Jack Reed: “Mr. Speaker, I would like, if I could, to engage the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas] in a colloquy, and in doing…”

“Mr. Speaker, I would like, if I could, to engage the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Gekas] in a colloquy, and in doing so I would like to take a moment to address a concern that was recently brought to my attention by the gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs. Schroeder]. She wanted to make clear that this bill does not authorize an agency or any other employer to require its employees to submit to binding arbitration as a condition of employment, or to relinquish rights they may have under title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any other statute. I want to assure her that she has no reason to worry about this bill and that the decision to engage in binding arbitration must be voluntary by all parties, as provided in sections styled 72(a) and (c) of the ADR act, and in fact would like if the gentleman could confirm that understanding.”