Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I am, I have to say, disappointed that the Senator from New Jersey did not come to the floor to say that he would take…”

“I am, I have to say, disappointed that the Senator from New Jersey did not come to the floor to say that he would take his hold off the antistalking bill that he made a great statement of support for. I had hoped that he would come and do that, because when he first put his hold on the bill, I thought that perhaps we could work something out so that he would be able to have his gun amendment on some piece of legislation. In fact, his amendment has not been cleared through the Judiciary Committee and has not gone through the process. I hope that it will be able to be heard in the Judiciary and be able to have its day in court. But he is mixing apples and oranges when he says that he wants the bill to go through with his amendment on it. That is not the option we have before us. The Senator from New Jersey well knows that it is not that his amendment will not pass. I do not know if it will pass or it will not. It is that his amendment will keep my bill to protect women and children who are victims of harassment and threats, who are victims of people who cross interstate boundaries, my bill will not be brought up. That is the effect of his hold on my bill. I would love to see Senator Lautenberg go to the Judiciary Committee, comply with the rules that everyone else complies with, and let the Judiciary Committee take his amendment, do with it as it will.”