Media Center

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

11:00 a.m. Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice

Hearing on: Exploring Federal Diversity Jurisdiction

Witnesses:

• Mr. Charles Cooper, Partner, Cooper & Kirk, PLLC
• Ms. Joanna Shepherd, Professor of Law, Emory Law School
• Mr. Ronald Weich, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore

2237 Rayburn House Office Building

1:00 p.m. Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet

Mr. Speaker, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States was the deadliest foreign attack on American soil in our Nation's history.

Its impact has been immeasurable as evidenced by the fact that we are still grappling with the cultural and policy implications stemming from the events of that day.

And, 15 years on, most Americans continue to feel its searing emotional impact, particularly as the anniversary date approaches this Sunday.

H.R. 3438, the "Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists Act of 2016," would stay the enforcement of any rule imposing an annual cost to the economy in excess of $1 billion pending judicial review.

Notwithstanding the bill's colorful short title, H.R. 3438 would have a pernicious impact on rulemaking and the ability of agencies to respond to critical health and safety issues.

In essence, the bill would encourage anyone who wants to delay a significant rule from going into effect by simply seeking judicial review of the rule.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Ranking Member Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA) today released the following statements after H.R. 5063, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2016 passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

The purpose of today's hearing is to examine the Treasury Department's Judgment Fund.

Congress created the Judgment Fund in 1956 to reduce its appropriations workload.

Prior to establishing the Fund, Congress devoted an inordinate amount of its time to appropriating monies to satisfy run-of-the-mill legal judgments and settlements on a case-by-case basis.

Today, the Fund permits agencies to obtain payment for legal judgments and settlements without having to request appropriations from Congress under limited statutorily prescribed circumstances.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) released the following statements after the White House announced the commutation of the sentences of 111 individuals earlier this week:

"We are grateful for having worked with President Obama to make reforms to our criminal justice system. Without his persistent leadership this would not have happened. It adds to the legacy of the 44^th President," said Ranking Member Conyers.

Members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group traveled to Detroit, Michigan on August 29-30, 2016 to meet with local community leaders and law enforcement to discuss police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. The members who traveled to Detroit to join House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr.

Washington, D.C. (Aug. 30, 2016)-Today, Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, John Conyers, Jr., Elliot L. Engel, and Bennie G.