[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 137 (Monday, December 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 6, 2004

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, had I been present for the following 
votes on Saturday, November 20, 2004, I would have voted as follows:
  Rollcall vote 538: I would have voted ``nay'' on waiving the House 
rule to allow for the same day consideration of legislation. Congress 
should follow the House rules and have adequate time to review 
legislation before casting its votes.
  Rollcall vote 539: I would have voted ``yea'' on the resolution 
recognizing the Boy Scouts of America for the public service the 
organization performs for neighborhoods and communities across the 
United States.
  Rollcall vote 540: I would have voted ``nay'' on the resolution 
waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany the 
fiscal 2005 omnibus appropriations bill.
  Rollcall vote 541: I would have voted ``yea'' on passage of the 
Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act. While this legislation only 
allows the Federal Aviation Administration to regulate technologies 
that ``have resulted in a serious or fatal injury,'' this will be an 
interesting test for safety regulations of a very narrow group of 
consumers who are aware of the risks they face.
  Rollcall vote 542: I would have voted ``yea'' on passage of the 
fiscal 2005 omnibus appropriations bill. The uproar caused by the last-
minute insertion of a provision opening up tax returns to the 
Appropriations Committee is not a surprise based on the manner in which 
the bill came to the floor under a ``Martial Law'' rule. Congress 
deserves the opportunity to have the time to thoroughly review bills 
before being asked to vote on them. While I disapprove of the manner in 
which the omnibus bill was brought to the floor, funding for the 15 
governmental agencies receiving funding from this bill are 
indispensable to my district and the country.

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