Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6513. I am proud to say this measure is the by-product of bipartisan agreement. Article I, Section 5, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to be the ``judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own Members.'' The House of Representatives serves as the final arbiter over any contest to the seating of any putative Member-elect. Simply put, this measure, H.R. 6513, confirms Congress' constitutional authority to designated congressional staff to observe election administration procedures in congressional elections. I am grateful to my colleague, Chairman Steil, for agreeing to address several concerns raised in committee with an earlier version of the text. For example, we were able to agree on the need to preserve the authority of local election officials to remove an observer who is being disruptive or interfering with the elections process, as well as the additional language stating our sense that all House employees deployed as observers must adhere to the Code of Official Conduct while serving in this role. It is important to balance transparency with security, and at a time when election officials across the country have raised concerns about safety, security, and privacy, we should hold ourselves and our staff to the highest standards. We are glad to have worked with Chairman Steil and his staff to reach a bipartisan agreement. Mr.…”