Media

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5325, the Fiscal Year 2017 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. This bill appropriates $1.19 billion for the operations of the House of Representatives, as well as $2.29 billion for other legislative branch agencies and programs affiliated with the House, like the Capitol Police, the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the Government Printing Office. The bill also includes report language that seeks to force the Library of Congress to continue using the term “illegal aliens.” This provision is in response to the Library’s March 2016 decision to replace this term with the words “noncitizens” and “unauthorized immigration” after a lengthy review process determined “alien” to be pejorative and recommend it’s use be discontinued. Due to the inclusion of this provision, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted against the bill. She released the following statement:

Today, Creative Rights Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Judy Chu (CA-27) and Representative Doug Collins (GA-09) hosted a panel on the process and impact of taking a movie from script to screen. The panelists, all women and men who brought the Academy Award®-winning film Spotlight to life, included Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers; Ben Bradlee, Jr. and Mike Rezendes, The Boston Globe; John Slattery, Mad Men, Spotlight, Veep; Stephen H. Carter, Production Designer, Birdman, Spotlight; and Liz Biber, EVP, Publicity, Open Road Films. Reps. Chu and Collins released the following statements: "Movies like Spotlight help to move, educate and inspire us, and along with other copyright industries they also contribute over $1 trillion to our GDP each year. This would not be possible without the hundreds of people who spent countless hours scripting, pitching, designing, acting, building, and more," said Rep. Chu. "But without intellectual property protections, movies like Spotlight become harder to make and the below the line artists and craftsmen and women are the ones who suffer the most. That is why it is so important to host events like today’s that help educate Congress on the importance of these industries, how many people are involved, and how we can support them.” “The American film and television industry is a testament to the power of creativity and innovation,” said Rep. Collins. “The ideas these talented individuals bring to our televisions and movie screens are not only captivating and entertaining, but also challenge us with new stories and perspectives. It takes a great deal of hard work and long hours from many people, doing a diverse array of jobs, to make this industry thrive. Ideas have value, both economically and culturally, and are worth protecting. We must ensure intellectual property protections from theft and piracy, so as not to discourage future generations from pursuing creative careers that contribute so much to our country. I am proud that many filmmakers, directors, actors, and production staff have chosen Georgia as their creative home base, because the jobs created by their industry help grow our economy, both locally in Georgia and across the country. I thank my Creative Rights Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Chu for joining me today to make this event happen, and I thank the panelists for taking time to share their expertise on bringing movies from ‘script to screen’.”

Today, leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) sent a letter to Airlines for America President Nicholas Calio calling for clearer guidance on racial profiling. The letter comes after a series of recent incidents on airlines where perceived or actual Muslim and Arab Americans were suspected of terrorism or asked to deplane without concrete evidence. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of CAPAC, released the following statement:

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) adopted language requesting the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General to investigate whether there exists a pattern or practice of using race, national origin, and other civil rights classifications to target Federal employees and other Americans. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) pushed for the language following recent high-profile arrests of Chinese-American scientists wrongfully accused of espionage only to have those charges later dropped. The amendment, offered by Rep. Mike Honda, the Ranking Member of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, was adopted by voice vote and included into the CJS Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) adopted language requesting the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General to investigate whether there exists a pattern or practice of using race, national origin, and other civil rights classifications to target Federal employees and other Americans. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) pushed for the language following recent high-profile arrests of Chinese-American scientists wrongfully accused of espionage only to have those charges later dropped. The amendment, offered by Rep. Mike Honda, the Ranking Member of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, was adopted by voice vote and included into the CJS Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Chair of CAPAC, released the following statement: