Working to Keep Vermont Safe – Vermonters in Uniform
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NATIONAL GUARD
Senator Leahy has been a leader in supporting the men and women of the National Guard who are carrying a heavy share of the combat load in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is at the forefront of efforts to make sure that Guard members have the equipment they need and to look out for Guard members’ families when they are gone. This is particularly important in light of the Vermont Guard’s current deployment. He is co-chair of the National Guard Caucus and has received the National Guard Association’s highest individual honor.
Equipping the National Guard. Senator Leahy’s support has been critical in ensuring the Vermont Guard is not overlooked when refitting and replacement decisions are made for aging planes, helicopters, vehicles and weapons.
A large part of his work for the Vermont Guard has been dedicated to ensuring that units receive the equipment they need to complete their jobs and return home safely. He has fought to increase the number of all terrain Mine-Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP-ATV) vehicles developed to protect our troops from deadly improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. In part based on what he saw on a 2009 visit to Afghanistan, he has pushed for modifications to make the MRAP more maneuverable in rugged terrain. Senator Leahy has supported the work of Plasan, a company based in Bennington, which produces armor for the MRAP. Other Vermont products supported by Senator Leahy being used by our units overseas include Darn Tough socks, anti-ballistic eyewear produced by Revision in Williston, helmets from MSA in Newport, field hospitals from Mobil Medical in St. Johnsbury, and helicopter diagnostic systems from BF Goodrich.
Guard Facilities Improvements. In addition to equipment, Senator Leahy has obtained funding for improvements to Vermont National Guard facilities. This year alone, Senator Leahy worked with the rest of Vermont’s congressional delegation to secure almost $9 million for work on the Camp Ethan Allen Base Officers’ Quarters, a fire and rescue station at the Burlington International Airport, and a field vehicle maintenance shop in Morrisville. Because of Senator Leahy’s diligence, the active duty Army often looks at Vermont National Guard facilities, such as the Army Mountain Warfare at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, as a national resource for training.
Helping Returning Veterans. Senator Leahy knows that our returning veterans, particularly those with neural and psychological injuries, will need support from the whole state to reintegrate into civilian life. He has worked with the Vermont Agency of Human Services and the Brain Injury Association of Vermont to establish the Neuro-Resource Facilitation System for Vermont’s returning veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The NRF system will bring together state and veteran’s service programs along with educators and employers to help veterans and employers understand and surmount the challenges facing them, and ensure that veterans’ valuable skills continue to contribute to Vermont’s economy.
Supporting the Guard Families. When their son Mark was called up to be a member of a Marine casualty replacement division in the first Gulf War, Senator Leahy and his wife Marcelle experienced firsthand the trepidation felt by thousands of military families across our country and Vermont. Since then Marcelle has worked with numerous family support organizations that help our Guard families with everything from better understanding their loved ones’ missions to carrying groceries. Marcelle is co-chair of the Vermont National Guard Family Support Program and a spokeswoman for the Military Child Education Coalition.
National Guard Caucus. As co-chair of the bipartisan Senate National Guard Caucus, Senator Leahy has worked hard to support the soldiers and mission of the Guard and Reserves as units across the country have been called up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. In light of their increased duties abroad and their continued importance in missions here at home, Senator Leahy introduced legislation signed into law by President Bush in 2006 integrating and elevating the National Guard within the Department of Defense command and communication structure. President Bush also signed into law Leahy-sponsored legislation returning the final authority to state governors on whether to deploy the Guard in the case of natural disasters or other domestic crises.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Bulletproof Vests. Senator Leahy co-authored the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, originally enacted in 1998, and led efforts to reauthorize and expand the program in 2000, 2004 and 2008. The legislation which authorizes up to $50 million per year for matching grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to buy body armor. Since its inception, the program has provided law enforcement officers with more than 500,000 new bulletproof vests. In Vermont alone, 60 jurisdictions have been able to purchase more than 1,900 vests with BVP grants.
Public Safety Officers Benefits. Senator Leahy introduced the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act, legislation to expand death benefits to the families of public safety officers who die of heart attacks or strokes in the line of duty. In 2009, Senator Leahy introduced legislation in response to the death of a decorated Vermont emergency medical technician (EMT). The bill would extend the Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program to non-profit EMS officers who provide pre-hospital emergency medical and ground or air ambulance services.
Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act. Senator Leahy was an original co-sponsor of a law which allowed qualified active and retired law enforcement officers the right to carry a concealed firearm. He recently pushed an update to this law through the Senate adding flexibility to some of the restrictions on obtaining permission to carry, and giving states more of a uniform standard to determine eligibility requirements. This legislation is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.
