Statement from Senator Coons marking Equal Pay Day

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, issued the following statement on Tuesday recognizing Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. With the Senate set to consider the Paycheck Fairness Act on Wednesday, the President today announced two new executive actions implementing portions of the bill for federal contractors.

“In 2014, in a nation where women surpass men in earning college degrees, it’s simply unacceptable that we are still fighting over the right to equal pay. Women make up nearly half of our nation’s workforce, and an increasing proportion are their family’s primary breadwinners. Yet in Delaware, women working full time still make just 80 cents on the dollar compared to men — a loss of nearly $10,000 a year, and nearly half a million dollars over a lifetime. The gap is even more severe for women of color, and these compounding losses leave women less equipped to provide for their families and less prepared for retirement at the end of their careers.

“Just over 50 years ago, the Equal Pay Act took important steps to address this injustice, but loopholes in the law have allowed wage discrimination to persist. The executive actions taken by the President today will help to further strengthen the law, but Congress can and must do its part by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. This bill will give women the tools to fight for the compensation they deserve and help to close the shameful pay gap once and for all. I hope my colleagues in the Senate will join me in voting this week to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and end wage discrimination in our society.”

Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages to colleagues.

Created in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity, Equal Pay Day serves to illustrate and raise awareness about the persistent gap between men’s and women’s wages.

Senators introduce resolution marking 20 years since the Rwandan genocide

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) introduced a resolution on Monday night marking 20 years since the genocide in Rwanda, which claimed 800,000 lives in 100 days starting on April 7, 1994. The resolution honors the memory of those lost and expresses support for the people of Rwanda on this day of reflection. It also affirms that it is in the national interest of the United States to prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities, and condemns ongoing atrocities perpetrated against innocent civilians in Syria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Sudan.

Senator Menendez chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senators Coons and Flake are the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.

“The United States Senate joins the people of Rwanda in mourning this tragic day and honoring the memory of all whose lives were taken,” Senator Coons said. “Though no consolation to the families of those lost, the world has the responsibility to fulfill the promise of ‘never again.’ It is my hope that the memory of the Rwandan genocide will continue to embolden world leaders to act decisively in the face of genocide and mass atrocities, compelling us to act to protect civilians and prevent the loss of innocent lives. As we consider the U.S. and international response to ongoing atrocities in the Central African Republic, Syria, South Sudan, and Sudan, I strongly support U.S. leadership, and close coordination with the international community, to prevent and mitigate mass atrocities.”

“Through reconciliation and resilience, the Rwandan people have led their nation into a new phase of economic and social growth and are working to protect civilians in other countries through vital contributions to African Union and UN peacekeeping missions,” Chairman Menendez said. “As Rwanda faces new challenges, the United States stands with its people and remains committed to their success.”

“This week marks the 20-year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide,” Senator Flake said. “This week, I join my colleagues in reaffirming the United States’ commitment to working with the international community to prevent mass atrocities and protecting populations at risk of crimes against humanity.”

The resolution affirms that it is in the national interest of the United States to work in close coordination with international partners to help prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities.

The resolution also urges President Obama to confer with Congress on an ongoing basis regarding the priorities and objectives of the Atrocities Prevention Board. Additionally, it supports ongoing U.S. and international efforts to strengthen multilateral peacekeeping capacities; build capacity for improving civilian protection in areas of conflict; ensure measures of accountability for perpetrators of mass atrocities and crimes against humanity; and strengthen the efforts of U.S. and international institutions working to prevent mass atrocities and genocide.

