Senator Coons calls delay in rescuing kidnapped girls "shameful"

Senator Coons, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, was interviewed on the BBC World Service's NewsHour program Tuesday about the status of nearly 300 girls kidnapped by terrorists in northern Nigeria. He described the Nigerian government's slow and inadequate response to the abductions as "shameful" and expressed his relief that Nigeria's president had finally accepted American offers of assistance. Listen below:

Halting the rise in sexual assaults in the military

The disturbing arrests of an Army sergeant and an Air Force colonel who were responsible for training servicemembers to prevent sexual assaults have brought into acute focus to what has become a widespread problem: the staggering rise in sexual assaults within our military.

Senator Coons is determined to stop it and end the truly corrosive impact of this behavior in our armed forces.

According to the FY2012 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office report released last week by the Defense Department, an estimated 26,000 cases of sexual assault occurred in FY2012, a 37 percent increase from FY2011. Another report released by the Defense Department late last month showed that more than 1 in 5 female servicemembers reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact while serving in the military.

Stopping this trend has earned bipartisan and bicameral support in the form of the Military Justice Improvement Act, which Senator Coons helped introduce on Thursday.

Senator Coons, who described the rise as "chilling," told the News Journal that "we clearly have a cultural problem" in our armed forces, noting that a lack of real consequence has led to widespread abuse.

"This bill tries to strike at what is driving that continuing cultural problem, which is that the U.S. military has a legal system that is significantly out of date," Senator Coons said. "And it puts the responsibility for prosecution and conviction where it should be – in the hands of a competent prosecutor rather than in the hands of the officers who often don’t have the training or experience to handle it.”

The Military Justice Improvement Act would for the first time remove the decision whether to take a case to special or general court-martial completely out of the chain of command and give that discretion to experienced military prosecutors for all crimes punishable by one year or more in confinement, except crimes that are uniquely military in nature, such as disobeying orders or going AWOL.

Senator Coons marks Equal Pay Day

Senator Coons issued the following statement on Tuesday to recognize Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was created in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages.

“This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. While much progress has been made for women in the workforce, it’s astonishing and saddening that a significant pay gap between the sexes remains. Women in Delaware are still only paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap of $9,911 between men and women who work full time in the state.  

“We must continue to fight to for basic fairness in our workforce and across our society. This is why I’m a proud cosponsor of Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act by taking meaningful steps to create incentives for employers to follow the law, help women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement effort.

“Equal pay for equal work goes beyond fairness, it’s beneficial to our economy, our families, and our children. Today, I re-pledge myself to fighting to end pay discrimination for Delawareans and all Americans. ”

Click here to learn more about Chris' work on civil rights.

Video: Senator Coons praises Senate passage of VAWA

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.

Forty years of Roe v. Wade

For 40 years, the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade has protected the right of women in Delaware and around the country to make their own decisions about reproductive health and family planning.

As we mark the anniversary of this landmark decision, we must redouble our efforts to protect this fundamental right and to ensure that women and families have access to safe and affordable reproductive health care, no matter where they live or what their income level.

Although Roe v. Wade is settled law, the rights that it protects remain under assault. In the past two years, 30 states have passed 135 new laws restricting access to abortion – despite the fact that 63 percent of Americans do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

It is therefore critical that we remain vigilant about protecting the rights of women and their families to make their own private health care decisions, and to ensure accessible and affordable reproductive care for Delawareans and all Americans. 

Senator Coons honored for work against domestic violence

Last night, Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, received the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s (DCADV) 2012 Vision of Peace Award.

The award was presented at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts in Wilmington during DCADV’s Purple Ribbon Event, hosted annually during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“When we shine light on these horrific acts by educating the public, empowering the victims, and punishing the offenders, we can help break the cycle of abuse,” Chris said in accepting the Vision of Peace Award.

The Vision of Peace Award is presented by the DCADV to individuals who have demonstrated leadership and sustained commitment in their efforts to end domestic violence. Chris is fighting to advance the reauthorization of the landmark Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA) and has worked for many years to help prevent domestic violence in Delaware while empowering victims to come forward.

To learn more about Chris’ work on the Judiciary Committee, click here.

To learn more about DCADV’s work click here.

Senate passes Senator Coons’ resolution honoring Dr. Sally Ride

Senator Coons sponsored a resolution honoring the life and career of the first woman from the United States to fly in space, Dr. Sally Ride, who passed away in late July. Chris’ resolution was approved unanimously by the Senate on Thursday night.

