Press Releases

Nadler, Jackson Lee Blast Hearing Held to Undermine Critical Reforms to School Discipline & Ignore Need to Strengthen Gun Laws

Washington, DC, March 20, 2018

Watch Here

Today, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland, Security, and Investigations conducted a hearing examining school safety issues and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) inadequate response to tips concerning the man who shot and killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14.  Among the issues examined in the hearing, Republicans focused on the reform of school disciplinary policies by Broward County, Florida in 2013 and guidance on school discipline issued by the Obama Administration in 2014, emphasizing the duty of schools to comply with civil rights laws. 

Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) released the following statement after the hearing:

“On a day when our country has suffered yet another horrific school shooting, Judiciary Committee Republicans held a hearing that did not consider how to address dangerous flaws in our gun laws, but instead sought to blame commendable efforts to reform school disciplinary policies for the Parkland, Florida school shooting.  School disciplinary policies and practices should be unbiased, but many have not been and reforms to address discrimination based on race, color, and national origin are long overdue.  If statistics show that the imposition of certain forms of discipline have dropped in some districts, we would only hope that those who called for this hearing would at least consider that the reforms are achieving their intended, constructive purpose of making these policies more fair, while not reducing student safety.  To suggest otherwise and, furthermore, to claim that reducing bias in school discipline has led to the terrible tragedy in Florida last month, is offensive.” 

On March 7, 2018, during a House Judiciary Committee markup, Ranking Member Nadler called for the House Judiciary Committee to address gun violence in America.

On February 21, 2018, all House Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Nadler, urged Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to bring gun violence prevention legislation before the House Judiciary Committee for a vote.

On November 7, 2017, Judiciary Democrats sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte to request that the Committee’s ATF briefing be conducted as a public hearing, and that the FBI be included to discuss background check issues. 

On November 1, 2017, all House Judiciary Democrats sent a letter to Chairman Bob Goodlatte, urging him to hold hearings on gun violence in America.

On October 2, 2017, immediately following the Las Vegas shooting, Judiciary Democrats sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte to renew their call for hearings on these issues.