Political Quotes

“I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate that all forms of unrefined and unprocessed petroleum should be subject to the nominal per-barrel excise tax associated with the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund) At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. __. SENSE OF SENATE REGARDING THE OIL SPILL LIABILITY TRUST FUND. It is the sense of the Senate that-- (1) Congress should approve a bill to ensure that all forms of bitumen or synthetic crude oil derived from bitumen are subject to the per-barrel excise tax associated with the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund established by section 9509 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; (2) it is necessary for Congress to approve a bill described in paragraph (1) because the Internal Revenue Service determined in 2011 that certain forms of petroleum are not subject to the per-barrel excise tax; (3) under article I, section 7, clause 1 of the Constitution, the Senate may not originate a bill to raise new revenue, and thus may not originate a bill to close the legitimate and unintended loophole described in paragraph (2); (4) if the Senate attempts to originate a bill described in paragraph (1), it would provide a substantive basis for a ``blue slip'' from the House of Representatives, which would prevent advancement of the bill; and (5) the House of Representatives, consistent…”