Technology

Known as the "cyber Senator," Pat Leahy is one of the most tech-savvy members of Congress. In addition to being a founding member and co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus and one of the first senators to launch a web page, this June Pat Leahy will be holding his eighth annual statewide E-business seminar. As technology advances, Pat Leahy has fought to protect privacy while also working to use technology to benefit the people of Vermont at home, school, and work.

For two years in a row, Pat Leahy has received the "Golden Mouse" award, which recognizes Congressional web sites for the best content and formats. Yahoo Internet Magazine has called him one of the most Internet-savvy members of Congress.

Spurring Business Growth

REINVESTING IN AMERICA – Pat Leahy worked to boost the economy by providing an incentive for corporations to reinvest foreign assets in America by creating a one-year window during which American corporations can take foreign assets and reinvest them at home at a lower tax rate of only 5.25 percent.

Broadband

• CONNECTING VERMONT – By introducing the Broadband Internet Access Act, Pat Leahy is continuing his effort to connect Vermonters with faster Internet service and to connect areas previously underserved.
• INVESTING IN VERMONT – By working to bring broadband to Vermont, Pat Leahy is helping businesses by encouraging investment in high-speed telecom equipment.
• WI-FI CAPITAL – Working with Vermont businesses, Pat Leahy has helped Montpelier become one of the nation's first capitals to have wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) Internet service.

The Women's Economic Conference

BENEFITING FROM YOUR COMPUTER -- For seven years, Pat Leahy has organized the Women's Economic Opportunity Conference. The conferences feature workshops designed to teach about the benefits and drawbacks of E-commerce and about getting the most out of personal computers and the Internet.

Intellectual Property Protection

Helping Businesses and Schools Tap the Power of the Internet

• PROTECTING AMERICAN BUSINESSES – Pat Leahy's Madrid Protocol Implementation Act helps American businesses by protecting companies' trademarks as they sell their goods and services internationally, especially when selling over the Internet.
• PROTECTING ARTISTS AND CONSUMERS – Pat Leahy has been a leader in the Senate in working to properly connect consumers to their favorite artists.
• PROMOTING DISTANCE LEARNING – Through Pat Leahy's efforts, teachers are now able to use the same materials in distance learning over the Internet that they would use face-to-face in the classroom, helping students to more easily get their education.

Technology to Protect Kids

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN – Pat Leahy has been a leader in using technology to protect our children, whether it's chartering a national AMBER Alert system to get the message out when a child has been abducted, or creating new tools to protect children against online predators.

Preventing Unwanted Information

• PREVENTING SPAM – Pat Leahy has been outspoken in his opposition to the abuse of e-mail by spammers and co-wrote a new law that makes it a crime.
• PROTECTING YOUR INFORMATION – A leading champion of personal privacy rights, Pat Leahy has worked to protect people's personal and financial information to ensure privacy.

Research and Development

EXTENDING TAX BENEFITS – Recognizing that the research and development tax credit is a strong incentive for businesses to increase research spending, and that it results in more jobs and a stronger economy, Pat Leady has strongly supported this credit.

Internet Tax Moratorium

STOPPING DISCRIMINATORY INTERNET TAXES – Beginning in 1998, Pat Leahy has led in preventing taxes on Internet access and has also worked to blocked discriminating taxes on electronic commerce.

Seniors' Internet Access

INCREASING ACCESS – Working with the directors of senior centers throughout Vermont, in 2000 Pat Leahy identified the need to improve access to and use of computers and the Internet at these centers, and he has since worked to get better access to technology for seniors.

Online Chats

TALKING WITH STUDENTS – Pat Leahy regularly schedules on-line chats with school rooms in Vermont, in which he answers students' questions and encourages their studies of civics and current events. Questions range from asking about his favorite food to his work on banning landmines