The full text of the resolution can be downloaded here and is pasted below:

RESOLUTION

Recognizing 20 years since the genocide in Rwanda and affirming it is in the national interest of the United States to work in close coordination with international partners to help prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities

Whereas in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide declaring that genocide, whether committed in a time of peace or war, is a crime under international law;

Whereas the United States was the first country to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and the Senate voted to ratify the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on February 11, 1986;

Whereas, for approximately 100 days between April 7, 1994 and July 1994, more than 800,000 civilians were killed in a genocide in Rwanda that targeted members of the Tutsi, moderate Hutu, and Twa populations, resulting in the horrific deaths of nearly 70% of the Tutsi population living in Rwanda;

Whereas the massacres of innocent Rwandan civilians were premeditated and systematic attempts to eliminate the Tutsi population by Hutu extremists, fueled by hatred and incitement propagated by newspapers and radio;

Whereas in addition to systematic targeting of an ethnic minority in Rwanda resulting in the mass slaughter of innocent civilians, rape was also used as a weapon of war;

Whereas despite the deployment of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in October 1993 following the end of the Rwandan Civil War, its mandate was insufficient to ensure the protection of large swathes of the population, demonstrating the inability of the United Nations to effectively respond to the unfolding genocide and stop or mitigate its impact;

Whereas on July 4, 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a trained military group consisting of formerly exiled Tutsis, began its takeover of the country, which resulted in an ending of the genocide, though not an complete end to the violence, including retribution;

Whereas in October 1994, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established as the first international tribunal with the mandate to prosecute the crime of genocide and ultimately prosecuted 63 individuals for war crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity as well as the first convictions for rape as a weapon of war;

Whereas the United States Government supports initiatives to ensure that victims of genocide and mass atrocities are not forgotten, and has committed to work with international partners to help prevent genocide and mass atrocities and identify and support a range of actions to protect civilian populations at risk;

Whereas in July 2004, both the Senate (SCONRES 133) and House (SCONRES 467) passed concurrent resolutions declaring that “the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide” and calling on the U.S. government and international community to take measures to address the situation immediately;

Whereas in September 2004, the government of the United States, in testimony by the Secretary of State before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, declared the ongoing conflict in Darfur, Sudan a “genocide” perpetrated by the government based in Khartoum against its own people and affecting over 2.4 million Sudanese including an estimated 200,000 fatalities;

Whereas in September 2005, the United States joined other members of the United Nations in adopting United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/1, which affirmed that the international community has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapter VI (Military enforcement) and VIII (Regional Arrangements) of the United Nations Charter, to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity;

Whereas in December 2011, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 71, recognizing the United States’ national interest in helping to prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and other mass atrocities against civilians, and urging the development of a whole of government approach to prevent and mitigate such acts;

Whereas in April 2012, the President established the Atrocities Prevention Board within the United States inter-agency structure, chaired by National Security Staff, to help identify and more effectively address atrocity threats, including genocide, as a core national security interest and core moral responsibility;

Whereas in July 2013, the National Intelligence Council completed the first ever National Intelligence Estimate on the global risk for mass atrocities and genocide;

Whereas in January 2014, the National Director of Intelligence testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence stating that “the overall risk of mass atrocities worldwide will probably increase in 2014 and beyond…Much of the world will almost certainly turn to the United States for leadership to prevent and respond to mass atrocities”;

Whereas, despite U.S. and other nations’ measures taken since 1994, the international community still faces the challenges of responding to escalation of violence, atrocities, and religious-based conflict in many corners of the globe including, Syria, and the Central African Republic, and a failure of the international community to appropriately respond to and address the rapidly deteriorating situation could result in further atrocities; and

Whereas the United Nations Security Council was unable to pass a resolution condemning the government of Bashar al Assad of Syria for the use of chemical weapons against civilians, killing more than 1,400 of his own people in August 2013; and

Whereas the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended to the United Nations Security Council the establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic with the primary mandate to protect civilians;

Resolved, that the Senate –

(1) Recognizes the United Nations’ designation of April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda;

(2) Honors the memory of the more than 800,000 victims of the Rwandan genocide and expresses sympathy for those whose lives were forever changed by this horrific event;

(3) Expresses support for the people of Rwanda as they remember the victims of genocide;

(4) Affirms it is in the national interest of the United States to work in close coordination with international partners to prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and mass atrocities;

(5) Condemns ongoing acts of violence and mass atrocities perpetrated against innocent civilians in Syria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan and elsewhere;

