John Mica: “During my first 2 years in Congress as a freshman, I had the opportunity to serve as the coordinator for the balanced…”

“During my first 2 years in Congress as a freshman, I had the opportunity to serve as the coordinator for the balanced budget amendment effort. During the last Congress, unfortunately, our efforts to pass any balanced budget amendment were defeated. On this historic day, however, the question before us is not whether or not we will pass a balanced budget amendment. The question is which of two balanced budget amendments will be adopted. I personally favor a balanced budget amendment that places some limit on Congress' ability to raise taxes. However, quite frankly, I can and will and intend to support any reasonable measure that finally brings fiscal order to this body. On the first day of this session of Congress, Republicans kept their promise. We required Congress to live under the same laws we impose for everyone else. We cut committee staffs. We opened meetings to the public. We banned proxy voting. We required an audit of this Congress. We eliminated some of the wrongs of former Congresses. And we also required by rule of the House of Representatives a three-fifths vote to increase taxes. Now, as we move to the most important item in the Contract With America, I urge my colleagues to first adopt a balanced budget amendment, and, second, to adopt it with a three-fifths limit on raising taxes. Now, as we amend this great charter, let us hope that in the year 2002, people look back and they say on this day we did the right thing.”