[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2653-2655]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

  Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the following statements are submitted regarding the 
specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the 
accompanying bill or joint resolution.

           By Mr. SMITH of Nebraska:
       H.R. 795.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with 
     foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the 
     Indian Tribes.
           By Mr. DeFAZIO:
       H.R. 796.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 2: The Congress shall have 
     Power . . . To borrow Money on the credit of the United 
     States.

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           By Mr. DeFAZIO:
       H.R. 797.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: The Congress shall have 
     Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, 
     to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and 
     general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts 
     and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.
           By Mr. DeFAZIO:
       H.R. 798.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: The Congress shall have 
     Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, 
     to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and 
     general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts 
     and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.
           By Mr. AUSTRIA:
       H.R. 799.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. CARTER:
       H.R. 800.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8: To establish an uniform Rule of 
     Naturalization.
           By Mr. CRAVAACK:
       H.R. 801.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: To regulate Commerce with 
     foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the 
     Indian Tribes.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 802.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 18 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 803.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 18 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 804.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
        H.R. 805.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 806.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 807.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. KUCINICH:
       H.R. 808.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The preamble to the Constitution has the following 
     injunction: ``. . . to promote domestic tranquility . . .'' 
     This is the purpose of the bill.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 809.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 810.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 811.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 812.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 813.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Mr. FILNER:
       H.R. 814.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United 
     States Constitution.
            By Mr. GERLACH:
        H.R. 815.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The Congress enacts this bill pursuant to Clause 18 of 
     Section 8 of Article I of the United States Constitution.
           By Mr. GINGREY of Georgia:
       H.R. 816.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, Congress has power 
     ``To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for 
     carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers'' when the need 
     exists to clarify existing law.
           By Mr. HERGER:
       H.R. 817.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2
           By Mr. MATHESON:
       H.R. 818.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8
           By Mr. MORAN:
       H.R. 819.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 and
       Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7
           By Mr. PAYNE:
       H.R. 820.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution
       The Congress shall have Power . . . To regulate Commerce 
     with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with 
     the Indian Tribes.
           By Mr. ROSS of Florida:
       H.R. 821.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 18 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution
           By Mr. STEARNS:
       H.R. 822.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3, Commerce Clause
           By Ms. PELOSI:
       H.R. 823.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the Constitution provides 
     that Congress shall have power to ``establish an uniform Rule 
     of Naturalization''. The Supreme Court has long found that 
     this provision of the Constitution grants Congress plenary 
     power over immigration policy. As the Court found in Galvan 
     v. Press, 347 U.S. 522, 531 (1954), ``that the formulation of 
     policies [pertaining to the entry of aliens and their right 
     to remain here] is entrusted exclusively to Congress has 
     become about as firmly imbedded in the legislative and 
     judicial tissues of our body politic as any aspect of our 
     government.'' And, as the Court found in Kleindienst v. 
     Mandel, 408 U.S. 753, 766 (1972) (quoting Boutilier v. INS, 
     387 U.S. 118, 123 (1967)), ``[t]he Court without exception 
     has sustained Congress' `plenary power to make rules for the 
     admission of aliens and to exclude those who possess those 
     characteristics which Congress has forbidden.'''
           By Mr. RANGEL:
       H.R. 824. :
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following: Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution.
           By Mr. CARTER:
       H.J. Res. 42.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted to 
     Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United 
     States Constitution.
           By Ms. PELOSI:
       H.J. Res. 43.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The principle constitutional authority for this legislation 
     is clause 7 of section 9 of article I of the Constitution of 
     the United States (the appropriation power), which states: 
     ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in 
     consequence of Appropriations made by law . . .'' In 
     addition, clause I of section 8 of Article I of the 
     Constitution (the spending power) provides: ``The Congress 
     shall have the Power . . . to pay the Debts and provide for 
     the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States . 
     . .'' Together these specific Constitutional provisions 
     establish the congressional power

[[Page 2655]]

     of the purse, granting Congress the authority to appropriate 
     funds, to determine their purpose, amount, and period of 
     availability, and to set forth terms and conditions governing 
     their use.

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