The Senator’s week ahead schedule: December 12 to December 18

Monday, December 12 at 9:30 a.m. – The Senator will visit the Wilmington Senior Center. During the visit, Delawareans will have an opportunity to not only chat with the Senator, but also learn more about the constituent services his office provides. 1901 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE

Monday, December 12 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Wednesday, December 14 at 9:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting. S-207 United States Capitol Building, Washington, DC

Wednesday, December 14 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Director of the FBI, Honorable Robert S. Mueller III, will serve as a witness. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Thursday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting. The Committee will markup a bill introduced by Senator Coons, entitled the Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011, which would extend 30 temporary bankruptcy judgeships in 14 states and Puerto Rico, including five in Delaware, to ensure that those key positions do not become vacant. More than one-third of the nation’s largest bankruptcies are handled in Delaware’s bankruptcy courts, which play an important role in Delaware’s economy. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC—Open to press

Thursday, December 15 at 2:15 p.m. – The Senator will chair a Senate Foreign Relations African Affairs Subcommittee hearing on the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Honorable Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs at the Department of State will testify on the first panel. Witnesses on the second panel include: Mr. Mark Schneider, Senior Vice President at the International Crisis Group; Mr. Mvemba Dizolele, Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and Mr. Anthony W. Gambino, Fellow at the Eastern Congo Initiative. 415 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Friday, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new fitness center at the Dover Air Force Base. Dover Air Force Base, Dover, DE – Open to press.

Senate takes steps to protect American intellectual property

Senator Coons commended the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of two critical bills to combat dangerous intellectual property theft on Thursday. The first bill that passed the Committee was the Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2011, which would penalize those knowingly trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals.  The second bill was the Economic Espionage Penalty Enhancement Act, which would increase the maximum penalties for theft of a trade secret to benefit a foreign company or government.

A firm believer in the importance of protecting American innovation and ideas, Chris, who is a cosponsor of both bills, has repeatedly highlighted the importance of intellectual property and strengthening our government’s efforts to enforce intellectual property rights. 

“Individuals who steal ideas from American companies are stealing more than just intellectual property — they are stealing jobs, and when pharmaceuticals are involved, they are putting lives at risk,” Chris said in a statement to the press. “This country cannot afford to let the rampant intellectual property theft underway now to continue to go unchecked. Trade secrets — whether in the form of ideas, schematics, or formulas — are critical to American companies and especially to American manufacturers. As a nation we haven’t done enough to protect the ideas on which our economy depends, but these measures will help change that.”

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 threatens the safety and wellbeing of consumers. Fortunately, the two measures passed by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday will help combat the theft of intellectual property by increasing the sentences of criminals who are found guilty of trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals or committing economic espionage.

Chris is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former counsel for one of Delaware’s leading science-based manufacturers.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

ICYMI: News Journal Editorial: “Is your phone betraying your every move?”

Last week we learned that a California-based IT company called Carrier IQ had developed tracking software found secretly embedded on more than 140 smartphones. Concerned about Americans’ privacy, Chris wrote to the president of Carrier IQ demanding answers. The News Journal published an editorial today supporting Chris’ push to protect users’ privacy.

Early this fall, a television series premiered with the premise that our government is recording every phone call, reading every email and watching every move through a massive network of cameras trained on streets, parking garages and shopping malls.

In the series, “Person of Interest,” the government seeks only terrorists and throws away the information on the innocent. While it’s enough to keep conspiracy theorists up at night, the TV series is a delightful fiction.

Just a few years ago, a company called Carrier IQ secretly installed a monitoring code on 150 million mobile phones. This hidden code logged what websites the users visited, kept track of phone calls and text messages, including where and to whom they were sent. Carrier IQ downloaded the information every day and distributed it to various clients. It has, the company admits, a “treasure trove” of information on the phone users. A spokesman added, under a reporter’s questioning, that his company probably could read the text messages and emails as well.

This is real. It is not fiction. And it is anything but delightful.

And if conspiracy theorists aren’t sitting up and howling, then something is terribly wrong in the country.

Luckily several U.S. Senators, including Chris Coons of Delaware, have started asking some very tough questions. Among them: Who has access to the data? Is this really wiretapping?

Sen. Coons, in a letter to the company’s president, said, “A latent capacity to log keystrokes or track location may provide a backdoor that an individual or organization could exploit.”

Some experts believe the coding could open up the phones to hacking or sabotage.

Carrier IQ installed the code with the acquiescence of the phone manufacturers. It was designed to monitor possible software malfunctions and other usage data that would help the phone companies anticipate and fix problems.

But the phone users had no idea they were being tracked and logged. In addition, the data collected by Carrier IQ goes far beyond the kind of information the phone companies have a right, or reason, to know.

Again, Sen. Coons: “If your company never intended to collect or make use of this information, I wonder why your company would have included the capacity to log it.”

This is developing into a major scandal and, from what is known now, Americans should be outraged. We have been losing our privacy to the data miners bit by bit.

This advanced technology is here to stay. It serves the interests of commerce and individual interests.

We must, however, make sure that the laws be obeyed.

Read the editorial in the News Journal.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  

Video: Senators Coons and Carper commemorate Delaware Day

U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper (both D-Del.) speak in a colloquy on the Senate floor in celebration of Delaware Day. Since 1933, governors of Delaware have proclaimed December 7 as “Delaware Day” in honor of that day in 1787, when Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making Delaware the first state in the new nation.

LGBT rights are human rights

Senator Coons, a strong advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, praised new directives from President Obama to federal agencies meant to ensure U.S. diplomatic and foreign-assistance efforts promote and protect the human rights of LGBT individuals. 

“LGBT rights are human rights, whether a person lives in the United States or abroad,” Chris said in a statement to the press on Tuesday.  “America’s foreign policy can and should be led by its values, and protecting the basic human rights of all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity is certainly one of them. President Obama has taken a strong stand today, making sure our policy matches our rhetoric. The targeting of individuals for criminal action based on sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable. The strategy the President laid out today confronts discrimination and human rights abuses against LGBT persons at multiple levels, strengthening the United States’ posture and making clear to nations that look to the U.S. for leadership and support that we are not going to stand for the reprehensible anti-LGBT policies emerging especially in developing nations.” 

“The United States’ diplomatic and development efforts play an important role in shaping the world. It’s not enough just to say that human rights shouldn’t be denied based on sexual orientation or identity — we must make sure our policies live up to our principles. I strongly support President Obama’s actions today, and look forward to working with the Administration to monitor their implementation.”

As chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, Chris has repeatedly called on African leaders to abandon efforts to criminalize homosexuality, including Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill in May, and the Nigerian Senate’s criminalization bill last month.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to advance civil rights. 

The Senator’s week ahead schedule: December 5 to December 11

Monday, December 5 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at Christiana Care’s ING Direct Recognition event. The event will honor ING Direct and its President and CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann for their cornerstone philanthropic investment of $1.3 million in support of Christiana Care’s Wilmington Hospital Campus. The transformative gift will fund “smart board” technology and the overall expansion of the historic Wilmington Hospital Campus, creating as many as 600 new jobs. ING’s Spaarpot Building, 802 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE – Open to press.

Monday, December 5 at 4:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Wednesday, December 7 at 10:00 a.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The hearing is entitled, “Reauthorizing the EB-5 Regional Center Program: Promoting Job Creation and Economic Development in American Communities.” 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Wednesday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend and honorary-host the Taste of Delaware celebration of Delaware Day. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state in the nation to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Senator Carper and Congressman Carney will be among the many proud Delawareans who attend this event. 902 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Thursday, December 8 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, December 8 at 2:30 p.m. – The Senator will attend a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing on domestic and global water supplies. The purpose of the hearing will be to hear testimony on opportunities and challenges to address domestic and global water supply issues. 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Friday, December 9 at 7:45 a.m. – The Senator will speak at the Policy Makers Movers and Shakers Breakfast sponsored by New Castle County (NCC) Chamber of Commerce. The NCC Chamber of Commerce aims to create business development opportunities for our members and advocate for a strong and stable economic climate. The Senator will speak on his experience on Capitol Hill and his recent introduction of the bipartisan AGREE Act to support job creation. Event sponsors include: DuPont, Delmarva Power, Fitzgerald Consulting, Inc., and Wilmington University. Hilton Wilmington/Christiana, 100 Continental Drive, Newark, DE – Open to press.

Friday, December 9 at 10:30 a.m. – The Senator will speak at a DelDOT press conference announcing improvements to the Route 1/I-95 Interchange. The purpose of the event is to discuss updates on the progress of existing and future operational and safety issues. This work is part of a multi-year, multi-project I-95 Interchange Improvement Program that has included work at the Churchman’s Road/Route 7 Intersection, the Churchman’s Road Bridge overI-95; the I-95 Fifth Lane widening; and the reconstruction of the I-95 Toll Plaza in Newark. I-95/Route 1 Interchange Construction Site, DE – Open to press.

