Hank Johnson

Over the past several Congresses, I have worked closely with my colleague, Representative Howard Coble, on a common sense solution to simplify and reduce taxes for so many Americans.

I have long supported leveling the playing field when it comes to sales tax collections.

I find it fortuitous that as I assume the Ranking Member position, the Subcommittee turns to addressing state taxation issues.

Today I rise in solidarity with the people of Bahrain as they mark the third anniversary of the February 2011 popular protest. More than 200,000 people took to the streets to demand basic human rights and government protection. Sadly, this…

I think all would agree that retrospective review is a good idea.

I have such great respect and admiration for you. You have been a vocal supporter of civil rights, being an initial cosponsor of the Voting Rights Amendments Act.

Just as we could predict that Karl Rove and the Koch brothers are in favor of fewer rules.

I am particularly disappointed with the process and substance of today's hearing, which is my first as Ranking Member.

Unfortunately, the so-called SCRUB Act... appears to be a one-way ratchet with the sole aim of prioritizing costs over benefits.

As a member of the Safe Climate Caucus, I urge my Republican colleagues to lift their heads from the sand so that they can see the effects of climate change throughout our country. Scientists agree that climate change is causing the…

Today I rise in honor of 5- year-old Morgan Steward, who, despite suffering from spinal muscular atrophy that affects his muscle movement and leaves him in a wheelchair, has been an inspiration to us all. Some may question whether…

I urge my Republican colleagues to recognize the devastating consequences of air pollution, which is causing, or at least contributing to greatly, the drastic changes in the Earth's climate. Last year we experienced severe record-setting…

I thank you, Mr. Fattah. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my distinguished colleagues in a tribute to the life of President Nelson Mandela. I do so with a heavy heart. The people of South Africa and the world at large have lost a great…

Americans are overwhelming in support of a path to citizenship.

About 50 percent of all detainees are held in private detention centers.

I believe that our whole detention--immigration, detention setup is just a way for private industry to make money.

Are we going to continue to sacrifice the liberty of immigrants?

This is about a moral dilemma that we face in this country.

If you want to cut the budget, you want to cut food stamps. But yet, last year alone, we appropriated nearly $18 billion to immigration enforcement agencies.

So prior to 1934, there was something called the ``conformity principle,'' which held that Federal Court procedures should be in accordance with the States wherein those Federal Courts sat; but that proved to be unworkable, so the rules…

I think it is time this morning to reveal a little bit of truth. We have had reports of trolls just running through the marketplace of America. Trolls--you know those, the ones that hang out under bridges and scare you when you were a…

This hearing is pure political theater. It is a farce plain and simple.

Thank you. Asbestos victims who seek compensation for their injuries should retain the same privacy protections as other patients, as well as other people who make claims for personal injury.

How do you determine claimants individually with that level of information that you just described?

Through executive actions, President Obama has already worked with the Patent Office to improve the quality of patents by tightening functional claiming.