Calling on the President to "continue to fight for American manufacturing," Senator Coons appeared on CNBC's Kudlow Report on Tuesday to share what he hopes to hear in President Obama's fifth State of the Union address tonight. Watch the full interview below:
Senator Coons, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Bankruptcy and the Courts, spoke on the Senate floor Thursday about the government shutdown's impact on the Judicial Branch of the United States, which will run out of reserve funds next Tuesday. As Subcommittee chair, Senator Coons is responsible for oversight of the nation's federal court system and has been reaching out to federal judges and clerks over the last week to find out how they are planning to move forward after funds are depleted Tuesday. On Thursday, the head of the Third Circuit, which includes Delaware, announced that almost all personnel would be deemed "essential" — a decision Senator Coons endorsed in his speech.
Senator Coons was one of nine members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to write to the inspector general of the intelligence community on Monday to request a full-scale review of the use of surveillance activities. What's more: they requested the results of this review be made public.
“We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community,” the senators wrote. “The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose. Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability.”
This isn't the first time Senator Coons has tried to increase the transparency of our nation's surveillance activities.
Ahead of his vote against the reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act in December, Senator Coons spoke on the Senate floor in support of the legislative predecessors to both of these bills. His speech can be viewed and read here.
In July, Senator Coons cosponsored two bills to limit access to Americans' private information under FISA and to add transparency and accountability measures to the courts that govern surveillance activities conducted under FISA.
“Delawareans deserve a full and informed debate about our nation’s intelligence-gathering procedures and their intrusion on our privacy rights,” Senator Coons said. “These procedures certainly have a role to play in keeping our nation safe, but Congress has failed to be an effective check of whether they respect our most cherished privacy protections. These two bills represent a second chance to put in place a better system for oversight and the prevention of abuse of the government’s surveillance authorities.”
Monday's letter is below:
Senator Coons, a member of the Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, applauded the Judiciary Committee’s overwhelming and bipartisan passage Thursday of the National Blue Alert Act, S. 357. The bill, cosponsored by Senator Coons, would establish a national communications network to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is injured or killed in the line of duty. Similar to the nationwide Amber Alert system for missing children, the Blue Alert would rapidly notify law enforcement agencies, the media, and the public to help aid in the apprehension of these most violent criminals.
The bill’s passage comes as Delaware law enforcement mark the two-year anniversary of New Castle County Police Lieutenant Joe Szczerba’s death in the line of duty. Lieutenant Szczerba was killed in September 2011 while apprehending a violent suspect and earned the Congressional Badge of Bravery for his heroic effort to detain his attacker until additional officers arrived on the scene.
“This week, we passed the second anniversary of the tragic line of duty death of Lieutenant Joe Szczerba from the New Castle County Police, which I had the honor of commanding in my role as county executive,” Senator Coons said. “Lieutenant Szcerba’s sacrifice is a potent reminder of the danger our law enforcement officers face every day as they work to keep our communities safe. The Blue Alert law is vitally important for the safety of our first responders and I commend the many co-sponsors of this bill for their leadership in this effort.”
As with the Amber Alert system, the purpose of the National Blue Alert Act is to create a voluntary partnership between the federal, state, and local governments, the media, and others. The bill would establish a national “Blue Alert” communications network within the Department of Justice to supplement the efforts of states that have already established Blue Alert systems, and serve as a central resource to aid more states in creating them. Delaware is one of 18 states with current or planned Blue Alert systems.
The type of coordination, consistent standards, and collaboration that will result from passage of the National Blue Alert Act is particularly critical in situations involving an individual wanted in connection with the death or injury of a law enforcement officer who crosses state lines.
The National Blue Alert Act is supported by law enforcement organizations including the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National Troopers Coalition, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the New York City Police Department.
Senator Coons, a member of the Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, applauded the Judiciary Committee’s overwhelming and bipartisan passage Thursday of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, S. 933. The bill, which Senator Coons and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy re-introduced on May 13, reauthorizes 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 bullet-resistant and stab-resistant body armor. The bill will now move to consideration by the full Senate.
“A bullet-resistant vest is not an accessory; it is a critical part of every officer’s uniform,” Senator Coons said. “The federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership makes vests more affordable, ensuring that when officers go out to protect our communities, they can do so safely. We need to save this program so that this program can keep saving lives.”
On February 11, bulletproof vests purchased through the federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership saved the lives of two Capitol Police officers, Sergeant Michael Manley and Corporal Steve Rinehart, when a gunman opened fire at the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington. Both officers were struck, but survived because of their vests.
