On the recordAugust 1, 2013
I thank the gentleman from California. Madam Speaker, Federal agencies not only get to write rules, they get to enforce them. It was recently noted that a citizen is ten times more likely to be tried by an agency than by an actual court. In any given year, Federal judges conduct roughly 95,000 adjudicatory proceedings, including trials, while Federal agencies complete more than 939,000-- 939,000. In these agency proceedings, citizens have fewer rights than in a courtroom. And unfortunately, there are some bad actors who intimidate, coerce, or even lie, violating public trust and potentially breaking laws. Far too often, the public is left without evidence to help prove Federal employees mistreated them. For example, the SEC bowing to political pressure to scrutinize donations to tax-exempt groups; IRS employees targeting Tea Party groups applying for tax-exempt status; and other agencies that are writing and enforcing rules and regulations written in legalese to confuse and frustrate the public. Title III of this bill ensures that individuals have the right to record their meetings and telephone exchanges with Federal regulatory officials engaged in enforcement activities. The manager's amendment adopted in committee ensures that law enforcement would not be impacted adversely. Undercover investigations and wiretap surveillance would not be interfered with.…
