[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMARKS ON INAUGURAL BILL

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 9, 2008

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madame Speaker, on January 20, this Nation will lay 
witness to a Presidential Inauguration like no other in our country's 
history. As my fellow Americans travel to the District of Columbia, in 
some cases without a place to stay, just to be part of this historic 
occasion, we must bear in mind that this event stands as a symbol of 
democracy, and that tickets should not be bought and sold to the 
highest bidder. It is egregious that tickets that are given out freely 
would then be sold for thousands of dollars. Even worse, are false 
promises of tickets that are made to individuals and families, who are 
then left with empty pockets and tales of disillusion.
  For these reasons, I have introduced a bill that will make it a crime 
to knowingly sell tickets to the Presidential Inaugural ceremony. This 
bill will also make it a criminal act to produce counterfeit tickets 
for the Inaugural ceremony. I am hopeful that this bill will work to 
stop the unscrupulous, yet devastating actions of the few, and preserve 
the dignity of this historic and celebratory occasion for the many.

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