations that a bill that Senator Pat Toomey and I have written and introduced, the NICS Denial Notification Act, which requires that when a felon lies and tries to buy a gun in a gun store, lies on the background check form, there will be prompt notification to state police. It is a modest, reasonable initiative that would bring law enforcement in and give communities notification when someone who really shouldn’t have a gun is trying to get one. 

Sen. Coons on who he talks to when he heads to the White House to talk gun control: Well, my policy folks have talked to the head of leg affairs, I’ve actually heard from Ivanka, we’ve texted and spoken several times, and I’ve mostly spoken with Senators Toomey and Graham on the Republican Caucus and then Senators Murphy and Manchin and Blumenthal in my caucus. Over the last month, we’ve continually communicated to try and keep some forward movement on a whole package of ideas that we think are enactable. We should take up and vote on the bipartisan background check bill that the House sent us six months ago, but there are other things in addition to that that we could also do that I would support.

Sen. Coons on whether the practical possibilities seem small and narrow: Yes. I think there is a lot we could and should do on background checks, on taking weapons of war off the streets of the United States, in dealing with mental health, on improving the tools that communities and families have to deal with dangerous situations, but I am concerned that we will take very small steps relative to the very large problem we have as a country with gun-related violence. 

Sen. Coons on the mental health focus: We don’t do enough to provide support to individuals and families in crisis. It’s also not a direct link. I think by overemphasizing mental health, we’re further stigmatizing the 20 percent of adult Americans who have some mental health diagnosis. We need more research and we need more resources to make sure we’re caring for those who have mental health-related crises. But frankly, the wide availability of guns, and in particular, the ways in which we fail to enforce our existing laws and should strengthen our laws, such as background checks, to make it harder for those whom we all agree shouldn’t have guns, like convicted felons, to get access to them. 

Sen. Coons on Republicans’ political case for some kind of gun measure: I think the politics of this are clear, and that in the upcoming election the consequences in the country for the Republican Party if there is literally no movement, if there is nothing enacted or significant [are clear], but what should drive us is wanting to improve the safety of our schools, our communities, and our families.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on gun violence: “I’m hopeful President Trump will actually lead on this issue next week. Take a position. Stick with it. The American people deserve no less.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, joined CBS Face the Nation to discuss the Trump Administration’s negotiations with the Taliban and gun violence. 

“I’m concerned that our president isn’t listening to his generals, to his diplomats, to the intelligence community. Frankly, that’s largely why General Mattis, for whom I have huge respect, resigned in protest – was our president’s tendency to make abrupt decisions without knowing the context or the region, and without relying on the advice of the skilled diplomats and generals we have,” said Senator Coons.

“Tragically in August, we lost 50 more Americans in mass shooting incidents in Dayton and El Paso, in Odessa. The Odessa shooter failed a background check. Our bill would make sure that state law enforcement is promptly notified when someone fails a background check. I’ve been talking with Republicans, with Democrats, with the White House over the August recess. I’m hopeful President Trump will actually lead on this issue next week. Take a position. Stick with it. The American people deserve no less,” said Senator Coons.

Video and audio available here. 

Excerpts from the interview:

Why do you have a problem with the Trump Administration trying to negotiate with the Taliban?

Sen. Coons: I don’t have a problem with the Trump administration trying to resolve our very long conflict in Afghanistan through direct negotiations with the Taliban. And I agree that we should not fully withdraw from Afghanistan until we’ve got conditions on the ground that will prevent it from becoming once again a haven for terrorists who might attack us, as happened on 9/11. But I disagree with how our president goes about his negotiations around the world. He seems to think that he and he alone individually can negotiate with Kim Jong Un in North Korea, with Xi Jinping in China, or in this case with the Taliban. We don’t even have an ambassador in Pakistan or in Jordan. I’m concerned that our president isn’t listening to his generals, to his diplomats, to the intelligence community. Frankly, that’s largely why General Mattis, for whom I have huge respect, resigned in protest – was our president’s tendency to make abrupt decisions without knowing the context or the region, and without relying on the advice of the skilled diplomats and generals we have.

Do you think Congress needs to put some kind of backstop in place to keep the troop number at a certain level in Afghanistan like Senator Graham is trying to do?

Sen. Coons: I do think that we need to be engaged in a bipartisan way in making it clear why we value sustained engagement in the world to prevent terrorism from coming to our shores again. 

What are you trying to get done regarding gun safety legislation?

Sen. Coons: Well Senator Pat Toomey and I – Pat’s a Republican senator from Pennsylvania. We’ve been working hard on our bipartisan bill, the NICS Denial Notification Act. Tragically in August, we lost 50 more Americans in mass shooting incidents in Dayton and El Paso, in Odessa. The Odessa shooter failed a background check. Our bill would make sure that state law enforcement is promptly notified when someone fails a background check. I’ve been talking with Republicans, with Democrats, with the White House over the August recess. I’m hopeful President Trump will actually lead on this issue next week. Take a position. Stick with it. The American people deserve no less.

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Sen. Coons to host Nat’l Arts Endowment chairman in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, Del. – On Monday, Sept. 9, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, or NEA, will convene here with members of the arts community to hear about the impact of NEA grants in Delaware. Press is invited to attend.

