Louis Stokes: “I just want to once again say to my colleagues that this is a good bill. I want to say also that this is a difficult…”

“I just want to once again say to my colleagues that this is a good bill. I want to say also that this is a difficult bill to craft. It is a bill that takes a number of months to put together. The staffs on both sides, the majority and minority staffs, have spent a lot of time working on this bill. Then the chairman and I spent long hours working to craft this bill. Mr. Chairman, we wish, both of us I am sure, the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis] and I, that we could have had the resources to do many more things with this bill, but with the resources that were available to us I think we have crafted a bill that the House can take pride in. Right now this bill has the support of the President. I hope we will not put any onerous amendments on this bill to place it in jeopardy of any type of a veto. I would like to see us be able to pass this bill and go to conference, and bring back to the House an even better bill. In closing, Mr. Chairman, once again I want to thank my esteemed colleague, the gentleman from California [Mr. Lewis], and say what a pleasure it is to work with him in crafting this very difficult bill. I offer him full support for this bill and hope that our colleagues will pass it.”