[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2815-H2817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the
House and offer the resolution previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 1287
Whereas, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
initiated an investigation into allegations related to
earmarks and campaign contributions in the Spring of 2009.
Whereas, on December 2, 2009, reports and findings in seven
separate matters involving the alleged connection between
earmarks and campaign contributions were forwarded by the
Office of Congressional Ethics to the Standards Committee.
Whereas, on February 26, 2010, the Standards Committee made
public its report on the matter wherein the Committee found,
though a widespread perception exists among corporations and
lobbyists that campaign contributions provide a greater
chance of obtaining earmarks, there was no evidence that
Members or their staff considered contributions when
requesting earmarks.
Whereas, the Committee indicated that, with respect to the
matters forwarded by the Office of Congressional Ethics,
neither the evidence cited in the OCE's findings nor the
evidence in the record before the Standards Committee
provided a substantial reason to believe that violations of
applicable standards of conduct occurred.
Whereas, the Office of Congressional Ethics is prohibited
from reviewing activities taking place prior to March of 2008
and lacks the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents.
Whereas, for example, the Office of Congressional Ethics
noted that in some instances documents were redacted or
specific information was not provided and that, in at least
one instance, they had reason to believe a witness withheld
information requested and did not identify what was being
withheld.
Whereas, the Office of Congressional Ethics also noted that
they were able to interview only six former employees of the
PMA Group, with many former employees refusing to consent to
interviews and the OCE unable to obtain evidence within PMA's
possession.
Whereas, Roll Call noted that ``the committee report was
five pages long and included no documentation of any evidence
collected or any interviews conducted by the committee,
beyond a statement that the investigation `included extensive
document reviews and interviews with numerous witnesses.' ''
(Roll Call, March 8, 2010)
Whereas, it is unclear whether the Standards Committee
included in their investigation any activities that occurred
prior to 2008.
Whereas, it is unclear whether the Standards Committee
interviewed any Members in the course of their investigation.
Whereas, it is unclear whether the Standards Committee, in
the course of their investigation, initiated their own
subpoenas or followed the Office of Congressional Ethics
recommendations to issue subpoenas. Therefore be it:
Resolved, That not later than seven days after the adoption
of this resolution, the Committee on Standards of Official
Conduct shall report to the House of Representatives, with
respect to the activities addressed in its report of February
26, 2010, (1) how many witnesses were interviewed, (2) how
many, if any, subpoenas were issued in the course of their
investigation, and (3) what documents were reviewed and their
availability for public review.
{time} 1145
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution qualifies.
Motion to Refer the Resolution
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move the resolution be
referred to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
Mr. FLAKE. I move the previous question on the resolution itself.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The motion for the previous question is
preferential.
The question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 187,
nays 218, answered ``present'' 16, not voting 9, as follows:
[Roll No. 217]
YEAS--187
Aderholt
Adler (NJ)
Akin
Alexander
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bono Mack
Boozman
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bright
Broun (GA)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Cantor
Cao
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Castle
Chaffetz
Childers
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cole
Cooper
Crenshaw
Culberson
Davis (KY)
Diaz-Balart, M.
Donnelly (IN)
Dreier
Duncan
Ehlers
Emerson
Fallin
Flake
Fleming
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Giffords
Gingrey (GA)
Goodlatte
Granger
Graves
Griffith
Guthrie
Hall (TX)
Halvorson
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Himes
Hodes
Hoekstra
Hunter
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan (OH)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Kline (MN)
Kosmas
Lamborn
Lance
LaTourette
Latta
Lee (NY)
Lewis (CA)
Linder
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
Markey (CO)
McCarthy (CA)
McClintock
McCotter
McHenry
McKeon
McMahon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Minnick
Mitchell
Moran (KS)
Murphy (NY)
Murphy, Tim
Neugebauer
Nunes
Olson
Owens
Paul
Paulsen
Pence
Perriello
Petri
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Posey
Price (GA)
Putnam
Quigley
Radanovich
Rehberg
Reichert
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Scalise
Schmidt
Schock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Taylor
Terry
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Walz
Wamp
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--218
Ackerman
Altmire
Andrews
Arcuri
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Barrow
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boccieri
Boren
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Braley (IA)
Brown, Corrine
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Chu
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly (VA)
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Dahlkemper
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Driehaus
Edwards (MD)
Edwards (TX)
Ellison
Ellsworth
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Frank (MA)
Fudge
Garamendi
Gonzalez
Gordon (TN)
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kilroy
Kind
Kissell
Klein (FL)
Kratovil
Kucinich
[[Page H2816]]
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lowey
Lujan
Lynch
Maffei
Markey (MA)
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Michaud
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy, Patrick
Nadler (NY)
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Nye
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree (ME)
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Richardson
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Ryan (OH)
Salazar
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schauer
Schiff
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sestak
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shuler
Sires
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Space
Speier
Spratt
Stark
Stupak
Sutton
Tanner
Teague
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wilson (OH)
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--16
Bonner
Butterfield
Buyer
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Conaway
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Harper
Hastings (WA)
Latham
Lofgren, Zoe
McCaul
Myrick
Walden
Welch
NOT VOTING--9
Barrett (SC)
Conyers
Davis (AL)
Gohmert
Inglis
Maloney
Polis (CO)
Ruppersberger
Rush
{time} 1215
Ms. ESHOO, Messrs. NEAL, HARE, HINOJOSA, ALTMIRE, DICKS, MILLER of
North Carolina, CARNEY, GEORGE MILLER of California, MARSHALL, TOWNS,
GORDON of Tennessee, CLAY, BISHOP of Georgia, GRAYSON, HILL of Indiana,
SPRATT, THOMPSON of Mississippi, HOLDEN, KANJORSKI, HOYER, BOUCHER,
WATT, ELLISON, Ms. HIRONO, Messrs. LEVIN, STARK, GUTIERREZ, BERMAN,
GENE GREEN of Texas, WU, TONKO, DAVIS of Illinois, SCHRADER, PALLONE,
Ms. BERKLEY, Messrs. SERRANO, EDWARDS of Texas, LUJAN, and GONZALEZ
changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. COLE, PUTNAM, WAMP, CALVERT, AKIN, RYAN of Wisconsin, ROONEY,
LAMBORN, YOUNG of Florida, BOEHNER, BACHUS, GARRETT of New Jersey,
SENSENBRENNER, BARTLETT, HENSARLING, Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS, Messrs.