Thousands of vests have been purchased by Delaware law enforcement through the Partnership over its 14-year history, including 3,852 in the last five years. Nationwide, the program has subsidized more than a million vests, saving the lives of more than 3,000 police officers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Agencies can be reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor that complies with National Institute of Justice standards.
As co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, Chris regularly hosts briefings to educate and inform Senate Members and staff about policies, programs, and initiatives that enhance public safety and strengthen our criminal justice system. Faced with shrinking budgets, many police departments, including smaller departments in Delaware, are unable to afford body armor for all officers.
“Police officers work to make us safer every day,” Chris said. “Congress should be working to make police officers safer, too. I thank my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for their support of this bill and will continue working to ensure its final passage.”
Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote an op-ed in Sunday’s News Journal criticizing Congress for “failing to be an effective check” of the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens. Echoing calls he made on the Senate floor on the FISA Amendments Act in December 2012 and the PATRIOT Act in May 2011, Chris called for more transparency, public scrutiny, and Congressional oversight of domestic surveillance programs.
Congress has a responsibility to ensure these surveillance programs are run in a manner that is transparent and accountable. The intelligence community should provide the public with specifics on the full breadth of information that has been captured under the FISA Amendments Act, and what it is doing with that information. The administration should also establish a framework for declassifying FISA court opinions about warrantless wiretapping activities performed under this law. I voted for amendments that would have accomplished both.
Delawareans deserve a full and informed debate about our nation’s intelligence-gathering procedures and their intrusion on our privacy rights, as well as a Congress that insists on keeping our nation safe and respects our most cherished privacy protections.
Click here to read the full op-ed on the News Journal’s website.
By the end of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s five-day markup of comprehensive immigration reform legislation, members had approved eight of Senator Coons’ amendments. The Committee voted 13-5 to approve the amended version of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, on Tuesday night.
Coons1 - E-Verify Notification
As amended, this amendment strengthens privacy protections by requiring the Department of Homeland Security to establish procedures to notify individuals whenever their E-Verify record is accessed, and to provide direct notification whenever E-Verify returns a “non-confirmation” or “further action notice”, which will help individuals protect their identity and will combat fraud and misuse of the system.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 20
Coons2 – Limitation on Dangerous Deportation Practices
As amended, this amendment places strict limitations on the dangerous practice of repatriating undocumented immigrants in the middle of the night. It also requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue a report on how its deportation practices mitigate the threats that migrants face immediately after deportation.
- Adopted as amended on May 14
Coons3 - Mustafa Akarsu Local Guard Force Support Act
This amendment allows the surviving spouse and children of an employee of the United States government abroad killed in the line of duty to qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa, so long as the employee has served for 15 years and provided that a Foreign Service Officer endorses the application.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 21
Coons5 - Discovery Obligation for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
Under current law, immigrants in removal are entitled to non-privileged, unclassified documents regarding their status, but are required to file a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain them. This amendment streamlines the process by requiring the government to produce those documents up front, eliminating the three- to six-month delay that accompanies the Freedom of Information Act requests, consistent with other laws concerning confidentiality, privilege, and national security. This amendment will lead to the more expeditious resolution of removal cases, saving time, detention costs, and court resources.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 20
Coons6 – Detention Statistics Tracking
As amended, this amendment requires the Executive Office of Immigration Review, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Patrol to better maintain and report information pertaining to immigrants in deportation proceedings, including: authority for custodial detention; place of detention and apprehension; number of days in each detention location; immigration charges against the alien; the status of the alien’s removal proceedings; internal custody determinations by ICE and the basis therefor; the reasons for ultimate release, if applicable; and whether the alien is represented by counsel.
- Adopted as amended by voice vote on May 20
Coons8 - Asylum Clock
Under current law, asylum applicants are entitled to a work authorization 180 days after filing a non-frivolous petition. However, Immigration Judges often stop that “clock” due to reasons completely unrelated to the merits of the asylum claim, including delays requested by DHS. Immigration Judges are encouraged to meet efficiency metrics under a clock managed by EOIR (a division of DOJ), but under current policy, DHS uses this same clock to deny asylum applicants work authorization to which they would otherwise be entitled. This amendment de-couples the clocks and clarify that asylum applicants receive work authorization 180 days after filing a non-frivolous petition.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 20
Coons10 - Non-discriminatory Access to Licensure
This amendment provides that DREAMers and immigrants on the new Registered Provisional Immigrant (“RPI”) status have nondiscriminatory access to professional, commercial, and business licenses. This amendment only protects immigrants who are qualified to receive licenses. It will ensure that these professionals and business owners abide by regulations that protect public safety and public health.
