James Oberstar: “I support the concept underlying this resolution, the principle that any group, including religious organizations…”

“I support the concept underlying this resolution, the principle that any group, including religious organizations, should have the same rights to use the Capitol grounds to express their views as other organizations. I do not have a problem with the basic purpose of the resolution under consideration. But I do have very serious concerns about process, about lack of process, and that is the reason that I objected, or said I would object, to the proposal to bring up this resolution under unanimous consent procedures. We are facing today what we faced when the proposal was made for unanimous consent procedure as another example of the leadership in this body steamrolling hastily drafted legislation through the House without an opportunity for the legislation to be reviewed either by the committee of jurisdiction or by the House itself. This has been the rule, not the exception. I went back and checked. Of the 16 bills considered under rules this year, 11, or 72 percent, have been brought to the floor without any committee reporting them; 72 percent of bills brought under a rule were brought to the floor without a committee having considered them, and that includes the crime bill, two continuing resolutions, and the constitutional amendment on taxation.”