David Thomas: “I am a firm believer that no bill should pass this House until it is ready. I am prepared to tell the House this bill is…”

“I am a firm believer that no bill should pass this House until it is ready. I am prepared to tell the House this bill is more than ready. It passed twice last year, and the Senate failed to act. As recently as March 20 of this year, the bill, in its current form save a technical correction, passed as H.R. 1307. That vote was 422-0. H.R. 1664 is in its current form virtually, as I said, except for technical correction, in the same form as H.R. 1307. There are two modifications that we are adding to this bill based upon discussions with the Senate so that the good and worthy purposes contained in this bill which no one has challenged can go to the President for his long-overdue signature. The two provisions which the Chair believes, if added to this bill, will initiate a process in the Senate which will move the bill immediately to the floor of the Senate; and this version which passes the House, when it passes, will move through the Senate without the need for a conference.”