Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on December 21, 1988, a bomb planted by Libyan terrorists detonated on Pan Am Flight 103 while it was flying over Lockerbie, Scotland; 270 people, including 190 Americans, 34 of which were from my home State, the State of New Jersey, lost their lives in this tragic attack. Over 30 years later, the Department of Justice announced the arrest and indictment of the alleged bomb maker. His trial is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., with pretrial hearings that are already underway. However, given the time that has passed and the attack's international impact, surviving families are generally older, and some of them are physically unable to attend these hearings. Others live scattered across the United States of America and the world, making it difficult to travel and to attend. In light of this fact, the government filed an unopposed motion with the court to provide remote access to the proceedings for the victims of this bombing. Unfortunately, the court denied the motion, finding that no statute or case law authorized such an accommodation. This bill, fortunately and importantly, provides that authorization. S. 3250 provides the court with a limited, one-time only authorization to accommodate the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing by making remote video and telephonic access available to these victims and their families. Additionally, there is precedent for this type of measure.…”