The 2008 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership was awarded to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on April 1, 2008 at the Arts Advocacy Day Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill.  Senator Leahy was selected for the Congressional Arts Leadership Award for his strong commitment to the arts.  As the lead sponsor of the Artist-Museum Partnership Act (S. 548), Leahy champions legislation that would allow artists to claim a fair-market value tax deduction when donating their work for the public to enjoy.  He has also consistently led in supporting the arts as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.  As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy also has long led on copyright and intellectual property issues important to artists.  An artist himself, Leahy is an avid and accomplished photographer whose photos have been featured in national publications and exhibited in galleries throughout Vermont.