[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 106 (Thursday, July 9, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H4974-H4976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to rule IX, I rise in regard to a
question of the privileges of the House, and I send to the desk a
privileged resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 355
Whereas, at 4 p.m. today, July 9th, the Governor of South
Carolina will sign legislation to remove the display of the
Confederate battle flag;
Whereas, on December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the
first State to secede from the Union;
Whereas, on January 9, 1861, Mississippi seceded from the
Union, stating in its `Declaration of Immediate Causes' that
`[o]ur position is thoroughly identified with the institution
of slavery--the greatest material interest of the world.';
Whereas, on February 9, 1861, the Confederate States of
America was formed with a group of 11 States as a purported
sovereign nation and with Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as
its president;
Whereas, on March 11, 1861, the Confederate States of
America adopted its own constitution;
Whereas, on April 12, 1861, the Confederate States of
America fired shots upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South
Carolina, effectively beginning the Civil War;
Whereas, the United States did not recognize the
Confederate States of America as a sovereign nation, but
rather as a rebel insurrection, and took to military battle
to bring the rogue states back into the Union;
Whereas, on April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee
surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court
House in Virginia, effectively, ending the Civil War and
preserving the Union;
Whereas, during the Civil War, the Confederate States of
America used the Navy Jack, Battle Flag, and other imagery as
symbols of the Confederate armed forces;
Whereas, since the end of the Civil War, the Navy Jack,
Confederate battle flag, and other imagery of the Confederacy
have been appropriated by groups as symbols of hate, terror,
intolerance, and as supportive of the institution of slavery;
Whereas, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and other White
supremacist groups utilize Confederate imagery to frighten,
terrorize, and cause harm to groups of people toward whom
they have hateful intent, including African-Americans,
Hispanic-Americans, and Jewish Americans;
Whereas, many State and Federal political leaders,
including United States Senators Thad Cochran and Roger
Wicker, along with Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and
other State leaders, have spoken out and advocated for the
removal of the imagery of the Confederacy on Mississippi's
State flag;
Whereas, many Members of Congress, including Speaker John
Boehner, support the removal of the Confederate flag from the
grounds of South Carolina's capitol;
Whereas, Speaker John Boehner released a statement on the
issue saying, 'I commend Governor Nikki Haley and other South
Carolina leaders in their effort to remove the Confederate
flag from Statehouse grounds. In his second inaugural address
150 years ago, and a month before his assassination,
President Abraham Lincoln ended his speech with these
powerful words, which are as meaningful today as when they
were spoken on the East Front of the Capitol on March 4,
1865: 'With malice toward none, with charity for all, with
firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let
us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the
nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the
battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may
achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves
and with all nations.';
Whereas, the House of Representatives has several State
flags with imagery of the Confederacy throughout its main
structures and House office buildings;
Whereas, it is an uncontroverted fact that symbols of the
Confederacy offend and insult many members of the general
public who use the hallways of Congress each day;
Whereas, Congress has never permanently recognized in its
hallways the symbols of sovereign nations with whom it has
gone to war or rogue entities such as the Confederate States
of America;
Whereas, continuing to display a symbol of hatred,
oppression, and insurrection that nearly tore our Union apart
and that is known to offend many groups throughout the
country would irreparably damage the reputation of this
august institution and offend the very dignity of the House
of Representatives; and
Whereas, this impairment of the dignity of the House and
its Members constitutes a violation under rule IX of the
Rules of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred
Fourteenth Congress: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives
shall remove any State flag containing any portion of the
Confederate battle flag, other than a flag displayed by the
office of a Member of the House, from any area within the
House wing of the Capitol or any House office building, and
shall donate any such flag to the Library of Congress.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution presents a question of
privilege.
