Statement from Senator Coons on nomination of Senator Hagel for Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) as Secretary of Defense:

“In nominating former Senator Chuck Hagel as our nation’s next Secretary of Defense, President Obama has chosen someone with significant experience on the fields of battle and in the halls of Congress to lead the Pentagon through a challenging time. He has also, once again, shown his commitment to including accomplished Republican leaders in his Cabinet. Highly decorated for his military service and deeply respected for his legislative accomplishments, Senator Hagel has the potential to be a strong Secretary of Defense and a trusted advisor to the president.”

“While I am generally optimistic about his nomination, Senator Hagel has made troubling statements on several issues in the past that remain in the forefront today — issues that are important to me — and I will closely watch his confirmation hearing for answers to what I expect will be very direct and difficult questions about those statements. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss some of those questions with him personally before casting my vote. It is my hope that those answers will be satisfying not only to me, but to my colleagues in the Senate, and our allies around the world.”

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Bipartisan, bicameral effort to provide additional court options for federal law enforcement officers signed into law

WASHINGTON – Legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Representatives Dave Reichert (R-WA-08) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) was signed into law as part of the Defense Authorization Act.  The new law would allow federal law enforcement officers who acted under their official duties and charged with a crime in state court an opportunity to petition to have the agent’s case heard before a federal court.

“When our law enforcement officers act bravely to stop a violent crime, they have earned our gratitude,” Senator Coons said. “Now that the Officer Safety Act is the law of the land, we can be sure federal agents have access to a fair court process if they ever need it.”

“Taxpayers train federal agents to protect and serve the American public.  They are expected to be ‘on-call’ at all times. To think that they would have to stand by while a victim suffers violent acts in their presence to protect themselves from being sued is contrary to the oath they take and is a waste of taxpayer funded training,” Senator Grassley said.  “This new law will help make our communities safer and help those who are sworn to guard and serve the public.”

“The first priority of law enforcement officers is the safety of their community.  As a former Sheriff, I know that this is true for officers on and off the job,” Representative Reichert said. “With the signing of this bill, these brave men and women who sacrifice so much for their communities will receive the same protections both on and off duty.”

“This legislation will allow federal agents to protect Americans, whether they are on or off duty. Our federal law enforcement agents are highly trained professionals who often go above and beyond what is required of them – and put themselves in harm’s way in the process. They deserve our gratitude,” Representative Pascrell said. “I am proud to help advance this bipartisan legislation on behalf of dedicated federal agents throughout the country who work to keep us safe.”

The Officer Safety Act of 2012 is modeled after the Good Samaritan Act, but is narrower, more restrictive, and provides no liability protection.  The bill does not provide immunity to federal law enforcement officers, but simply allows for case removal to federal court where the officer will be required to defend his or her actions.  In addition, it doesn’t infringe upon states’ rights, as they retain the same rights that have existed since the early 1800’s.

Specifically, the Officer Safety Act of 2012:

• allows a federal law enforcement agent, who stops a violent crime while off-duty and is indicted in a state court for those actions, to petition for the state criminal prosecution against him to be removed to a federal court, and
• clarifies the “color of law” prong required in the removal process, as courts have invited Congress to clarify.

The bill was supported by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents Association, and the National Border Patrol Council. The bill text can be found by clicking here.

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Statement from Senator Coons on vote to avert the “fiscal cliff”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement early Tuesday morning after voting for a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff” and prevent taxes from going up on Delaware’s middle-class families.

“Ninety-eight percent of Americans, including middle class families and small businesses in Delaware, can breathe a sigh of relief if the House acts, as it should, to prevent dramatic tax increases from taking effect after the first of the year.

“This one step would blunt the impact of the fiscal cliff for the majority of Americans. The consequences for our middle class, our recovery and our economy would have been far graver had we not reached this deal, but there is still much more work to be done.

“The fiscal cliff was a manufactured crisis of Washington’s own making.  I am deeply disappointed in and frustrated by the failure to craft a big, balanced, bipartisan deal that achieved meaningful debt and deficit reduction by sharing the sacrifice to get our nation back on solid fiscal footing. Instead, we got the bare minimum, which was averting an income tax hike on middle class families, extending critical tax credits for families and businesses and ensuring unemployment insurance will be there for the thousands of Delaware families counting on it.

