CONYERS: JOBS REPORT REPRESENTS PROGRESS, BUT AMERICA IS STILL FAR FROM FULL EMPLOYMENT

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman John Conyers (MI-13), founder of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus, released the following statement after the Department of Labor released its jobs report for September 2014:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“Today’s jobs report represents real progress for the American people.  The economy added 248,000 new jobs, and the unemployment rate is now below 6% for the first time since July 2008.  Under President Obama’s leadership, we’ve experienced 55 consecutive months of private-sector job growth.

“While today’s headline unemployment numbers are clear evidence that we’re on the right track, other statistics reveal the need for strong and sustained action. The unemployment rates for African-Americans and young Americans are still in the double digits.  Nearly 19 million people across the country are still searching for full time work.  The percentage of Americans in the workforce remains below pre-recession levels because millions of people have become too discouraged to continue to seek work.  Wages have remained stagnant.  For these reasons, it is important to note that the official unemployment rate does not adequately reflect the lived experience of a large part of the population.

“The policy implications are clear:  The Federal Reserve must hold off on policy changes that deliberately slow the US economy.  Congress must listen to the clear majority of Americans and pass comprehensive legislation to create jobs and boost wages.  From the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment and Training Act (HR 1000) to the updated and upgraded American Jobs Act (HR 2821), there is no shortage of proven and fully paid-for legislative options. 

“President Obama said it best in his speech yesterday at Northwestern University: ‘When the typical family isn’t bringing home any more than it did in 1997, then that means it’s harder for middle-class Americans to climb the ladder of success.’  It’s time to renew focus on achieving full employment, dignified work, and living wages for all Americans.”

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CONYERS APPLAUDS ENACTMENT OF LAW TO FUND TESTING OF DNA SAMPLES TO SOLVE CRIMES

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) applauded the enactment of the “Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2014” (H.R. 4323), which President Obama signed into law yesterday.  This law authorizes funding of nearly $194 million for each of Fiscal Years 2015-2019 for the Department of Justice to administer various grants, including the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in solving rape and other violent crimes. 

The improved awareness that DNA evidence can aid in solving cases has resulted in law enforcement authorities collecting DNA samples in a wider range of cases and has increased demand for this testing, leading to backlogs of unanalyzed samples of DNA connected to crimes.  This law will provide for the continuation of programs which have been instrumental in addressing this backlog.

This Act is named in honor Debbie Smith, the survivor of a brutal rape who had to wait six years for her perpetrator to be identified and convicted due to delay in testing the DNA sample collected following her attack.  On April 7, 2014, prior to consideration of this bill by the House of Representatives, Congressman Conyers joined Debbie Smith and other Members of Congress in calling for reauthorization of this law, noting the success of the existing programs whose authorizations were expiring and the need to continue and expand them. 

Upon enactment of the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2014, Congressman Conyers stated, 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I am pleased that we have been able to enact the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act so that state and local law enforcement can enhance their efforts to reduce and hopefully eliminate the national DNA evidence backlog, and bring to justice the perpetrators of rape and other violent crimes.  I am particularly hopeful that this law will lead to the reduction of the backlog of unanalyzed rape kits in Detroit, a problem that our local officials have been working to address.”

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CONYERS APPLAUDS PRESIDENT’S COMMUNITY CHALLENGE TO BOOST OPPORTUNITY FOR MINORITY YOUTH

DETROIT—Today, President Obama announced the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge, an effort to spur cities, counties, suburbs, rural municipalities, and tribal nations to implement an integrated cradle-to-college and career strategy aimed at improving life outcomes for young people, with special emphasis on boys and young men of color.  The new Community Challenge is a key component of the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which was announced in February and leverages public, private, and nonprofit resources to improve literacy, educational and career opportunities for youth.   Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conoyers, Jr.

“I commend President Obama for his strong and steadfast commitment to closing the Opportunity Gap.   The Community Challenge builds on the findings of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, calling on local leaders to establish actionable plans to boost literacy, create employment opportunities, ensure high school graduation, reduce violent crime, and improve relations between youth and law enforcement.  The Community Challenge creates a framework for leveraging public and private investments to meet concrete objectives related to these priorities.   Today’s announcement represents an essential tool in the effort to close the school-to-prison pipeline. "

“I am especially pleased that the City of Detroit, MI, which I have the honor of representing in the US House of Representatives, has been designated as an “Early Acceptor” of the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge. Through this initiative, parents, educators, elected officials, philanthropies, and business leaders will empower the young people of our community to reach their full potential. "

“At a time when an estimated 5.8 million young Americans are neither in school nor working, we have an urgent obligation to create opportunity for young people.  This month, Senator Bernie Sanders and I introduced the Employ Young Americans Now Act (H.R. 5489) to provide $5.5 billion in grants to states and local governments to provide job opportunities to one million young Americans, and offer job training to hundreds of thousands more.  This is an important complement to the President’s prudent approach."

