pelosi. carolyn maloney. pelosi. marchant. boehner. markey. pelosi. massie. amash. matheson.

dingell. matsui. pelosi. meadows. boehner. meehan. boehner. meeks. pelosi. meng. pelosi. messer. boehner. mica. boehner. michaud. pelosi.

gary g. miller. boehner. george mill ler. pelosi -- miller. pelosi. miller of florida. boehner. miller of michigan. boehner. moore. pelosi. moran. pelosi. mullin. boehner. mulvaney. mulvaney. murphy of florida. pelosi. murphy of pennsylvania. boehner. nadler.

pelosi. napolitano. pelosi. neal. pelosi. negrete mcleod. pelosi. neugebauer. boehner. noem. boehner. nolan. pelosi. nugent. boehner. nunes. boehner. nunnelee. boehner. olson. boehner. orourke. pelosi. owens.

pelosi. palazzo. boehner. pallone. pelosi. pascrell. pelosi. pastor. pelosi. paulsen. boehner. payne. pelosi. pearce. cantor. pelosi.

pelosi. perlmutter. pelosi. perry. boehner. peters of michigan. -- peters of california. pelosi. peters of michigan. pelosi. peterson of minnesota. pelosi. petri. boehner. pingee of maine. pelosi. pittenger. boehner. pitts. boehner. pocan. pelosi. poe. boehner. polis. pelosi. pompeo.

boehner. posey. boehner. price of georgia. boehner. price of north carolina. pelosi. quigley. pelosi. radel. boehner. rahall. pelosi. rangel. pelosi. reed. boehner. reichert. boehner. renacci. boehner. ribble. boehner. rice. boehner.

richmond. pelosi. rigell. boehner. roby. boehner. roe. boehner. rogers of alabama. boehner. rogers of kentucky. boehner. rogers of michigan. boehner. rohrabacher. boehner. rokita. boehner. rooney. boehner. ros-lehtinen. boehner. roskam. boehner. ross.

boehner. rothfus. boehner. roybal-allard. roybal-allard. royce. boehner. ruiz. pelosi. runyan. boehner. ruppersberger. pelosi. rush. pelosi. ryan of ohio. pelosi. ryan of wisconsin. boehner. salmon. salmon.

linda sanchez. pelosi. loretta sanchez. pelosi. sarbanes. pelosi. scalise. boehner. schakowsky. pelosi. schiff. pelosi. schneider. pelosi. schock. boehner. schrader. pelosi. schwartz. pelosi. schweikert. boehner.

austin scott. boehner. david scott. pelosi. scott of virginia. pelosi. sensenbrenner. boehner. serrano. pelosi. sessions. boehner. sewell. pelosi. shea-porter. pelosi.

sherman. simpson. boehner. sinema. pe he see. sires. pelosi. slaughter. pelosi. smith of nebraska. boehner. smith of new jersey. boehner. smith of texas. boehner. smith of washington. pelosi. southerland. boehner. speier. pelosi. stewart. boehner. stivers.

boehner of ohio. stockman. stutzman. boehner. swalwell of california. pelosi. at that canow. pelosi. -- takano. pelosi. terry. boehner. thompson of california. pelosi. thompson of mississippi. pelosi. thompson of pennsylvania. boehner. thornberry. boehner. tiberi. boehner.

tierney. pelosi. tipton. boehner. titus. pelosi. tonko. pelosi. tsongas. pelosi. turner. boehner. upton. boehner. valadao. boehner. van hollen. pelosi. vargas. pelosi. veasey. pelosi. vela. pelosi.

vells a quezz -- vells a kess. pelosi. visclosky. pelosi. wagner. boehner. walberg. boehner. walden. boehner. with a lorsky. boehner -- walorski. boehner. walz. pelosi. wasserman schultz. pelosi. waters. pelosi. watt. pelosi. waxman.

pelosi. weber of texas. boehner. webster of florida. boehner. welch of vermont. pelosi. went strup. boehner -- wenstrup. boehner. westmoreland. whitfield. boehner. williams. boehner. wilson of florida. pelosi. wilson of south carolina. boehner. wittman. boehner.