“Delawareans have consistently called on Washington to find areas of agreement and a way to work together. Preventing this middle class tax hike was one step, but we can’t stop here. Working together is not a sign of weakness, it’s a show of strength.”

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Senator Coons votes to protect Americans from warrantless privacy violations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a persistent advocate in the Senate for Americans’ privacy rights, today voted against a straight reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act — the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008 — which gave the federal government legal authority to eavesdrop on domestic communications without a warrant. The law permits wiretaps directed at foreign nationals abroad, although the communications intercepted by law enforcement may also include U.S. citizens. Senator Coons was one of 23 senators — including Democrats and Republicans — to vote against the measure.

“Defending our national security and protecting our civil liberties need not be mutually exclusive,” Senator Coons said. “There is no question that the speed and complexity of emerging threats around the world has created a very real threat to our security, but our government’s power to conduct warrantless surveillance is one that must be closely monitored. The requirement that the government get a warrant before intruding on an American’s privacy is central to our justice system, but right now, Americans are being kept in the dark about how powers under the FISA Amendments Act are being used. That’s simply not the right balance for this country.”

“The bill the Senate considered today was substantially weaker on privacy protections than the version of the bill we passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee in September,” Senator Coons said. “This version, which was written in the House of Representatives as a blanket extension of the program, abdicated Congress’ responsibility to understand and review how the intelligence community is implementing the most potentially problematic aspects of the law. The intelligence community is thwarting Congress’ ability to have an informed debate over what are very real concerns about how the government is reading our email, listening to our phone calls, and intercepting our text messages. By blindly extending the FISA Amendments Act, Congress is allowing Americans to be kept in the dark for another five years at least.”

Senator Coons spoke about the legislation on the Senate floor on Thursday, urging his colleagues to vote for a series of amendments that would have strengthened privacy protections for Americans. “A right to private communications, free from the prying eyes and ears of the government, should be the rule, not the exception for American citizens on American soil,” he said in his remarks, which can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/ZEli97.

Senator Coons cosponsored and voted for three amendments to the reauthorization measure to strengthen the privacy protections in the underlying FISA Amendments Act, which was passed in 2008 and significantly widened the intelligence community’s surveillance authority. They included:

• An amendment containing pro-privacy modifications approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in September of this year.  This amendment would have required generalized reporting of whether and how surveillance under the FISA Amendments Act protects or infringes on American privacy interests. The amendment also would have accelerated the FISA Amendments Act’s sunset from 2017 to 2015 to bring it in line with other original FISA provisions and the USA PATRIOT Act. The amendment was not adopted.
• An amendment from Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to declassify the FISA Court’s opinions on the statutory limitations on surveillance conducted under FISA Amendments Act. Lawmakers and the public are currently in the dark about how the FISA Court enforces rules meant to limit and minimalize surveillance under the FISA Amendments Act. The amendment included safeguards to ensure sensitive information was not released in the declassification process. The amendment was not adopted.
• An amendment from Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to shed light on the practical consequences of FISA Amendments Act surveillance by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to report on the general scope and manner of its usage. At present, no statistics about FISA Amendments Act surveillance have been made available. The amendment was not adopted.

“The FISA Amendments Act gave the intelligence community broad powers to conduct surveillance, but required too little public disclosure of how those powers would be used,” Senator Coons said Friday. “We don’t know how often they are used, let alone how often they are abused. It is not acceptable for the intelligence community to ask us to surrender our civil liberties and then refuse to tell us without any specificity why we must do so or how they use that power. We can review implementation of the bill in a way that protects citizens from overreach while protecting national security, but Congress has abdicated its role in doing so and retained the ‘trust us’ system for warrantless wiretaps.”

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Statement from Senator Coons on nomination of John Kerry as secretary of state

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, issued the following statement on the nomination of Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) as secretary of state:

“John Kerry has been a thoughtful and passionate leader on U.S. foreign policy for decades, and his skills and experience make him highly qualified to serve as our next secretary of state. His deep policy knowledge, strong relationships around the world and widely respected diplomatic skills will continue to build on Secretary Clinton’s remarkable achievements over the last four years and further enhance America’s position in the world. 

