Roy Blunt: “I am, of course disappointed not being able to offer this amendment today, but it is an amendment we talked about for…”

“I am, of course disappointed not being able to offer this amendment today, but it is an amendment we talked about for some time. It was a bipartisan amendment. It was a bipartisan piece of legislation. Senator Nelson from Nebraska and I wish to offer it and wish to offer it as soon as possible. I have the highest regard for both of our leaders, both the majority leader and minority leader, and understand they have a job to do, but this highway bill is clearly going to take some time. This is a 4-page amendment that I would be glad to see voted on on Monday. It has been widely studied all week, this week. I would have been glad to see it voted on when I filed the bill in August. There was not a rule then either, but both Mr. Nelson and I, Senator Rubio, Senator Ayotte, and others were anticipating that we were going to begin to see exactly the kinds of things this discussion this week has brought about. This is about the first amendment. It is about religious beliefs. It is not about any one issue. In fact, this amendment specifically does not mention a specific issue. It refers to the issue of conscience.…”