John Joseph Moakley: “Mr. Speaker, normally suspension bills can be brought up only on Mondays and Tuesdays, but this rule will add two more…”

“Mr. Speaker, normally suspension bills can be brought up only on Mondays and Tuesdays, but this rule will add two more days, Thursday and Friday, and it will add those days for one reason, for one resolution, a resolution that my Republican colleagues are in a great, great hurry to pass. They are in such a great hurry to pass this resolution, Mr. Speaker, that they are creating this special process just to bring this bill to the floor. So while we are rushing the resolution of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella) to the floor on a fast track, Mr. Speaker, I would like to propose adding some other bills to that same fast track, bills addressing issues that are much higher on the American people's agenda. I think we should rush a patients' bill of rights to the floor to make sure doctors and patients make medical decisions and not insurance companies and CPAs. I think we should rush a gun safety bill to the floor to get guns off our streets and get those guns out of our schools. I think we should rush to the floor a bill protecting Social Security and protecting Medicare, which is scheduled to fall apart starting the year 2015. Mr. Speaker, the American people are crying out for HMO reform, gun safety legislation, and Medicare reform. I say let us add those bills to the agenda.”