“Senator Kerry has demonstrated his leadership on the global stage. When CIA contractor Ray Davis was jailed in Pakistan in 2011, the President turned to John Kerry to negotiate a resolution to the crisis. I was in Pakistan just a few days before Chairman Kerry’s arrival, and U.S. officials on the ground had great confidence he would find a solution – which he did. Their faith in John Kerry was well placed, and this is just one example of the skills that will make him an exceptional secretary of state.

“It has been my honor to serve with Chairman Kerry on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and I remain humbled by and grateful for his trust in appointing me to chair the Subcommittee on African Affairs. His wisdom and counsel have been invaluable and his passion for human rights and democracy in Africa and around the world is inspirational. 

“John Kerry is one of the few leaders ready to step into the enormous shoes Hillary Clinton has left to fill. Secretary Clinton has served our country remarkably as a tough negotiator, a fearless champion for human rights and a courageous leader for equality and justice around the world. It was a pleasure and a privilege to travel with her to Liberia for the inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, where we discussed our shared commitment to America’s essential role as a global leader. Secretary Clinton’s tireless work and record of service will shape her extraordinary legacy.”

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Senator Coons applauds U.N. Security Council vote authorizing troops in northern Mali

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, issued the following statement applauding the United Nations Security Council vote on intervention in northern Mali:

“The Security Council has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the territorial integrity of Mali and voted unanimously to authorize the deployment of an African-led military mission for one year. I applaud passage of this resolution, which also urged the restoration of Mali’s national unity and constitutional order, including through peaceful and credible elections to be held as soon as possible.

“I strongly support the action of the Security Council and echo its call for the international community to provide coordinated assistance to Malian and regional security forces. This African-led model for military intervention has recently proven effective in Somalia, and the United States — in cooperation with the European Union and our other international allies — stands ready to provide training, equipping and other forms of support.

“An African-led military intervention into northern Mali should begin as soon as regional forces are trained and ready to confront Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other Islamic extremists who have demonstrated a deplorable disregard for human rights and freedom.  Today, the international community has spoken in one voice to say we will work to resolve the security, humanitarian, and political crises in Mali and help the Malian people take back the north from AQIM and associated groups.

“In the U.S. Congress, I stand ready to provide meaningful support to regional efforts along with the European Union and other international donors. This is an investment in Mali’s future with significant security implications for U.S. interests in Africa and throughout the world. I strongly support ongoing efforts to help Malians restore democracy as soon as possible, encourage negotiations with credible northern groups, provide humanitarian aid to those in need, and partner with Economic Community of Western African States and the African Union troops aiming to help restore Mali’s territorial integrity and take back the north from extremist groups.

“Finally, I echo the call of the Security Council that no member of the Malian military should interfere in the workings of the interim government, and appropriate measures should be considered for anyone undermining Mali’s stability, security, and constitutional order. Captain Sanogo and others facing U.S. sanctions due to their involvement in the March 2012 coup must immediately stop meddling in Mali’s political affairs.”

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After introducing election reform bill, Senator Coons and Judiciary Committee look at the state of the right to vote

WASHINGTON – Questioning witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the state of the right to vote in the United States on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) called last month’s national elections an “embarrassment” and called for Congress to help states take steps to build an electoral system that is truly free, fair and open.

“It is an embarrassment to this country when we have an election where there are six-, seven-, and eight-hour waiting lines and I am really concerned — troubled — by what seem to be the motivations behind more aggressive registration and voter ID laws,” Senator Coons said at Wednesday’s hearing.

“Denial of access to polling places, whether through very long lines or aggressive purges of the polls or through a variety of other tactical or technical means, has a significantly greater impact on the ability to exercise the franchise,” Senator Coons said. “I was truly disturbed and troubled… about what may have motivated some of the changes and decisions that may have been taken in Florida and their impact on access to the polls.”

