[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 112 (Friday, August 12, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
CONSTITUENTS' PROTEST AGAINST CRIMINAL CODDLING BILL MAY BE 
                         KEY TO BILL'S FAILURE

  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, it is far too simplistic to 
villainize the NRA and blame them for the failure of the crime-bill 
rule last evening. When this bill left the House, it had far too much 
pork in it. and it had a whole lot more when it returned.
  When it left the House, it was aptly described as a ``criminal 
coddling'' bill, and one constituent called to ask us, ``Please don't 
vote for the hug-a-thug bill'' that was returned to us from conference.
  A real reason that the bill failed was the rule itself and the fact 
that we did not have time to read this very large bill. But in the 
final analysis, the credit for killing this rule belongs to the 
American people who, in ever increasing numbers, called our offices to 
tell us, ``Please don't vote for this bill.''

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