Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, for the Markup of H.R. 1669, the “Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2016,”by the Committee on the Judiciary

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

While the purpose of H.R. 1669, the “Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2016,” is ostensibly to promote greater transparency in government, I fear that its real purpose is to once again attack the Obama Administration’s integrity.While the purpose of H.R. 1669, the “Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2016,” is ostensibly to promote greater transparency in government, I fear that its real purpose is to once again attack the Obama Administration’s integrity.

The bill would require the Treasury Department to publicly disclose via the Internet various details about payments it makes on claims paid out of the Judgment Fund, most of which is already available on the Department’s website. 

I question the impetus for this bill, which seems to be assertions by some that the Obama Administration’s payment of money to Iran to settle longstanding pre-revolutionary legal claims was somehow illegitimate.  

If that is the case, I reject such a premise.

To begin with, no one can dispute that the Administration’s use of the Judgment Fund to settle Iranian claims against the U.S. earlier this year was perfectly legal.

The State Department negotiated a $1.7 billion deal to settle claims between the U.S. and pre-revolutionary Iran, which included $1.3 billion in interest paid out of the Judgment Fund.

A 1989 Justice Department opinion makes clear that the State Department may seek payment from the Judgment Fund to pay claims or settlements stemming from matters before the U.S.-Iran Claims Tribunal, as was the case here.

Indeed, Professor Paul Figley, the Majority’s own witness, acknowledged that “the Obama Administration had the authority under the Judgment Fund statute to pay and settle the Iranian claim with interest.”

In addition to being perfectly legal, the Obama Administration’s action actually saved American taxpayers billions of dollars.

I know that $1.3 billion sounds like a large sum for interest payments.

The U.S., however, could have owed Iran billions more for over 30 years’ worth of interest on the principal owed to Iran if we had not settled those claims.

The Iran payments demonstrate that the Obama Administration acted prudentially to protect American taxpayers.  

Finally, contrary to what critics claim, the Administration has been fully transparent.

The Iran payments were disclosed to the public at the time they were made.

The Obama Administration announced the Iran payments when they were made in January 2016, and there is no doubt that the Administration made no effort to hide them.

And there is no support for characterizing these payments as “ransom.”

While the Obama Administration has acknowledged that it withheld payments to ensure the Iranians followed through on the release of 4 American prisoners, these negotiations were carried out by separate teams and were unrelated. 

In short, the Obama Administration’s actions regarding the Iran payments, by themselves, do not justify additional scrutiny of the Judgment Fund. 

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Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, for the Markup of HR 5422, A Bill “To Ensure Funding for the National Human Trafficking Hotline,” by the Committee on the Judiciary

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

H.R. 5422 is a bipartisan measure intended to ensure funding for the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

This commonsense bill would direct funding to the Department of Health and Human Services to administer the grant money for this Hotline.

The crime of human trafficking is a terrible scourge that deprives people of their dignity, humanity, and freedom.

Men, women, and children are held against their will. They are often repeatedly beaten, starved, drugged, and forced to perform unspeakable acts under the threat of more brutality against themselves or their loved ones.

Unfortunately, this awful crime continues to grow and spread because many victims are unable or afraid to leave those who hold them captive. Those who are able to escape their captors often fear retribution if they cooperate with law enforcement.

One mechanism Congress established to help the victims of trafficking is the 24-hour, national Hotline operated by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

           

The Hotline provides critical care and attends to the needs of victims and survivors of human trafficking in the United States, its territories, and in more than 200 languages. 

The Resource Center connects victims to services they need immediately -- such as legal advice and safe havens – and to services that can help them recover, including counselors and medical providers. 

The Center not only handles calls from potential trafficking victims, but also from law enforcement officers and officials, medical and legal professionals, legislators, and community members seeking to combat human trafficking.

In 2015, the Center responded to more than 5,500 cases of human trafficking and received approximately 1,500 online reports of suspected human trafficking.

H.R. 5422 simply corrects an error created by an inadvertent change in the funding source for the Hotline made by the Justice for Victims Act of 2015, which mistakenly directed funding for the Hotline to the Justice Department instead of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is the agency actually responsible for funding the Hotline.  

I fully support H.R. 5422 and commend my colleagues – the gentlemen from the State of Texas, Mr. Poe, and the gentlelady also from the State of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee -- for their diligent work on this bill and other efforts to combat human trafficking.

As we look forward to the next Congress, I hope we will continue to find common ground on issues of mutual concern and work together to enact bipartisan bills such as this one.  

Therefore, I urge adoption of this bill today and yield back the balance of my time.

