Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. We hold conscience in this House tenderly. Our Founders were wise. In the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights, the first freedom that they articulated was our freedom to worship. What you are hearing today is a bipartisan consensus that we value that, and we recognize the power of conscience, the power of religious liberty, the power of being able to worship as one pleases. That is something that Mr. Davis from Illinois is advocating today, Mr. Thompson is supporting as well, along with the longstanding work of Mr. Smith from Texas. Passing this bill will give those who object to health insurance on religious grounds the ability to opt out of the system that they don't want to participate in, in its entirety. They won't have to face a choice between violating their belief and violating the law anymore. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1201, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________”