[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESS UNDER REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I was elected to Congress just a little 
over 2 years ago, and our economy was in tough shape when I got in 
Congress. I did not really realize how tough a shape it was in. But 
under the leadership of this House, the leadership of the Speaker, the 
majority leader, we have worked on the problems of high unemployment, 
the low stock market. We made the tough choices and invested in our 
economy in 2003, and the result was a significant job growth.
  Now in this Congress we have taken on additional good work. We have 
passed a highway bill, class action reform, bankruptcy reform. And this 
week, Mr. Speaker, we are going to work on our energy bill. This is 
important and timely legislation. Every member on our committee was 
heard on their concerns. Every amendment was made in order and voted 
on, most on a roll call vote; and the bill passed out of committee with 
bipartisan support.
  We had an energy bill 2 years ago, and that energy bill unfortunately 
was derailed by a procedural motion in the other body, and it was 
largely derailed by trial lawyers who felt that they were not getting 
their just desserts from the energy bill. Mr. Speaker, that is why it 
was outrageous to read in ``Roll Call'' yesterday that the senior vice 
president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America said that they 
were upset with the asbestos bill over in the other body and it may 
have an impact on fund-raising from this particular bar.
  Mr. Speaker, this is outrageous. Where are the calls for 
investigation? Where are the calls for ethics from the other body?

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