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Congressman John Conyers Invites You To Attend The Veterans Resource Fair 11-19-2016

Congressman John Conyers Invites You To Attend The Veterans Resource Fair 11-19-2016 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Media Advisory: Policing Strategies Working Group to Visit Atlanta & Hold Press Conference

Washington, D.C. – Several members of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to meet with local community leaders and law enforcement to discuss police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. Members of the working group plan to hold a press conference following their private roundtable with community leaders on Friday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Details can be found below.

WHO:
Members of Congress

·         House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

·         Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.)

·         Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.)

·         Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas)

·         Representative David Reichert (R-Wa.)

·         Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

Roundtable Participants

·         George Turner, Chief of Police, Atlanta Police Department

·         John Horn, United States Attorney, Northern District of Georgia

·         Joseph P. Spillane, Chief of Police, Georgia State University

·         Roderick Hughey, Sr., Pastor, Voices of Faith North

·         Nirej Sekhon, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University – College of Law

·         Johnathan Hill, Student Body President, Morehouse University

WHAT:  Press conference following the conclusion of the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group roundtable with community leaders. 

WHEN:  Friday, November 18, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Media with video equipment can begin setup at 1:30 p.m. The press conference will also be streamed live on the House Judiciary Committee Majority’s Facebook page.

WHERE:       Georgia State University – College of Law

                        85 Park Place NE

Room 242

                        Atlanta, GA 30303

RSVP:  Members of the media who wish to attend must RSVP with Jessica Collins atJessica.Collins@mail.house.gov and Shadawn Reddick-Smith at Shadawn.Reddick-Smith@mail.house.gov by Thursday, November 17.

Background on the Working Group: In July 2016, Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers announced the establishment of a working group to examine police accountability, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. The bipartisan working group is in the process of holding a series of roundtables to candidly discuss the issues fueling excessive force used by law enforcement and attacks against police officers. Read Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers’ op-ed on the working group, below.

Examining police-community issues with bipartisan working group

By John Conyers, Jr. and Bob Goodlatte

One does not need a public opinion poll to know that fear and frustration is rampant in many communities across our Nation. Our newsfeeds and TV screens are filled with reports of deadly attacks on police officers and excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. These tragic events have strained race relations and heightened tensions as well as further added to feelings of mistrust between communities and law enforcement. When African-American men and women are pulled over for routine traffic stops, many fear that officers will cause undue harm. And as the men and women in blue head out on their daily patrols, many worry that it may be their last.

It seems as though there are two factions forming: one pro-police and one pro-racial justice. As Members of Congress, we strongly reject this notion of division. The senseless deaths that have occurred over the last several weeks are unconscionable. These incidents must not become the new normal for our communities. 

Just days before his murder, Montrell Jackson, an African-American  police officer, summed up these issues  in a Facebook post: “In uniform I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat…These are trying times.” He further called on his fellow citizens: “Please don’t let hate infect your heart.”

As a Nation, we must heed Officer Jackson’s call and come together to address these tensions so that we can overcome all unjustified acts of violence. Every layer of civil society – neighbors, community leaders, churches, and state and local governments – must confront this matter of vital national importance.

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, we recently established a bipartisan working group to examine the use of force by law enforcement, aggression towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns related to these issues. We are not naïve enough to believe that we can fix this problem by ourselves. However, we can and must devote urgent Congressional attention to these serious problems that must be addressed, and determine what can be done at the federal level to set an appropriate tone. In addition, we need to work with state and local communities to help find the tools they need to do the hard work of improving the relationships between their law enforcement agencies and residents. 

Before Congress adjourned, we and the 10 other members of the working group met for the first time to candidly discuss the issues fueling the current state of distrust between some of the public and law enforcement. Each of us comes from different walks of life and different parts of the country and can learn from one another and our constituents. We plan to hold more meetings when we return to Washington, D.C. in September, but in the meantime, we intend to take action to learn more about the problem and potential solutions from the individuals, law enforcement agencies, and community leaders in our state and local communities.

We plan to listen and talk with a variety of people in our districts who are impacted by this problem: law enforcement, religious and other community leaders, area youth, and mothers and fathers who have lost children to violent crime. We want to hear about people’s own experiences so that we can understand the fears and frustrations of those impacted most by the ongoing tension.

The issues driving the wedge between law enforcement and the public will not be solved overnight and they won’t be solved by the federal government alone. Much of the hard work needs to happen in local communities, but we in Congress acknowledge the gravity of this problem and are committed to finding solutions. There is room for compassion for all the victims of violence on our streets.  We must work together as fellow Americans on this issue so that we live up to our nation’s values of liberty and justice for all. 

