Steve Cohen: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, more of the same. As with our consideration of the ``ENFORCE…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, more of the same. As with our consideration of the ``ENFORCE Act,'' H.R. 4138, I must note the lack of deliberative process pertaining to consideration of this bill. The gentleman from South Carolina spoke eloquently on the other bill and talked about the need for process--the importance of process. Process can be important, but process was not important on this bill. It wasn't important in the other bill. Like that other bill, the Judiciary Committee failed to hold a single legislative hearing. The process is you have a hearing. People come in and talk--experts-- then you have a markup. You first start at the subcommittee. The subcommittee has a hearing, and they have a markup, and then you have a hearing and a markup in the full committee. This one, not a hearing in the subcommittee, not a markup in the subcommittee, not a hearing in the committee; simply, all of a sudden-- presto--markup, process nixed. That is how we came up with the last bill and this bill. When coupled with the fact that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle provided only the minimum notice regarding this bill, it is hard to believe that this is a serious attempt to legislate because it tramples on the legislative process, the rights of the minority to have notice, the rights of the public to have notice, and the right to have a hearing with experts testifying.…”