[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

  (Mr. FRANKS of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FRANKS of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I have been opposed to racial 
and gender based set-asides and preferential treatment throughout my 
career, but I believe that we must maintain and/or strengthen three 
aspects of our equal opportunity laws:
  First, we must ensure that opportunities are made known and are 
accessible to all Americans, followed by fair competition.
  Second, we must continue to have a mechanism to determine whether an 
entity has violated antidiscrimination laws.
  Third, we must strengthen the enforcement aspect of our equal 
opportunity laws. Enforcement should be swift and severe.
  However, Mr. Speaker, if set-asides and preferential treatment are 
not removed from the authorization and appropriation bills, I will 
attempt to offer amendments on the House floor to eliminate them all. I 
do so not to fuel the debate on affirmative action but to help ensure 
closure on this potentially divisive and emotional issue.

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