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Cummings Calls on Chaffetz to Launch Inquiry into Trump’s So-Called “Blind Trust

Washington, D.C. (Nov. 14, 2016)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Chairman Jason Chaffetz requesting that the Oversight Committee immediately begin conducting a review of President-elect Donald Trump’s financial arrangements to ensure that he does not have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest and that he and his advisors comply with all legal and regulatory ethical requirements when he assumes the presidency.

November 14, 2016

The Honorable Jason Chaffetz

Chairman

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C.  20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

            I am writing to request that the Oversight Committee immediately begin conducting a review of President-elect Donald Trump’s financial arrangements to ensure that he does not have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest and that he and his advisors comply with all legal and regulatory ethical requirements when he assumes the presidency.

            We have never had a president like Mr. Trump in terms of his vast financial entanglements and his widespread business interests around the globe.  Moreover, we have not had a presidential candidate in modern times who has refused to disclose his tax returns to the American people.  Mr. Trump’s unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president.

            Press reports indicate that Mr. Trump will be relying heavily on his children to operate his financial empire, but these same individuals have played a significant role in his presidential campaign and continue to advise Mr. Trump on his transition team.  This is certainly not a “blind trust.”

Congress has put in place several laws to avoid financial conflicts of interest—both actual and perceived.  The Oversight Committee has direct jurisdiction over these financial interest laws and the White House.

For these reasons, I request that the Committee immediately begin a review of these issues and invite appropriate officials designated by Mr. Trump to hear from them directly about their plans.  It is critical that we conduct this review as soon as possible to ensure that these questions are answered prior to Mr. Trump assuming office.

            For the past six years, you and other Republicans in Congress have launched numerous investigations against President Obama and Secretary Clinton, and some of these have been used for partisan political purposes, as Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy admitted regarding the Benghazi Committee.

            Now that Republicans control the White House and Congress, it is incumbent on you and other Republicans to conduct robust oversight over Mr. Trump—not for partisan reasons, but to ensure that our government operates effectively and efficiently and combats even the perception of corruption or abuse.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Elijah E. Cummings

                                                                        Ranking Member

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District 13: U.S. Rep. John Conyers defeats Jeff Gorman

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. will remain the longest-serving member of Congress after pulling off another re-election victory in Michigan’s 13th District on Tuesday.

The race between the 87-year-old Detroit Democrat and his Republican challenger Jeff Gorman was called by the Associated Press on Tuesday with Conyers leading by a margin of 81 to 11 percent.

Gorman, 60, is a retired commercial airline pilot and Naval aviator from Garden City whose platform called for downsizing and simplifying the federal government.

MI: 13RD HOUSE DISTRICT

View Full Results

Updated Nov. 9, at 5:30 a.m.

Conyers (D)*

194,758 votes

77.0%

Gorman (R)

39,242 votes

16.0%

* Incumbent

100% rpt

The district includes western Detroit, River Rouge, Ecorse, Redford Township, Dearborn Heights, Highland Park, Westland, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne and Romulus.

In the August primary, Conyers defeated Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey 61 percent to 39 percent.

Conyers is the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which was formed in 1969.

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Make Election Day a National Holiday

By John Conyers, Jr.

It has been more than 50 years since my friend, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., articulated the dream of a generation. Since then, this nation has made great strides toward the ideal of equality under the law. Nowhere has this progress been more dramatic than in the arena of voting rights.

When voting rights are still endangered, it is crucial to make participation in our democracy more widespread.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

The right to vote is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental pillars of our democracy. However, it has also been subject to a variety of restrictions to manipulate the democratic process. From blatantly discriminatory laws that blocked this right from women and African-Americans, to modern-day voter suppression tactics -- the right to vote has often come under siege.

The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 heralded a new era of political opportunity for African-Americans not seen since Reconstruction. But the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision struck at its heart by suspending the Section 5 pre-clearance which has allowed states to enact a series of voter suppression schemes that disenfranchise voters. Make no mistake, the fight for equal voting rights is ongoing.

In addition to those challenges, in far too many communities and across the political spectrum, voting has been dismissed as a pointless exercise. Some may be too busy; afraid or completely unable to leave work to spend hours at a polling place to cast their vote. Our greatest civic responsibility has even been featured as comic fodder.

The cost of low voter participation for our democracy cannot be measured in financial terms.

That is why I introduced legislation to make Election Day a national holiday. Though some might dismiss an Election Day holiday as being too expensive for our government to afford, the damage caused by low voter participation is a far greater risk.

Everyone deserves an opportunity to have their voice heard by electing the leaders of their choice. Setting aside a day devoted to voting makes the process not only more convenient, but fairer for American citizens and can be the first step in rebuilding and enhancing the image of civic participation. 

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