Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this particular piece of legislation is mandated, actually, by the Constitution. The Constitution says that when two States arrive at some kind of arrangement between the two that arises to the level of a compact, a binding agreement, that then the Congress of the United States must approve such a compact, else the Framers of the Constitution felt that would lead to conflict that might turn even violent if it were not guaranteed by the Federal Government, as one of the oversee functions it would have, should such an agreement be reached. So the Congress of the United States has, from time to time, approved these compacts. Such a compact was proposed a long time ago now, it seems, with respect to the Pacific Northwest Emergency Management Arrangement between the States of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and the provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. In this bill, this compact has to do with the coordination of emergency services in disaster relief and all the hundreds of scenarios that many of us, through our years of service, have seen examples of time and time again on the floor of this Chamber.”