Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentleman from Georgia for standing as the amendment was being called up. Mr. Chair, I am on the floor. This…”

“I thank the gentleman from Georgia for standing as the amendment was being called up. Mr. Chair, I am on the floor. This is the Jackson Lee amendment. I hope the Record reflects it and corrects that I am here. The Record should be corrected. This is an amendment that deals with homeland security, and it reflects my general debate statement that there are some restraints that this particular legislation has that are not well suited for the needs of the American people. In this instance, this particular amendment deals with homeland security and the agency rules and regulations that are issued by the Department of Homeland Security. As currently drafted, H.R. 4768 would shift the scope and authority of the judicial review of agency actions away from Federal agencies by amending section 706 of the APA to require that courts decide all relevant questions of law, including all questions of interpretation of constitutional statutory and regulatory provisions on a de novo basis without deference to the agency that promulgated the final rule. I am concerned about the ability of agencies to act in times of imminent need to protect citizens, in particular, dealing with homeland security and the very climate, Mr. Chair, that we are in as we speak. The Jackson Lee amendment is a simple, but necessary, revision that would remedy this concern by excluding from the bill cases with rules that are made by the Secretary of Homeland Security and that pertain to any matter of national security.…”