MP3 audio of Senator Coons’ comments and questioning at the hearing is available here: http://1.usa.gov/Tzj6Jn 

The 2012 presidential election saw extraordinarily long lines and a myriad of voting issues in more than a dozen states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina, Montana, Tennessee, Hawaii, Arizona, Rhode Island and more.

While questioning Nina Perales, the vice president of litigation for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Senator Coons noted that electoral disenfranchisement disproportionately impacted minority voters.

“Access to the ballot is diminished by long waiting times and we should be concerned about disparate impact,” Senator Coons began. “A recent study by Hart Research showed that in this election, 22 percent of African Americans and 24 percent of Latinos had to wait more than 30 minutes or longer, but only 9 percent of Caucasian or white voters had to wait 30 minutes or longer. “

Perales described the trend as “very discouraging” and noted that the challenge was often compounded by work and family needs, which draw away many Americans who lack the free time to wait on a long line to cast their votes.

To address these challenges, Senator Coons introduced a bill in early November to make substantial improvements in the administration of elections to make voting faster and more accessible. The Louis L. Redding Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act of 2012 would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform. The states that demonstrate the most comprehensive and promising reform plans will earn a greater portion of the grant funding.

“Our history suggests that, in the absence of determination and rigor, we may lose one of the most foundational civil rights in our history,” Senator Coons said at Wednesday’s hearing, urging Congress to act to confront this challenge.

The FAST Voting Act would authorize a federal program that would award grants based on how well applicant states are able to improve access to the polls in at least nine specified ways, including:

?         Providing flexible registration opportunities, including same-day registration;

?         Providing early voting, at a minimum of 9 of the 10 calendar days preceding an election;

?         Providing absentee voting, including no-excuse absentee voting;

?         Providing assistance to voters who do not speak English as a primary language;

?         Providing assistance to voters with disabilities, including visual impairment;

?         Providing effective access to voting for members of the armed services;

?         Providing formal training of election officials, including State and county administrators and volunteers;

?         Auditing and reducing waiting times at polling stations; and

?         Creating contingency plans for voting in the event of a natural or other disaster.

The program would also require an assessment of steps the state has taken to eliminate statutory, regulatory, procedural and other barriers to expedited voting and accessible voter registration.

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Statement from Senator Coons on the passing of Senator Daniel Inouye

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on the death of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.

“The Senate has lost a giant today, and America has lost a hero. Daniel Inouye was a truly great man, and I feel blessed to have been able to share even a little time with him in the Senate. It was one of the true honors of my time here to sit with him and reflect on his remarkable life and inspirational service to our country. He had a wonderfully gracious spirit and such a big heart. 

“Senator Inouye actually came to my swearing-in ceremony here in the Senate, but my young children didn’t know who he was. I told them they should be honored to have had the chance to meet him and later shared with them a copy of his Congressional Medal of Honor citation. I asked whether they’d like to meet that man. They were amazed and declared, ‘wow, that’s a real hero.’ They were right.

“It’ll be hard to imagine the Senate without Daniel Inouye, and I am saddened that we will have to. My thoughts and prayers are with Irene, Ken, Jessica, and Maggie, and all the people of Hawaii.”

Carper, Coons, Carney Highlight Nanticoke River Dredging Project

BLADES, Del. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) highlighted the start of the Nanticoke River maintenance dredging project. Earlier this year, Delaware’s Congressional delegation of Sens. Carper and Coons and Rep. John Carney announced funding for engineering, design and construction of the dredging of the Nanticoke River. The project cost is just over $2.3 million.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin maintenance dredging on a stretch of the Nanticoke River extending from the Delaware-Maryland line up to Seaford as soon January.  Work now includes building a dike and installing pipe from the river to the dredge spoils site. The river, which flows to the Chesapeake Bay, is a vital waterway for barge traffic in and out of western Sussex County.  The dredging project will restore the river’s main channel depth to 12 feet, which has shoaled in some portions, making navigation difficult or impossible for barges. The river was last dredged in 1990. In April 2011, the Delaware Congressional Delegation wrote a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers to urge their assistance in expediting the dredging of the Nanticoke River.

