Ted Kennedy

(As Prepared for Delivery)

April 24, 2008 -- Today, the Senate is considering the first major new civil rights bill of the new century. Five years ago this week, we celebrated a milestone that once seemed unimaginable – the completion of the Human Genome Project, which sequenced and mapped all of the genes in the human body. This Friday is “DNA Day,” when we pay tribute to this amazing accomplishment, which was the dawn of a new era in the life sciences.    » read more »

As stories of underreporting spread, OSHA's efforts to audit injury and illness records have declined

April 22, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety and U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is effectively working to ensure that employers are accurately reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace.    » read more »

April 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the following statement in response to the new regulations for No Child Left Behind announced by Margaret Spellings, the Secretary of Education.

Abandoned school, Indiana: Photo by Christopher Titzer (CC)

“The regulatory changes announced by Secretary Spellings include important improvements for implementing No Child Left Behind, even as Congress considers further reforms to the law.    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

April 21, 2008 -- Mr. President, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will ensure that the bipartisan equal pay laws enacted by overwhelming majorities in Congress do what they are supposed to do -- protect workers against pay discrimination.

Until last May, companies shortchanging workers because of gender, age, race, national origin, religion, or disability could be held accountable as long as the discrimination continued, no matter when the discrimination began. Unfortunately, in a 5-4 decision last May, the Supreme Court misconstrued the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the clear intent of Congress.    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senators Edward Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Jay Rockefeller, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, and Patty Murray, Chairwoman of the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee, sent the following letter to the CEOs of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, calling for the airlines to respect and include the workers and their unions in the Delta-Northwest merger talks.

Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines jets: Photo by Cubbie_n_Vegas (CC)    » read more »

April 18, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released a report today showing the drastic effects of the current economic recession on women. The report, “Taking a Toll: The Effects of Recession on Women,” shows that women are facing new and heightened risk in this uncertain economy.

Chairman Kennedy requested this report just as the Senate is taking up legislation to ensure that women and minorities who face pay discrimination have a fair chance to seek justice. The Senate will take up the legislation next week.    » read more »

Speaks before the Massachusetts Building and Construction Trades

April 16, 2008 -- (As Prepared for Delivery) -- Thank you so much, Frank, for that warm introduction, and I welcome all of you to Washington.

It’s a privilege and an honor to address the members of our Massachusetts Building Trades.

Building construction site, Massachusetts: Photo by Paul Keleher (CC)    » read more »

United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing

April 15, 2008 -- (As Prepared for Delivery) -- Half a century ago, Edward R. Murrow and CBS broadcast a documentary exposing the plight of migrant farm workers in Immokalee, Florida.

Migrant farm workers: Photo by Bob Jagendorf (CC)

Airing shortly after Thanksgiving in 1960, “A Harvest of Shame” told the story of a neglected and mistreated class of Americans who worked long and back-breaking hours to put food on the tables of families across the nation. The story shocked the conscience of the nation and compelled us all to speak out against these abuses.    » read more »

Summary of legislation included below

April 11, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in celebration of last night’s Senate passage of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act Reauthorization. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives earlier this week, and will now be sent to the President for his signature.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement in response to new reports that high-ranking members in the Bush Administration authorized the use of torture in CIA interrogations.

“Today’s press reports bring yet another astonishing disclosure about the Bush administration and its use of torture.

Anti-Bush, anti-torture protester: Photo by jarnocan (CC)    » read more »

United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing

April 10, 2008 -- (As Prepared for Delivery) -- Welcome to today’s hearing. Our distinguished witnesses will discuss the health effects of climate change, and I look forward to hearing from them on this important topic.

In recent years, the public awareness and concern about climate change have reached unprecedented levels.

Senator Ted Kennedy: Photo by Will White (CC)    » read more »

United States Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing (As Prepared for Delivery)

April 8, 2008 -- "I join in welcoming Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus to the Senate Armed Services Committee. I know I join with most Americans in expressing appreciation for the courage and dedication of our brave mean and women serving in Iraq under difficult and dangerous circumstances.

Two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters from 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Camp Taji, Iraq: U.S. Army photo by CW4 Daniel McClinton, 1-227th, 1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs (CC)    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC- Today, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Joseph Biden released a report detailing the lack of American leadership in the Iraqi refugee crisis. An estimated two million Iraqi refugees have been displaced from their homes and are living in Syria and Jordan, with another two million displaced within Iraq.

A young Iraqi refugee in Syria: An Iraqi refugee boy stands beside his mother, who holds her registration certificate from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Photo by Catholic Relief Services (CC)    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., today expressed disappointment with the decision of Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell not to release an unclassified summary of key conclusions and assessments included in the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq.

Soldiers on search mission in Al Sinaa, Iraq, April 1, 2008: U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Shane Chapman gives a soldier a boost in order to see over a door for possible threats during a cordon and search mission in Al Sinaa, Iraq, on April 1, 2008. Photo: US Army    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

April 2, 2008 -- Mr. President, the nation is facing a continuing financial crisis. A massive housing bubble is collapsing. We’ve seen the near failure of one of our nation’s largest investment banks, and the Federal Reserve has already put $260 billion on the line to ensure the stability of the financial markets. But as bad as things are on Wall Street, the picture is even worse on Main Street.

Working families have suffered for years under an economy in which stagnating wages have not kept up with the skyrocketing price of essentials like food, gas, and health care. Now, the financial crisis is battering their safety net, leaving families at the center of a perfect storm of economic failures.    » read more »