On the recordJanuary 11, 2016
As I close. Madam Speaker, there have been several cases where interns have tried to bring suit and the courts have said that you have no remedy. Chairman Chaffetz is absolutely right. It is sad when you can have such an egregious act but no remedy. I think one of the most frustrating things for anyone is when they have been harmed or when they have been treated wrongfully and there is no remedy, there is a problem. The courts have said over and over again: Congress, if you want there to be a remedy, then you have to act. That is exactly what we are doing today. I think it says a lot for us as a Congress, and I think it says a lot for us as a Nation. Going back to some of the words of Chairman Chaffetz, when we look at unpaid interns, they do come to these offices trying to get experience and trying to learn the duties and the responsibilities of a certain job. They realize that by doing this, it may very well change in a positive way the trajectory of their destiny. They come in with those high expectations, only to have them destroyed. Sometimes the damage can last not for a day or for a week, but for a lifetime. Then there is another piece that I think a lot of people don't think about, and that is that it is not always the deed, but it is also the memory of having gone through these types of incidents. I think this is a very important piece of legislation. I would urge my colleagues to vote for it.…
