I think that your philosophy and experience combine to give you a very good platform for advocating.

The Affordable Care Act makes critical reforms to our Nation's health care system and will help millions of uninsured Americans to gain access to affordable health insurance.

Voluntary agreements, intellectual property law, should facilitate technological advances, while at the same time, protecting creators.

Although these voluntary agreements have been a positive step, we must continue to develop solutions to address digital piracy.

We must protect copyright owners because it is their property that forms the basis of the entire scheme.

We must enact policies that protect consumers and safeguard competition.

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 232, noes 183, not voting 18, as follows: [Roll No. 445] AYES--232…

This afternoon, I attended a meeting at the White House with the President of the United States. As such, I was unfortunately not able to be present for the following vote: On final passage of H.R. 2879, had I been present, I would have…

And my colleagues, I rise today because our Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act is insufficient to maintain our national transportation infrastructure and invest properly in community development and safe, affordable housing. This…

I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, this amendment will not stop the proper use of the PATRIOT Act or stop the FISA authorities from conducting terrorism and intelligence investigations. I'd never…

One thing that concerns me is that sometimes we manage to keep the DREAMers in and there seems to be a growing tendency in that direction in the Congress.

The shooting death of Trayvon Martin and subsequent acquittal of his killer by an all white jury is an echo of this nation's past that the African-American community is shocked to experience in the 21st century. It harkens back to the…

No one should be at risk of prosecution, conviction and imprisonment for engaging in actions that are not inherently blameworthy unless he or she knew that the act involved was illegal.

In fact, without an articulated mens rea standard, it may not even be clear that a crime has even been committed.

a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system is that an individual should not be subjected to prosecution and conviction unless he or she intentionally engages in wrongful conduct or conduct that they knew was unlawful.

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary.

A fundamental principle of our criminal justice system is that an individual should not be subjected to prosecution and conviction unless he or she intentionally engages in wrongful conduct or conduct that they knew was unlawful.

the lack of mens rea standard presents a real risk that truly innocent individuals may be wrongly convicted and punished.

The omission of mens rea essentially sets citizens up to be ambushed.

Unfortunately, Congress has increasingly strayed from this basic principle as evidenced by the fact that federal criminal law is no longer limited to crimes that are readily recognizable.

We must use this opportunity to promptly craft a legislative solution that enables the Justice Department to effectively enforce the rights of minority voters.

The Voting Rights Act is the crown jewel of our Nation's civil rights laws.

I and many of my colleagues, most legal commentators were deeply disappointed by the Court's 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder.

Without question, the Act has been an unqualified success, helping rid our Nation of legal barriers to voting discrimination.

Fortunately, Congress can solve these problems by updating the Voting Rights Act.