[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 18, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

           By Mr. AL GREEN of Texas:
       H.R. 286.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The Constitutional authority to enact this legislation can 
     be found in: General Welfare Clause (Art. 1 Sec. 8 Cl. 1), 
     Commerce Clause (Art. 1 Sec. 8 Cl. 3), Necessary and Proper 
     Clause (Art. 1 Sec. 8 Cl. 18), Property Clause (Art. IV Sec. 
     3 Cl. 2).
       Constitutional analysis is a rigorous discipline which goes 
     far beyond the text of the Constitution, and requires 
     knowledge of case law, history, and the tools of 
     constitutional interpretation. While the scope of Congress' 
     powers is an appropriate matter for House debate, the listing 
     of specific textual authorities for routine Congressional 
     legislation about which there is no legitimate constitutional 
     concern is a diminishment of the majesty of our Founding 
     Fathers' vision for our national legislature.