(6) Urges the President to confer with Congress on an ongoing basis regarding the priorities and objectives of the Atrocities Prevention Board;

(7) Urges the President to work with Congress to strengthen the United States government’s ability to identify and more rapidly respond to genocide and mass atrocities in order to prevent where possible and mitigate the impact of such events; and

(8) Supports ongoing U.S. and international efforts to:

strengthen multilateral peacekeeping capacities;
build capacity for democratic rule of law, security sector reform, and other measures to improve civilian protection in areas of conflict;
ensure measures of accountability for perpetrators of mass atrocities and crimes against humanity; and
strengthen the work of U.S. and international institutions, such as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which are working to document, identify, and prevent mass atrocities and inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred and prevent genocide.

Delegation welcomes Delaware high school juniors and seniors for annual Congressional Youth Conference

DOVER, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons and U.S. Representative John Carney (all D-Del.) hosted their annual Congressional Youth Conference for more than 70 Delaware high school juniors and seniors at Delaware State University Monday. Students interacted with members of their Congressional delegation and attended breakout sessions on cybersecurity, leadership through service, and digital media’s impact on the news.

Students participated in group discussions with the delegation on a variety of subjects including college affordability, minimum wage, foreign policy, healthcare and immigration. The late U.S. Senator Bill Roth organized the first Youth Leadership Conference in 1969, hosting it annually until 2000.

“It was a great pleasure to get to visit with some of the young people that give me great hope for Delaware and America’s future,” Senator Carper said. “I encouraged them to pursue careers that give them meaning – whether that’s in the public or private sector – but I shared with them that my own career in public service has been incredibly demanding and rewarding and I hope that many of them consider serving their community, their state, or their country.”

“Monday’s event was designed to encourage students to consider a career in public service,” said Senator Coons. “The everyday challenges facing our country can be solved, and they can be solved by this incredibly compelling and capable young generation. The students we met yesterday are enthusiastic about embracing diversity, excited about the opportunities the world has to offer, and clear-eyed about the challenges that lay ahead. That gives me tremendous hope that they can and will accomplish even more than the generation before them to leave our world a better place.”

“The Congressional Youth Conference is an excellent way for young people in Delaware to learn about the importance of public service, career opportunities, and some of the critical challenges facing the nation,” said Congressman Carney. “It’s also a great opportunity for me to hear the opinions of young people regarding the issues and priorities they find most important. We had a productive discussion yesterday, and it’s clear that these students are well on their way to being leaders in our community.”

Senator Coons’ bill to help innovative startups create jobs takes big step forward

WASHINGTON – The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation to allow startup companies and small businesses to access the successful Research and Development Tax Credit. The committee passed two versions of the Startup Innovation Credit — one, originally authored by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) in the Startup Innovation Credit Act, will allow innovative startups to claim the R&D tax credit against their payroll taxes. The second version, originally authored by Senators Coons and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) in the Innovators Job Creation Act, will allow small business owners to claim the R&D tax credit against their Alternative Minimum Tax liability. Working with Senators Enzi and Roberts, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced an amendment to the annual tax-credit extension bill that included both approaches. The amendment passed the Committee unanimously.

“Companies that invest in research and development are investing in new products and processes that grow the economy and create quality, middle class jobs that our country needs right now,” Senator Coons said. “The successful Research and Development Tax Credit has helped tens of thousands of American companies invest in job-creating innovation, but startups haven’t been allowed to take advantage. Firms younger than five years old have been responsible for the overwhelming majority of our new jobs in recent years, and they are driving our nation’s economic recovery by taking risks to turn their ideas into products. Three years after I first introduced legislation to open up the R&D Tax Credit to startups, I am proud of the progress we made today and deeply grateful for the partnership of Senators Enzi and Schumer, and all of my colleagues who have cosponsored this idea over the years. Progress on this legislation is proof that we can still work together across party lines to help grow our economy.”

