Patrick Leahy was elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and remains the only Democrat elected to this office from Vermont. At 34, he was the youngest U.S. Senator ever to be elected from the Green Mountain State.
Leahy was born in Montpelier and grew up across from the State House. A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester (1961), he received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1964). He served for eight years as State's Attorney in Chittenden County where he gained a national reputation for his law enforcement activities and was selected as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the United States in 1974.
One of Senator Leahy’s top priorities is to ensure seniors have access to benefits and services long after retirement. As an original cosponsor of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015, Senator Leahy is dedicated to ensuring senior support services, like Meals on Wheels and the Senior Community Service Employment Program, receive the resources they need to continue providing for elders in need.
The Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act includes funding for health promotion, nutrition, caregiver and mental health support services. The legislation would strengthen the Long-Term Ombudsman program to encourage disease management and prevention and improves transportation assistance services. The legislation would also improve the coordination of Area Agencies on Aging with other senior community and health services, while assisting with elderly falls and screening for mental and behavioral health.
Senator Leahy remains committed to ensuring Medicare remains strong now and into the future and that seniors receive the full benefits of Social Security they have been promised now and into the future.