wolf. boehner. womack. boehner. woodall. boehner. yarmuth. pelosi. yoder. boehner. yoho. cantor. young of alaska. boehner. young of florida. boehner. young of indiana. boehner.

the speaker pro tempore: the reading clerk will now say the names of the representatives-elect who did not call their name in the call. the clerk: blackburn. boehner. bachmann. boehner.

blackburn. blumenauer. blumenauer. boehner. boehner.

garrett. boehner. labrador. labrador. lewis. lewis. mulvaney.

mulvaney. roybal-allard. roybal-allard. salmon. salmon. stockman. present.

boehner. is there any other representatives-elect who did not answer the call of the roll and wish to vote, they may come to the well and vote at this time.

the clerk: the tellers agree in their tallies, the total number of votes cast is 426, of which the honorable john a. boehner of the state of ohio has received 220. the honorable nancy pe lohse of the state of california has received 192. the honorable labrador of the state of idaho has received one. the honorable lewis of the

state of georgia has received one. the honorable cantor of the state of virginia has received three. the honorable west of the state of florida has received two. the honorable powell has received one. the honorable jordan of the state of ohio has received one. the honorable david walker has received one. the honorable cooper of the state of tp has received two. the honorable amash of the state of michigan has received one. the honorable dingell of the state of michigan has received one. with one recorded as present. therefore the honorable john a. boehner of the state of ohio, having received a majority of the votes cast is duly elected speaker of the house of representatives for the 113th congress.

the clerk appoints the following committee to escort the speaker-elect to the chair. the gentleman, mr. cantor, the gentlewoman from california, ms. pelosi, the gentleman mr. mccarthy, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, the gentlewoman mrs. mcmorris rodgers. the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden, the gentleman from california, mr. becerra, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr.

lankford, the gentleman from new york, mr. crowley, the gentlewoman from kansas, ms. jenkins, the gentleman from new york, mr. israel, the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx, the gentlewoman from connecticut, ms. the lauro. the gentlewoman from missouri, ms. wagner. the gentleman from new jersey, mr. andrews. the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions. the gentleman from maryland, mr. van hollen. the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam. the gentlewoman from new mexico, ms. lujan gri h is am. and ms. kaptur, mr. tiberi, mr. latta, mr. jordan, ms. fudge, mr. chabot, mr. gibbs, mr. johnson, mr. renarci, ms. beatty, mr. joist, and mr. wenstrum. -- wenstrup. the committee will retire if

the chamber to escort the speaker-elect from the chair.

>> speaker-elect, john a. boehner, the speaker from ohio and the escort committee.

ms. pelosi: colleagues. colleagues. to my fellow members of the house of representatives, it is a high honor to welcome you to the 113th congress. to our newest members of congress, it is a special privilege and honor to welcome you and your families and extend congratulations to the newest members of congress. welcome. to reach this day, each of us has been strengthened by our faith and our families. with a full and grateful heart i want to thank my family, my husband of 49 years, paul

pelosi. my children, nancy and christine, jacqueline, paul and alexandra. our grandchildren who are represented here today by our daughter madeline and i have to include the delasandro family of baltimore in that gratitude as well. and i must thank my constituents in san francisco for giving me the privilege of representing that beautiful and diverse city in the congress of the united states. each of us here today is truly a representative. a representative in the truest sense of the word. to represent the highest hopes and aspirations of the american

people. on new year's eve, some of you, a large number of members of congress joined hundreds of people at the national archives building where we observed at midnight the 150th anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation. at midnight there was an enactment of harriet tubman ringing the bill, ringing the bill. and as she rang the bell she said, now we are free. it was quite an incredible moment. and it was one that ushered in what president lincoln would call a new birth of freedom. for his era and for generations to come. that transformative moment in our history is a reminder of

