U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

Senate Judiciary Committee Launches
Pioneering Closed Captioning Project 
 

(WEDNESDAY, September 22) – For the first time in the Senate’s history, citizens with disabilities will have improved access to the Judiciary Committee through an innovative closed captioning project launched today, announced Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the Democratic ranking member of the panel.   

The Judiciary Committee’s judicial nomination hearing this afternoon marked the official launch of the pilot program.  The hearing was broadcast with real-time closed captioning that relies on cutting-edge, voice-recognition technology.    

“Making government more accessible to all citizens is as important a responsibility as any that we in Congress have and this program will help us bridge a divide between hearing-impaired citizens and the Senate,” said Leahy.  “With new security demands in recent years creating more obstacles between the American people and Congress, this program offers us a chance to lower at least one barrier between some citizens and the Senate’s work.”  

The pilot program will help determine the usefulness of the voice-recognition technology, which is new to the marketplace.  The Committee has been working with the Secretary of the Senate and the Committee on Rules and Administration on the project, which is designed to examine the feasibility and cost of providing real-time captioning to other Senate committees.  The Secretary of the Senate will issue a report on expanding the service at the end of the project, a date yet to be determined. The company providing the services is Briggle & Bott reporters of Mitchellville, Md.  

A Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing on Monday, September 13th was the first test of the service.  The following day, Tuesday, September 14th, was the actual and official launch date, when a Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing was carried live on the Senate television system, with live captioning. The program will also offer interested parties quicker access to unofficial hearing transcripts.   

# # # # #