Blake Farenthold

To close. There have been a lot of arguments we have heard today for and against this bill, but I think the biggest argument for it is that it preserves precious and limited resources for those who were injured by asbestos and shuts down…

I agree with Mr. Cohen 100 percent that the victims of terrorism deserve compensation from those who perpetrated the acts of terror. However, I oppose this amendment because it denies the victims of terrorism the protections that the bill…

Again, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. The gentleman on the other side of the aisle, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, of course, indicated that it is his intent to gut the bill here. We need to defeat this amendment. Of course, Mr…

Again, we get back to the argument, as you start to exempt certain groups or certain types of lawsuits, it creates the same situation we have now that we are trying to fix in that class where those mostly injured get the most compensation…

I once again make the same argument. Once we take out one specific claim or the other, we do away with the benefits to that group that this bill confers. This bill is pro-consumer by making sure the most injured receive the most…

I stand by the plain language of the statute, and the intent is to help victims and make the class action system fair. Exceptions will only weaken that. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time…

I claim the time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR (Ms. Foxx). The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.

I don't know if any of them particularly are asbestos victims associations. But, again----

Reclaiming my time, we are dealing with the tort system right now and class action. I would be happy to have a conversation sometime in the future about consumer protection legislation. At this point, under the bill we are discussing, if…

I oppose this amendment. First, the base bill only applies to proposed classes ``seeking monetary relief for personal injury or economic loss.'' Insofar as civil rights cases do not seek money damages, they are completely unaffected by the…

I oppose this amendment for the same reason that I have opposed almost every amendment so far in that it exempts a certain class from the bill that is designed to help those who are most injured. First, the base bill only applies to…

I feel like I am caught in Groundhog Day. I am making the same argument again and again. The purpose of this bill is to make sure the most injured are the most compensated and not result in a dilution of those by bringing in massive…

I am here today to honor the memory of the millions of babies that have been killed by abortion in the 43 years since the Supreme Court's poorly reasoned, and I wrote down here appalling, but I heard one of my colleagues use the word…

I would like to add it is not just the forestry industry as well. Various farm and ranch, cotton industries, in certain areas, especially in south Texas, as U.S. Highways 77 and 281 are becoming Interstate 69, is making it very difficult…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 229, line 23, strike the closing quotation marks and final period. Page 229, after line 23, insert the…

Shouldn't that be--the wait times be one of the top priorities of getting veterans the care that they need in a timely fashion?

To me, the number one focus should not be the business case but should be providing quality service to veterans.

Today I rise because September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every year countless children are diagnosed with different cancers, altering their lives forever. Fourteen-year-old Kaitlyn Jankovsky of Corpus Christi was diagnosed last…

During the recent Presidential debates Carly Fiorina called and dared President Obama and Hillary Clinton to watch these appalling videos. I realize we only have a few minutes left, but I want to dare Members on the other side to watch…

When I got on the plane to return from Texas yesterday, I felt like it was a done deal--the Iran deal was going to happen. But guess what. Conservatives in the House came together with a better idea, fueled by hundreds of folks out on the…

The Constitution vests all legislative powers in Congress. Unfortunately, past Members of this institution have given away a lot of that power to government agencies like the EPA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and an…

Yesterday at a Judiciary Committee hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson didn't know who Kate Steinle was. I hope he sure remembers his own Border Patrol agent Javier Vega, Jr., a father, husband, and south Texan. Both of these…

It seems like they're almost intentionally reducing the morale of Border Patrol agents.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the communities of central Texas suffered a terrible tragedy after heavy rains and powerful storms hit the Lone Star State, resulting in the deaths of 24 people, including a number from Corpus Christi and the…

I am here today to pay tribute to our veterans and to the men and women of our Armed Forces who wake up every day, put on our Nation's uniform, and don't know if they are going to be home that evening safely with their families. Last…