Jerry Lewis: “Mr. Speaker, at the very beginning of this discussion on this very important bill, I want my colleagues to know just how…”

“Mr. Speaker, at the very beginning of this discussion on this very important bill, I want my colleagues to know just how strongly I feel about the need to change the tons of the debate that often takes place on this floor. Often it is shrill. Often it is dominated by extremes. All too often it is partisan for the sake of being partisan. It is my view that we should work hard to change that fact. Public policy is best developed in an atmosphere of bipartisanship. Working together, we do a much better job for the public and the people that we were elected to represent. Mr. Speaker, the bill that we are about to consider is a reflection of perhaps the best of that kind of effort to change our working environment. This is a bipartisan bill which I have every expectation will be signed by the President. The fiscal year 1997 VA-HUD bill reaffirms our continued commitment to serving veterans, to protecting the environment, providing housing for the poorest of the poor and ensuring America's future leadership in space.”