Criminal Justice, Civil Rights, and Consumer Protection

The House Judiciary Committee

Congressman Ted Deutch will continue to serve on the House Judiciary Committee in the 117th Congress, which holds jurisdiction over many issues of great importance to our democracy, including justice and the courts, civil rights and liberties, constitutional amendments, and immigration. Ted opposes efforts to use the House Judiciary Committee as a platform for pushing through elements of a divisive and discriminatory agenda that have little to do with the priorities of most Americans. Instead, Ted strongly believes the House Judiciary Committee should more actively pursue efforts to promote fairness in our courts, integrity in our elections, and accountability in government. He will continue to work across the aisle to advance bipartisan legislative priorities, from improving America’s patent system to safeguarding privacy in domestic surveillance programs.

Women's Rights

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Ted is often on the frontlines of attacks on the constitutionally-protected rights of women. He has fought legislative initiatives aimed at weakening access to safe and legal abortion, interfering with the contraception and other private matters between women and their doctors, and rolling back federal funding for women’s preventative health. In 2014, Ted delivered what the national blog ThinkProgress called a “passionate speech” in support of a real women’s agenda that sets aside partisan attacks on women’s health in favor of progress on issues like equal pay for equal work and affordable childcare.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights

Ted is a vocal advocate for equal protection under the law for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. As a proud supporter of LGBT rights, Ted applauded the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which extended marriage equality to same-sex couples nationwide. Ted is also a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, employment, jury service, and other areas. He has also cosponsored legislation to combat bullying and harassment of LGBT students, which detracts from the safe and supportive learning environment that our children deserve in public schools.

Consumer Protection

Ted believes the House Judiciary Committee has an important role to play in protecting consumers from abuse in the financial sector. Representing a large community of retirees, Ted is uniquely concerned about protecting the more than $15 trillion in retirement assets held by seniors nationwide from fraud and abuse. He is the author of the bipartisan Seniors Fraud Prevention Act, which would enhance the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to protect seniors from criminals targeting their assets by peddling fake investment plans, counterfeit billing schemes, and other financial scams. Ted also voted in support of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 to better shield our economy from the kind of risky behavior that led to the financial crisis of 2008, which wiped out 8 million jobs, sent property values plummeting, and left our economy in a deep recession. In the 117th Congress, Ted will continue to fight efforts to roll back Wall Street reform and weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the independent watchdog established by the Obama Administration to look out for everyday consumers in our financial sector.