[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 137 (Tuesday, September 27, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  A CONTRACT WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from Connecticut 
[Mr. Shays] is recognized during morning business for 3 minutes.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, whenever we attempt to do something 
innovative and creative and dynamic, there is the danger that we can 
claim too much and there is also the danger that critics can claim too 
much as well. This contract is truly with the American people. It is an 
attempt to demonstrate that if we have a Republican majority, there 
will be things that happen in the first 100 days of our majorityship. 
The fact is there is a fundraiser tonight but there are no checks being 
picked up. There are fundraisers in the Republican Party and in the 
Democratic Party but what is most essential is that the American people 
after 40 years of the one-party rule have an opportunity to see another 
party rule. Thus, 12-year-olds that are killing each other, 18-year-
olds who cannot read their diplomas in the legacy of the welfare state. 
It is the legacy I think of 40 years of rule by one party. This 
contract with the American people promises some very direct things with 
the American people, not to my leadership. It first promises that 
whether or not a law passes that we will in this House with a 
Republican majority abide by all the laws that we pass on others, the 
civil rights laws, the OSHA laws and so on. It also says that for the 
first time in 40 years, we will have an independent audit, a 
comprehensive audit of Congress that has not been done. Lord knows what 
we will find. It should happen whether or not Republicans are elected. 
but it will not unless Republicans have control.
  It also says we will cut the number of committees. We need to. There 
are too many committees. One administration person has to go before 
eight different committees to say the same story. It is duplicative, it 
is wasteful, it is inefficient. It should change. This is a promise we 
make with the American people we will change this. The number of 
committee staffs, Republicans have 15 percent of the committee staff, 
15 percent. We can cut the number of committee staff and function well. 
We function well with 15 percent. We can reduce the number of committee 
staff.

                              {time}  1110

  I do not happen to support term limits, but this contact says there 
will be a vote. I really believe that if the American people heard a 
debate in this House about term limits they might feel differently. So 
I am going to promise with this contract to have a vote on term limits, 
but I am going to actively speak out against it, but be held 
accountable for my vote. I am going to say why I believe it is wrong, 
and why I do not believe it will be helpful to this country. But there 
will be a vote. That is the contract.
  Banning proxy voting. Is it not amazing you can vote and not be 
there?
  The bottom line is we need a change in how we adopt taxes so it takes 
more than a simple majority.
  A balanced budget amendment, tax limitation amendment, legislating a 
line-item veto, reform, habeas corpus reform, a good-faith exclusionary 
rules, tax incentive adoption, a tax credit. If you make $15,000 you 
pay no taxes and do not get the credit that is right. But anyone who 
pays taxes gets the credit.
  This contract makes sense for the American people. It is a contract 
with the American people.

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