Last Wednesday August 15th, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted issued a directive requiring specific rules and operating hours for county boards of elections. Specifically, the directive eliminated early voting on weekends, and barred all boards of elections from being open on Columbus Day. The directive further raised questions about postage being paid for on absentee ballot envelopes. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio) released this statement in response:
Yesterday, the Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on "H.J. Res. 110, an Amendment to the Constitution Concerning Parental Rights and Education." In numerous cases, the Supreme Court has long recognized the relationship between parent and child as a fundamental right. H.J. Res. 110 would not provide any additional protections or recognition not already afforded to this important bond by the Supreme Court. Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement in response to the hearing.
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.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) commented on today's announcement that the federal government and 49 state attorneys general have reached a $25 billion settlement agreement with the Nation's five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released the following statement in advance of the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, which falls on tomorrow January 21. The Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case wiped out a century of legal precedent, granting corporations the same free speech rights as individuals and allowing for unlimited spending by corporations and special interests on political campaigns.
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1021, the "Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011." The bill extends by 5 years the authorizations for 30 temporary bankruptcy judgeships in 20 judicial districts around the country. Included in the bill is an amendment authored by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) which provided for the extension of many additional temporary judgeships across the country, including one in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on "Constitutional Limitations on States' Authority to Collect Sales Taxes." In the 1992 Quill Decision, the Supreme Court struck down a North Dakota law that required an out-of-state business to remit sales taxes on in-state customers because the business in question did not have a substantial enough presence in the state. However in the opinion, the Justices specifically stated that Congress is in a better position to resolve the issue and possessed the Constitutional authority to do so.
Today, the House of Representatives rejected H.J. Res. 2, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, when the measure failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote necessary for adoption. The amendment did not include any explicit guarantees to protect Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security; would have required federal government outlays not to exceed receipts; and would have required a two-thirds super majority to raise the debt ceiling. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement in response to the House's action:
Today, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) opposed the passage of H.R. 822, the "National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011." The bill overrides the laws of almost every state by requiring 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.
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, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Previously, the Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on H. J. Res 1, a balanced budget amendment, which the Full Committee subsequently reported. During the hearing, the majority's witnesses, including former U.S.attorney general and Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, acknowledged that they could not support a balanced budget amendment as reported by the House Judiciary Committee. Following the hearing, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement:
Today, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) said that the Democratic Staff of the House Judiciary Committee will review allegations that News Corporation ("News Corp.") has engaged in serious and systemic invasions of privacy. News Corp. is a United States media corporation with international operations.
Today, Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) and Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) released a GAO report confirming reports that mortgage servicers had been fraudulently signing or notarizing affidavits allowing the completion of foreclosures without any personal knowledge of the cases, a process more commonly referred to as "robo-signing."
Forum on: The Impact of Budget Proposals on Justice, Job Creation, Public Safety and Constitutional Rights
Today, House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) rose on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 514 which would extend, until December 8, 2011, the three expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act. H.R. 514 is being considered today for House passage, without any hearings, markups, nor the opportunity for amendments that would have allowed for necessary bipartisan reform measures to be enacted.
Last Congress, after holding several hearings and a two-day markup, Mr. Conyers led the House Judiciary Committee to report a revised version of the Patriot Act that included real reform.
Below is the Floor speech Mr. Conyers delivered today:
Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, joined by the other fifteen Democrats on the Committee, today asked Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to hold hearings on gun safety in the wake of the recent Tucson shootings.
"It is more important than ever that we examine our gun safety laws and regulations," said Conyers. "It is simply common sense to limit the availability of high capacity magazines, and ensure that individuals banned by law from owning firearms are, in fact, prevented from buying guns."
The full text of the letter is attached.