Melvin Watt

I want to be clear that the reason I would not raise my hand is because I would not make a unilateral decision.

I don't think there is any question that somebody who gets good homeownership counseling, either pre-ownership, or in some cases post-ownership--it makes them better borrowers.

There is nothing worse, I have found, in this area of the market than uncertainty, and the longer this drags out, the more uncertainty there is.

Congress has given us this mandate: Do lending, back loans that are safe and sound, and provide liquidity in the market.

Don't expect me to disregard the law and do it for you.

This is definitely the last time I will be addressing this House. As my colleague, David Price, has indicated, I have been confirmed to a new position as regulator and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. I just wanted to take a…

Only in America could somebody be confirmed to this position that has the regulatory authority over the bulk of housing in this country.

Woman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I am pained to be here today in opposition to this bill. I stood shoulder to shoulder with the chair of our full committee 2 years ago in patent reform after working almost 6 years to find…

I have an amendment at the desk which was made in order under the rule. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 5, insert the following after line 23 and redesignate…

I demand a recorded vote. The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from North Carolina will be postponed. Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Polis The CHAIR. It is now in…

I thank the gentleman for yielding time. Mr. Chairman, I want to rise not so much in opposition to the manager's amendment, but in opposition to the bill and so that we can try to make sure that people understand what it is that they are…

I am wondering, if you think this is redundant and extraneous rather than contrary to the intent, why wouldn't we just accept the amendment and keep going?

As I have no further speakers, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

For the record, I neglected to indicate in my comments that our colleague, the chair of the subcommittee, announced last week during the period that we were out on the Veterans Day district work period that he was not planning to run for…

I simply wanted to rise and pay tribute to the memory of my dear friend and colleague, Major Owens, who passed last week. I express my condolences to his family. As new Members, we take for granted sometimes that there is a system in place…

Whose time got charged with the last two unanimous consent requests? Both were one sentence, and you're saying they were charged. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts' time has been charged.

Would the Speaker explain to the House why that is the case. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Any request that is accompanied by remarks that are in the nature of debate is charged, not the unanimous consent request itself, but the remarks that…

I appeal the ruling of the Chair. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is, Shall the decision of the Chair stand in the judgment of the House? Motion to Table

I ask unanimous consent to restore the time to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern). The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from North Carolina?

I make a point of order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his point of order.

This is not a proper ruling. It did not constitute debate. It was simply a unanimous consent request, and I do not believe this is a proper ruling of the Chair. The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair ruled earlier today, it is not in order…

I object to that ruling, and I would ask the Speaker to reverse it. The SPEAKER pro tempore. There is no ruling pending at this time. There is nothing for the gentleman to object formally to.

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 226, nays 189, not voting 19, as follows: [Roll No. 350] YEAS--226 Aderholt Alexander Amash Amodei Bachmann…

Thank you, Mr. Fattah, for convening us here and for coordinating this. I'd like to rise and pay tribute to the memory of Bill Gray also. Unlike our leader, I never had the pleasure of serving with Bill Gray. Maybe people will wonder why…

Most of them do not really give much of an [expletive deleted] about poor people and whether they have housing or not, and it seems to me that an over-emphasis in that direction can only make matters worse.