Patrick Leahy

Patrick Joseph Leahy ˈleɪˌhiː (born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and the senior United States Senator from Vermont, since 1975. A member of the Democratic Party, Leahy served as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate from December 17, 2012, to January 6, 2015. As President pro tempore, he was third in the presidential line of succession. He is the most senior senator and took office at a younger age than any other current senator. Leahy received the title of President pro tempore emeritus upon the commencement of the 114th Congress. He is the last remaining member of the Senate to have served during the presidency of Gerald Ford and prior to the 1976 election of President Jimmy Carter.Leahy is currently the longest-serving Democratic Senator as well as the longest-serving U.S. Senator in the history of Vermont, and the current dean of his states congressional delegation. Having been there since 1975, he is also the longest serving incumbent Senator following the death of Hawaiis Daniel Inouye, who had served from 1962 until his death in 2012. He is the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate Judiciary Committee worked extensively on prison reform with the introduction on a number of bills aimed at reforming the overcrowded prisons. The bills include: the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, The Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013, and the Public Safety Enhancement Act.

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