Senator Coons and Chairman Carter will first visit the Grand Opera House, which received a $15,000 NEA grant in 2018 to support sensory-friendly programs for audiences of all ages and abilities. The Grand Opera House will demonstrate a sensory-friendly performance for the group.

Afterward, Senator Coons and Chairman Carter will visit the Delaware Art Museum, recipient of a $15,000 NEA grant to support artistic presentations on gender equality in the Caribbean. At the museum, they will join Paul Weagraff, director of the Delaware Division of the Arts, for a public discussion about the impact of arts in the community.

WHO: U.S. Senator Chris Coons, Chairman Mary Anne Carter, National Endowment for the Arts, Director Paul Weagraff, Delaware Division of the Arts

WHAT: Visit the Grand Opera House and Delaware Art Museum, meet with local arts leaders, and participate in a public discussion about the impact of the arts in the community

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 9, 2019

WHERE: Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, DE 19801 (11:00-11:45 a.m.), Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19806 (1:00-2:00 p.m.)

CONTACTS: Brendan Mackie at 302-743-8328 (Coons), Allison Hill at 202-682-5037 (Nat’l Arts), Dennis Lawson at 302-743-8927 (Del. Arts) 

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Senator Coons’ statement on gun safety legislative negotiations

Wilmington, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on his ongoing work to build bipartisan support for commonsense gun safety legislation.

“While the House and Senate have been out of session over the past month, America’s epidemic of gun violence has continued to devastate communities and families across the country. In August alone, mass shootings claimed the lives of more than 50 innocent Americans.

“Over the last month, I’ve been in regular contact with Democratic and Republican colleagues alike, working earnestly to find a way forward on gun safety legislation. In the last week, I have had positive, constructive conversations with Trump Administration officials and Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), among others, about potential legislative proposals that are positive steps forward and meaningfully improve our gun safety laws.
“In addition to working to expand background checks, I am focused on building support for a bipartisan bill that I have with Senator Toomey, the NICS Denial Notification Act, and I have been encouraged by recent conversations I’ve had with Senate Republicans and Administration officials about the bill. This commonsense legislation would simply provide states with information to help them enforce existing laws against individuals who attempt to purchase firearms but are prohibited from owning guns. 

“Bipartisan support for gun safety legislation is growing, and there is an opportunity for the President to lead. As the Senate prepares to return to Washington next week, I will continue working directly with my Republican colleagues in the Senate and with Administration officials to try and find a bipartisan way forward.”

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Senator Coons’ statement on Senator Isakson’s retirement announcement

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced that he will retire at the end of this year.

“Senator Johnny Isakson is one of the most honorable, decent and capable people with whom I have ever served. Johnny has been more than a colleague to me; he’s been a mentor, a legislative partner, a confidant, and a real friend. Johnny embodies what all senators should seek to be: a principled legislator who works relentlessly for his constituents and builds bridges and relationships with his colleagues for the good of our country.

“Despite coming from different states and different political backgrounds, Johnny and I have found ways to work together on important issues. He has fought tirelessly for our veterans, has led the Senate Ethics Committee with a great balance of character and common sense, and has been a positive partner in legislating on issues from education to workforce skills, from supporting our home states’ poultry industries to championing more effective and transparent U.S. foreign aid. Johnny is part of the glue that holds the Senate together, and it’s difficult for me to imagine the Senate without him.

“I look forward to serving in the Senate with Johnny for the rest of this year, but I also look forward to many more years of friendship with him, Dianne, and his entire family.”

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THURSDAY: Sen. Coons, National Community Service CEO to meet with Delaware AmeriCorps members

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a co-chair of the National Service Congressional Caucus, and Barbara Stewart, head of the Corporation for National and Community Service are slated to meet AmeriCorps members with Reading Assist Intervention Corps on Thursday, August 29, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Community Services Building here. Press is invited to attend.

Coons and Stewart will convene with the Reading Assist Institute for a brief discussion about its Delaware-based program. Afterward, they will join about 20 AmeriCorps members for a town hall discussion. The dialogue will serve as an opportunity to hear directly from AmeriCorps members about national service, why they joined the program, and what they hope to achieve during the service term.

There are more than 590 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members who have served in Delaware in the last year at about 145 locations. The Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, invested more than $4.9 million to support local programs through national service. These investments will leverage another $4.8 million in other resources to strengthen community impact, build local support, and increase return on taxpayer dollars.

Since 1994, more than 2,900 Delaware residents have served approximately 4.3 million hours through AmeriCorps, earning Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards totaling more than $10.7 million.

WHO: U.S. Senator Chris Coons; CEO Barbara Stewart, Corporation for National Community Service (CNCS); Representatives of the State Office of Volunteerism; AmeriCorps Members with Reading Assist Intervention Corps; Leaders of the Reading Assist Institute.

WHAT: A town hall with AmeriCorps members about national service.

WHEN: Thursday, August 29, 2019, at 11:15 a.m.

WHERE: Reading Assist Institute, Community Services Building, 100 West 10th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.

PRESS RSVP: Brendan Mackie at Brendan_Mackie@coons.senate.gov.

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