Human Rights, Sotomayor, and Health Reform

Statement

Human Rights, Sotomayor, and Health Reform

Congress is on break this week for the July 4th holiday. During this time, in my capacity as Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), I will be leading a 14-member delegation to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus and Lithuania. I'll also be preparing for a heavy agenda when Congress returns, including health care reform and the confirmation hearing for Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.

HUMAN RIGHTS: Lithuania is hosting the 18th Annual Session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation's Parliamentary Assembly, of which I'm Vice President. Our U.S. delegation is sponsoring resolutions on a range of issues from Afghanistan security to Internet freedom. In Bosnia-Herzegovina our delegation will meet with political leaders and students as we look to re-engage in the Balkans and support reforms there. Our trip to Belarus will press for urgent human rights changes in a country that does not have free elections, bars any organized dissent and recently kicked out 30 U.S. diplomats.

SOTOMAYOR HEARINGS: This is an exciting time to be a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as we move forward in vetting President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I met with Judge Sotomayor in my office recently and I look forward to asking additional questions at her upcoming confirmation hearing. My interest is to ensure that the next Justice is a leader who holds a passion for the protections found in our Constitution and will uphold the precedents of the Court. I want the next Justice to have a clear record of standing up for civil rights and civil liberties. This is a lifetime appointment and the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is the only chance for the American people to see the President's nominee and understand her views in detail on a wide range of issues defining the rule of law.

HEALTH REFORM: For the last week, senators on the Health, Education and Labor Committee have been sorting through potential provisions of a health care reform bill. Universal health coverage for all Americans was the topic of one of the very first bills I introduced when I joined the Senate in 2007 and I continue to stay acutely involved in the debate. We finally have recognized that the cost of health care in our country is not sustainable and we are in a crisis. We pay so much -- twice as much per capita as the next most expensive nation in the world -- on health care, but the results do not match our investment. A debate over the future over the state of our health care system is long overdue. We must reform our health care system by building on what's right, correcting what's wrong, and reducing costs for all. I think we can develop a health care reform proposal that will maintain quality and provide access and affordability to every family in America. This should be our objective.

HATE CRIMES BILL: After the July 4 break, the Senate also will consider The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. According to FBI data, there were 7,624 reported hate crimes in 2007. Over 150 of those incidents occurred in our home state of Maryland. Current federal hate crime laws are based only on race, color, national origin and religion, but we must include gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to make sure all Americans are equally protected against hate crimes. This bipartisan legislation, of which I am an original cosponsor, has received the support of 43 Senators and it already has already passed the House of Representatives. It will provide the necessary resources to our state and local governments to fight hate crimes like the recent atrocious shooting at the Holocaust Museum.

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