Press Releases
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Votes to Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee voted to pass H.R. 1585 a bipartisan, robust, long-term Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. The landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 ushered in transformative progress by calling for the protection of all Americans from violence and abuse, and working to ensure all victims and survivors have the support they need. This critical reauthorization will safeguard and further build upon these life-saving protections for women … Continue Reading
March 31, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Statement on the Passing of Father Jay Matthews
Oakland, CA - Congresswoman Lee released the following statement in response to news of the passing of Father Jay Matthews: "It is with a heavy heart that I offer my prayers and extend condolences to Father Jay Matthews' family, friends, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, and the Cathedral of Christ the Light congregation upon his passing. Father Jay and I were personal friends - and like for so many, he was there for me in good times and bad times. "Father Jay lived a life of both … Continue Reading
March 28, 2019
As Part of Women’s History Month, Reps. Lee & Gonzalez Lead Bipartisan Effort to Issue Quarters Honoring Prominent American Women
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) introduced legislation directing the U.S. Treasury to issue quarters, one from each of the 50 states and the U.S. territories, to honor women who have made significant contributions to America. The bill, entitled Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act, would have the governor or executive of each state or territory recommend a design to the Treasury, … Continue Reading
March 27, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Celebrates the Passage of Paycheck Fairness Act
Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Paycheck Fairness Act. "This is a huge step forward for working women. More than five decades after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it is outrageous that the average woman still makes only 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man. The Paycheck Fairness Act is about a simple principle: women and men working the same job deserve the same pay. But this is more than just a … Continue Reading
March 26, 2019
Rep. Barbara Lee, Sen. Mazie Hirono Introduce the Women And Climate Change Act
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Women and Climate Change Act of 2019, to develop coordinated strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change on women and girls around the world. "Women make up the majority of the world's poor and are especially vulnerable to abrupt changes in the environment - yet all too often they are excluded from key policy decisions," said Congresswoman Lee. "As climate change worsens, … Continue Reading
March 22, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Statement on the Conclusion of the Mueller Investigation
Washington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Lee released the following statement in response to the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the president: "The questions probed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller go to the very core of our democracy. The American people deserve to know whether foreign powers interfered in our elections - and whether there were illegal attempts to obstruct federal investigators from determining the answer. It is imperative that Attorney … Continue Reading
March 21, 2019
Congresswomen Lee, DeLauro Introduce the End Diaper Need Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro introduced the End Diaper Need Act of 2019. This legislation would create a $100 million demonstration program for distributing free diapers and diapering products in states, communities, and nonprofits around the nation to help reduce the diaper need in low-income families and underserved communities. Eligible entities would have discretion on how to implement the program, and how to best distribute diapers to … Continue Reading
March 14, 2019
Reps. Lee, Hurd, Lead Bipartisan Letter Opposing Secretary Azar’s Proposed CMS Medicare Pt. D Rule
Washington, D.C. - Today, 73 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Will Hurd, sent a bipartisan letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Azar asking him to withdraw a proposal that would modify the Medicare Part D program protections afforded to six classes of drugs, known as the "six protected classes," and that would push access to critical medicines out of reach for many people living with HIV. The proposed change would require … Continue Reading
March 13, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Statement on Governor Newsom's Executive Order Halting Use of the Death Penalty in California
Oakland, CA -- Today, Congresswoman Lee released the following statement in response to Gov. Newsom's decision to halt the use of the death penalty in California: "For too long, the use of the death penalty in the United States has been one of the ugliest stains on our broken criminal justice system. Not only is capital punishment discriminatory and disproportionately imposed against poor people and people of color, but frequent DNA exonerations also make the continued use of this … Continue Reading
March 12, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Reintroduces the EACH Woman Act to End the Harmful and Discriminatory Hyde Amendment
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, along with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Congresswoman Diana DeGette, led a group of 109 Democrats in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Woman Act. For the first time, this visionary legislation has a companion bill in the U.S. Senate, led by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Patty Murray (D-WA). This legislation would end the discriminatory Hyde Amendment, which disproportionately … Continue Reading