To qualify for the Startup Innovation Credit, a company must be less than five years old and have less than $5 million in gross receipts. Since many young companies invest heavily in research and development in their first few years and don’t have income tax liability, they are unable to claim a federal income tax credit, like the R&D Tax Credit. In fact, according to the Government Accountability Office, more than half of the credit claimed by companies each year goes to firms with $1 billion or more in receipts. With the Startup Innovation Credit, as passed by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, a new company that lacks the income tax liability necessary to claim the R&D Tax Credit would instead be able to claim the credit in the following year by reducing its employer-side employment taxes by an equivalent amount up to $250,000, or by reducing its Alternative Minimum Tax liability.

“Research and development are essential ingredients for making American companies competitive in the global marketplace,” Rich Heffron, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce said. “The Startup Innovation Credit is an imaginative plan for providing entrepreneurs the means to create jobs while their company is still in its infancy. The companies that will make use of this program will be among those leading our country’s economic resurgence. The members of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce urge Congress to quickly move this legislation to the President’s desk.”

“The Startup Innovation Credit will create jobs and speed up innovation, helping early-stage companies like many of those that belong to Delaware Bio,” Bob Dayton, president of Delaware Bio said. “Startups that are investing in innovation have enormous potential to grow and create jobs, and the Startup Innovation Credit is a creative way to help nurture that potential when it will have the greatest impact.”

In addition to Senators Coons, Enzi, and Schumer, the Startup Innovation Credit Act is cosponsored by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). It was first introduced in August 2012.

Language creating the Startup Innovation Credit was included in the Startup Act 3.0 introduced by Senators Moran, Coons, Blunt and Mark Warner (D-Va.) in February 2013.

The Innovators Job Creation Act is sponsored by Senators Roberts, Coons, Enzi and Schumer. It was first introduced in January 2014.

The Schumer-Enzi amendment in the Senate Finance Committee was cosponsored by Senators Warner, Roberts, Stabenow, and Maria Cantwell (D-Was.).

The full text of the original legislation can be downloaded here: http://www.coons.senate.gov/download/startup-innovation-credit

Bipartisan bill to help innovative startups create jobs clears Senate Finance Committee

“When startup businesses can keep more of their hard-earned cash, they’re able to create the jobs our recovering economy needs,” Senator Enzi said. “This bill provides a great addition to the current R&D tax credit by helping small businesses stay afloat during their early years.”

“Startup companies are the job-creating engines of our future, but they face immense challenges getting their businesses off the ground to the point of profitability. As the R&D Tax Credit exists now, these emerging companies are behind the eight ball, without access to the same job-producing programs that already-established companies enjoy,” Senator Schumer said. “This bill will make sure startups in New York and throughout the country can devote more resources to innovation and creating jobs, and I will fight for its passage in the full Senate.”

Language creating the Startup Innovation Credit was included in the Startup Act 3.0 introduced by Senators Moran, Coons, Blunt and Mark Warner (D-Va.) in February 2013.

The Innovators Job Creation Act is sponsored by Senators Roberts, Coons, Enzi and Schumer. It was first introduced in January 2014.

The Schumer-Enzi amendment in the Senate Finance Committee was cosponsored by Senators Warner, Roberts, Stabenow, and Maria Cantwell (D-Was.).

The full text of the original legislation can be downloaded here: http://www.coons.senate.gov/download/startup-innovation-credit

Delaware Public Defender joins Senator Coons for roundtable on sentencing reform

Steering Committee meeting on sentencing reform

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, participated in a roundtable discussion with advocates from the legal, religious, civil rights, and law enforcement communities in the Capitol on Wednesday focused on sentencing reform. Delaware Public Defender Brendan O’Neill was among the participants and briefed senators on the steps Delaware has taken to reduce the severity of mandatory minimum sentences.

“Every American has the right to a criminal justice system that imposes fair criminal penalties according to the facts of each case,” Senator Coons said. “Mandatory minimum sentencing jeopardizes that right by trading judicial discretion for one-size-fits-all, arbitrary sentencing requirements that are unnecessarily punitive and have not improved public safety. Data-driven analysis of our federal criminal justice system, including sentencing and corrections policies, is essential to curb skyrocketing prison populations and costs. Reducing these costs will help to ensure funding is available for effective safety programs in our communities.”

