Senator Coons applauds progress on two bills to enhance law enforcement protection

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, praised the Judiciary Committee’s passage Thursday of two bills that will help better protect members of our local, state, and federal law enforcement: the Officer Safety Act of 2012 and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2012.

“Police officers look out for our communities and our families every day, risking their own safety to do so,” Senator Coons said. “We need to look out for them, too, and should be doing all we can to ensure they have the tools and resources to do their jobs safely. The bills we passed today will help protect our officers from bodily harm while on the job and will make sure federal agents have access to a fair court process if they ever need it. I applaud my colleagues’ work today and for coming together during National Police Week to support our nation’s first responders. I hope both bills will be considered by the full Senate soon.”  

The Officer Safety Act of 2012, which was introduced by Senator Coons and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in April, would allow federal law enforcement officers who acted to protect the life of a potential victim and were charged with a crime in state court an opportunity to petition to have the agent’s case heard before a federal court. The legislation is modeled after the Good Samaritan Act, but is narrower and applies only to criminal actions. 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.

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Act of 2012, which was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) earlier this month and of which Senator Coons is an original cosponsor, is a reauthorization of the competitive grant program from the Bureau of Justice Assistance that provides funding to state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in their purchasing of ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant body armor that complies with National Institute of Justice body armor standards.  Since the BVP program’s first authorization in 1999, it has reimbursed grantees approximately $247 million for their purchases of nearly 1 million vests. In 2011, the BVP program provided police departments in Delaware with $141,027, enough for 1,791 vests; in 2010, the BVP program provided $120,000, enough for 502 vests; and in 2009, the program provided $94,000, enough for 588 vests.

The Senate and House Law Enforcement Caucuses held a briefing earlier this week for Members and their staff featuring a panel presentation on the function and science behind bullet- and stab-resistant body armor. To learn more about the briefing, click here: http://www.coons.senate.gov/vestsevent

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Senator Coons reacts to House passage of discriminatory version of reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, and a strong supporter of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), today condemned the House of Representatives’ passage of a reauthorization measure, H.R. 4970, that fails to include critical provisions from the bipartisan reauthorization approved by the Senate last month. Reflecting the recommendations of law enforcement, the Senate version includes new protections for victims of domestic abuse who live on Native American reservations, are members of the LGBT community, or are immigrants to this country.

“Domestic violence touches all segments of our society, and every person who has been a victim of abuse — regardless of their race, sexual orientation or residency status — should be able to seek justice,” Senator Coons said. “The Republican-led House of Representatives today once again chose to play politics with America’s women by passing a discriminatory measure that would deliberately exclude whole segments of our society from receiving fair treatment under the law. Instead of taking up the bipartisan Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act, House Republicans are actively delaying and denying critical resources to local law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups.”

On April 26, the Senate passed a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization with a 68 to 31 vote, upholding the bipartisan tradition of VAWA reauthorizations. 

Senator Coons is a cosponsor of that bill, S.1925, which would improve existing programs to address evolving needs in the fight against domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The legislation supports training for those on the front lines of efforts to eliminate domestic violence. It takes the important step of explicitly preventing grant recipients from discriminating against victims who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and modifies the U-Visa program to make it easier for law enforcement to gain the cooperation of victims in prosecuting dangerous perpetrators. 

The House version, in contrast, doesn’t include any language to protect the LGBT community; fails to provide for concurrent special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction by tribal authorities over non-Indians; fails to provide needed support to law enforcement by expanding the U-Visa program; and fails to address the high rates of dating violence and sexual assault experienced by young people in college and other higher education institutions.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Senator Coons called on the House to pass the Senate-version of VAWA reauthorization. VIDEO: http://bit.ly/JwBlhm.

“While the Senate, sadly, initially faced partisan opposition, my colleagues joined together to rise above party politics and do what is right for the safety of Americans,” Senator Coons said. “It is my hope that the House follows our lead on the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization and swiftly passes the Senate bill that helps to ensure safety for all.”

Originally drafted by then-Senator Joe Biden, VAWA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, and has since been reauthorized twice: in 2000 and 2005. The law’s current authorization, however, expired in September 2011.  Programs supported by VAWA have provided victims with critical services such as transitional housing, legal assistance, and supervised visitation services. VAWA has also encouraged communities to coordinate their responses to domestic and sexual violence by bringing together victim advocates, law enforcement, the courts, health care professionals and leaders within faith communities.

