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Randy
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December 05, 2012
California Senator Dianne Feinstein released a report last week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office: Facilities and Factors for Consideration If Detainees Were Brought to the United States. Senator Feinstein touted the report as proof that the U.S. could handle the detainees if the U.S. were to close military detention facilities at its Naval Station in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
“Since 2002, the United States has operated detention facilities in Guantánamo Bay to hold individuals detained during overseas counterterrorism operations. In 2009 the President directed the closure of these facilities within 1 year,” says the report. “Since then, a number of statutes have prohibited the transfer of Guantánamo Bay detainees to the United States. GAO was asked to review existing U.S. facilities and identify factors to be considered in the event that restrictions were lifted and Guantánamo Bay detainees were transferred to the United States.” The GAO report lists six correctional facilities operated by the Department of Defense, including Naval Consolidated Brig Chesapeake, which are equipped to confine prisoners for more than one year. Since 2009, Congressman Forbes has introduced and sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to prevent the transfer of detainees to Virginia and the rest of the United States. Congressman Forbes introduced legislation, H.R. 1638, to prohibit the use of federal funds to transfer detainees to locations in Virginia. Mr. Forbes was also a cosponsor of H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act and H.R. 1186, which prohibited the use of funds to transfer individuals detained Guantanamo Bay to facilities in Virginia. All these provisions were incorporated into the last three National Defense Authorization Acts and passed as law. Question of the week: Do you support the continuation of current law, which prohibits detainees from Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to prisons in the United States? ( ) Yes ( ) No ( ) I don't know ( ) Other (Leave your comments below) Take the poll here. Find out the results of last week’s instapoll here. Find out the results of my instapoll about the “Fiscal Cliff” here.
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Randy
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June 28, 2012
Today, I voted in favor of two resolutions recommending that the House of Representatives find Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The criminal contempt resolution authorizes a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. The civil contempt resolution allows the Oversight and Government Reform to seek a civil enforcement action to force compliance with the subpoena, in the event that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia does not move forward. To read the full report from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, click below.
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Randy
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March 28, 2012
After 25 weeks of demanding physical and mental training, twenty-two men and women graduated from the Chesapeake Police Academy and were sworn in as police officers for the City of Chesapeake last week. I was honored to be invited to their graduation ceremony as the keynote speaker.
The safety of our community depends on the vigilance and sacrifice of our law enforcement officers and we owe them our gratitude for their commitment to careers of service. Here are some photos from the graduation ceremony of the 57th session of the Chesapeake Police Academy.
Posted by
Randy
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January 31, 2012
The House of Representatives may be moving closer to a vote on making English the nation’s official language. Chairman Lamar Smith of the House Judiciary Committee that handles immigration issues said this week that he would consider moving legislation forward through his committee.
I have cosponsored both the English Language Unity Act (H.R. 997) and the National Language Act (H.R. 1164) that would require all official business of the United States to be conducted in English. Read more about them here. Do you think the House should move forward in a vote to make English the official language? Weigh in below.
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Randy
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October 12, 2011
We could see some movement on legislation to promote job creation and reduce burdensome regulations. This week, the House Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member, will hold a mark-up of H.R. 10, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. I am a cosponsor of this legislation, which would require that Congress take an up-or-down vote on every new major rule before it could be enforced on businesses and the American people. The bill would provide much-needed certainty for American businesses owners who are often hamstrung due to constantly changing regulations coming out of Washington. You can read more about it here. You can read the full bill text here. If the bill is reported favorably out of the Judiciary Committee, the next step would be a vote by the full House of Representatives. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the bill's status as it is considered in committee this week.
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Randy
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July 15, 2011
Child pornography is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, increasing an average of 150% per year. The Justice Department estimates that there are now more than one million pornographic images of children on the Internet. The Department also estimates that one-third of the world’s pedophiles involved in organized pornography rings live in the United States.