Reassessing federal sentencing requirements is not simply a criminal justice issue, but also a civil rights crisis that must be addressed. Despite the fact that more than two-thirds of crack cocaine users in the U.S. are white or Hispanic, African American offenders have historically made up more than 80 percent of the offenders sentenced under the federal crack cocaine laws, and have served substantially more time in prison for drug offenses compared to whites.

Steering Committee meeting on sentencing reform Delaware Public Defender Brendan O’Neill called the state’s old mandatory minimum sentencing “a failure” and shared the effects the policy had on Delaware’s criminal justice system. In addition to limiting judicial discretion and giving prosecution disproportionate leverage in the plea negotiation process, the policy also raised the stakes of going to trial to irrationally high levels. As a consequence, defendants who may have been innocent often pled guilty to lesser charges to avoid the disproportionately high risk presented by mandatory minimum sentences.

“Experience teaches that the one-size-fits all effect of mandatory minimums results in justice being denied, ” O’Neill said.

Delaware is leading the way in reforming the system using a scientific, data-driven approach that includes pre-trial risk assessments and smarter corrections strategies that reduce recidivism. The state enacted a new law in April 2011 that lessened mandatory minimum sentences for some first-time drug offenders and reduced minimum prison sentences for drug felonies.

“Delaware’s comprehensive approach, which includes community-based services to decrease crime and strengthen neighborhoods, can serve as a valuable national model for how to more fairly treat non-violent offenders,” Senator Coons said.

Senator Coons is a cosponsor of the Smarter Sentencing Act, legislation to expand an existing “safety valve” that allows judges to deliver sentences below mandatory minimums to non-violent offenders in specific instances. The bill also provides retroactivity for the Fair Sentencing Act, which addressed the crack cocaine sentencing disparity in 2010, reducing it from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1. The provision would allow individuals serving an unjust sentence under previous law to petition a judge for a review of their sentence.

Statement of Senator Coons on Supreme Court decision on limits on political donations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement Wednesday after the Supreme Court ruled that aggregate biennial limits on money an individual can give political campaigns and political action committees are unconstitutional. Such limits capped the total amount an individual can give per cycle at $123,200, including $48,600 to individual candidates.

“America’s political system is broken. Gerrymandering and draconian election laws are systematically drowning out the voices of Americans at the same time that reckless Supreme Court decisions are radically expanding the political influence of the wealthiest Americans. Our political system is moving in an alarming direction, propelled by the significant increase in money being dumped into it. Today’s Supreme Court decision will allow the wealthiest Americans, and the corporations they frequently represent, to play an even greater role in our democracy. One step at a time, the Supreme Court is openly and explicitly dismantling Congressional efforts to limit the influence of money in the political process, and I am concerned that it won’t stop until there are no limits on money in politics. I am deeply disappointed by today’s decision and intend to work with my colleagues to explore what protections may be restored through legislative action.”

Senator Coons has cosponsored a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United case, and has voted repeatedly for legislation to help counter the flood of unlimited secret money in elections unleashed by the decision.

Senator Coons votes to extend emergency unemployment insurance for five months

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) voted again Wednesday to renew support for jobseekers, this time through compromise legislation to reauthorize emergency unemployment insurance (UI) for five months. The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, the product of bipartisan negotiations between ten senators, cleared a procedural hurdle by a vote of 61-38, clearing the way for a vote on final passage later this week.

“Congress must invest in America’s workforce, and extending this lifeline for jobseekers is the minimum we should be doing,” Senator Coons said. “For three months, millions of Americans – out of work through no fault of their own – have struggled to make ends meet while Congress put politics before their welfare. This legislation will help them regain their footing, while implementing reforms that will prevent abuse and help jobseekers get back to work faster. Emergency unemployment insurance is a critical part of our social safety net, and I hope my colleagues will join me in renewing it without further delay.”