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Senator Coons joins colleagues in urging Senate action on farm bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) this week sent a letter, along with 43 of his Senate colleagues, on a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) calling for a timely and open debate on the Senate farm bill.

“With our constant focus on job creation, we write to urge you to schedule floor consideration of the ‘Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012’ as soon as possible,” the senators wrote. “The bill takes steps to reduce the deficit and decrease government spending by $23 billion. It passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on April 26 with a bipartisan vote of 16 to 5. This sets an example of how Senators can come together in a bipartisan way to craft meaningful, yet fiscally responsible, policy. We believe there is strong support in the full Senate to consider the bill in a fair and open manner that allows Senators the opportunity to offer amendments.”

The farm bill passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee would reduce the deficit and save taxpayers more than $23 billion while strengthening and preserving farm risk management programs. The bill also streamlines conservation programs and helps prevent fraud and abuse in nutrition programs.

The risk management, conservation, research, trade promotion and nutrition programs in the legislation impacts nearly every American. Many of these programs will expire at the end of the year if no action is taken to reauthorize the farm bill. While Senator Coons believes the bill is not perfect, he believes it represents a strong bipartisan compromise and should be considered by the full Senate.

The signed letter can be found here: http://bit.ly/MkPIVT

The 44 senators who signed the letter were: John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

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Senators Coons, Alexander introduce bill to keep foreign-born U.S. grad students here “instead of sending them home to create jobs in other countries”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced the SMART Jobs Act — the Sustaining our Most Advanced Researchers and Technology (SMART) Jobs Act of 2012 — on Wednesday to create a clear path forward for foreign-born, American-educated holders of masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields to remain in the United States to work and create jobs. Upon earning their graduate degrees, these students would be allowed to remain in the U.S. for up to 12 months while they look for work related to their field of study. Once employed, the students would be allowed to change their immigration status and receive a green card. These new STEM green cards would not count toward any existing green card caps or limits.

“Many of the best and brightest young minds in the world are educated at American colleges and universities, and instead of sending them home after graduation, we should be encouraging them to stay in the U.S. to pursue their innovations and create jobs here,” Senator Coons said. “When we send off these graduates to pursue their innovations in India and China, we are literally subsidizing our competitors. We are fueling the economies that are trying to beat us in the global marketplace – and they’re winning. The SMART Jobs Act is a bipartisan idea to create a clear path forward for foreign-born, American-educated students with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math to stay in the United States after graduation to create jobs here. I’ve been proud to work with Senator Alexander on this bill, am grateful for the support of the coalition that has rallied behind this bill, and look forward to working to make it law.”

Alexander said of the bill, “It makes no sense to attract the most talented scientists and engineers from other countries to our schools to educate them, only to send them home to compete with American companies and create jobs – perhaps even the next Google – in other countries.”

Studies have shown that immigrants are nearly twice as likely as U.S.-born individuals to start new businesses, and in Silicon Valley, more than half of new high-tech startups had an immigrant founder. Immigrant-founded startup companies created 450,000 jobs in less than a decade, and collectively they have generated over $50 billion in sales in a single year. More than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, but arbitrary and limiting per-country visa caps are sending nearly 20,000 foreign-born, American-educated degree-holders out of the country each year. With them go their ideas, innovations, and their potential to create jobs here in the U.S.

The SMART Jobs Act has been endorsed by Compete America, Oracle, Bloom Energy, Third Way, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Tech America, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Immigration Voice, Delaware State University, and Steve Case, the CEO of Revolution LLC and a member of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

“When it comes to ensuring our competitiveness and maximizing economic growth and job creation, it is essential that the United States win the global battle for talent,” Mr. Case said. “The SMART Jobs Act is an important, bipartisan step forward. By allowing more foreign-born graduates with advanced STEM degrees from American universities to stay in the United States, we can help ensure that a whole new wave of great, entrepreneurial companies take root in this country. These highly-skilled men and women have proven to be job creators, so as a nation, we need to do everything we can to ensure they stay here and innovate, rather than force them to leave and start companies in other countries that then end up competing with the companies in our country.”

