114th Congress

Chairman Goodlatte: Eighteen months ago, this Committee commenced a “pattern or practice” investigation into the Justice Department’s mortgage lending settlements. We found that DOJ is systematically subverting Congress’s spending power by requiring settling parties to donate money to activist groups. In just the last two years, DOJ has directed nearly a billion dollars to third-parties entirely outside of Congress’s spending and oversight authority. Of that, over half-a-billion has already been disbursed or is committed to being disbursed.

Washington, D.C.  – The House Judiciary Committee has obtained detailed information about the criminal aliens released by the Obama Administration during Fiscal Year 2015. This new information shows that U.S.

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved by a vote of 410-2 the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (S. 1890) to protect American trade secrets from theft. The bipartisan Defend Trade Secrets Act amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to create a federal civil remedy for stealing trade secrets that will help American innovators protect their intellectual property from theft.  Trade secrets include such vital proprietary information as confidential formulas, manufacturing techniques, and even customer lists.

The Email Privacy Act modernizes ECPA to protect Americans’ privacy and public safetyWashington, D.C.  – The House of Representatives today approved by a vote of 419-0 the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699) to protect Americans’ privacy and public safety in the digital age. Nearly 30 years ago, Congress passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 to provide a fair balance between the privacy expectations of American citizens and the legitimate needs of law enforcement agencies.

Chairman Goodlatte: Today we are here to consider S.1890, the “Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016.” This bill puts forward enhancements to our federal trade secrets law, creating a federal civil remedy for trade secret misappropriation that will help American innovators protect their intellectual property from criminal theft by foreign agents and those engaging in economic espionage. This bill will help U.S. competiveness, job creation, and our nation’s future economic security. Our intellectual property laws cover everything from patents, copyrights and trademarks, and include trade secrets.

Chairman Goodlatte: Today is an historic day. Today, the House of Representatives will be the first chamber in Congress to approve legislation that has been pending before the House and Senate for several years to reform and modernize the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, or “ECPA.”  Reforming this outdated law has been a priority for me as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.  I have worked with members of Congress, advocacy groups, and law enforcement agencies for years on many complicated nuances involved in updating this law. Two weeks ago, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously reported a revised version of H.R.

Bill requires the GAO to examine the terrorist watchlist in light of evolving threatsWashington, D.C.  – The House of Representatives today approved by voice vote the No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act (H.R.

Chairman Goodlatte: Across the globe, nations are on alert as the threat of ISIS spreads.  France, Turkey, Belgium and the United States have each been tragically affected by ISIS or ISIS-inspired terror plots. It is imperative that America’s first lines of defense against ISIS and other terror groups are working effectively. H.R. 4240, the No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act, is a common sense bill that requires the U.S. Government Accountability Office to conduct an independent review of the operation and administration of the Terrorist Screening Database (or TSDB), which is sometimes referred to as the terrorist watchlist. The gentlewoman from Texas, Ms.