[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19436-19437]
[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. DOLD:
       H.R. 4165.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 1.
            By Mr. BARR:
       H.R. 4166.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3
            By Mr. GOHMERT:
       H.R. 4167.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, ``The 
     Congress shall have Power . . . to regulate Commerce . . . 
     among the several States.'' Telecommunication devices, such 
     as a multi-line telephone system (MLTS), enable the 
     interstate transmission of voice telephony communication. 
     Additionally, MLTS devices enter the stream of commerce as 
     part of an economic enterprise and affect interstate commerce 
     in that they are bought, sold and transported across state 
     lines, and under Article I, Section 8 Congress has the 
     authority to regulate products in interstate Commerce. See 
     also, U.S. v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995).
       In addition to Congress's power under the Commerce Clause, 
     ``Congress shall [also] have Power . . . To make all Laws 
     which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into 
     Execution'' its power to regulate Commerce among the several 
     States. U.S. Constitution Article I, Sec. 8, clause 18.
            By Mr. POLIQUIN:
       H.R. 4168.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The constitutional authority on which this bill rests is 
     the power of Congress ``To regulate Commerce with foreign 
     Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian 
     Tribes:'' as enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the United 
     States Constitution.
            By Mr. ROTHFUS:
       H.R. 4169.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 1: All legislative Powers herein granted 
     shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which 
     shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. 
     Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: The Congress shall have Power 
     to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the 
     several States, and with the Indian Tribes.
            By Mr. CARTWRIGHT:
       H.R. 4170.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I; Section 8; Clauses 3 and 18 of the U.S. 
     Constitution
            By Mr. CROWLEY:
       H.R. 4171.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: ``The Congress shall have 
     Power [. . .] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and 
     among the several States . . .''
            By Mr. ELLISON:
       H.R. 4172.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to Article I, Section 8, Clause 1.
            By Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania:
       H.R. 4173.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution under the 
     General Welfare Clause
            By Mr. CARDENAS:
       H.R. 4174.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8
       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. CRAWFORD:
       H.R. 4175.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the enumerated powers listed in Article 1, Section 8, 
     Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution that states ``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.''
            By Mr. DEUTCH:
       H.R. 4176.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 1 of Section 8 of Article I of the U.S. Constitution 
     and Clause 18 of Section 8 of Article I of the U.S. 
     Constitution.
            By Mr. GOSAR:
       H.R. 4177.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18, the Necessary and Proper 
     Clause
       In 2011, the United States District Court for the District 
     of Columbia held in Bluman v. FEC that ``It is fundamental to 
     the definition of our national political community that 
     foreign citizens do not have a constitutional right to 
     participate in, and thus may be excluded from, activities of 
     democratic self-government.'' Bluman specifically addressed 
     and prohibited political campaign contributions to U.S. 
     elections.
       In 2012, the United States Supreme Court affirmed, holding 
     that the prohibition in 2 U.S.C. 441 (e) on campaign 
     contributions by any ``foreign national'' was narrowly 
     tailored to achieve a compelling government interest.
       Given that the Stop Foreign Donations Affecting Our 
     Elections Act supplements the intent of these rulings and the 
     1966 law that banned such contributions, it is both within 
     the scope of Congress's power and is thus constitutional.
            By Mr. LOWENTHAL:
       H.R. 4178.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, 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. BEN RAY LUJAN of New Mexico:
       H.R. 4179.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8.
            By Mr. MEADOWS:
       H.R. 4180.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States 
     Constitution.
            By Mrs. NOEM:
       H.R. 4181.
       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 defense and general welfare of the United States; 
     but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform 
     throughout the United States;
            By Mr. ROONEY of Florida:
       H.R. 4182.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3--The clause that states 
     Congress has the power ``to regulate Commerce with foreign 
     nations, and

[[Page 19437]]

     among several States, and with the Indian Tribes.''
            By Mr. ROONEY of Florida:
       H.R. 4183.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 3--The clause that states 
     Congress has the power ``to regulate Commerce with foreign 
     nations, and among several States, and with the Indian 
     Tribes.''

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