[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1463-H1464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  (Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today 
to speak out on the Democrats' proposed ``Slaughter solution.'' This is 
a sleight-of-hand with an unconstitutional move to avoid a true vote. 
Article I, section 7 of the Constitution reads, Every bill shall have 
passed the House of Representatives and the Senate before it is 
presented to the President of the United States.
  With the Slaughter solution, leadership is attempting to manipulate 
the rules to circumvent this fundamental constitutional requirement. In 
the Senate, they have a bill there with so many special deals--taxes on 
insurance, coverage for abortion--even they cannot pass it for a second 
time. And so Democrat leadership here in the House tried to avoid a 
traditional up-or-down vote. The Supreme Court has even spoken on this 
and said a bill must contain the exact text before it is approved in 
one House and then the other--precisely the same text.

[[Page H1464]]

  Madam Speaker, if we ignore the basic requirements of the 
Constitution, whether by disregarding procedural restraints or 
overstepping our congressional authority by dictating people's health 
insurance, we will descend from the freedom of democracy toward the 
tyranny of a dictatorship.

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