Political Quotes

“Madam President, I am just going to speak for 2 minutes this morning, but I would like to stand to take a moment to voice my support for the Tester-Hutchison amendment. This amendment will ensure that banks of all sizes pay their fair share by broadening the assessment base that is used by the FDIC. The FDIC would determine bank premiums by basing it on total assets, not just domestic deposits. For far too long, community banks have paid a disproportionate share of the deposit insurance premiums. This amendment levels the playing field. It is a good piece of policy. It will put community banks on a more equal footing with the large bank conglomerates. So I urge my colleagues to vote for this commonsense amendment. Let me wrap up by saying, the Independent Community Bankers have looked at this amendment. This amendment would reduce assessments for 98 percent of the banks with less than $10 billion in assets, keeping nearly $4.5 billion in the banks--much needed capital to make our economy grow. Madam President, I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? The Senator from Texas.”