[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 125 (Thursday, September 18, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               KEEP THE HOUSE FLOOR FREE OF INTIMIDATION

  (Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to come to this side of 
the Chamber because I wanted to speak especially to my Republican 
colleagues.
  Later today, the House will consider a privileged resolution 
regarding the conduct of a former Member of this House. I do not want 
to get into the particulars of what the former Member said and did 
during his visit on the House floor yesterday. What I want to do is to 
appeal to my Republican friends to stand up for the integrity, order, 
and decorum of this House when a vote is taken on this resolution.
  No Member of this House should be subjected to verbal abuse, 
harassment, or intimidation by anyone, not on the floor of the House of 
Representatives. This vote goes to the heart of this beloved democratic 
institution. I appeal to my Republican colleagues to stand up and later 
vote for the privileged resolution. Send a message that offensive 
language, threats, and intimidation will not be tolerated on the floor 
of the House of Representatives.

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