Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join with me in protecting the honor and valor of our military heroes by passing H.R. 1775, the Stolen Valor Act of 2011. On June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, concluding that the broad nature of the law infringed upon the guaranteed protection of free speech provided by the First Amendment of our Constitution. The Court determined that the act ``sought to control and suppress all false statements on this one subject without regard as to whether the lie was made for the purpose of material gain.'' However, in concurring with the decision of the plurality, Justice Breyer stated that a ``more finely tailored statute that shows the false statement caused specific harm or was at least material could significantly reduce the threat of First Amendment harm while permitting the statute to achieve its important protective objective.'' Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what my legislation does. The Stolen Valor Act of 2011 resolves these constitutional issues by clearly defining that the objective of the law is to target and punish those who misrepresent their alleged service with the intent of profiting personally or financially. Defining the intent helps ensure that this law will pass constitutional scrutiny while at the same time achieving its primary objective, which is to preserve and protect the honor and integrity of military service and awards.…”