The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act is fully paid for, prohibits millionaires from receiving unemployment benefits, and includes reforms to help UI beneficiaries find work faster. The bill allows for retroactive payments to eligible beneficiaries dating back to December 28, meaning the five-month extension will expire at the end of May.

Since Congress let emergency unemployment insurance expire at the end of December, more than 2 million Americans – including 6,000 Delawareans – have lost their unemployment insurance. Senator Coons was a cosponsor of legislation, blocked by Republican filibusters in January and February, which would have extended funding for UI benefits for three months, as well as a bill to extend benefits for one year.

Statement of Senator Coons on U.N. climate change report

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement Monday on a new report from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Fifth Assessment Report is the first issued by the United Nations-appointed panel since 2007.

“Climate change is real. Its causes are well documented, but we must continue to study and plan for its impacts. The findings from this report paint a detailed and alarming picture of how climate change will affect the health, security, and economies of communities around the world. Echoing previous findings, the report also shows that these burdens – from decreasing crop yields to extreme weather – fall disproportionately on the world’s most impoverished and marginalized communities.

“This report is the latest in a long chain of evidence that proves we need to take this threat seriously, while we can still make a difference. The science of climate change ought to be held in higher regard than the politics of climate change. It respects no border or political affiliation — it affects us all. Climate change is fact, and we pretend otherwise at our peril. The cost of the status quo — our continued indifference — is simply too high.”

Senator Coons pushes bill to end stalking apps

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) are once again pushing legislation to protect Americans’ personal privacy, this time by ending stalking apps, which abusers can put on victims’ smartphones to secretly track their location. Legislation they introduced Thursday would require companies to get consumers’ permission before collecting location data off their smartphones, tablets, or in-car navigation devices like OnStar and Garmin, and would also require permission before sharing location information with third parties.

“Every new app we install on our smartphones tests the balance between convenience and privacy,” said Senator Coons. “Each time we allow an app or mobile device to track our location, consumers are creating an opportunity for abuse of which they need to be fully cognizant. The companies that are granted access to this information have a responsibility to prevent this abuse, and systems that automatically track users’ locations should, by default, protect their users’ privacy. Sensitive personal information should not be for sale without users’ explicit consent. This legislation is designed to help our laws keep pace with our technology, and ensure that we can remain vigilant as location-tracking technology continues to grow.”

“It’s been five years since the Department of Justice issued a report on GPS stalking, and eight years since data was last collected — that was before the first iPhone was even sold,” Senator Coons continued. “The technological opportunities for stalking have exploded since then. The federal government needs to take a new look at this issue to get a handle on the full scope of the problem. Our legislation would require the Department of Justice to take a new look at the privacy vulnerabilities of geo-location software to ensure Americans’ personal privacy is as protected as possible.” Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Location Privacy Protection Act is built on similar legislation they first introduced in 2012, which passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. Their updated legislation would:

Require that companies get individuals’ permission before collecting location data off of their smartphones, tablets, or in-car navigation devices, and before sharing it with others. This rule doesn’t apply to parents tracking kids, emergencies, and similar scenarios;
Stymie GPS stalking by preventing companies from collecting location data in secret;
Require that any company that collects the location data of 1,000 or more devices publicly disclose the data they’re collecting, what they do with it, who they share it with, and how people can stop that collection or sharing;
Ban the development, operation, and sale of GPS stalking apps–and allow law enforcement to seize the proceeds of those sales to fund anti-stalking efforts; and
Require that the federal government gather more information about GPS stalking, facilitate reporting of GPS stalking, and prioritize training grants for law enforcement.

A more detailed summary of the bill is available here.

Earlier this year, Senator Coons joined Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to introduce the Driver Privacy Act, which would make it clear that the owner of a vehicle is also the owner of any information collected by an event data recorder.

In 2011, at the urging of Senators Coons and Franken, OnStar reversed a decision to track the locations of its customers and potentially sell that information to third parties even after those customers have terminated their service plans with the company.

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