To ensure accountability, the SMART Jobs Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide an annual report on the number of F-4 visas granted, the country of origin of F-4 students, and the schools they attended.

The legislation as introduced can be downloaded here:

http://www.coons.senate.gov/media/2012-05-16-SMARTJobs-Act.pdf

A summary of the legislation can be downloaded here:

http://www.coons.senate.gov/media/2012-05-16-SMARTJobs-Summary.pdf

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Senator Coons convenes briefing in Washington on bulletproof vests

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, hosted a briefing on Tuesday for members of Congress and their staff to learn about and experience wearing bullet-resistant and stab-resistant body armor. The event, “Protection through Innovation: Bullet – and Stab-Resistant Body Armor and Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers,” was sponsored by the Senate and House Law Enforcement Caucuses and featured speakers from local and national law enforcement agencies, and the company that manufactures Kevlar, DuPont.

“Our brave police officers put their lives in harm’s way day-in and day-out to protect our communities, the least we can do is provide them with the proper safety gear to help minimize work related injuries,” Senator Coons said. “It is important that we facilitate opportunities for the study of best practices and latest developments in the field to better educate those who are advocating on behalf of our first responders. During my time in county government, I worked closely with our local law enforcement agencies to ensure they had adequate resources to protect themselves while patrolling our streets.  I pledge to continue to fight for the safety of those who risk so much to protect our families.”

Safety issues that were addressed during the briefing include the scientific testing process for body armor, body armor wear rates and special-fit issues for body armor worn by women,  and efforts to minimize the risks of backface signature injuries.

Held during National Police Week, Tuesday’s briefing highlighted the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2012, which will be voted-on by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of this legislation, which provides funding to state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in their purchasing of ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant body armor through competitive grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Since the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program’s first authorization in 1999, it has reimbursed grantees approximately $247 million for their purchases of nearly 1 million vests. In 2010, the BVP program provided local police departments in Delaware with $120,000 for assistance in purchasing 502 vests. In 2009, the BVP program provided Delaware police departments with $94,000 for 588 vests.

In addition to Senator Coons, the event was co-hosted by Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Representative Dave Reichert (R-WA-8), and Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8). Senator Coons delivered keynote remarks followed by Chief Jeffrey Horvath, Lewes, Delaware, Police Department and Chairman of the Delaware Police Chefs Council; Retired Chief Ron McBride, IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club; Stephanie Garlock, National Sheriffs’ Association; and Jeff Fackler, DuPont Protection Technology.

The Senate Law Enforcement Caucus and the House Law Enforcement Caucus educate and inform Members and staff about the policies, programs, and initiatives that enhance public safety and strengthen our criminal justice system. In the midst of shrinking budgets, law enforcement agencies all across the country continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities and families safe. 

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Senator Coons honors National Police Week at ceremony in Washington

WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to honor colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of their communities. President Obama and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined officers and their families on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday for an event to mark National Police Week and honor those whose names have been added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, including New Castle County Police Lieutenant Joe Szczerba, who was killed in the line of duty in September.

“The police officers who protect our communities have earned our profound respect and deep gratitude, and National Police Week is an important opportunity to honor their work and remember the sacrifices of those who have fallen in the line of duty,” Senator Coons said. “National Police Week serves as an important reminder to Congress that we must continue to work to ensure that our agencies receive the resources they need to effectively protect our communities.” Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus.

The names of the 163 police officers killed in the line of duty in 2011 have been added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, including Lt. Szczerba’s.

“Joe Szczerba was a good person and great police officer whose spirit has been carried on by his family and his colleagues on the New Castle County police force,” Senator Coons said. “As our nation pauses today to honor his memory, we are reminded that Delaware is truly blessed to have such great men and women risking their lives to protect our communities.”

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week. Between 25,000 and 40,000 people from departments throughout the United States and agencies around the world come to Washington to mark the day.

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Carper, Coons, Carney host annual youth conference at Wesley College

DOVER, Del. – The annual Congressional Youth Conference hosted by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative John Carney drew 118 juniors from high schools across Delaware to Wesley College in Dover on Monday.  Students had the opportunity to interact with the Congressional delegation, and to attend breakout sessions on cyber security, leadership through service, and the impact of digital channels on news.  Congressional staff was also on hand to answer questions about the application process for earning a nomination to the United States service academies.  

The late U.S. Senator Bill Roth hosted the first Youth Leadership Conference in 1969, and hosted it annually until 2000.

 “The Congressional Youth Conference is a long-standing tradition of connecting Delaware’s students with resources like workshops and service academy opportunities,” Senator Carper said. “Today’s conference gave me a chance to meet and talk to Delaware’s students about issues affecting them and to discuss the work I am doing on their behalf in Delaware and Washington D.C.

“For more than 40 years, students attending the Congressional Youth Conference have been benefiting from Senator Roth’s vision,” Senator Coons said.  “This tradition provides an opportunity for aspiring leaders from across Delaware to come together, to share ideas, and to gain insight into real world challenges and opportunities.  I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the students about their futures, and I look forward to hearing from them down the road when they are the next U.S. senator, a scientist, journalist or educator.”

“The Congressional Youth Conference is an excellent way for young people in Delaware to learn about the importance of public service, options they should consider after graduation, 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 facing our nation.  We had a productive discussion today, and it’s clear that these students are well on their way to being leaders in our community.”

Participants also took part in a service project where they presented the Food Bank of Delaware with canned good donations.

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Senator Coons speaks at law enforcement training on intellectual property crime

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, today joined state and local law enforcement officers from Delaware and surrounding states as they received cutting-edge training on combatting intellectual property crime. Held at Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington, the training sponsored by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and led by the National White Collar Crime Center and the National Association of Attorneys General.

“Protecting American innovation means protecting American jobs,” Senator Coons said. “This is especially true in our state and our region, where intellectual property theft in industries ranging from chemicals and pharmaceuticals to plastics and electrical components affects tens of thousands of local jobs. When thieves steal American intellectual property, they’re stealing American jobs, so I couldn’t be prouder that our law enforcement officers are on the case and cracking down on this kind of crime.”

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons has been engaged in numerous efforts to protect American intellectual property from theft by foreign and domestic criminals. Copyright infringement and the sale of counterfeit goods cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, in addition the billions of dollars in lost tax revenue for federal, state and local governments and the threat to the safety and wellbeing of consumers.

“Intellectual property theft is real crime that harms real people,” Senator Coons said. “Our state and local law enforcement officers are the first line of defense, and the expert training they received today will make a big difference for Delaware families.”

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Statement from Senator Coons on resignation of ARPA-E director

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a strong advocate for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, released the following statement after Dr. Arun Majumdar, director of ARPA-E and President Obama’s nominee to be Undersecretary of Energy, announced he would be leaving the department. 

“It is a true shame that we’re losing someone as innovative and talented as Arun Majumdar. In just three years, Dr. Majumdar has stood up a new agency, helped move Recovery Act funds into job-creating programs, and served as a reliable trouble-shooter and trusted secretarial advisor. As the director of ARPA-E, Dr. Majumdar has been an extraordinary ambassador for the ecosystem of innovation that will power the next generation of energy production in this country, and is certainly one of the most inspiring people I’ve met in my time here in the Senate. Dr. Majumdar’s research experience at UC Berkeley and investment experience with startups helped him seamlessly bridge the worlds of government, laboratory, and finance.

“While I regret that my friend has decided to resign and return home to California, I understand and empathize with the significant strain his service to our country has placed on his family. I wish him well, and look forward to future opportunities where we might work together again.”

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Statement from Senator Coons on President Obama’s support for marriage equality

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary, cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, and a strong advocate for civil rights, released the following statement about President Obama’s remarks in support of full marriage equality today:

“This is an important moment on the journey to equality: the first time a sitting president has endorsed the idea that every American, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to marry the person they love. Period. For some, the question of marriage equality is difficult to answer. I respect that everyone comes to a position in their own way and in their own time.

“President Obama is doing the right thing. By coming out for marriage equality today, he is sending a clear message: LGBT rights are human rights, and the right to marry the person you love is intrinsic to what it means to be an American.

“President Obama may be taking a huge political risk, but some risks are worth taking. That’s what leaders do.”

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