Today, U.S. Representatives Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Ted Deutch (FL-22), and Mike Quigley (IL-05) reintroduced the "Buyback Our Safety Act," legislation that would create a Department of Justice program to support local gun buyback initiatives. This bill would authorize a new matching grant available for local law enforcement agencies to help offset costs of buyback programs. The bill also requires... Read more »
Today, the House adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021. The amendment would strengthen the 2016 Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights by providing survivors the right to be informed of the status and location of sexual assault evidence collection kits. Survivors are empowered by greater transparency into how their ki... Read more »
Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) in introducing the Empowering Law Enforcement for Safer Firearm Transfers Act. The legislation would enable local law enforcement to block the sale or transfer of any weapon regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) if law enforcement determines that an individual poses a danger to themselves or others, or i... Read more »
Today, the House of Representatives adopted the conference report for the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act, which included amendments offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) regarding the proposed elimination of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government-wide backlog of security clearance adjudications, and the loopholes that still allow servicemembers who have been convi... Read more »
Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, sent letters to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) referring public reports of alleged financial wrongdoing by the National Rifle Association (NRA). “Public reporting of self-deali... Read more »
Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Peter King (R-NY), and Mike Turner (R-OH) introduced H.R. 4264, the Safe Homefront Act, to ensure that no U.S. servicemember with a felony-level domestic violence conviction is able to legally purchase firearms. This bipartisan legislation would codify and strengthen the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policies regarding the reporting of domestic violence convictions and... Read more »
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson (D-CA) and 213 Members of the House Democratic Caucus in writing to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to demand he immediately call the Senate back into session to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. Both these bipartisan bills we... Read more »
Last night, the House of Representatives adopted a bipartisan amendment offered by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Congressman Peter King (R-NY) that would ensure the FBI has the information it needs to keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers. Specifically, the amendment would codify and strengthen the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policies regarding the reporting of domestic viol... Read more »
Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, led House Democrats in sending a letter urging the House Committee on Appropriations to deny funds for the implementation of President Trump’s government reorganization plan and the proposed merger of Office of Personnel Mana... Read more »
I have heard from many federal employees who are either furloughed or working without pay since the shutdown began. The current situation is a true hardship on our dedicated civil servants and their families and I will continue to support legislation and actions that will bring do everything possible to fund and reopen the government. To date, I have supported numerous bills that together would fu... Read more »