[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 134 (Thursday, September 18, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5845-S5846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as Members of Congress prepare to head back 
to their home States, it is important to note that the 113th Congress 
does not end this week, or for that matter, on November 4. We still 
have a significant amount of unfinished business that must be resolved 
before the year's end, and the American people expect and deserve our 
commitment to getting that work done. I strongly support Majority 
Leader Reid's decision to reconvene the Senate shortly after the 
elections so that we can complete work on a number of bipartisan bills 
that can and should be enacted this year. We were sent to the Senate by 
our constituents to do the work of the American people, and those 
responsibilities will not diminish after the election--no matter what 
the results.
  When the Senate returns in November, I will continue to urge swift 
consideration and passage of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, S.2685. This 
is a bipartisan bill that makes important reforms to the government's 
surveillance authorities, while providing the intelligence community 
the operational flexibility it needs to keep our country safe. That is 
why the bill is supported not only by the Director of National 
Intelligence and the Attorney General but also by a broad coalition of 
privacy and civil liberties groups, the technology industry, and 
Members of Congress from across the political spectrum. There is no 
excuse for not considering it in November. If Senators want to vote 
against the bill, they have every right to do so, but the American 
public deserves to know where we stand on the issue of the bulk 
collection of innocent Americans' phone records, and the intelligence 
community deserves some measure of predictability and certainty.
  I also hope that the Senate will, without further delay, take up and 
pass the Justice for All Reauthorization Act, S.822, and the 
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2013, 
S. 933. Both of these bills are noncontroversial and were reported with 
overwhelming support by the Judiciary Committee. The Justice for All 
Reauthorization Act strengthens the rights of crime victims and 
improves access to postconviction DNA testing to protect the innocent 
and improve safety in our communities. It is a common sense bill that 
improves the justice system for everyone involved. That is why Senator 
Cornyn and Senator McConnell are both cosponsors of the bill and why it 
has the support of the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, 
Senator Grassley. Despite this support from the key Republican 
leadership in the Senate, legislation to reauthorize the Justice for 
All Act--originally signed into law by President George W. Bush--is 
being blocked on the Republican side. Such obstructionism is 
unwarranted, and the Senate should at least be allowed to bring this 
bill up for a vote.
  Republican obstruction of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant 
Program Reauthorization Act is similarly unwarranted and must stop. 
Just this week, we remembered and mourned the senseless killing of 12 
people 1 year ago at the Navy Yard, just a few blocks from the Capitol. 
Such horrifying acts of violence have become far too common, and each 
serves as a painful reminder of the perils faced by law enforcement 
every day. During the brutal firefight at the Navy Yard, a Metropolitan 
Police Department officer was struck in the chest. His bulletproof vest 
stopped the bullet. The officer was then able to return fire and take 
down the gunman, finally bringing an end to the violence.
  Members of Congress often speak passionately about the need to stand 
with law enforcement. It would seem beyond dispute, then, that no 
officer should have to serve without protective vests. This is why 
Congress has historically acted in unison to support the Bulletproof 
Vest Partnership Grant program, which has enabled over 13,000 law 
enforcement agencies to purchase over 1 million vests. Protective vests 
are credited with saving the lives of more than 3,000 law enforcement 
officers since 1987. Today, every Democratic Senator stands ready to 
reauthorize this lifesaving program. Yet a few Senate Republicans are 
blocking it. It is past time for our actions to match our rhetoric. If 
Republicans claim to stand with law enforcement, then surely they 
should stand with them when it matters most. I urge all Senators to 
help pass this bill as soon as we return.
  There are several additional priorities of law enforcement that have 
bipartisan support and should receive consideration in the remaining 
weeks of the year. This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee 
favorably reported the Second Chance Reauthorization Act. I thank the 
broad bipartisan list of cosponsors for working with me to reduce 
recidivism and make our communities safer with this legislation. 
Communities of faith are calling on the Senate to move forward and pass 
this important bill and I hope we will hear their call.
  This Congress we also have an opportunity to reduce dangerous prison 
overcrowding while actually improving

[[Page S5846]]

public safety. The relentless growth of our Federal prison population 
threatens not only the safety of prison staff and inmates but also the 
budgets of the very law enforcement programs that keep us safe. This 
growth is driven by inflexible and unfair drug mandatory minimums--a 
problem that we in Congress created, and only we can fix. The 
bipartisan Smarter Sentencing Act would modestly reduce some nonviolent 
drug mandatory minimums and help to preserve essential funding for law 
enforcement agencies and victim services. This bill would save the 
government money, a fact confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office 
just this week, and it deserves the Senate's full attention.
  By the end of the year, the Senate must consider and pass S. 2454, 
the Satellite Television Access Reauthorization Act, STELA. This law 
provides satellite television carriers with the necessary rights to 
retransmit distant television programming to consumers. If Congress 
does not act by the end of the year to reauthorize the distant signal 
license, approximately 1.5 million consumers will lose access to the 
broadcast television programming that they currently receive. This is 
particularly important in rural areas like Vermont, where many 
Americans rely on satellite for their television providers. Congress 
should act responsibly and prevent serious disruption to these 
consumers.
  Congress also should pass reforms to the Electronic Communications 
Privacy Act, ECPA, to bring our privacy laws into the 21st century. The 
Leahy-Lee ECPA Reform Act updates our digital privacy laws to keep pace 
with new technologies, protect civil liberties, and provide guidance to 
law enforcement. Congress should act swiftly to pass this bill.
  Finally, the Senate is not the only Chamber that needs to get right 
back to work after the election. I have spoken at length before about 
the need for the House to allow a vote on the Senate-passed immigration 
bill. I hope that once they return to Washington, the House Republican 
leadership will finally put election year politicking and pandering 
aside and simply allow a vote on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic 
Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. That bill passed the 
Senate more than a year ago on a strong bipartisan vote, and the urgent 
need to pass this practical legislative fix for our broken immigration 
system increases with every passing day. It would immediately spur our 
economy and take away the pressing need for the President to act 
through Executive order.
  The House should also consider and pass S. 42, the Criminal Antitrust 
Anti-Retaliation Act of 2013, which passed the Senate by unanimous 
consent almost a year ago. Senator Grassley and I came together to 
draft the bipartisan Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act to improve 
the enforcement of our Nation's antitrust laws and extend whistleblower 
protections to employees who report criminal violations of the 
antitrust laws. These include violations that are particularly harmful 
to consumers, such a price fixing. Again, this is a noncontroversial, 
bipartisan bill that can and should be passed overwhelmingly. There is 
no reason--political or otherwise--for the House of Representatives to 
delay its enactment.
  After the upcoming elections, I plan to return to Washington to get 
back to the work of the people. That is why the voters of Vermont 
elected me, and that is what I swore an oath to do. As chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee, I intend to continue our work on nominations and 
oversight, as well as the legislative business pending before the 
Committee. I hope that the full Senate and the House will similarly 
press forward without delay to complete work on the array of bipartisan 
bills that are ripe for consideration and passage. There is simply no 
reason to delay or obstruct action on these bills, and no reason to 
further exacerbate the perception held by many Americans that Congress 
cannot work together to accomplish anything. I know that we can work 
together to pass these bills, but it will require the cooperation and 
commitment of all Senators. I know that Vermonters--and all Americans--
are counting on us to get the work done.

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