The Senator’s week ahead schedule: July 23 to July 29

Monday, July 23 at 12:00 p.m. — The Senator will speak at a press event announcing $13 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Christiana Care and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.  Senator Coons will join Senator Carper, Congressman Carney, Governor Markell and hospital officials as they recognize Christiana Care and Nemours as recipients of the Health Care Innovation Awards.  The hospitals will use the funding to implement programs that will result in more accurate and efficient care for patients.  University of Delaware’s STAR Campus, Newark, DE.  Open to press.

Tuesday, July 24 at 2:30 p.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Supreme Court’s ruling of Citizens United. The Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights hearing is entitled “Taking Back Our Democracy: Responding to Citizens United and the Rise of Super PACs.” 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Wednesday, July 25 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting with leaders in the Native American community.  S-207, United States Capitol, Washington, DC.

Wednesday, July 25 at 10:00 a.m. —The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on judicial independence.  The hearing, which is entitled “Ensuring Judicial Independence Through Civics Education,” will feature Sandra Day O’Connor, retired justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 216 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.  Open to press.

Wednesday, July 25 at 1:00 p.m. — The Senator will participate in a panel discussion at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington. Senator Coons will join Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-09) in a panel discussion on Congressional efforts to cure HIV/AIDS globally. The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learned, and collectively chart a course forward. Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Wednesday, July 25 at 3:00 p.m. —The Senator will chair a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on African economic statecraft. Witnesses will include: Francisco Sanchez, Under Secretary of International Trade, Department of Commerce; Elizabeth Littlefield, President and CEO, of Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Fred Hochberg, Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank; Steven Hayes, President and CEO, Corporate Council on Africa; Mwangi Kimenyi, Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings Institution; and Scott Eisner, Executive Director of Africa Business Initiative, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. Open to press.

Thursday, July 26 at 10:00 a.m. —The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Thursday, July 26 at 11:30 a.m. — The Senator will meet with Delaware members of Boys and Girls State. American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State are the premier programs for teaching how government works while developing leadership skills and an appreciation for your rights as a citizen. Open to press. 

Thursday, July 26 at 4:00 p.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate until 5:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Friday, July 27 at 9:30 a.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate, if in session. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

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Senator Coons makes waves on privacy protection

Thursday wasn’t the first time Senator Coons came out swinging to protect Americans’ right to privacy, but the day certainly highlighted Chris’ reputation as one of the Senate’s emerging privacy leaders.

The first moment came during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s debate over several amendments to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act Sunset Extensions Act. (Seriously, that’s what the bill is called.)

Quick background: FISA was passed in 1978 after President Nixon was found to have used federal intelligence resources to spy on political enemies. It defined the role of the courts and of Congress in setting parameters for use of those spy tools. Fast forward to post-9/11 2001, when the PATRIOT Act expanded FISA to include the new threat of non-state-sponsored terrorism. Those powers were expanded again in 2007, when Congress removed the requirement of a court-issued warrant for the government to surveil foreign intelligence targets in the United States. Abuses of these new powers during the Bush Administration resulted in the FISA Amendments Act in 2008. That law is scheduled to expire (“sunset”) in 2012, and the Senate is now considering legislation to extend it, either to 2015 or 2017 (depending on which version passes).

Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), with whom Senator Coons rarely agrees, proposed an amendment that would have prohibited the U.S. government from using communications obtained through wiretaps and foreign intelligence operations to search for information on U.S. citizens without a warrant. Put another way, let’s say you’re an American citizen your name happens to appear in records the intelligence community collected while surveilling a suspected terrorist. You’re not suspected of terrorism, but for some reason, you’re name is dragged into it. This measure would prevent the government from searching for your name and using what it found against you without a court order.

“The FISA Amendments Act is an important and valuable law for our national security,” Senator Coons said. “But its use needs to be watched closely to prevent abuses like the ones we saw in 2008.”

Senator Coons voted for Senator Lee’s amendment. As did Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), but they were the only three to vote for this privacy-protection measure, and the amendment failed, 15-3.

The second moment Thursday came as the Senate was winding down for the week. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have been working on the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 for quite some time, and after studying it earlier this year, Senator Coons determined it lacked the privacy protections a bill of this importance should have.

He was determined not to let Congress repeat some of the mistakes of the previous decade, when it dramatically expanded the government’s power to spy on U.S. citizens, but didn’t include sufficient protections for Americans’ privacy.

