[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GIVE US A VOTE
(Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, do you remember when you were kids in school,
and there was this big chart, and you learned how a bill becomes a law?
It told you that somebody proposes an idea, and if it gets a majority
in committee, it moves on. Then it gets to the floor of the House, and
if it gets a majority, it moves on to the other body. Then, if it gets
a majority, it goes to the President's desk, and the President signs
it.
Take that chart and throw it away because that is not what happens
here. We can't get a vote on the floor on gun control. We can't get the
people's will listened to. Whether it is gun control or Flint,
Michigan, or the Zika virus or anything, we can't get a vote.
All we are saying to the Republican leadership is to give us a vote--
up or down, win or lose. The American people want to know where their
legislators stand. This is a pressing issue. For us to ignore it is
shameful and disgraceful.
This young man, Seth Rich, was just murdered--a young man here who
worked in politics. We owe it to his life, to his remembrance, and to
all of the other victims of gun violence. We need an up-or-down vote on
the floor of the House.
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