Steve Cohen

We hold this hearing today to remind America that today there are few things more fiercely urgent than the need to grant clemency to the thousands who suffer from the burdens of excessive and unjust imprisonment, or the collateral…

Not far from here, almost 57 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke movingly to remind America of the fierce urgency of now, because now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

The pursuit of law and order, the encouragement of redemption are not mutually exclusive pursuits. These are quintessential American values.

We should be working together to make Amtrak more attractive to customers, not just miserable when you go in those dining cars.

It is disappointing to see Amtrak eliminate this popular tradition on several of its long-distance routes.

I have been a long-standing supporter of Amtrak--is the threat to the dining car service on Amtrak.

It is imperative that we work as a committee to ensure that airline policies and practices are transparent and reasonable.

The flying public is exasperated, and so are many members of this committee, and I am.

Discontent among airline travelers has been increasing, and it is for a good reason.

What steps is your airline taking to ensure that all these areas are disinfected in between each flight?

And that is the reason why Senator Markey asked me to introduce a bill in the House, which I was proud to do, H.R. 5195, with Chuy Garcia from Illinois, and other transportation colleagues.

We have got to start dealing with the behavior of people.

Animals should not be penalized because other people are abusing the system.

I introduced an Act recently that was the acronym MEAL, M-E-A-L, MEAL, and the MEA is not me, as Kobe Bryant would have thought: Making Essentials Available and Lawful Act.

It's tough to have a smooth path to reentry. There are punitive policies that exist in society that make it harder for individuals to successfully reenter.

I think it has also contributed to that problem.

You are not going to lose your job to a Democrat. You are going to lose your job to someone who is more conservative, and that is the power of outside money.

I believe, having been in Congress now for seven-plus years, that it is dirty money and dirty maps that keeps us in Congress from reaching the consensus that our constituents have reached.

I believe he gave $1 million. Yes, and that was a quid pro quo.

Is there any data you have to show if that has affected Americans' belief that their government is not responsible to them?

But yesterday Mitt Romney, what was an historic day in Congress, showed me that at least one person, at least one person, because they swore their oath to God, it made a difference.

She is a leader in Congress on many, many progressive issues.

Thank you, Mr. Deutch. Very well timed and very well delivered.

I don't find myself in agreement with the ACLU very often, but I think they got that one right.

So, we need to work on that. Emmett Till is one that the country suffers from, and I know there is still an investigation going on and I believe the Department of Justice has reopened that investigation.