[[Page H4975]]
Motion to Refer
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to refer.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. McCarthy moves that the resolution be referred to the
Committee on House Administration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California is recognized
for 1 hour.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, this resolution raises a number of
important questions, and the House would be best served by committee
action on this measure. Accordingly, I am moving to refer the
resolution to the Committee on House Administration.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question on the motion to refer.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous
question.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I ask for a recorded vote.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman asking for a recorded
vote on ordering the previous question?
Ms. PELOSI. I thought the motion was to refer it to committee.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair has not yet put that question.
The question is on ordering the previous question.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman may state her parliamentary
inquiry.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I will stay where we are until the gentleman
rules.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for a recorded vote.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentlewoman asking for a recorded
vote on ordering the previous question?
Ms. PELOSI. Yes.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on
the question of adoption of the motion to refer.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 238,
noes 185, not voting 10, as follows:
[Roll No. 425]
AYES--238
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Bost
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brat
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Donovan
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers (NC)
Emmer (MN)
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gibbs
Gibson
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith
Grothman
Guinta
Guthrie
Hanna
Hardy
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Hill
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Katko
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Knight
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lance
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Newhouse
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Pompeo
Posey
Price, Tom
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce
Russell
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Stutzman
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
Zinke
NOES--185
Adams
Aguilar
Ashford
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clawson (FL)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Graham
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Rice (NY)
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takai
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--10
Bishop (UT)
Forbes
Hastings
Huizenga (MI)
Lamborn
Lofgren
Miller (FL)
Payne
Peters
Smith (MO)
{time} 1356
Ms. CHU changed her vote from ``present'' to ``no.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
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.
Recorded Vote
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 238,
noes 176, not voting 19, as follows:
[Roll No. 426]
AYES--238
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Bost
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Brat
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Donovan
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers (NC)
Emmer (MN)
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gibbs
Gibson
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guinta
Guthrie
Hanna
Hardy
Harper
Harris
[[Page H4976]]
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Hill
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jones
Jordan
Joyce
Katko
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Knight
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Newhouse
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Pompeo
Posey
Price, Tom
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce
Russell
Ryan (WI)
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Stutzman
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
Zinke
NOES--176
Adams
Aguilar
Ashford
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clawson (FL)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Cooper
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
DeSaulnier
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sherman
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takai
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--19
Castor (FL)
Costa
Courtney
Deutch
Fattah
Forbes
Graham
Graves (MO)
Hastings
Lofgren
Miller (FL)
Payne
Peters
Rice (NY)
Rogers (AL)
Sanchez, Loretta
Sewell (AL)
Smith (MO)
Smith (TX)
{time} 1404
Mrs. LOVE changed her vote from ``present'' to ``aye.''
So the motion to refer was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Parliamentary Inquiry
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins of New York). The gentlewoman
will state her parliamentary inquiry.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, now that the House has voted to refer my
privileged resolution to committee, can the Chair inform Members of the
status of the Thompson of Mississippi resolution referred to the House
Administration Committee, the same committee that we are referring
today. That resolution was on the floor 2 weeks ago and referred to
committee 2 weeks ago.
Can the Chair inform us of the status of it, especially in light of
the action taken by the South Carolina Legislature and the Governor of
South Carolina to take down the Confederate battle flag?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot comment on pending
committee proceedings.
Without objection, a motion to reconsider the motion to refer is laid
on the table.
There was no objection.
Stated for:
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 426 I missed the
vote, but would have voted ``yea'' had I made it to the floor before
was closed.
Stated against:
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 426 I would have
voted ``no'' on this motion.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 426, had I been present, I
would have voted ``no''.
Ms. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 426, had I been present, I
would have voted ``no''.
Personal Explanation
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, due to being unavoidably
detained, I missed the following rollcall votes: No. 424-No. 426 on
July 9, 2015 (today).
If present, I would have voted: rollcall vote No. 424--On Motion to
Adjourn, ``nay;'' rollcall vote No. 425--Ordering the Previous Question
on the Motion to Refer H. Res. 355, ``aye;'' rollcall vote No. 426--On
Motion to Refer H. Res. 355, ``aye.''
____________________