Yes, please. For 1 minute. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee to extend the debate time?

I thank the gentleman from Michigan, Ranking Member Conyers. Madam Speaker, this is a very important bill, and I appreciate the efforts put in it by Ms. Slaughter and Mr. Walz, who have championed this for over many, many, many years, and…

Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Madam Speaker, may I have unanimous consent to ask one brief question that's pertinent to this bill? The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman seek unanimous consent to extend the debate time?

Mr. Speaker, Wednesday, the 1st of February, begins Black History Month; and on that day I introduced a proposal to have a Congressional Gold Medal issued to civil rights workers--not to each one individually, but collectively. Black…

I hope that we keep this reality the central focus as we consider H.R. 3041, the 'Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act,' and H.R. 3862, the 'Sunshine in Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2012.'

I have no doubt that the proponents of these bills, including Rep. Jim Cooper, my esteemed fellow Tennessee Democrat and sponsor of H.R. 3041, are sincere in their belief that these bills will achieve a better balance in the way consent…

H.R. 3041 would seem to have the effect of discouraging consent decrees against state and local governments and officials.

There was a need for that consent decree, and that--the Governor didn't want to have it.

I think the genesis of a lot of this legislation came from Tennessee, and it was introduced by Senator Alexander.

Would it be so awful to exacerbate the tax burden on the multi-, multi-, multi-millionaires and billionaires who own these teams?