[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 821-822]
[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. CHAFFETZ:
       H.R. 405.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the United States 
     Constitution
           By Mr. CHAFFETZ:
       H.R. 406.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 3 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution: To 
     regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several 
     States, and with the Indian Tribes;
       Clause 18 of Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution: To 
     make all Laws which shal be necessary and proper for carrying 
     into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers 
     vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United 
     States, or in any Department or Officer therof.
            By Ms. McCOLLUM:
       H.R. 407.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 18, which gives Congress the 
     power ``To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper 
     for carrying into Execution the foregoing powers.''
            By Ms. BONAMICI:
       H.R. 408.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution
            By Mr. BUCHANAN:
       H.R. 409.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8.
           By Mrs. CAPPS:
       H.R. 410.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The Constitutional authority in which this bill rests is 
     the power of the Congress to regulate Commerce, as enumerated 
     by Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States 
     Constitution.
            By Mr. COHEN:
       H.R. 411.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 4 of the United States Constitution.
           By Mr. COLE:
       H.R. 412.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Amendment XVI to the United States Constitution.
       Additionally, since the Constitution does not provide 
     Congress with the power to provide financial support to U.S. 
     political parties, the general repeal of the Presidential 
     Election Campaign Fund for this purpose is consistent with 
     the powers that are reserved to the States and to the people 
     as expressed in Amendments IX and X to the United States 
     Constitution.
       Further, Article I Section 8 defines the scope and powers 
     of Congress and does not include this concept of taxation in 
     furtherance of funding U.S. political parties within the 
     expressed powers.
            By Mr. DELANEY:
       H.R. 413.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I section 8 of the United States Constitution.
            By Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan:
       H.R. 414.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 (relating to the power to 
     regulate interstate commerce).
            By Mr. LEVIN:
       H.R. 415.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 1 of Section 8 of Article 1 of the United States 
     Constitution
            By Mr. LoBIONDO:
       H.R. 416.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of The Constitution of the 
     United States of America
           By Mrs. LUMMIS:
       H.R. 417.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 18--
       ``To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for 
     carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other 
     Powers vested by the Constitution in the Government of the 
     United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.''
           By Ms. MENG:
       H.R. 418.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I Section VIII
            By Mr. SALMON:
       H.R. 419.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I Section 8 Clause 18 ``The Congress shall have 
     Power To . . . make all Laws which shall be necessary and 
     proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and 
     all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the 
     Government of the United States, or in any Department or 
     Officer thereof''
       As it is the purpose of the government of the United States 
     to protect and defend the natural and inalienable rights of 
     the American citizen, it is necessary and proper for the 
     Congress to legislate, when necessary, to ensure the ability 
     of the citizenry to keep and bear arms and to travel with 
     such arms while taking reasonable precautions to ensure the 
     safety of his/her fellows and to respect state and local 
     laws.
            By Mr. SCHWEIKERT:
       H.R. 420.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the United States 
     Constitution.
           By Ms. SINEMA:
       H.R. 421.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I Section 8
           By Mr. LIPINSKI:
       H.R. 422.
       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. DEUTCH:
       H.J. Res. 22.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article V of the Constitution: The Congress, whenever two 
     thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose 
     amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of 
     the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall 
     call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either 
     case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of 
     this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three 
     fourths of the several states or by conventions in three 
     fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification 
     may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment 
     which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight 
     hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and 
     fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and 
     that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its 
     equal suffrage in the Senate.

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