COPS Program. Senator Leahy has worked hard over the years to secure funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program, which provides federal funds to assist local communities in hiring police officers, providing for three years of salaries and benefits for either new full-time officer positions, or rehires of officers who have been laid off due to budget cuts. As a part of last year’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 25 communities from across the state received over $5 million in federal funds, adding at least one additional officer to their force.
Rural Law Enforcement. Senator Leahy knows the challenges posed to law enforcement agencies in rural areas—under his chairmanship, the Judiciary Committee held hearings in Rutland and St. Albans in 2008 and in Barre in 2010 to examine the community response to drug related crime. He has worked to provide funding for the Department of Justice’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, and last year introduced the Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 2009 to designate a portion of the Byrne Grants exclusively for rural areas or states. The Byrne Grant Program provides funds for personnel, equipment, training and technical assistance for law enforcement agencies across the country; last year between yearly appropriations and Recovery Act funding, Vermont received over $6 million in Byrne Grants, including almost $4 million to the state Department of Public Safety and over $2 million to 30 local jurisdictions.
Vermont Drug Task Force. As drug use continues to be a concern in Vermont, Senator Leahy has stepped up, securing nearly $6 million over the last five years for the Vermont Drug Task Force (VDTF). A multi-agency unit focused on narcotics investigation and interdiction, eliminating organizations and arresting individuals who traffic illegal drugs in Vermont, the VDTF is regularly called by Chiefs of Police, County Sheriffs and State Police Troop Commanders. Largely because of the VTDF, arrests for narcotics abuse and distribution are at an all time high.
Transitional Services. In his time as a prosecutor, Senator Leahy saw how important it was not only for law enforcement to bring criminals to justice, but also for families, communities, and corrections officials to help former inmates who have served their sentences reintegrate into normal life. As a United States Senator, he has continued to be a leader in helping to reduce recidivism rates in Vermont, securing almost $1 million to fund the Return House, a transitional living program for young male offenders in Barre. He has also supported programs to combat substance abuse in state and local corrections facilities.
Crime Prevention. Senator Leahy has been instrumental in working with Vermont communities on a variety of crime and drug prevention measures. From the $1.76 million in the last five years Vermont has received for efforts to fights underage alcohol use, to programs such as those funded by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, families and community groups across the state have received support from Senator Leahy in keeping our kids out of trouble. In addition, Senator Leahy has helped secure more than $9.6 million dollars for the operation and expansion of Vermont’s Boys and Girls Clubs. There are now 25 Vermont Boys and Girls Clubs operated by six regional organizations. These clubs serve nearly 10,000 Vermont youth.
FIRST RESPONDERS
Fire Act Grants. Senator Leahy has been a longtime supporter of these Department of Homeland Security grants which go directly to help local fire and EMS units meet their firefighting and emergency response needs. In the last four years alone, 61 Vermont towns have received over $6 million for new fire trucks and ambulances, building and upgrading fire stations, training, and personal protective equipment.
Emergency Medical Services. As a rural state, Vermont relies heavily on its volunteer fire and ambulance crews which make up a majority of its Emergency Medical Technicians, even in the greater Burlington area. Senator Leahy is working with the Vermont Technical College to develop and implement a training program for Level 3-full time EMTs. These full time technicians are able to administer a wider variety of drugs and perform more advanced procedures during transport than their volunteer counterparts—skills which are often needed with the volume of calls in urban areas such as Burlington.
Vermont Emergency Operations Center. The Vermont Emergency Operations Center in Waterbury is responsible for coordinating and mobilizing local, state, and federal responses to emergency situations in the state. The Center is responsible for planning for and responding to everything from seasonal events such as blizzards, ice storms or flooding, to manmade accidents and associated environmental damage, to events such as terrorist attacks, and its important work has been funded in part by federal grants secured by Senator Leahy.
Dale Long Emergency Medical Services Providers Act. Senator Leahy has worked to advance legislation that would extend the federal Public Safety Officer Benefits program, now only available to professional personnel, to paramedics and EMTs who work for nonprofit ambulance services. Named in honor of a Bennington EMT who died in a June 2009 ambulance accident, the Dale Long Emergency Medical Services Providers Act would qualify about 1,200 EMS personnel from Vermont for the PSOB program.
Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act. Senator Leahy sponsored legislation in 2003 that treats a public safety officer’s death from heart attack or stroke brought on by their work as having been sustained in the line of duty. This legislation has given families additional benefits due to them given the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made to keep us safe.