“I look forward to continuing my work with the Obama administration to ensure the success of the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative and the success of minority youth in Detroit and throughout the nation.”

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CONYERS HAILS NEWLY-ANNOUNCED FEDERAL EFFORTS TO ASSIST DETROIT IN FIGHTING CRIME

DETROIT - Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) hailed two announcements by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that will assist Detroit in fighting crime.  The Justice Department has announced the selection of five cities, including Detroit, as participants in the Violence Reduction Network (VRN).  Additionally, DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office will announce the distribution of the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grants to create and/or preserve law enforcement jobs.  Grants will be distributed to 212 different local law enforcement agencies across the country, which include ten in Michigan,  two of which are in the 13^th Congressional District. 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I am pleased that the Justice Department is increasing its support for Detroit’s effort to make our communities safer.  Detroit’s participation in the Violence Reduction Network will identify new ways in which federal agencies and resources can assist the city in fighting crime,” said Rep. John Conyers, Jr.  “The COPS Program continues to provide assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies across the country, including Detroit.  I have long supported this program because it has proven to put more officers on the beat, thus resulting in job creation and safer streets.”

Through the Violence Reduction Network, the Justice Department will work in partnership with police chiefs, local partners of Detroit and the other four participating cities (Camden, NJ; Chicago, IL; Oakland/Richmond, CA; and Wilmington, DE) to develop effective approaches to reducing violence.  City leaders will have access to leading criminal justice researchers and practitioners and will exchange violence reduction best practices.  The work of the Violence Reduction Network starts today in Washington, DC at a Kickoff Summit which will include collaborative working sessions focused on analyzing each city’s violence challenges and discussing a variety of existing DOJ resources available to address the issues.  Violence Reduction Network cities will participate in regular collaborative sessions with each other and the federal partners through site visits, targeted training, technical assistance and, phone/video conferences with federal law enforcement officials and subject-matter experts.

The COPS Hiring Program provides funding to address the full-time sworn officer needs of state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies nationwide.  CHP grants go directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.  Congressman Conyers has supported and worked to maintain the existence of the COPS Program since its inception in 1994.  Since that time, the program has funded the hiring of more than 123,000 state and local police officers and sheriff’s deputies in communities across America. 

Full list of COPS Hiring Program grants to be distributed in Michigan:

Agency Name                                 Officers Awarded                 Estimated Award Amount

Cadillac Police Department            1                                                             $125,000

Clare City Police                             1                                                            $125,000

Dearborn, City of                            4                                                            $500,000

Detroit Public Schools                    3                                                             $355,400

Department of Public Safety

Harper Woods Police Department  2                                                             $250,000

Lansing Police Department             5                                                             $625,000

Muskegon Heights, City of             1                                                            $125,000

Taylor Police Department               3                                                             $474,639

Waterford, Township of                 1                                                              $125,000

Westland, City of                            4                                                             $500,000

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CONGRESSIONAL FULL EMPLOYMENT CAUCUS CO-CHAIRS ANNOUNCE DISCHARGE PETITION FOR THE AMERICAN JOBS ACT

WASHINGTON – Today, Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) - all co-chairs of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus - announced a discharge petition for H.R. 2821, the American Jobs Act, to compel House Republican leaders to bring the comprehensive package of employment measures to the House floor for a vote. 

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“The American Jobs Act will finally put an end to the painful impacts of the Great Recession,” said Rep. Conyers.  “Despite the progress we have seen in recent employment numbers, there are still more than two applicants for every single job opening.  There are still more than twice as many people among the ranks of the long-term unemployed than there were before the financial crisis struck in 2008.” 

H.R. 2821 is an updated version of President Obama's American Jobs Act, a bill that, according toindependent analysis, would have created 1.9 million jobs and boosted growth by 2% if passed when originally introduced in 2011.  Congressional leaders allowed the bill to expire at the end of the 112^thCongress without bringing it to the floor for a vote.

This critical legislation rewards work and targets job creation through several fully paid-for provisions.  It would cut taxes for working Americans by reinstituting the Making Work Pay Credit, which provides a tax credit equal to 6.2% of earnings and up to a maximum credit of $400 individuals and $800 for couples.  It would also facilitate job-creating infrastructure investment by supporting public-private financing for projects such as airport and air traffic control systems, highway and bridge rehabilitation, and high-speed rail projects.  Lastly, H.R. 2821 would restore emergency unemployment insurance and end sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts that are projected to cost Americans more than 2 million jobs over the next decade.

“Together with Democratic leadership, we are introducing this discharge petition for the American Jobs Act because it is time for Congress to focus on the priority that matters most for the American people: Jobs.  House Republicans should stop protecting corporate welfare and start fighting for American jobs,” said Rep. Wilson. “By putting teachers, police, firefighters, and construction workers back on the job, we can not only improve our employment situation but also boost educational outcomes and perform urgently-needed upgrades to our infrastructure.”

“The American public has told Congress over and over again that it is time to get serious about creating jobs, and the American Jobs Act would do just that,” said Rep. Kaptur. “This jobs bill would put millions of Americans back to work, strengthen our communities, and keep America competitive in our increasingly globalized world. Not only would the American Jobs Act put individuals back to work, it would place them in good paying jobs that provide a high quality of life.  This is the American dream and this Congress must act to pass the American Jobs Act, legislation that can quickly turn around the lives of millions of Americans.”

The Congressional Full Employment Caucus is a coalition of 25 Members of Congress who are committed to ensuring that all Americans who want to work have access to either employment or training.  The Caucus regularly hosts expert economists, academics, and policymakers to identify effective job-creation proposals and implement strategies for their adoption.

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HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE APPROVES THE TRADE SECRETS PROTECTION ACT

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE APPROVES THE TRADE SECRETS PROTECTION ACT

WASHINGTON – Today, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 5233, the Trade Secrets Protection Act by voice vote. 

Introduced on July 28, 2014, the bipartisan Trade Secrets Protection Act, which is sponsored by Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) and Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to create a federal civil remedy for trade secret misappropriation that will help American companies protect their intellectual property from theft.  Trade secrets include such vital proprietary information as confidential formulas, manufacturing techniques, and even customer lists. 

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Howard Coble (R-NC), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. George Holding (R-N.C) released the following joint statement:

“Trade secrets are an increasingly important form of intellectual property that have become more vulnerable to theft as a result of our globalized economy.  As of 2009, the value of trade secrets owned by U.S. companies was estimated to be nearly $5 trillion.  While current federal law protects other forms of intellectual property by providing access to federal courts for aggrieved parties to seek redress, there is no federal option to do so for trade secret theft. The bipartisan Trade Secrets Protection Act seeks to change that by allowing companies to seek civil penalties in order to protect their businesses from those engaging in economic espionage.  H.R. 5233 gives American companies a powerful new tool which will help them compete in an ever-evolving global market."

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REP. CONYERS STATEMENT ON SYRIA VOTE

WASHINGTON— Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) released the following statement after voting in support of the measure to authorize the Obama Administration to train and equip the Syrian rebel army to battle the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL):

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I agree with President Obama that the destabilizing and destructive actions of ISIL demand an American response.  While I am supportive of President Obama’s targeted actions against ISIS to date, I believe our government must be mindful of the unintended consequences inherent in training and equipping fighters in a highly complex foreign conflict.  For this reason, I authored a successful bipartisan amendment to the House’s Defense Appropriations bill this summer, prohibiting the transfer of dangerous shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles known as MANPADs to parties in the Syrian civil war. 

As President Obama uses any authority granted by Congress to train and equip Syrian rebels, I hope he honors the will of the House of Representatives to prevent the dissemination of these and other dangerous weapons in the Middle East and beyond.  

We must remain cognizant that military force is not the solution to the strife afflicting Iraq and Syria.  I continue to oppose the presence of US ground troops in the region.  We must do all we can to eliminate funding sources for ISIL and to support inclusive governance and vigorous dialogue while respecting Iraqi sovereignty.  We must also do what we can to promote a peaceful settlement in Syria and to invest in employment-focused economic development throughout the region.”

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