“For months,” Senator Coons said, “I have worked with several of my colleagues on language that strikes a better balance between than what was proposed in earlier drafts of the legislation, which would have enabled greater information sharing, but at too significant a cost to personal privacy. Senators Lieberman and Collins have worked with us with in earnest to find a better balance, and with the version introduced today, S.3414, I believe we have found it.”

The new version of the legislation features an array of improvements for which Senator Coons appealed, centering on the information-sharing provisions under Title VII of the bill. The result is a stronger version of the Cybersecurity Act, and a significantly stronger bill than the House-supported CISPA.

For a first-term freshman, Senator Coons is certainly starting to show he deserves a seat at the table on the most complex privacy issues facing our nation. Thursday was evidence of that.

Video: Senator Coons participates in a Senate colloquy on cybersecurity

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) took to the Senate floor on July 19, 2012 to discuss strengthening our national cybersecurity in order to prevent cyber crime and cyber attacks.

Video: Senator Coons urges colleagues to pass the Bring Jobs Home Act

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) took to the Senate floor on Wednesday morning to urge his Senate colleagues to stand together to help U.S. companies “insource” jobs by passing the Bring Jobs Home Act. The legislation, which Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of, ends taxpayer subsidies to companies that ship jobs overseas and incentivizes companies to bring jobs back to the United States.  The bill is expected to be voted on by the full Senate on Thursday.

Senator Coons, two Delaware business leaders participate in roundtable discussion on job creation

WASHINGTON –Senator Coons participated in a roundtable discussion for ways of duplicating the success of innovative, job-creating American businesses in the Capitol on Wednesday. The meeting was hosted by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee and featured representatives from more than 15 companies, including Patrick Owens, president of ILC Dover, and Marty Miller, CEO of Miller Metal in Bridgeville.

“As our nation lifts itself out of this recession, we should turn for guidance to companies that are strengthening our economy and creating jobs,” Chris said. “These past few years have really taken its toll on Delaware’s economy with the closing of several key businesses around the state; however, there are several small companies in Delaware that have been successful. I was honored to invite Patrick Owens and Marty Miller to join today’s meeting and appreciate their input on how the federal government can help businesses grow. I look forward to keeping an open line of communication with them and other Delaware businesses leaders so we can work in partnership to strengthen our state’s economy and get more Delawareans back to work.”

Mr. Miller said during the meeting that thanks to a Small Business Administration loan and assistance from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), Miller Metal was able to purchase a laser cutter: the laser and the MEP have helped Miller Metal increase its workforce from 30 employees to 75.

The Senator has made job creation a top priority for his time in the Senate. Most recently, he joined on as an original cosponsored of the Bring Jobs Home Act which would end taxpayer subsidies to companies that ship jobs overseas and incentivizes companies to bring jobs back to the United States.    

In an effort at bipartisanship, in May, he joined with U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in introducing the Startup Act 2.0, which is designed to promote innovation and jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses and jobs.

Honoring Nelson Mandela

Senator Coons, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, extended his warm congratulations to Nelson Mandela on his 94th birthday on Wednesday.

Mandela has devoted his life to serving the people of South Africa. His unbreakable will and unwavering determination helped end apartheid and lift South Africa out of turmoil. Mandela’s enduring legacychanged the arc of history, transforming his country and his continent.

To honor his historic service, the United States joined 192 other nations in the creation of Nelson Mandela International Day.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on foreign policy.

Did you pay for that?

When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that corporations could spend money to influence our elections through “super PACs,” it opened the floodgates so corporate cash could try to buy your vote.

This money is bankrolling an unprecedented amount of negative television advertising and without realizing it, you could be footing the bill.

The next time you go to the store, it might not just be a table saw or gallon of milk you’re buying. You could also be buying an election.

When corporations use the hard-earned dollars you spend on their products to fund secret campaign contributions, I think you have a right to know about it. 

That’s why I am fighting for a bill in the Senate this week that would give voters more information about who is trying to buy their vote. It’s called the DISCLOSE Act, and tonight at 9:00, I’ll join nearly a dozen of my colleagues on the floor to speak about why it’s important.

You can watch it live on C-SPAN 2, or stream it on my website at http://www.coons.senate.gov/floor.

