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.
In the United States, those who work hard should expect fair wages, safety in the workplace, and the right to organize and collectively bargain. That is why I fought for a higher minimum wage, expanded paid sick leave requirements, and stronger workplace safety rules. The best workplaces are those where respect and cooperation exist between employers and employees, and I believe the federal government should promote and foster an educated, engaged, and empowered workforce.
Legislation
If we want to strengthen our economic recovery, we must also make sure that individuals whose jobs have been lost can re-train and prepare themselves to be re-employed. That is why I introduced the Pathways Back to Work Act, which would fund new training and employment opportunities for both young people and the long-term unemployed.