Constitution
Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), and Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) will introduce the USA Freedom Act of 2015 This bipartisan bill builds on the Committee's extensive work on this issue last Congress, containing even stronger protections for Americans' civil liberties, providing for even greater transparency for both the private sector and government, and preventing government overreach, while enhancing nationa
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) issued statements strongly opposing efforts by Republicans to overturn anti-discrimination bills that protect workplace equality, reproductive choice, and educational equality in the District of Columbia.
Ranking Member Conyers stated:
– Yesterday, lead sponsors Rep. John Lewis (GA-5), House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5), Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (SC-6), Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), and Rep. Robert Brady (PA-1) and more than 170 Democrats reintroduced the Voter Empowerment Act in the House of Representatives. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York will introduce a companion version in the Senate. The Voter Empowerment Act will help ensure equal access to the ballot for every eligible voter, will modernize our voter registration system to help more Americans participate, and takes steps to eliminate deceptive practices and voter fraud that deter voters from casting their ballots.
Today, U.S. House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) reintroduced H.R. 1459, the "Democracy Restoration Act of 2015." Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) yesterday introduced its Senate companion, S. 772. The bill would create uniform federal standards for returning the voting rights of ex-offenders to vote in federal elections.
Markup of:
- H.R. 1148, the "Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act"
- H.R. 1153, the "Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015"
Today, several educational, legal, human rights, and media organizations filed suit to challenge the National Security Agency's "upstream collection" surveillance programs, which monitor all international Internet traffic by intercepting, copying and reviewing Americans' communications en masse by intercepting telephone and Internet traffic from major Internet cables and switches, both foreign and domestic.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice released a report that cites the Missouri Ferguson Police Department engaged in a systemic and broad pattern of racially biased enforcement, including the use of unreasonable force against African-Americans:
Full Committee Markup of:
- H.R. 1147, the "Legal Workforce Act"
- H.R. 1148, the "Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act"
- H.R. 1149, the "Protection of Children Act of 2015"
- H.R. 1153, the "Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015"
Webcast
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Ranking Member José E. Serrano, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings issued the following statement in support of the District of Columbia's legal authority to implement its marijuana legalization initiative on Thursday:
Dear Colleague:
Over the past two decades, tensions between police and communities of color have grown as allegations of police brutality and racial profiling by law enforcement agents have increased in number and frequency. The tragic police-involved shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and the local police department's response to the protests are just the latest examples of the challenges faced in reforming police practices.
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5421, the Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act of 2014 (FIBA), by a voice vote. FIBA is the product of the Judiciary Committee's multi-year examination of the ability of the bankruptcy laws to resolve a failing financial institution.
DETROIT – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. released the following statement after the announcement of the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson, MO police officer Darren Wilson:
"Though the judicial process was fully exercised in this case, I am disappointed in the grand jury's decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed, African-American 18 -year-old. This result underscores the legal hurdles faced in holding the police accountable for abuse of authority and further illustrates the need for major reform in our criminal justice system.
DETROIT – Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee John Conyers Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement in response to ongoing events in Ferguson, Missouri:
"A few facts are clear: A young, unarmed man was shot by a police officer. A small town is under what is essentially martial law. Tear gas and rubber bullets are being used against everyday citizens. Serious and sweeping civil rights violations may have taken place in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Conyers: Boehner Lawsuit Against President Obama Is Pure Political Theatre