“This dredging project has the potential to allow businesses already here to grow and to attract new businesses to the communities along the river,” Sen. Carper said. “This is one example of government working to create a nurturing environment for business growth and job growth. As we work toward economic recovery in this challenging environment for business, this project is another step in the right direction.”

“For more than 100 years, Sussex County and other communities along the Nanticoke River have depended on this valuable resource to support business and commerce,” Sen. Coons said.  “Deepening the Nanticoke River clears the way for job creation, boosts business and supports vital industries that depend on a navigable waterway.  As a result of dedicated individuals from all levels of government and industry working together over many years, this project is underway and our entire community will benefit.”

“Investments in infrastructure are investments in the future of our nation.  It creates jobs and strengthens the economy,” said Congressman Carney.  “This project will make the Nanticoke safer for the barges that travel it, and help local businesses get the goods and materials they need to thrive.  I’m very excited at the progress being made and look forward to seeing the project completed.” 

The dredging project is essential to ensuring safe, efficient navigation for barges that transport grains, gravel and fuel along the Nanticoke. According to figures from the Delmarva Water Transport Committee, more than 100 barges move along the Nanticoke each year. Each barge has a capacity equal to about 150 tractor trailers. In 2010, nearly 500,000 tons of product moved up the Nanticoke River, according to DWTC figures. By moving forward with the dredging project, water-borne transport can continue – and presumably increase – on the river, lessening truck traffic and reducing wear and tear on local roads. 

“This is an important project for the Army Corps of Engineers as projects represent two of the most important missions of the Corps – to provide economic support to our Nation and to meet our missions in an environmentally sustainable way, both in how we dredge and where we place the material,” Lt. Col. Brad Endres, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District Deputy Commander.  “This project meets both of these key initiatives and has moved forward thanks to the entire project team including Sussex County and many resource agencies.” 

In May 2010, Sussex County purchased a 41-acre site west of Seaford near Woodland which will serve as a location to deposit mud that will be pulled from the bottom of the Nanticoke River during the four-month-long dredging project. 

“This announcement today is news that is long overdue, but news that is nonetheless welcomed here in the cities of Seaford and Blades and throughout all of Sussex County,” County Council President Michael H. Vincent said. “History has shown how vital the Nanticoke has been to the development and prosperity of Western Sussex, from the early days of European exploration and settlement, to the present day and the movement of goods and commerce into and out of Delaware. This project will ensure the Nanticoke remains an essential link to the economic and cultural well-being of our community as we move into the future.”

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Senator Coons seeks applicants for Senate Page Program

WILMINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) is now accepting applications from qualified high school juniors for the Senate Page Program’s spring 2013 session.

“The Senate Page Program is a tremendous opportunity for juniors in high school to learn about the inner workings of the legislative branch first-hand,” Senator Coons said. “The Senate Page Program is steeped in history and helps encourage young people to be engaged, lifelong participants in America’s civic and political systems.”

The spring session runs from January 28 through June 7, 2013.  The deadline for submitting applications is December 21, 2012.  To be considered for the program, an applicant must be a United States citizen or subject to agreements of the Department of State and must have a Social Security number. Applicants must be a junior in high school who will be 16 years old on or before January 28, 2013. Applicants must verify a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or a home school transcript and a certification of immunization to qualify for attendance at page school. Applicants are required to be covered by health insurance; if not covered, they will be required to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

Pages have served in the United States Congress for more than 175 years. Thirty pages – all of them high school juniors at least 16 years old — serve in the upper chamber at any one time and are selected by sitting Senators. Their duties consist primarily of delivering correspondence and legislative material within the Capitol complex, as well as taking messages for Members, preparing the chamber for Senate sessions, and carrying bills and amendments to the Senate desk.

The Senate enrolls its pages in the Senate Page School, which is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and convenes classes in the early morning before the Senate convenes. The pages are paid a salary, from which automatic deductions are made for taxes, Social Security, and a fee for housing and meals.

Students interested in applying should contact Senator Coons’ Wilmington office at 302-573-6345 or email Latisha Bracy at latisha_bracy@coons.senate.gov to obtain an application and for additional information about the Senate Page Program.

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