- Adopted as amended on May 10
Coons12 - Torture Victims Protection Act
The immigration bill provides that persons who are found liable under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 are excludable and subject to removal. The TVPA applies to torturers but not against those who conduct genocide, war crimes, and widespread or systemic attacks on civilian population. This amendment amends the TVPA to cover those acts.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 20
Blumenthal8 - Limitation of Enforcement Raids in Schools, Places of Worship, and Funerals
Senator Coons introduced a virtually identical version, but withdrew it and cosponsored Senator Blumenthal’s amendment. As amended, this amendment limits the ability of ICE and CBP from targeting schools, hospitals, and places of worship for enforcement raids, unless authorized by a high-level Department official or necessary in the event of an emergency.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 20
Hatch9 – STEM Education Fund
As amended, this amendment, which Senator Coons cosponsored, creates a STEM Education and Training Fund to promote education initiatives that will help meet the needs of the new economy. The STEM Fund concept was first introduced in the Hatch-Coons-Rubio-Klobuchar bill entitled the Immigration Innovation Act. This amendment recognizes the need to not only fill the existing skills gap in STEM fields with foreign-born talent, but also to invest in future generations born here at home. The amendment also provides funds for STEM capacity building at Minority Serving Institutions and for new “American Dream Accounts,” to help low-income students trace a path to successful careers in STEM fields.
- Adopted by voice vote on May 14
DOVER, Del. — Senator Coons visited the Children's Advocacy Center in Dover on Friday, pledging to fight to restore federal funding for the nonprofit centers.
The Associated Press elaborates:
President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for 2014 includes no money for the Victims of Child Abuse Act program, which provides federal funds for some 750 Children’s Advocacy Centers nationwide, including three in Delaware.
Obama’s proposed budget for the current year also included no funding for the centers, but Congress nevertheless appropriated the money.
“I was very angry that a $20 million line item for this program was eliminated in 2013,” Coons, D-Del., said Friday during a visit to the Children’s Advocacy Center in Dover. The similar lack of funding in Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal 2014 was disappointing and represented a “disconnect,” he said.
The News Journal explained why the Children's Advocacy Centers are so important:
The offices, including one in Wilmington, are where trained staff from the center conduct interviews with child victims that are analyzed by a team of legal experts and mental health professionals and used to prosecute abusers. Last fiscal year the center conducted 1,478 such interviews, three-quarters of which were related to sexual abuse cases.
The one-on-one interviews, which take place in the absence of family members who could interfere with a child’s testimony, are aimed at getting a full, single account of the evidence a child victim has to offer.
“Prior to the centers you had children interviewed multiple times, you had children interviewed in police lock-ups and hospital emergency rooms,” Williams said. “Telling their story over and over again, they were being re-traumatized, re-victimized, by the system that was really supposed to help them.”
The State News covered the scope of the Centers' work:
Last fiscal year, 1478 interviews were conducted in Delaware centers. About 75 percent were sexual abuse cases — the average age of the child interviewed was nine.
In 2012, Lewes pediatrician Early Bradley was convicted through evidence gathered at the centers, in what Mr. Williams said is the worst reported instance of mass victimization of children.
“Valuable and important programs are being cut in almost every department,” Sen. Coons said.
“Who’s willing to stand up and fight for something? If nobody fights for it, it gets cut,” he said.
WBOC explained the importance of the federal funding:
Overall, federal funding, including money from the federal Victims of Crime Act, accounts for about 25 percent of the Delaware CAC's $1.3 million budget, Williams said. VOCA funds, which come from criminal fines and penalties and help pay for a forensic interviewer and three mental health specialists in Delaware, are not at issue. But Williams said money from the child abuse act helps pay for office leases in Dover and Georgetown and staffing at the Dover center. And he added a cut in funding could mean a cut in services.
"We don't want to close a center, but that's on the table. We don't want to lay off staff, but that's on the table."
“I won’t rest on this issue until I see it appropriated,” Senator Coons said, announcing a letter he and 30 other senators sent to the Appropriations Committee on Friday.
In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, Senator Coons urged Attorney General Eric Holder to restore funding for the centers in the President's FY14 budget.
Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday afternoon spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to put partisanship aside and confirm Sri Srinivasan to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Earlier in the day, Sri Srinivasan testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing that Senator Coons chaired.
Senator Coons attended a Senate press conference on Tuesday after the Senate voted 78-22 to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Chris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been an outspoken advocate for the reauthorization of VAWA to prevent domestic violence in Delaware and around the country.