The DISCLOSE Act requires quick public disclosure of major campaign expenditures.  It will require political groups posing as charities to disclose their donors and will prevent corporations and other wealthy interests from using shell corporations to funnel secret money to super PACs.

No one should be able to buy an election, least of all a corporation. As a consumer and a voter, you should have the power to make informed decisions before you cast your ballot.

The DISCLOSE Act is not everything we need to undo the damage caused by the Citizens United ruling, but it’s an important first step. I’m proud to cosponsor it, and I hope my colleagues will vote in favor it.

The Senator’s week ahead schedule: July 16 to July 22

Monday, July 16 at 8:30 a.m. — The Senator will deliver remarks at the Delaware Department of Education STEM Institute. More than 400 elementary, middle and high school teachers will join administrators and business leaders at the first annual STEM Institute in Delaware to work together to better prepare students for college and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Providence Creek Academy Charter School, 355 West Duck Creek Road, Clayton, DE.

Monday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate until 4:00 p.m.  Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Monday, July 16 at 9:00 p.m. — The Senator will speak on the Senate floor about the DISCLOSE Act and the need for reforms to combat the influence of money in campaigns. Supporters of the bill will speak about the bill all evening. Senator Coons is a cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery. Televised on C-SPAN2 and streamed at www.coons.senate.gov/floor/.

Tuesday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on cyber security. The hearing, which is called “Cyber Security and the Grid,” will examine the status of actions taken to ensure that the electric grid is protected from cyber attacks. Senator Coons has been working on a compromise policy framework for cyber security legislation to better protect critical infrastructure. 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Tuesday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will preside over the Senate until 11:00 a.m.Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC. Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Tuesday, July 17 at 11:30 a.m. —The Senator will visit and deliver remarks at a Save the Children photo exhibit. The exhibit will showcase images of the Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia. 385 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

Wednesday, July 18 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting with American job creators. Marty Miller, the CEO of Miller Metal Fabrication, Inc., in Bridgeville, will participate in the roundtable discussion. S-207, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.

Wednesday, July 18 at 11:30 a.m. —The Senator will deliver remarks at a Senate Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Caucus briefing. A representative from Bloom Energy will also be present. The event will focus on the future of domestic fuel cells and hydrogen energy systems that have achieved significant advances in power generation, portable applications, transportation, back-up, and material handling. Across the nation, fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies are creating jobs, reducing emissions, and improving efficiency. 188 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Thursday, July 19 at 10:00 a.m. —The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting. During the meeting, the Committee will consider extending select amendments made by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC. Open to press.

Friday, July 20 at 8:15 a.m. — The Senator will attend the STEM Summer Scholars Middle School Summer Enrichment Program Showcase. Senator Coons will tour the STEM classrooms as students demonstrate the various projects they created. Dickenson High School, 1801 Milltown Road, Wilmington, DE.

Friday, July 20 at 10:30 a.m. — The Senator will deliver remarks at the Frankfort Bakery’s grand opening. The bakery was the first Kent County business to be approved for low interest loans through the Delaware State Small Business Credit Initiative. 323 South Governors Avenue, Dover, DE. Open to press.

Saturday, July 21 at 3:00 p.m. — The Senator will attend the Delaware State Fair. Delaware State Fairgrounds, 18500 South DuPont Highway, Harrington, DE. Open to press.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

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Video: Senator Coons sits down with Content Delaware

Senator Coons sat down with Content Delaware’s John Taylor last month to talk about a range of issues, including the economy and foreign policy. You can watch the interview below.

Senator Coons voices strong support for ratification of disabilities treaty

Senator Coons voiced his strong support Thursday for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2006 with 153 signatories and 116 ratifying parties, which does not include the United States. The convention was the focus of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday. Chris chaired part of the hearing.

“The American people expect Congress to protect the fundamental rights of all people,” Chris said. “The United States can and should demonstrate global leadership by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We’ve long been a leader on protecting rights for disabled persons, as demonstrated by the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which passed twenty-two years ago.”

Thursday’s hearing featured testimony from an array of witnesses, including U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). The second panel featured leaders from the departments of State and Justice. The third panel featured former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, former Justice Department official John Wodatch, the Heritage Foundation’s Steven Groves, Chancellor of Patrick Henry College Dr. Michael Farris, and retired Marine lieutenant John Lancaster, formerly of the National Council On Independent Living.