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Today Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA-46), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam, released a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of State John Kerry to press the Vietnamese government to improve its abusive human rights record ahead of the Secretary's trip to the nation later this month. The letter, signed by 47 Members of Congress, was sent on International Human Rights Day, which commemorates the adoption of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) participated in a press conference today voicing concerns over the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. During the press conference, held on the eve of this coming weekend's high-level ministerial meeting on TPP in Singapore in which a possible final deal may be announced, Rep. Lofgren focused her remarks on troubling provisions related to Internet Freedom, consumer rights, copyright, and fair use and the public domain in the digital age:

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released the following statement today following the passage of H.R. 3309, the Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill she is an original co-sponsor of that would curb abusive patent litigation from patent assertion entities often referred to as ‘Patent Trolls.' The bill was passed by a strong bipartisan vote of 325 to 91 in the U.S. House of Representatives today:

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released a letter today to Mr.Kim Beazley, the Australian Ambassador to the United States, outlining her continued concerns over the troubling conduct of Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Late last month, Rep. Lofgren and a group of senior bipartisan Congressional leaders signaled their alarm to the Obama Administration over the widening reports of scandal and misconduct during Gurry's tenure as WIPO leader, including a secret technology transfer to North Korea and Iran.

Following a GAO report released this week, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress today called on the Obama Administration to put strong regulations in place to prevent sexual abuse and assault against immigrants in federal custody. In a letter to President Barrack Obama, twelve bipartisan Members of Congress, including senior leaders on the House Judiciary Committee, called on the administration to issue the regulations "without further delay" in order to achieve the goals of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003.

Senior bipartisan Congressional leaders signaled their alarm today to the Obama Administration over the widening expose of reports of scandal and misconduct by Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, the lawmakers warned "the interests of the United States and its large community of innovators cannot be served well with Mr. Gurry continuing as Director General of WIPO." The lawmakers urged the Obama administration "to identify and support an alternate candidate to lead WIPO."

The House Judiciary Committee today approved the Innovation Act (H.R. 3309) by an overwhelming vote of 33-5. This bipartisan bill takes steps to combat the ever increasing problem of abusive patent litigation. The legislation addresses abusive practices taking place in our courts.

In the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan's devastating impact on the Philippines, twenty-nine bipartisan Members of Congress are calling on the Obama Administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Filipinos currently in the U.S. from being sent home when their visas expire. In a letter released today by Rep.