“Sally Ride was inspirational, not only to young women, but to every American who has looked up with wonder and curiosity only the stars can inspire,” Chris said after the resolution passed. “Dr. Ride’s life’s work, like that of the shuttle program, was to inspire Americans to never stop searching for knowledge of our world, our universe, and ourselves. It’s a mission we all must carry out, and one that I am committed to helping fulfill. I’m glad my Senate colleagues came together last night to honor Dr. Ride with this resolution, and hope her memory will continue to persuade young Americans to search for answers in the sciences.”

The bipartisan resolution “expresses [the Senate’s] deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Sally Ride on her death; mourns the loss of Dr. Ride, a trailblazing pioneer who inspired millions of individuals, especially women and girls, to reach for the stars; and appreciates all of the contributions of Dr. Ride to science, physics, education, and human spaceflight.” 

Born, raised, and educated in California, Dr. Ride became a role model and hero when she launched her first mission in 1983, becoming the first American woman to enter low Earth orbit. After flying two shuttle missions and serving as a member of the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger accident, she became a professor, and eventually started “Sally Ride Science” in 2001, a company dedicated to promoting new and exciting ways to engage elementary and middle school students with science at an early age.

Senator Coons congratulates Delaware Boys & Girls Nation Participants

Senator Coons congratulated four Delaware American Legion Auxiliary Boys and Girls Nation leaders Thursday in Washington. The young leaders from the First State are Lael Houston, Rachel Defroda, Donald Wiegner and Christopher Clifton.

“I am always excited to meet our nation’s future leaders, and programs like Boys Nation and Girls Nation are terrific ways for the next generation to learn about our government,” Chris said. “These young men and women will develop essential leadership skills and cultivate strong bonds. This experience puts them on the road to success in their future endeavors.”

Lael Houston, of Dover High School, and Rachel Defroda, of Delaware Military Academy, were the two Delawarean women ‘Senators’ elected out of the 49 Girls State participants. Donald Wiegner, of Delaware Military Academy, and Christopher Clifton, of Sussex Technical High School JROTC, were elected out of 98 Boys State participants. 

The week-long immersion program held in the nation’s capital teaches ambitious young men and women about how the federal government works. Two participants per state, known as “Senators,” are chosen from the Boys and Girls State program. The men and women create a mock legislature where they run for office and elect a mock U.S. Boys or Girls Nation President. The students campaign for the passage of bills, participate in Senate sessions, and more. The highlight of the week includes field trips to monuments, meetings with state senators and representatives, and a visit to the White House.

Senator Coons participates in roundtable discussion on women’s health care

U.S. Senator Chris Coons participated in a roundtable discussion of ideas for protecting women’s access to contraception and family planning services on Wednesday. The meeting was hosted by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee and featured more than a dozen leaders in women’s health, including Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Nancy Kennan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America; and Alethea Smith-Withers, board chair of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

“All women should have the right to affordable, accessible reproductive health care,” Chris said. “Sadly, many Republicans in Congress insist on creating harmful barriers to keep women from accessing much-needed services. Today’s meeting allowed for a productive discussion with leaders of women’s health care on how we can move forward to continue to advocate for these critical family planning services.”

The hour-long discussion focused on recent destructive initiatives taken by Republicans to block women from accessing basic reproductive health care.  In particular, Cecile Richards and Nancy Keenan discussed the important role the Affordable Care Act has played in improving and expanding access to important health services for women, including requiring health insurance plans to cover preventive services such as mammograms and cervical cancer screenings with no deductible or co-pay.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to improve America’s health care.

Senator Coons recognizes Equal Pay Day

Senator Chris Coons, a cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, issued the following statement on Tuesday to recognize Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was created in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages.

“It’s astonishing and saddening to think that in 2012, women still get paid less than men for doing the same work. As we pause today to reflect on the need for an ‘Equal Pay Day,’ we should also honor the progress women have made in our nation’s workforce. American women make up half our labor force and are the primary or co-breadwinners in six out of ten households, but still face wage discrimination.

“In Delaware, on average, women are paid 81 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap of $9,505 between full-time working men and women. Women of color experience even greater disparity, with African-American women working full-time in Delaware being paid just 71 cents for every dollar paid to men. Latinas in Delaware are paid just 53 cents on the dollar.

“Equal pay for equal work is more than just basic fairness, it will also reduce the financial strain many families are currently facing. I applaud the efforts of so many to close the wage gap, including my colleague, Senator Barbara Mikulski, who introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, of which I’m a proud cosponsor. Today, I re-pledge myself to fighting to end pay discrimination for Delawareans and all Americans. ”

Click here to learn more about Chris' work on civil rights.