March 12, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Co-Sponsors Dream and Promise Act of 2019
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined fellow Members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, to protect our nation's Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders. The bill would enable them to continue contributing fully to our communities in the East Bay and around the country and also provide a pathway to citizenship. "Here in the East Bay, Dreamers and TPS and DED holders are students, … Continue Reading
March 06, 2019
Congresswoman Lee joins Sen. Schatz, Rep. Pocan to Reintroduce Legislation to End Student Loan Debt Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) led a group of 42 members of Congress in reintroducing the Debt-Free College Act, legislation that will reverse the growing student debt crisis in the United States. The bill restores a path to affordable college by providing states incentives through matching grants to increase investments in public higher education and provide students with debt-free college. If signed into law, the … Continue Reading
March 05, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Celebrates Social Work Month, Reintroduces Measures to Support Social Workers
Washington DC - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee celebrated the beginning of Professional Social Work Month by reintroducing several bills to recognize and support the contributions of social workers. "As a former psychiatric social worker, I know firsthand the invaluable contributions that social workers make to our country," said Congresswoman Lee. "Social workers play a critical role for our nation's most vulnerable communities. With empathy and compassion, social workers provide vital … Continue Reading
March 04, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Reintroduces Legislation to Address Techequity
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee reintroduced legislation to address persistent racial disparities in the tech sector, including the Computer Science for All bill to support a diverse tech pipeline in pre-k to grade 12 education, and a tech diversity resolution that calls for robust diversity and inclusion plans, strengthened partnerships with institutions of higher education serving students of color, and improve data collection on diversity in STEAM education and the … Continue Reading
March 01, 2019
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, East Bay Students Embark on Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Tennessee and Alabama
Montgomery, AL - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and students from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will travel to Alabama and Tennessee to participate in the Faith & Politics Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. "Each year, the Faith & Politics Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage provides a life-changing experience by reminding us of our nation's civil rights history and the lessons we must embrace if we want to truly confront the legacy of racism in America," said … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Applauds the Passage of Crucial Gun Safety Reforms
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Democratic House passed H.R. 1112 following the passage of H.R. 8 yesterday, cutting through decades of Republican inaction and obstruction to bipartisan, common sense legislation to address the crisis of gun violence in our country. Gun violence steals the lives of nearly 40,000 people every year - including 47 children and teenagers every single day. Congresswoman Lee released the following statement in response: "We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Three Bills to Modernize Federal Cannabis Laws
Washington D.C. -- Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus, introduced three bills to reform federal cannabis laws and encourage greater equity and fairness in the cannabis industry. "For far too long, our federal cannabis policies have been rooted in the past. As the public's views toward marijuana have evolved, Congress has a responsibility to ensure that our policies are fair, equitable and inclusive," said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Booker, Lee, Khanna Introduce Landmark Marijuana Legalization Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate's Judiciary Committee, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Co-Chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), today reintroduced their landmark bill to end the federal prohibition on marijuana. "The War on Drugs has not been a war on drugs, it's been a war on people, and disproportionately people of color and low-income individuals," Booker said. "The Marijuana Justice Act seeks to reverse decades of this … Continue Reading
February 28, 2019
Reps. Roybal-Allard and Lee Celebrate Release of Landmark Child Poverty Study They Led the Effort to Fund
Today, Congresswomen Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and Barbara Lee (CA-13) celebrated the release of a landmark study on child poverty which the congresswomen fought to secure funding for as members of the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The study, titled A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, is a comprehensive, non-partisan analysis of child poverty in the United States. It can be read here. … Continue Reading
February 27, 2019
Congresswoman Lee Votes to Pass Historic Public Lands Package That Protects Our Environment, Boosts Our Economy, and Conserves American History
Washington, D.C. - Today Congresswoman Lee voted to pass the historic Natural Resources Management Act, a bipartisan conservation and public lands package that includes permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and designates approximately 1.3 million acres of wilderness, 693,000 acres of recreation and conservation areas, and two mineral withdrawal areas totaling 370,000 acres, protecting nearly 2.4 million acres of public lands in total from future mining … Continue Reading