[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6787-6788]
[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 Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California:
       H.R. 5282.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution
            By Mr. SENSENBRENNER:
       H.R. 5283.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Recognizing that numerous federal criminal law statutes 
     (through which federal civil asset forfeiture is enacted) 
     have tenuous constitutional justifications, this reform bill 
     embeds and advances constitutional principles found in the 
     Fourth, Fifth, Tenth Amendments. The bill also derives 
     authority from Congress' Article I, Section 8, clause 9 
     authority to ``constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme 
     Court.'' This authority includes the rules and procedures 
     used by inferior federal courts.
            By Mr. SESSIONS:
       H.R. 5284.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Consistent with Congress' power to tax, the authority to 
     enact this legislation is found in Clause 1 of Article 1, 
     Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, consistent 
     with original understanding of the Commerce Clause, the 
     authority to enact this legislation is found in Clause 3 of 
     Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.
            By Mr. MARINO:
       H.R. 5285.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18.
            By Mr. MILLER of Florida:
       H.R. 5286.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.
            By Mr. FOSTER:
       H.R. 5287.
       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, Clauses 1 and 18 of the 
     United States Constitution.
            By Mr. CARTWRIGHT:
       H.R. 5288.
       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. STIVERS:
       H.R. 5289.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 1--The Congress shall have the 
     Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, 
     to pay the Debt 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. McDERMOTT:
       H.R. 5290.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8
            By Mr. THOMPSON of California:
       H.R. 5291.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8
            By Mr. CURBELO of Florida:
       H.R. 5292.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3, the Commerce Clause
            By Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN:
       H.R. 5293.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       The principal 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 1 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 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.
            By Mr. BABIN:
       H.R. 5294.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Amendment X: The powers not delegated to the United States 
     by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are 
     reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
            By Mr. HECK of Nevada:
       H.R. 5295.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States 
     Constitution, 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 Mr. HOLDING:
       H.R. 5296.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8
            By Mr. MEADOWS:
       H.R. 5297.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1
            By Ms. PINGREE:
       H.R. 5298.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Clause 1 of Section 8 of the US Constitution
            By Mr. REICHERT:
       H.R. 5299.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       This bill is enacted pursuant to Article I Section 18 of 
     the United States Constitution.
            By Mr. SALMON:
       H.R. 5300.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 9, Clause 7--``No money shall be drawn 
     from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made 
     by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts 
     and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from 
     time to time.''
            By Mr. WILLIAMS:
       H.R. 5301.
       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

[[Page 6788]]

     the several States, and with the Indian Tribes'')
            By Mr. YOUNG of Alaska:
       H.R. 5302.
       Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article I, Section 8, Clause 18
       The constitutional authority of Congress to enact this 
     legislation is provided by Article I, section 8, Clause 18 of 
     the United States Constitution
       ``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.

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