Political Quotes

“I appreciate very much the efforts of my colleague. When this matter was first introduced in August 1992, Senator Graham was a steadfast supporter of this legislation. He indicated that I have been a good advocate of this legislation. I say, Mr. President, not good enough. It seems that we should have this in law. We have not been able to do that. I think it is fair to say that we should put the committee of jurisdiction, or committees of jurisdiction, on notice that we are going to move forward with this legislation. It is important we do so, and if we do not get it done in the committees, then we are going to have to do it here on the floor. We have waited too long. The legislation that I introduced in 1992 was in response to the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that all inmates working in correctional institutions and industries in those institutions are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. That was stunning to me. As my colleague from Florida has indicated, this decision is beyond the ability to comprehend. The decision has been overturned, and the courts around this country are confused on this issue, and it calls for a clarification. In fact, it is a pending court case in Florida that has brought Senator Graham and I to the floor this morning to reintroduce the prison wage bill.”