The Public Record
Americans are frustrated with their managed care plans. It is no wonder; HMO horror stories abound. Every day we hear stories of people being denied care, doctors being forbidden from discussing treatment options, and patients unable to…
I do not know how many forests the gentleman has in New Jersey, but let me say that when I first came to Congress in 1987, the National Endowment for the Arts budget was over $170 million. It has been cut considerably as well. I know of no…
this is the last year in which debate on the Federal support for the arts will be led by the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Yates), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Interior of the Committee on Appropriations. Renowned…
Mr. Speaker, why would we target a program like the NEA when it costs so little for our country but provides such a great benefit across this wide country? We engage in a continual debate about cutting funding to this agency that increases…
Mr. Speaker, this rule has many good features. It is an open rule that will allow Members to work their will. It self-executes important amendments that deal with vital issues, such as the wildland fire suppression, forest health and…
Mr. Speaker, if I could respond to my friend from Washington State, anyone who impregnates a 12-year-old girl has committed statutory rape and should be imprisoned for a very long time, and I hope he was. But the issue is then, the…
I oppose this closed rule. The majority claims to favor full and free debate on important issues but, however, on this controversial bill the majority has chosen to prohibit any amendments from being offered. Although no amendments will be…
I reluctantly oppose this rule, because I would like to support it very much. It is an open rule, and it gives all Members of the House an opportunity to offer amendments that are germane and otherwise in compliance with House rules. I…
While I will not actively oppose the rule, I rise in strong opposition to the underlying bill. We all know that we need to improve our public schools to give our children the education they need to reach their full potential. Educators…
the serial rapists' crimes are vicious. The sentence is short. The average rape sentence is just 10.5 years; and the average time served in jail is only half of that, 5 years. The Department of Justice statistics show that 60 percent of…
Mr. Chairman, it has been a joy working with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) and with his staff on this critical issue. I have spent about 4 years here in Congress working on what to do about child protection against sexual…
I never thought that an occasion would occur when I would have to rise and ask my colleagues to refrain from gutting the First Amendment to the Constitution. One would expect that after 200 years the Bill of Rights would have garnered a…
H.Res. 450 is a modified closed rule. The rule allows one amendment, if offered by Ways and Means Ranking Member the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) and if the amendment is previously printed in the Congressional Record. In general…
I feel, as I am sure everyone else in the House felt, that I had a very special relationship with Meg. When I first came here 12 years ago, I learned that one of the things that freshmen do is have the great honor of presiding over Special…
scientists recently announced a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer, one of the deadliest and most common diseases plaguing humanity. A combination of two drugs has been shown to prevent tumors from spawning the growth of new blood…
I do not oppose this rule. It allows amendments that are germane to be offered. However, H. Res. 420 does include one waiver of a House rule that troubles me. The rule waives clause 2(L)(6) of rule XI that provides for a 3-day layover of…
I do not think any one of us could say that the public school system in the United States in many areas of the country is not in serious trouble. I do not think many of us would disagree that whatever happens, the public school system in…
Now, I think it is ironic that a bill that is going to begin an inclusive national discussion on changes to a core government program should itself be discussed under a closed exclusive rule. Apparently its proponents believe that this…
Make no mistake, there is no substantive legislation before the House of Representatives on the issue of Social Security today. This is our regular biennial election year dodge of a tough issue. We had a Commission on Social Security. They…
Mr. Speaker, the issue here today is whether or not we are going to make decisions on the basis of science, or are we going to have the politics of gesture. Now, there is clear evidence that the program that has been operating in the…
Congress desperately needs to reform our campaign finance laws. The Federal campaigns are becoming little more than a money chase to pay for increasingly expensive elections, and voter turnout is at an all time low. The most recent…
experts estimate that nearly 5 million school-age children in the United States spend time without adult supervision during a typical week. Too many of these unsupervised children hang out on the street, exposed to drugs and crime, or sit…
House Resolution 352 would allow the House to consider bills on the suspension calendar on Wednesday and Thursday of this week instead of the normal Monday and Tuesday consideration. Because both the Democratic Caucus and the Republican…
Today I filed a resolution with 20 of my cosponsors, a bipartisan resolution, connected with colorectal cancer. We have spent a lot of time in the House talking about breast cancer and other forms of cancer and how important it is to be…
Mr. Speaker, in the 103d Congress, as the chair of the Democratic caucus committee on oversight, study, and review, I was responsible for drafting the Democratic caucus rules that implemented most of the current limitations on the number…
Politicians like Louise Slaughter
