[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NOTICE OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE 
                        PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE

  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I 
hereby notify the House of my intention to offer a resolution as a 
question of the privileges of the House.
  The form of my resolution is as follows:

       Whereas the gentleman from Oregon, Mr. Walden submitted an 
     amendment to the Committee on Rules to H.R. 3170, the 
     Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act;
       Whereas the said gentleman's amendment would have protected 
     the free speech rights of broadcasters and American citizens 
     by prohibiting funds made available in the Act from being 
     used to implement the Fairness Doctrine and certain broadcast 
     localism regulations,
       Whereas a similar amendment was adopted by the House in 
     2007 during consideration of H.R. 2829, the Financial 
     Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2008 by a 
     vote of 309 yeas and 115 nays, and became law, but the 
     Democratic leadership allowed the provision to expire;
       Whereas the gentleman's amendment complied with all 
     applicable Rules of the House for amendments to 
     appropriations measures and would have been in order under an 
     open amendment process; but regrettably the House Democratic 
     leadership has dramatically and historically reduced the 
     opportunity for free speech on this Floor, and
       Whereas the Speaker, Mrs. Pelosi, the Democratic 
     leadership, and the chairman of the Committee on 
     Appropriations, Mr. Obey, prevented the House from voting on 
     the amendment by excluding it from the list of amendments 
     made in order under the rule for the bill: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That H. Res. 644, the rule to accompany H.R. 
     3170, be amended to allow the gentleman from Oregon's 
     amendment be considered and voted on in the Houses.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the 
floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader 
as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence 
only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 legislative days after 
the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentleman from Oregon will appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.

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