“Mr. Speaker, as much as any member in this body, I appreciate the unique situation our Nation is in as we struggle to effectively combat terrorism, while adhering to our Nation’s commitment to freedom and liberty. “I fully recognize and appreciate that the visa waiver bill before us today represents an effort to craft a more bipartisan response to recent terrorist incidents, particularly when com... Read more »
On a bipartisan basis, the House Judiciary Committee has been working on several bills to improve our broken criminal justice system. These bills will insure that our federal criminal laws and regulations are effectively and appropriately enforced, operate with fairness and compassion, protect individual freedom, safeguard civil liberties, work as efficiently as possible, do not impede state effor... Read more »
Wednesday, December 9, 2015 Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security 1:00 p.m. in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building Hearing on: Oversight of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Witness: The Honorable Leon Rodriguez, Director, USCIS Click here to read Director Rodriguez's testimony. Read more »
“As of this morning, the bill has earned 304 cosponsors—191 Republicans, 113 Democrats, and 27 members of the House Judiciary Committee. What do all of these members have in common? “First, we all agree that the Electronic Communications Privacy Act is outdated and provides unjustifiably inconsistent standards for government access to our stored communications. “This statute continues to serve as ... Read more »
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 10:00 a.m. Full Committee Hearing H.R. 699, the “Email Privacy Act” Witnesses: Mr. Andrew J. Ceresney, Director, Division of Enforcement, United States Securities and Exchange Commission Mr. Richard W. Littlehale, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigation Division, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Mr. Steven Cook, President, Board of Directors, National Associa... Read more »
Today, U.S. Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee, and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Ranking Member on the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, issued the following statement marking the one-year anniversary of the President’s Executive Actions to fix our broken immigration system and after the Department of Justice filed a petition to seek... Read more »
“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4038, the so-called ‘American SAFE Act,’ purports to make us safer. “But, as the Administration correctly observes, this measure ‘would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people.’ “Worse yet, it would effectively deny refugee status for Syrians and Iraqis who are themselves victims of terrorism in their homelands. “H.R. 4038 is a terribly flawed and inhu... Read more »
“This hearing, which focuses on the Syrian refugee crisis and its impact on the security of our Nation’s Refugee Admissions Program, has the potential to shed meaningful light on critical issues of interest to all Americans. “Unfortunately and with all due respect to our witnesses, the value of today’s undertaking is greatly diminished by the fact that immediately following the conclusion of this... Read more »
The House Judiciary Committee today approved by voice vote bipartisan legislation to reform federal sentencing laws. The Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713) – authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), Congressman ... Read more »
“H.R. 3713, the ‘Sentencing Reform Act,’ responds to the growing recognition, in our states and now in Congress, that we must make meaningful reforms to various aspects of our criminal justice system – particularly mandatory minimum sentencing. “As with any policy, it is our responsibility in Congress to examine the facts and make adjustments from time-to-time, and the facts demand that we take a... Read more »