Equality Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), the ranking member on the Subcommittee of the Constitution and Civil Justice.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

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MR. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Democrats just said that this bill doesn't harm Title IX. They have said it will not hinder women's ability to participate in sports. That is just not true.

They say it is not going to make it harder for women to participate in sports. It may not make it harder, but it is sure going to make it more difficult to win. We know that. That is the problem. And if that doesn't undermine the spirit of Title IX, I don't know what does.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I will read from the bill, page 25 of their legislation.

The previous speaker, Madam Speaker, is just flat-out wrong. Here is what it says: The Religious Freedom Restoration Act shall not--shall not--provide a claim or a defense to a claim under the legislation or provide a basis for challenging the application of this bill.

They put it in the bill. You can't use the standards set forth in RFRA that was passed. You can't even use that as a defense. It is spelled out in the legislation.

As my colleague from Louisiana said, the very first right mentioned in the very first amendment to the Constitution, in the very first amendment of the Bill of Rights, is your right to practice your faith the way you see fit. And they put in their legislation: No, you can't. No, you can't.

That is what is in the bill. That is why they didn't want a hearing, as previous speakers said, because they didn't want us to be able to talk about this in a hearing where you have testimony, witnesses. They didn't want that.

They come to the floor, and as my colleague from Texas said, give this a fancy name while they are taking away American citizens' most fundamental liberty, the liberty the Founders chose to mention the very first right in the Bill of Rights.

That is why we oppose this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I would just point out that a few speakers ago, the gentleman from Maryland used the term ``religious garb.''

A physician's conscience, a physician's faith, which compels him or her not to take the life of an unborn child is not religious garb. That is a deeply held position of conscience and position of faith.

Mr. Speaker, to have a Member from the other side raise that argument when we have specifically pointed to the First Amendment, pointed to page 25 of the bill, which says ``the Religious Freedom Restoration Act will not apply,'' is ridiculous.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire about the amount of time remaining on each side?
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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a statement from the Log Cabin Republicans opposing the legislation on the floor today.

LCR's official statement:

As part of the Democrats' hard shift to the left, they continue to trample on the rights and freedoms of all Americans in the name of equality and `equity.'

Today, House Democrats are ramming through their latest version of the so-called ``Equality Act.'' We opposed this legislation in the past, and we oppose it as it stands today. This is a partisan piece of legislation--it has no Republican cosponsors in the House. And the insidious nature of the extreme changes it will make would irreparably harm America and all of the accomplishments we've worked so hard for over the last few decades.

Below, please find a complete review of this legislation from our editorial and research teams at OUTSpoken.

Let me be clear--Log Cabin Republicans is not now, nor will it ever retreat on our commitment for equality for the LGBT community--the transgender community included. We stand for protections in employment, access to quality healthcare, and equal protection under the law for our trans brothers and sisters.

But the so-called Equality Act goes to an extreme level to eliminate the concept of gender, which is absurd, dangerous, and way out of the mainstream.

We're going to work through this together as a community and a nation, but the Equality Act is not the solution.

Thank you for your consideration we will keep you informed of developments as they occur.

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Mr. JORDAN. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I don't think anyone uses God. We have just cited what is in the legislation, which specifically says the Religious Freedom Restoration Act shall not provide a defense against what this bill is doing. That is all we have done.

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, can I inquire about the amount of time left for each side?

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Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, the last statement was ridiculous, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

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Mr. JORDAN. I yield an additional 10 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore).

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).
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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, at the start of the debate, the sponsor of the bill said discrimination is wrong. It sure is. We shouldn't tolerate it.

But this bill makes how a person identifies more important than equality; makes it more important than fairness; makes it more important than fundamental liberties like your right to practice your faith the way you think the good Lord wants you to.

And you would think a change of this magnitude would get a little more than 90 minutes debate on the House floor. That is why we should oppose this legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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