As it stands now, investigators do not have adequate tools to track down these pedophiles that prey on our nation's children. We owe it to our nation’s most vulnerable citizens to make sure this issue is addressed. I am proud to cosponsor legislation to help investigators track down dangerous pedophiles and protect children from sexual exploitation. The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 (H.R. 1981) directs Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to retain subscriber information for up to 18 months in order to assist federal law enforcement in online child pornography and child exploitation investigations. H.R. 1981 also makes it a federal crime to financially facilitate the sale, distribution and purchase of child pornography. The bill increases the maximum penalty for certain child pornography offenses. This week, the Judiciary Crime Subcommittee, of which I am a member, held a hearing on the bill with Mr. Ernie Allen, the President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Sheriff Mike Brown of Bedford County, Virginia and other key witnesses. You can watch video footage of that hearing here.
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Randy
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July 12, 2011
Two weeks ago, the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – the agency that is supposed to remove illegal and criminal immigrants – issued a memo that could potentially make millions of deportable illegal and criminal immigrants eligible for administrative amnesty. The memo was sent to the field, telling agency officials how to exercise “prosecutorial discretion” such as granting deferred action, “deciding whom to stop, question, or arrest,” deciding “who to detain,” and “dismissing” a removal proceeding. The ICE memo ordered agency officials to consider factors such as:
Last year, a similar draft memo written by top officials at ICE suggested that the agency take steps to legalize illegal immigrants through deferred action or parole to an unrestricted number of illegal immigrants.
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Randy
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July 07, 2011
The Obama Administration will prosecute a Somali accused of ties to two Islamist militant groups in civilian court in New York, according to an article in the New York Times. Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame was charged with nine counts related to accusations that he provided support to the Shabab in Somalia and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen.
You can read the full article here. I have long said that transferring terrorist detainees to America for trial is not in the best interest of the United States and the War on Terror. Congress as a whole has spoken many times about this issue, making clear that the transfer of terrorists to U.S. soil must be prevented. In fact, Section 1039 of the House-passed FY 2012 NDAA would explicitly prohibit these types of transfers to the United States. Last year, my motion to prevent the transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States passed the House of Representatives. The Administration’s action in bringing Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame to civilian court in New York squarely contradicts Congress and the will of the American people on this issue, and it is unacceptable. I want to know what you think. Do you believe terrorist detainees should be brought to the U.S. for trial? Are you concerned that the Administration is contradicting Congress and the will of the American people on this issue?
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Randy
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June 10, 2011
Last November, Liu Xiaobo became the first Chinese citizen to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for calling on China to improve its human rights violations record. Since the announcement of Xiaobo’s award, Xiaobo has remained in prison serving out an 11-year sentence for his criticism of the government, while his wife has been under house arrest with almost no contact with the outside world. I believe that China’s ongoing crackdown against political dissidents and their families violates fundamental, universal human rights. · Develops congressional strategies to promote and defend internationally recognized human rights norms; In addition to being a Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I also serve as the founder and co-chairman of the Congressional China Caucus, which seeks to highlight the increasingly influential role of China across the Asia Pacific. You can learn more about the caucus and our work here.
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Randy
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June 01, 2011
As Benjamin Franklin left the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was approached by a woman who was curious as to what the new government would look like. Franklin replied, “A republic, Madam. If you can keep it.”
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SEARCH BLOGRECENT POSTS12/21/2012 - Question of the Week: In light of last week’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which of the following statements represent your views?12/14/2012 - Protecting children from exploitation 12/05/2012 - Question of the week: Do you support the continuation of current law, which prohibits detainees from Guantanamo Bay from being transferred to prisons in the United States? 11/30/2012 - Question of the week: Given China’s growing military capabilities, do you consider China…. 11/21/2012 - A Thankgiving Prayer by Rev. Peter Marshall 11/20/2012 - Question of the week: Do you think Israel has the inherent right to defend itself from Hamas rocket attacks? ARCHIVESBy YearBy Issue
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