Government Oversight (112th Congress)

This morning, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "The Obama Administration's Abuse of Power":

"Mr. Chairman, I have and continue to enjoy a respectful relationship with you and deeply appreciate the manner in which you have chaired this committee over the last two years. However, I must respectfully observe that the title for today's hearing-'the Obama Administration's Abuse of Power'-is unnecessarily open-ended and provocative, and would ask that you withdraw the hearing title from the official record.

(DETROIT)-Last week, a three-judge District Court in D.C. blocked onerous legislation requiring an individual to show a photo identification before casting a ballot in an election. The court found the law to be discriminatory, and would effectively limit the right to vote of minorities and poor voters. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement following the court's decision:

"I applaud the decision by the District Court in D.C. to block the reprehensible voter ID law," said Conyers. "The court was correct in recognizing the discriminatory impact that voter ID requirements have on minority voters, amounting to voter suppression.

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights at a hearing entitled "Ending Racial Profiling in America." He spoke to the need for Congress to enact his legislation to end racial profiling by law enforcement and the importance of community based policing as means to not only stop crime but to also protect citizens' civil rights. Ranking Member Conyers is the lead House cosponsor of H.R. 3618, the "End Racial Profiling Act."

Today the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on "Executive Overreach: The President's Unprecedented 'Recess' Appointments". The hearing's purpose is to examine President Obama's recent recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and 3 members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). President Obama resorted to recess appointments in the face of a concerted effort by a minority of Senators to block his nominations, not on the basis of the nominees' qualifications, but to prevent the proper functioning of the government agencies whose purpose they do not support.

– Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MIch.) joined his colleagues Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Robert Brady (D-Pa.) as an original cosponsor of H.R. 4010, the DISCLOSE Act of 2012, a bill to require the disclosure of corporate and special interest money in politics. In the 2010 Citizens United case, the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional limits Congress placed on independent spending by corporations for political purposes.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a consolidated case involving recent changes to Texas' congressional district map. According to the 2010 census, Texas gained more than 4 million new residents with much of the growth occurring in the state's African American and Latino population. Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), Texas must seek preclearance from the Department of Justice for changes to its congressional district map to ensure against retrogression – that minority voters are not worse off under the new plans.

Today, the House of Representatives approved a Senate amendment to H.R. 1059, a bill authored by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.). H.R. 1059, as amended, extends by six years the authority of the Judicial Conference of the United States to redact personal and sensitive information from financial disclosure reports filed by judges and judicial branch employees, such as the filer's home address or spouse's workplace address. Ranking Member Conyers released the following statement in response to the House's action:

Today, the House of Representatives began consideration of a series of bills aimed at disrupting the regulatory process that is responsible for protecting the health and safety of millions of Americans. H.R. 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act, H.R. 3010, the Regulatory Accountability Act, and H.R. 10, the REINS Act all will undermine a host of regulatory protections. These protections range from food, product and workplace safety standards to financial fraud prevention rules.

Forum Documentation

• 11/14/2011 - Brennan Center for Justice Report on Voting Law Changes in 2010
• 11/14/2011 - Dear Colleague on Voting Forum on "/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/documents/DearColleague111114.pdf">The Impact of Recent State Voting Law Changes"
• 11/14/2011 - Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Interactive State Voter Suppression Map of Shame

  Letters

Today, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) joined Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Judy Chu (D-Calif.), and House Administration Committee Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-Pa.) in a letter urging the elections administration officials of all 50 states to protect the voting rights of all citizens. The letter is in response to recent changes to state voter identification and registration laws nationwide that include:

Today, the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement voted to authorize the subcommittee chairman to issue a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following a request from Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX.) for sensitive law enforcement data related to persons who have come into contact with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE). Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement at the subcommittee's meeting:

Today, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) participated in a roundtable forum on intercollegiate athletics entitled "Hypocrisy or Hype? The Impact of Back-Room Deals, Payoffs, and Scandals in American Collegiate Student Athletics" organized by Representative Bobby Rush (D-ILL.). The forum's panel consisted of experts in the fields of sports journalism and economics, the president of the National College Players Association, a former sports agent, and the mothers of two former college athletes. The panelists focused the discussion on the current policies governing intercollegiate athletics and their detrimental impact on student athletes and their families.

Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on H.R. 3010, the "Regulatory Accountability Act," which would amend the Administrative Procedure Act in numerous ways that would effectively halt agency rulemaking, undermining critical public health and safety rules. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released the following statement in response to the hearing:

Today, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing on H.R. 822, the "National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011." The bill would override the laws of almost every state by obligating each to accept concealed handgun carry permits from every other state, even if the permit holder would not be allowed to obtain such a permit or carry a gun in the state in which he or she is traveling. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement in response to the hearing: