Zoe Lofgren: “Mr. Halpern did, indeed, work in the House of Representatives. He was on the Republican staff, and I think it is…”

“Mr. Halpern did, indeed, work in the House of Representatives. He was on the Republican staff, and I think it is meaningful that the chair and ranking member of the House Administration Committee, Democrat and Republican, feel the same way; that he has done a terrific job as director of this office. The term limits is not about him. It is my understanding he actually supports Senator Blunt's bill; but it is simply to have a time where you evaluate and then you can reappoint, just as with the Librarian of Congress and the Architect of the Capitol. Since I don't have additional speakers, I am going to take advantage of a little bit of time to discuss an item that will be up for consideration on the floor later today; and that has to do with a proposed change to venue rules for Federal antitrust cases. It is very arcane, which is why I think it is important to discuss the minutiae of this. In 1968, Congress acted to allow a senior judge panel to consolidate cases where it would be efficient for the Court. Here is the example. State AGs have the capacity, right now, and would in the future, to file antitrust cases. But if you had, as they did in 1968, a multiplicity of AGs filing a case in different States, you would end up with different witnesses having to go through the same thing over and over again, inconsistent rulings; and so that is why the Congress consolidated this.…”