GOODLATTE, WESTMORELAND, Mrs. HALVORSON, and Mr. ADLER of New Jersey
changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
Messrs. HASTINGS of Washington, LATHAM, and McCAUL changed their vote
from ``yea'' to ``present.''
Mr. WELCH changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``present.''
So the previous question was not ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for
1 hour.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this is a matter that belongs
before the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question
on the motion.
The previous question was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to refer.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to refer will be followed by 5-minute votes
on the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 2194 and the motion to
suspend the rules on House Resolution 1270.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 402,
nays 0, answered ``present'' 17, not voting 11, as follows:
[Roll No. 218]
YEAS--402
Ackerman
Aderholt
Adler (NJ)
Akin
Alexander
Altmire
Andrews
Arcuri
Austria
Baca
Bachmann
Bachus
Baird
Baldwin
Barrow
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berry
Biggert
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Bishop (UT)
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boccieri
Boehner
Bono Mack
Boozman
Boren
Boswell
Boucher
Boustany
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Bright
Broun (GA)
Brown (SC)
Brown, Corrine
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Buchanan
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Cantor
Cao
Capito
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Carter
Cassidy
Castle
Chaffetz
Childers
Chu
Clarke
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Coffman (CO)
Cohen
Cole
Connolly (VA)
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Crenshaw
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Cummings
Dahlkemper
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
Davis (KY)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutch
Diaz-Balart, M.
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Dreier
Driehaus
Duncan
Edwards (MD)
Edwards (TX)
Ehlers
Ellison
Ellsworth
Emerson
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Fallin
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Flake
Fleming
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Frank (MA)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gallegly
Garamendi
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Giffords
Gonzalez
Goodlatte
Gordon (TN)
Granger
Graves
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Griffith
Grijalva
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Hall (NY)
Hall (TX)
Halvorson
Hare
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Heinrich
Heller
Hensarling
Herger
Herseth Sandlin
Higgins
Hill
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hodes
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Hunter
Inglis
Inslee
Israel
Issa
Jackson (IL)
Jackson Lee (TX)
Jenkins
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan (OH)
Kagen
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kilroy
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kirkpatrick (AZ)
Kissell
Klein (FL)
Kline (MN)
Kosmas
Kratovil
Kucinich
Lamborn
Lance
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
LaTourette
Latta
Lee (CA)
Lee (NY)
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan
Lummis
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Mack
Maffei
Manzullo
Marchant
Markey (CO)
Markey (MA)
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (CA)
McCarthy (NY)
McClintock
McCollum
McCotter
McDermott
McGovern
McHenry
McIntyre
McKeon
McMahon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Mica
Michaud
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller (NC)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Minnick
Mitchell
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Murphy (CT)
Murphy (NY)
Murphy, Patrick
Murphy, Tim
Nadler (NY)
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Neugebauer
Nunes
Nye
Oberstar
Obey
Olson
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Paul
Paulsen
Payne
Pence
Perlmutter
Perriello
Peters
Peterson
Petri
Pingree (ME)
Pitts
Platts
Poe (TX)
Pomeroy
Posey
Price (GA)
Price (NC)
Putnam
Quigley
Radanovich
Rahall
Rangel
Rehberg
Reichert
Reyes
Richardson
Rodriguez
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Salazar
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Scalise
Schakowsky
Schauer
Schiff
Schmidt
Schock
Schrader
Schwartz
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sestak
Shadegg
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Sires
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Souder
Space
Speier
Spratt
Stark
Stearns
Stupak
Sullivan
Sutton
Tanner
Taylor
Teague
Terry
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Tierney
Titus
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wamp
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (OH)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--17
Blackburn
Bonner
Butterfield
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Conaway
Dent
Diaz-Balart, L.
Harper
Hastings (WA)
Latham
Lofgren, Zoe
McCaul
Myrick
Simpson
Walden
Welch
NOT VOTING--11
Barrett (SC)
Berman
Burgess
Conyers
Davis (AL)
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Maloney
Polis (CO)
Ruppersberger
Rush
{time} 1232
So the motion to refer was agreed to.
[[Page H2817]]
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________