House Proceeding 03-25-09 on Mar 25th, 2009 :: 0:06:05 to 0:15:00
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0:06:02 to 0:06:22( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: this bill to the president for his signature and i balanc the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i use my -- i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized.

0:06:05 to 0:15:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Doc Hastings

0:06:23 to 0:06:44( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: mr. hastings: mr. speaker, this bill has gone through quite a process analthough this bill contains several pieces of legislation and three parts of this omnibus bil might add, the negatives in this bill and the failure to conser it under regular order of any kind have opened inclusive process outweigh any reason in my mind to vote for it.

0:06:45 to 0:07:07( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: by now it is well known that republicans have tried to amend this bill to restore needed house provisions, to remove egregious provisions and add protections for americans' second amendment rights. if we had been allowed to offer these amendments we might have produced leglation almost all members of the house could support.

0:07:08 to 0:07:29( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: however, we have been blocked at every opportunity from participating in this process. this package is largely a product of closed-door deal making. it is designed to ensure that just enough congressional districts receive something to induce support for very controversial measures that

0:07:30 to 0:07:50( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: underwent no public hearing. the democrat leadership likes to argue that the full house has acted on more than 70 provisions in this bill. what they don't say is that at least 100 provisions have not been considered by the full house. mr. speaker, this may look

0:07:51 to 0:08:11( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: familiar to some people. it's a large, large bill. and of that, only this amount has been considered by the house. it seem it's like -- seems like we haven't learned from what past experience has taught us

0:08:12 to 0:08:35( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: about trying to put massive bills through the house without having somewhat of an open process. every motion, procedure and action in this body has been used to deny the house republicans of any meaningful participation in this bill. the house's failure to study these 100 provisions will have serious consequences in my view

0:08:36 to 0:08:58( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: for an ailing economy. before the house rejected this package under suspension of the rules, our friends othe other side of the aisle argue that this bill is just what america needs in difficult times. well, it seems to me the discussion in this new congress has been around the economy and a need for american jobs and i

0:08:59 to 0:09:19( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: think that americans need jobs. although h.r. 146 might create a few jobs, these jobs will be mostly limited to bureaucrats putting up do not enter and no access signs all over america's public lands.

0:09:20 to 0:09:40( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: and the few jobs that will be far outnumber the jobs that would be killed by this bill. are our memories so short that we have forgotten the energy crisis of just last summer? and the role that it played in the economic downturn that we speernlsed in the second half of last year? evidently the democrat

0:09:41 to 0:10:03( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: leadership's answer to this is to close off energy-rich public lands forever. this package contains 19 provisions to block american-me energy production, locking away hundreds of millions of barrels of oil a trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.

0:10:04 to 0:10:24( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: more than three million acres of public land are permanently locked away from energy development. now these are public lands in a time when our economy is slowing, in a time when we need to try to get the economy going d no sector could be better i think than the energy sector,

0:10:25 to 0:10:45( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: especially the american energy sector yet this bill goes the opposite way in what i just cited. it is ironic. while democrat leaders accuse industry of stockpiling federal oil and gas leases, the truth is that the federal government, through the actions of the

0:10:46 to 0:11:06( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: congress, is stockpiling lands to block energy production. h.r. 146 has many other problems. it could, and i say could, result in a ban on the use of vehicles and other technology to patrol the u.s. border. it bans recreational access to

0:11:07 to 0:11:27( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: millions of acres of public nds. even worse, it denies those dependent on wheelchairs, including disabled terans, from fully enjoying public lands like everyone else. it fails to address a federal judge's decision of only last week when we could have acted on this, that overturned the bush administration regulations

0:11:28 to 0:11:49( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: to protect second amendment rights in parks, in wildlife refugees -- refuges. in other words, to make consistent our laws on public lands. h.r. 146 even hurts civil liberties. it could mean jail time and for

0:11:50 to 0:12:11( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: -- time for innocent actions by americans. yesterday we received a letter from a coalition of civil rights group, including the american civil liberties union, the competitive enterprise stitute, the national association of criminal defense lawyers and others who have grave concerns and i'll quote, the bill creates many new

0:12:12 to 0:12:34( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: federal crimes using language that is so broad that the provisions could cover innocent human error, end quote. these organizations also say that, and again i'm quoting, above all, we are concerned that a bill containing new

0:12:35 to 0:12:55( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: federal crimes finds an imprisonment and -- finds imprisonment may come to the house floor without first being marked up by the house judiciary committe end quote. mr. speaker, this house was not even marked up by the house natural resources committee. this bill was not marked up by any committee in the house.

0:12:56 to 0:13:16( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: this is a bill that came over, again over 1,100 pages, from the senate. so this wasn't even marked up and it has these provisions in it. i just have to ask you, mr. speaker, does this sound familiar? none of the several committees in the jurisdiction over this bill have any hearings on the troubling provisions within

0:13:17 to 0:13:38( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: this bill. so, mr. speaker, now that is not how the people's house sought to work. this house is the house where in no member has ever serbed that was not elected. it's- served that was not elected. it's the closest to the people. and when we have concerned, then let's debate those

0:13:39 to 0:13:59( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: concerns and let's have a vote. and i understand how that work we have three buttons but i generally only press two, yes and no. and whoever has the most votes prevails. but we have been denied even that basic opportunity in the people's house on this bill. the amendments i offered, for example, last night in the rules committee that were

0:14:00 to 0:14:20( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: rejected all on a party line that only addressed the most egregious part. we had a dis of the members of the rules committee where theyere talking about some of the provisio this they worked on were carefully crafted. in fact, the distinguished chairman mentioned that and i totally agree. i know there are provisions

0:14:21 to 0:14:42( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: that have been crafted. but for those provisions in the bill that have some dissention, some diffe then let's discuss that and then we can have a vote in which -- and which ever side prevails prevails. that's the wayhe people's house ought to work. but once again that process is being denied with this huge bill that is slightly larger, i

0:14:43 to 0:15:01( Edit History Discussion )

Doc Hastings: think, than the stimulus bill, if you want to make some sort of a comparison. but here we are again today going through that same procedure. so with that, mr. speaker, while there are three plo vision -- provisions in this bill that i've worked several congresses on, i have to say that this bill on the whole is