Barney Frank

Well, I appreciate this eloquent defense of his bill that it doesn't do very much, but I do question that. And I understand your concern about monetary damages; but if the restriction on attorneys fees only for the party that wins in a…

Well, I would ask the gentleman, he says he is not for keeping these things from going to court. Am I incorrect, I had thought that the gentleman from Indiana, when we were on the committee together, before I took leave and on the floor…

Well, then I would say this. Then that furthers reinforces the point. Because what you are then saying is the underpayment, the subsidy element is such that you are still losing private sector jobs to prison jobs. And I would say to the…

My problem with my friend from Virginia's argument, well, there are two; first of all, if there are 9,000 fewer jobs in Prison Industries, that means there are 9,000 more jobs in the private sector. So the second point is that he concedes…

I now yield to another staunch defender of human rights throughout the world, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), such time as he may consume.

How does it hurt? How does the existence of a same-sex marriage in any way threaten a happy heterosexual marriage?

This is a question, and I appreciate the civil spirit in which he discusses it. Would the gentleman explain to me does how the fact that two women in Massachusetts who are allowed to be legally committed to each other in any way endanger…

Regular order. I ask the gentleman to be seated. I asked the gentleman when he mentioned me to yield. He declined to do so. For him now to interrupt me without even asking for a yield is wholly outside the rules of the House, and I ask he…

I have to say to my friend, I would be impressed if they would come forward and say, yes, we think, as the gentleman from Florida said, we should be able to go to Mars. But to argue that because an amendment which says no money can be used…

I will just say that it would certainly be my intention and I think that of whoever the successor is to my friend from Ohio will be next year to take this seriously; that is, this is a study that will not simply languish. I think it has…

I concur fully with the gentleman from Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

I now yield to one of the Members who has really been in the forefront of trying to improve our national response to this crisis because of his own firsthand experience and the leadership he has had to show in the region that he represents…

I now yield 3 minutes to one of our colleagues who has been dealing very directly with the negative consequences of the hurricanes and the damage that has been done, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis).

We are further along than we were, but the phrase ``consensus,'' consensus is nice, but nothing in the House rules or the Constitution or the writings of John Jay say that it is a prerequisite for moving legislation. I would hope that the…

I just want to say, stop hiding behind varying degrees of constitutional interpretation. By hiding behind them, I mean this: I don't think that people sat and said, oh, geez this is what John Jay told me and this is what I am bound by. I…

We are beyond that. Look, I do not think the Constitution, I will be honest with you, I think people decide and then they pick the----

I take back my time. So the gentleman then agrees with this point. There is nothing inappropriate about this amendment. So while he believes the President is within his power to do this, does the gentleman agree that if this amendment is…

Please read it. I would ask the gentleman literally to please read it, because I think it doesn't say what he says it says. Please read it.

Let us have the common ground. The question here, and I think I will accept this, we are not debating constitutionality here; we are debating what public policy ought to be. The gentleman from California agrees it is appropriate for us to…

Well, I will say this. I would say enough would be what the moderate Republicans said, $7 billion more for Labor-HHS. The problem is that they said that was enough, but it is not there. So I would be satisfied if my moderate Republican…

First, I guess I didn't know we would get in great detail about what was cockamamier than what; but when I used that phrase, I was referring specifically only to one argument: the argument that the Afghanistan force resolution authorizes…

I know some Members here will not remember it, but there used to be something called a conference committee, and if we sent the Senate a bill and they did not like it, they could amend it and send it back. We do not have to do the bidding…

The problem that we are dealing with is exemplified by what we are dealing with today, a bill that comes to the floor under suspension of the rules. I do not think the party of reform distinguishes itself by bringing up this issue in a way…

I do suggest a possible compromise, because there is a certain self-interest. Let us be honest among the Members. Perhaps the modification could be that any former Member using any piece of equipment would have to yield to a current Member.

First I would yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for a unanimous consent request. (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)