Christopher Shays

I would say to the gentlemen he is an honest and good man and when he knows the facts, he should be voting for this bill because it has been against the law since 1947 for union dues money to be used in campaigns; 1907, for corporations to…

I just want to say that I disagree strongly with the gentleman from Mississippi talking about it being one party. It is not about one party, and it is not about freedom of speech because we retain freedom of speech. It is about ending…

Mr. Chairman, when we drafted this bill, we wanted to be true to Beck. We did not want it to be less. We did not want it to be more. We wanted it to be just what the Court said. What we had was a situation where Harry Beck, who was an…

I just want to explain to the gentleman that it has been against the law since 1907 for corporate treasury money to be used in campaigns and since 1947 for union dues money to be used in campaigns. The way they do it, the way they go after…

I support the provision in H.R. 2490 to require Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans (FEHBP) which provide prescription plans to include coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices.

I oppose the amendment offered by Congressman Chris Smith to allow health plans to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage by claiming a 'moral conviction.'

I will continue to work to provide access to family planning services.

I believe it is a positive step forward in ensuring contraceptive coverage is available to women in a majority of health plans.

It is my hope the Lowey amendment will help reduce unwanted pregnancies while providing women with contraceptive coverage.

To explain the amendment, first, this is a bipartisan amendment that is offered by Members from both the Republican and the Democrat side of the aisle and spans the ideological spectrum from liberal to moderate to most conservative member…

We have a world crisis and an acute national emergency. I support this $12.9 billion spending package. I have opposed past defense spending bills because we have failed, in my judgment, to take four difficult but necessary steps to realize…

I would be happy to explain to my colleague, but we are going to have a disagreement because we think we have provided the money in 950, the gentleman does not, and time will tell.

Mr. Chairman, it is amazing how all we can talk about is the budget in 1981. This is 1999, and I just remind some of my colleagues that the budget since 1981 was controlled by a Democrat House and a Democrat Senate that refused to cut…

We do not fight illegal trade by passing illegal penalties. I rise in strong opposition to this illegal steel quota bill. Free trade is vitally important to the health of our economy, and we are in a position to lead and define a policy of…

This is not about process, it is about substance. Sure, there are good things in this bill. This bill has 4,000 pages. There are bound to be good things in this bill. It weighs over 40 pounds. It is bound to have good things in here. But…

I oppose this substitute because the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) would allow candidates to raise unlimited sums from individuals. Right now the limit is $1,000; from PACs it is $5,000. He would have an unlimited amount. The…

I think in order to have a ban on soft money, we have to ban it not on just the Federal level but on the State level for Federal elections. And I think we cannot leave the current loophole of sham issue ads being allowed to continue when…

I would like to see provisions from H.R. 664 to require emergency locator transmitters, ELTs, on fixed wing civil aircraft included in H.R. 4057, the Airport Improvement Program Reauthorization Act. The bottom line is, an ELT plays a vital…

Tonight this Chamber has the opportunity to vote for meaningful campaign finance reform. Tonight, Members of this House will cast one of the most important votes of their careers in this House: To help restore integrity to our democratic…

I oppose this amendment on two grounds. I first oppose this amendment on the logic that says, because when you go to the supermarket and pay money, you sometimes have to show your license; and I oppose it on the logic that says when we go…

Mr. Chairman, the Meehan-Shays substitute bans soft money, and then what we also do is we recognize that the sham issue ads are truly campaign ads, and that is the key point. They are not sham in the sense that they do not have a right to…

First off, we do not ban anything. This is just totally a misstatement. The issue is whether it is an issue ad or a campaign ad. The issue is whether you come under campaign rules or do not come under campaign rules. First and foremost…

There is a Democrat health care bill and there is a Republican health care bill, but ultimately, if we are to have a bill, there will have to be a Republican and Democrat bill. I urge both sides on this issue, once the posturing of our…

The government has an important role in funding the arts. Two years ago some of us thought we could combine two good principles; fund the arts, but do it by replacing the NEA with a block grant directly to the State arts commissions. We…

Of course people are going to vote for this amendment. But the sad thing is the gentleman who is offering this amendment is not going to vote for the bill. We are faced with 55 amendments, most of them intended to embarrass or imply that a…