Mike Conaway

I represent West Texas, which is the home of significant energy production. Tomorrow the Democrats will roll out their new energy policy. As we evaluate these proposals, it is our job to challenge them. If these new proposals cost more…

Section 104 and section 105, I don't know that it does the Great Lakes. But Puget Sound, I think we would be able to drill there. It would remove the moratorium that is in place now that prevents drilling in those areas, but I don't know…

This is the alternative. The regular tax code is much simpler. It is straightforward.

The Internal Revenue Code, 1986, as amended, is incredibly complicated... In other words, Congress was offended that you could have people so structure their compliance with the tax code in existence at that point in time that they did not…

I need to correct something. The sales tax issue that I was talking about is included within the overall numbers that I talked about. Those overall numbers are the same ones that compare to the $3,000 tax hit that you will have. The sales…

I have also heard they are going to wipe out all the earmarks. It will be their definition of an earmark, and it will be interesting to see which earmarks really get zeroed out and which ones don't and how they parse that definition…

We said it, our guys said it, but today was a particular one where our good colleague from Maryland just seemed to pooh-pooh the idea that there were some flaws in this bill that we did not need to worry about because we are the House of…

Electronic filing before the IRS will have their computer systems ready to be able to receive that information coming in as a result of the late-breaking changes that we Republicans made in December to extend many of the tax credits that…

American Samoa, which the average rate there is $3.15 an hour. So apparently StarKist wants tuna that pack cheaply instead of good taste.

This is on top of the unfunded mandate on small businesses that the minimum wage increase that was done last week will be.

One thing that does happen to you, when you raise the prices of your goods, your competitor across the street, who may not be in the same financial circumstances, keeps his or her price the same. Wouldn't it be interesting if we had some…

Let me just comment on that. Let me make one clarifying point. You said, we are 20 days into this issue. The 18th will be our 14th day. And the first tax increase will come within the first 2 weeks, on the 14th day.

For my money, I will trust the private enterprise employee who works for that prescription drug plan who is negotiating with the drug companies to get the lowest price in order to be able to lower premiums to the Medicare beneficiary that…

Let me mention one other tax that is out there; we will talk about the national sales tax on another night. But the alternative minimum tax is another tax that we in the Republican majority basically kicked the can down the road a year at…

Yes, and that number grows. So in addition to these taxes expiring on their own, the fix on the alternative minimum tax has got to be removed and/or a permanent fix put in place, which will be quite daunting for anyone to get done…

I support this bill because most landowners, most developers, simply want answers. "Yes" or "no" is better than "wait until tomorrow." Once you get hung up in this regulatory nightmare of waivers and permits and permits and waivers and…

I will ask unanimous consent now to withdraw my amendment. The Acting CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? There was no objection. Amendment Offered by Mr. Putnam

I am sure that you agree that sound science, not unproven theories be at the root of our Federal drinking water rules. Families in rural communities should not be required to pay thousands of additional dollars each year to comply with…

I appreciate that. It was my intent to withdraw this amendment but after a discussion with my colleague from Florida. If I could have that discussion, sir.

I agree with that completely, and the evidence is in the statistics that we have and that the gentleman is presenting tonight and that my other colleague from Texas will, I suspect, share with us as well.

I was detained and unable to cast a vote on H.R. 2475, the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY06, on June 21, 2005. I was enroute to Brownwood, Texas to attend the funeral of Lance Corporal Mario Castillo, a Marine from the 11th District…

Today I would like to draw my colleagues' attention to a situation in Africa. President Abasanjo of Nigeria promised, as a result of a lawsuit several years ago, to withdraw Nigerian troops from the Bakassi Peninsula in the Republic of…

Well, the good news is, we found a third of them, and there should be processes in place within the Internal Revenue Service to get that money back so that it does, in fact, go either to pay off the debt or to fund other government…

Well, that is right. The earned income tax credit was an attempt by this Congress to credit folks at the lower end of the earning scale for taxes that they would have otherwise owed to the Federal Government. It is a credit that is…

Several members have mentioned the inconvenience that many voters may have experienced on voting day by having to stand in line to wait their turn to vote. I want us to put that inconvenience into a proper perspective. It goes without…