Media Center

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) praised the policy announced by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano that grants immigration officials the discretion to defer deportation action against certain young undocumented immigrants. These same individuals would also be allowed to apply for work permits. Only individuals who meet certain criteria would be eligible for consideration under the announced policy. Eligible individuals must show that they came to the U.S.

Today, Attorney General Eric Holder testified at a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Department of Justice. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the hearing:

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.) hosted Dr. Olivia Hooker, a survivor of the Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot of 1921 and a notable professor and the first African American woman to enlist in the United States Coast Guard. Dr. Hooker, along with Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree met with members of Congress to reflect on the 91^st anniversary of the riot, and to discuss proposals before Congress that address the need for reconciliation and justice for the aging survivors.

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) opposed H.R. 3541, the "Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2012." Formerly known as the "Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act," the bill jeopardizes women's access to safe, legal medical care and undermines the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) introduced the "Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2012," which would level the playing field between health care professionals and insurance companies in the health care industry and improve the quality of patient care. The Act would eliminate the antitrust immunity provided under the McCarran-Ferguson Act for price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation by health insurance issuers or medical malpractice insurers.

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) joined Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.), House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Democratic Assistant Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and House Committee on Administration Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-Pa.), in introducing the Voter Empowerment Act. Over the past year, states across the country have enacted restrictive voting laws that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to register or vote.

Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, a patent reform bill that President Obama signed into law in September 2011. The Honorable David Kappos, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) testified before the Committee. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the hearing.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the vote on H.R. 4970, a Republican-authored Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill that weakens current laws protecting immigrant crime victims and excludes protections for vulnerable Native American women and LGBT persons contained in a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate.