Originally sworn in on January 5, 2011, Richard Blumenthal is serving his second term as a United States Senator from the State of Connecticut.
With a father who fled Nazi Germany at age 18, and a mother who left Nebraska’s farmland to become a social worker, Richard Blumenthal was raised with a deep dedication to public service, a duty to give back by helping others, and a bedrock belief in hard work.
Those values carried him through his childhood and his education at Harvard College (Editorial Chairman The Harvard Crimson, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude), and Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. To a year working as assistant to Daniel Patrick Moynihan when he was Assistant to the President of the United States. And to enlisting in the United States Marine Corps Reserves in 1970. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1976.
Preserving and protecting a woman's right to health care, as well as advocating for legislation on domestic violence and campus sexual assault, have been consistent priorities throughout my service in public office.
Health Care
Throughout my career, I have fought vigorously to protect a woman’s right to choose, and to preserve access to critical family planning services. As Senator, I introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2013, a landmark piece of legislation intended to keep politicians out of personal health care decisions. The Women’s Health Protection Act creates federal protections against state restrictions that fail to protect women’s health and intrude upon personal decision-making. It promotes and protects a woman’s individual constitutional rights, no matter where she lives.
Domestic Violence
The scourge of domestic violence—an issue that affects 1 in 4 women nationwide -- has also been a focus of my efforts. The Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act, that I introduced, would restrict those under temporary restraining order from purchasing or possessing a firearm, and would extend the protections granted domestic violence victims to victims abused by their dating partners.
Campus Sexual Assault
In 2014, I hosted 14 campus roundtables throughout Connecticut on the issue of campus sexual assault. With input from hundreds of college administrators, students, faculty, advocates and law enforcement, we released a college sexual assault report and bill of rights to help increase safety and accountability on college campuses. The report outlined specific steps to ensure students are provided the protections contained in the bill of rights, and offered several model programs currently being implemented on some state campuses.
In addition, I worked with my colleagues Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill to craft and introduce the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The bill aims to address the issue of campus sexual assault by setting financial penalties for schools that don’t file criminal reports, sets training standards for on-campus staff in dealing with victims, and more.