[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H9114-H9115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary 
inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Texas will state it.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Is it appropriate, Mr. Speaker, to inquire 
whether the congressional letter gathering a number of Members 
addressed to the Speaker of the House has been submitted into the 
Record asking for H.R. 3529 to be passed by unanimous consent, a letter 
that was directed by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland), has that 
been presented to the House or to the Record of the House at this time?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair has no specific knowledge. Of 
course, any Member may ask unanimous consent to have a letter or a 
document inserted into the Record.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me just ask unanimous 
consent for such a letter to be submitted into the Record, along with a 
letter that I have submitted as well to the Speaker on this issue of 
H.R. 3529 to be brought up on unanimous consent.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman's 
document may be submitted for the Record.

                                     House of Representatives,

                                Washington, DC, November 21, 2002.
     Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Capitol, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Speaker: More than 800,000 jobless Americans will 
     lose their unemployment compensation three days before the 
     New Year if Congress leaves town without passing extension 
     legislation. Senate Republican Whip Don Nickles worked 
     diligently last week to broker a compromise bill, H.R. 3529, 
     which the House has the option of passing by unanimous 
     consent tomorrow before it adjourns sine die. We can think of 
     no reason why the House of Representatives, which is in 
     session tomorrow, would be unable to pass the bipartisan 
     compromise extension that was passed in the Senate last week. 
     But we can think of 800,000 reasons for the House to act 
     tomorrow.
       The San Francisco Chronicle quoted White House officials as 
     saying that ``the President believes it's important to 
     protect unemployed workers'' and has been lobbying for a 
     compromise to be reached. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3529 is that 
     compromise. Not only would it ensure that workers receive 
     their full thirteen weeks of extended compensation, but it 
     would provide much needed relief to those who are about to 
     exhaust their regular unemployment compensation and still 
     have not found a new job.
       When Members of the House left Washington last week, your 
     spokesman responded to questions about whether the House will 
     take up the Senate bill with: ``We're done, we're closed up. 
     Why don't they do [the House bill]?'' When the House finished 
     its business last week, House Leadership admonished Senators 
     that it was their responsibility to ensure that a Homeland 
     Security

[[Page H9115]]

     bill was passed. Now, it is the responsibility of the House 
     to ensure that an extended compensation bill gets passed and 
     that 800,000 Americans can rest a little easier this holiday 
     seasons.
           Sincerely,
                                               Sheila Jackson-Lee,
     Member of Congress.
                                  ____

     Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Capitol, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Speaker: More than 800,000 jobless Americans will 
     lose their unemployment compensation three days before the 
     New Year if Congress leaves town without passing extension 
     legislation. Senate Republican Whip Don Nickles worked 
     diligently last week to broker a compromise bill, H.R. 3529, 
     which the House has the option of passing by unanimous 
     consent tomorrow before it adjourns sine die. We can think of 
     no reason why the House of Representatives, which is in 
     session tomorrow, would be unable to pass the bipartisan 
     compromise extension that was passed in the Senate last week. 
     But we can think of 800,000 reasons for the House to act 
     tomorrow.
       The San Francisco Chronicle quoted White House officials as 
     saying that ``the President believes it's important to 
     protect unemployed workers'' and has been lobbying for a 
     compromise to be reached. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3529 is that 
     compromise. Not only would it ensure that workers receive 
     their full thirteen weeks of extended compensation, but it 
     would provide much needed relief to those who are about to 
     exhaust their regular unemployment compensation and still 
     have not found a new job.
       When Members of the House left Washington last week, your 
     spokesman responded to questions about whether the House will 
     take up the Senate bill with: ``We're done, we're closed up. 
     Why don't they do [the House bill]? When the House finished 
     its business last week, House Leadership admonished Senators 
     that it was their responsibility to ensure that a Homeland 
     Security bill was passed. Now, it is the responsibility of 
     the House to ensure that an extended compensation bill gets 
     passed and that 800,000 Americans can rest a little easier 
     this holiday season.
           Sincerely,
         Ted Strickland; Charles B. Rangel; Tim Holden; Lucille 
           Roybal-Allard; Marcy Kaptur; Gary L. Ackerman; Edward 
           J. Markey; Dennis J. Kucinich; Rick Larsen; Neil 
           Abercrombie; Danny K. Davis; Sherrod Brown; Maurice D. 
           Hinchey; James L. Oberstar; Edolphus Towns; Rick 
           Boucher; Bill Pascrell, Jr.; Stephanie Tubbs Jones; Vic 
           Snyder; Darlene Hooley; Louise McIntosh Slaughter; 
           Barney Frank; Lane Evans; Mark Udall; Anna G. Eshoo; 
           Shelley Berkley; Jan Schakowsky; Patrick J. Kennedy.
         Joseph Crowley; James P. Moran; Bernard Sanders; Betty 
           McCollum; John F. Tierney; Jay Inslee; Ken Bentsen; Tom 
           Udall; Barbara Lee; Steve Israel; Carolyn B. Maloney; 
           Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.; Robert E. Andrews; Eva M. 
           Clayton; Howard L. Berman; Sander M. Levin; Rosa L. 
           DeLaura; Donald M. Payne; Peter A. DeFazio; Bobby L. 
           Rush; Norm Dicks; Jose E. Serrano; Martin O. Sabo; 
           Jerrold Nadler; Nick J. Rahall II; George Miller; 
           Carrie P. Meek; Dale E. Kildee.
         Joe Baca; Silvestre Reyes; Elijah E. Cummings; Karen 
           McCarthy; John Spratt; Zoe Lofgren; Martin T. Meehan; 
           Baron P. Hill; Ellen O. Tauscher; Bob Etheridge; Steven 
           R. Rothman; Lynn N. Rivers; Bob Filner; Jerry Kleczka; 
           Bart Gordon; Diana DeGette; Earl Blumenauer; Eliot L. 
           Engel; Jerry E. Costello; Ike Skelton; Earl Pomeroy; 
           William D. Delahunt; Steny H. Hoyer; Virgil Goode, Jr.; 
           Tammy Baldwin; David Wu; Jane Harman.
         Ruben Hinojosa; Xavier Becerra; Julia Carson; Brian 
           Baird; Carolyn McCarthy; Mike McIntyre; Marion Berry; 
           Dennis Moore; David E. Price; Alcee D. Hastings; John 
           P. Murtha; David E. Bonior; James P. McGovern; Michael 
           M. Honda; Lynn Woolsey; Gene Green; Corrine Brown; 
           Chales A. Gonzalez; Frank Pallone, Jr.; Robert A. 
           Brady; Michael F. Doyle; Adam Smith; Tom Barrett; Lloyd 
           Doggett; Jim Davis; Stephen F. Lynch; Fortney Pete 
           Stark; James R. Langevin; Sheila Jackson-Lee.

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