Date: 2009-03-25
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. I have appreciated this discussion. and again. I thank Ranking Member HASTINGS for having come down during the time of debate on the rule. He has perhaps a very unique perspective having served on the Rules Committee for so many years. He knows the importance of process to the functioning of the House. And in addition. obviously. now he is an expert. he always has been. but especially now that he is day in and day out working on these issues in the Resources Committee. he is very much an expert on the underlying legislation. Hearing the discussion. one thing comes to mind. Mr. HASTINGS pointed. Mr. Speaker. to the fact that we recognize. and I agree with him. we recognize that the majority obviously has a right to carry forth its agenda and obviously a right under the rules to pass out resolutions establishing the framework for debate. But some things I think are important to point out with regard to that. In this Congress. I mentioned there has been a pattern. really an excessive pattern. I dont believe we have passed out an open rule. In other words. I dont think any legislation in this Congress. am I correct? I dont remember any open rules. Thats really breaking with tradition. Let me explain that. Mr. Speaker. Open rules are. as Mr. HASTINGS said. frameworks by which bills are brought to the floor. where any Member can have an amendment. and any Member can speak on any amendment. for 5 minutes. And we havenot seen that at all in this Congress. Now. that is a very significant and. I believe. unfair pattern thats been set. Now. even having said that. there is another point that I think should be brought out. And I think our colleague from Massachusetts has made this point more than once. and I think hes made it very eloquently. Issues of genuine contention. all of such issues should be able to be debated. Now. in other words. if the majority doesnt want to have an open rule. doesnt want every. amendment possible to be presented. at least issues of contention that were taken before the Rules Committee in the form of amendments should be allowed to be heard. Mr. HASTINGS has pointed out that there is an issue in this with regard to this legislation. and this is consensus legislation. The underlying legislation has support from both sides of the aisle. But there is an issue of contention that was brought before the committee. and that is on fire prevention. Apparently. and Im not an expert on this area. But apparently. there are objections from the extreme environmental lobby with regard to fire prevention being able to be debated. And the majority party. listening to that extreme lobby. has not allowed that issue of contention which should be brought before this floor to be even debated. And I think thats unfortunate. So beyond even the pattern of unfairness that has been set by this majority. where not even one piece of legislation has been brought under an open rule where everybody can file. every Member of this House can file amendments. beyond that even. significant issues of contention that Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts has made clear. and Ive heard him. Hes been very explicit and. I think. eloquent when he said. no. no. all such issues of contention should be allowed by the Rules Committee. And hes gone so far even to protest his own leadership excluding genuine issues of contention from prior bills brought before this House. and I think that he deserves commendation for that. So. heres another example. Mr. HASTINGS talks about an issue of contention that has been shut out by the Rules Committee. So yes. Mr. HASTINGS may have had three amendments made in order. but two amendments that deal with the issues of contention have not been made in order. and thats unfortunate. Thats what Im saying with regard to it being. I believe. unfortunate to see unnecessary. totally unnecessary closing of the process. shutting out debate by the majority. even on noncontroversial underlying pieces of legislation like the one were bringing to the floor today. So we have no further speakers. Again. I thank my friend from Colorado for his courtesy. At this time. since we have no further speakers. we yield back the balance of our time.