Friday, December 9 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak at the Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services Electronic Health Records Incentive Program press event. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act established funding to provide incentive payments to Medicaid professionals and hospitals to offset the cost of electronic health record systems that meet “meaningful use” criteria for improving the quality of patient care. On Nov. 7, Delaware providers began registering for the Electronic Health Records Incentive Program with Delaware’s Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, with the first incentive payments expected in early December. Fox Run Shopping Center, 404 Fox Hunt Drive, Bear, DE- Open to press.

Saturday, December 10 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the Delaware National Guard’s Annual Children’s Holiday Party. At the event, Delaware National Guard (DNG) members and their children have the opportunity to have lunch and meet Santa Claus. Parents are encouraged to bring a canned food item to add to the DNG “War on Hunger” food drive. 198^th Readiness Center 1401 Newport Gap Pike, Wilmington, DE- Open to press.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

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What We’re Reading: 25% of Delawareans need food assistance

From the News Journal: The holiday season is a time when many Americans provide a helping hand to those less fortunate and give back to their communities. With nearly 25 percent of Delawareans currently in need of emergency food assistance, donations are needed now more than ever. Wednesday’s News Journal details the Food Bank of Delaware’s effort to expand amid record demand and decreased donations.

The food bank is asking for help — and lots of it.

President and Chief Executive Officer [of the Food Bank of Delaware] Patricia Beebe is urging Delawareans to “take a stand against hunger and help make the holiday season bright for our struggling neighbors in need.”

More than 240,000 Delawareans now get food through the food bank’s network of 475 anti-hunger programs — including meal programs, church pantries and senior centers statewide — and the need continues to grow, spokeswoman Kim Kostes said.

“Demand for food assistance is increasing at an alarming rate, especially in Kent and Sussex counties,” Kostes said.

Click here to read the full story in the News Journal.

Click here to learn more about the Food Bank of Delaware and how you can help.

Click here to learn about Chris’ work to improve our economy. 

Toll plaza upgrades help I-95 Thanksgiving traffic

NEWARK — For years, the Newark Toll Plaza has been a bottleneck for vehicles traveling on I-95, especially during the holidays. Thanks to the completion of the new toll plaza and its high-speed E-ZPass lanes, this Thanksgiving’s traffic moved swiftly, handling 611,332 vehicles — an increase of 41,642 vehicles over 2010. Even more impressive was the rate at which cars passed through the new toll plaza — an average of 400 more per hour as compared to 2010.

The toll plaza has been under construction for about two years and was opened in July, both on budget and a month ahead of schedule. This $32 million project was one of the main American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) infrastructure projects for Delaware, improving the flow of traffic through Delaware. The success of the project is one example of the importance of investing in our nation’s infrastructure to keep up with the demand.

Chris has called for the modernizing and expanding of our national infrastructure since coming to the Senate because it would help boost the economy by providing Americans with highly skilled, high-paying jobs. In November, Chris spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Rebuild America Jobs Act, which was introduced to help address America’s jobs crisis by investing in America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on transportation and infrastructure.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to create jobs. 

The Senator’s week ahead schedule: November 28 to December 4

Monday, November 28 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Tuesday, November 29 at 10:00 a.m. — The Senator will preside over Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Thursday, December 1 at9:30 a.m.  – The Senator will attend a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iran.  415 Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC – Open to press.

Thursday, December 1 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, December 1 at 1:00 p.m. — The Senator will preside over Senate. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Thursday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m. – The Senator will attend the Delaware Farm Bureau Annual Banquet. Felton Fire Hall, Felton DE—Open to press.

Friday, December 2 at 9:30 a.m. – The Senator will preside over Senate if in session. Washington, DC – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

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Shop local on Small Business Saturday

Before you hit the mall on Friday, remember that Saturday is Small Business Saturday — a day dedicated to supporting America’s small businesses during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. With more than two hundred organizations joining American Express OPEN in declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday, consumers across the United States are urged to “shop small” by shopping at their favorite local stores and supporting the small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country.

With two out of every three new American jobs created by small businesses, doing your holiday shopping at a local business is also a great way to help our neighbors looking for work.

A strong supporter of Delaware small businesses, Chris has highlighted the significance of investing in America’s twenty-first century workforce since his first day in office, urging Congress to come together and pursue a new manufacturing agenda that will lead to the creation of inventive businesses and hire workers for more skilled, domestically based, and sustainable jobs. Recently, Chris teamed up with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing the AGREE Act, a bipartisan bill focusing on policy proposals that support job creation and benefits small businesses.

Saturday is a perfect time to support our friends and neighbors who throughout the year are growing our local economy and “shop small!”

Click here for more information on Small Business Saturday, including a complete list of Small Business Saturday supporters.

Click here to learn more about Senator Coons’ work to boost our economy and create jobs.