PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2679, VETERANS' MEMORIALS, BOY SCOUTS, PUBLIC SEALS, AND OTHER PUBLIC EXPRESSIONS OF RELIGION PROTECTION ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 26, 2006)
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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the political season is upon us. There is just 1 week left before we adjourn for the midterm elections. And what does that mean? It means we will shove important issues to the side and move the sound bite and wedge issues to the forefront. It means that this Congress will become a place where trivial issues are debated passionately and important ones not at all. The legislation before us is not needed, will not be enacted by the Senate, and, quite frankly, is a waste of our time.
The so-called Public Expression of Religion Act, which should really be called the ``cheap political expression act,'' is simply another wedge issue brought to the floor by the Republican leadership that will be used as a political tool in the November elections. The bill bars the award of attorneys' fees to prevailing parties asserting their fundamental constitutional rights in cases brought under the Establishment Clause of the first amendment. In other words, the Public Expression of Religion Act will prevent lawyers from being paid for representing people who believe that their religious freedoms have been violated.
Now, there is a legal separation of church and State in this country, and we have a court system designed to mediate any dispute over the law, including legal disputes over the separation of church and State. We have an independent judiciary, and they deserve to do the job the framers intended them to do.
But this bill does not allow them to do the job the framers empowered them to do. If this bill is enacted, attorneys will stop representing people who feel that their rights are infringed upon because they won't be compensated for doing their jobs.
The fact, Mr. Speaker, is that there are some on the other side of the aisle who don't like some of the decisions the courts have handed down in regards to the display of certain religious symbols; and since they cannot win in court based on rights guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States, my good friends on the other side of the aisle are now attempting to rig the process in their favor.
Now, there are decisions the courts hand down that I do not agree with, and I can think of a few that the Supreme Court has handed down that I don't agree with. But I do not run to the floor of this House with legislation overturning those decisions. Mr. Speaker, this is a slippery slope that will ultimately cause real legal problems if this bill is ever enacted into law.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague on the Rules Committee, Mr. Hastings of Florida, said it best during yesterday's hearing on this rule. He said, ``I don't understand what's broken.'' Well, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, what is really broken. The way we treat people who need the most help in this country is broken. The way we protect our homeland is broken. The independent Ð9/11 Commission has given us D's and F's in terms of implementing their recommendations to protect the people of this country. It is a broken process.
And the way we are perceived around the world is broken. We have never, ever been held in such low esteem. The way the people of this country view the United States Congress is broken. We have never had lower ratings than we do right now, because people are fed up with the things that are being brought to this floor.
Instead of addressing the more important and pressing issues, we are forced by the Republican leadership to debate and vote on a bill restricting attorneys' fees.
Where, Mr. Speaker, is a clean bill increasing the minimum wage? The Federal minimum wage is stuck at $5.15 an hour, and 9 years ago was the last time we raised the Federal minimum wage. Yet this Congress has given itself nine pay increases. Where is the legislation implementing the rest of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations? Where is the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill?
Mr. Speaker, we shouldn't adjourn before we consider these bills; and bringing up another bill, attacking lawyers for doing their job, does nothing to address these problems.
I urge my colleagues to reject this partisan political legislation, this legislation that is not needed, and instead demand that the leadership of this House bring to the floor meaningful legislation. I would also urge my colleagues to defeat this rule. It is another closed rule. Democracy is dead in this House of Representatives. I cannot remember the last time we had an open rule. There is no reason why this should be a closed rule.
Mr. Speaker, I will insert in the RECORD a number of letters from individuals and organizations that are opposed to this legislation.
First, a letter signed by a number of religious and civil rights organizations, including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Baptist Joint Committee, People for the American Way, the Interfaith Alliance, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, and a whole range of other organizations opposed to this.
I would also like to insert in the RECORD a letter opposing this legislation signed by the leaders of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentleman from Texas for making clear what this bill is trying to do, which is to undermine the Constitution. It is frightening to see what could potentially happen should the other side gain seats in the next election.
I also think it is frustrating and I think it is offensive that we all know this bill is going nowhere and that we are taking our time up debating this when we should be debating ways to improve the quality of life for our veterans and raising the minimum wage and a whole bunch of other things.
One final thing. We have heard the word democracy mentioned several times over there. All the rules in this Congress that have been reported out by the Rules Committee, with the exception of appropriations bills, have been closed, with the exception of one bill. It is about time we had a little democracy in this House of Representatives.
If you respect the Constitution and you respect this institution, we need to have a different process.
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