the best traditions we have as a people. the ability and obligation of each generation of americans to renew the promise of our founders. to carry forth the torch of progress. to reignite the american dream. this is who we are as americans. this is the character of our country. this is the strength of our democracy. the strength of our democracy rests on a strong and thriving middle class. the backbone of our democracy, that middle class is. so we have a moral imperative to invest in good-paying jobs here at home and in the prosperity of our people. as we build our infrastructure and we reduce the deficit. we must ensure that innovation rests at the heart of our success. that we remain first in

science, technology, engineering and energy. that we educate and prepare our young people for the opportunities of tomorrow. and when we make it in america, all of america's families can make it in america. the strength of our democracy also demands that we restore the confidence of the american people in our political process. we must empower the voters, we must remove obstacles of participation in our democracy for all americans. we must seek the level of civility and reduce the role of money in our elections. when we do, when we do, we will elect more women, more minorities, more young people to public office and that's a

good thing. the american people are what make our country great. by and large, the united states is a nation of immigrants. built, enriched and strengthened by men, women and children who share our patriotism and seek the american dream. the strength of our democracy will be advanced by bold action for comprehensive immigration reform. today we take an oath to protect and defend our constitution, our people and our freedom. to protect and defend, that is our first responsibility. and our democracy requires that

we each uphold the duty of keeping americans safe in their homes and their schools and in their neighborhoods. as we mourn the families of newtown, we mow that ensuring the safety of all americans would be a truly meaningful tribute to the children and teachers of sandy hook elementary school. for the strength of our democracy, for the sake of our children, let us work together to protect and defend all of our people. in the same year that president lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, the statue of freedom was unveiled atop the capitol dome. and it continues, that dome continues to be a beacon of freedom to the world and a source of inspiration for all

who have had the honor to serve in congress. as we take our oath of office today, let us renew the promise of freedom. let us work in friendship and partnership to live up to the legacy of our founders and the aspirations of our constituents. let us renew the strength of our democracy by reigniting the american dream. as we celebrate this moment, lelt us honor and thank -- let us honor and thank those americans who protect our democracy and secure our freedom. our veterans and our men and women in uniform, their families and wherever they serve. god bless them, god bless america. thank you all.

now the house will continue to be led by a proud son of ohio. a man of conviction and a public servant of resolve. speaker bainer is a leader who has earned the -- boehner is a leader who has earned the confidence of his congress and the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. he is a man of faith, faith in god, faith in our country and faith in his family. and while we congratulate him, we also congratulate and thank his wife, debby, and their two daughters, lindsay and trisha and the entire boehner family.

speaker boehner, i know all too well that we will not always agree. but i hope with all my heart that we will find common ground , there is a higher, better place for our country. surely we can be touched by the better angels of our nation. nature. surely we can be touched by the better angels of our nature. so beautifully expressed by president lincoln. this is the people's house, this is the people's gavel. it represents a sacred chuft. may we all fulfill that trust and make real the ideals of democratic government. with respect for our constitution, with faith in the american people, with hope for the future of our country, i present the people's gavel to the speaker of the house, john

boehner. may god bless you. . >> may god bless this congress and may god always bless the united states of america. my colleagues, the speaker of the house, john boehner. the speaker: leader pelosi,

thank you for your kind words. members of the house and the senate, my wife debey who's with us today, thankfully, the girls are working and all of you and our fellow countrymen, you know, we meet again at democracy's great port of call. every two years at this hour, the constitution brings a new order to this house, and it's an interlude for reflection, a glimpse of old truths and to our new members and their families, let me just say welcome. i know you're feeling a bit awestruck at this moment. history runs through this building. and now you are among a select few to share in this privilege. and for those of you who are

returning, who have walked these yiles before -- aisles before, maybe it's time we get a little awestruck again. the way our founders envisioned it, the republic will be led by citizens who recognize the blessings that we receive by governing ourselves and it requires that we give something of ourselves. everything depended on this. so let's swear an oath of allegiance. in a few moments, i'll take this oath for the 12th time as the representative from the 8th district of ohio. it is word for word the same oath that we all take. and note that it makes no mention of party or faction or

title or reference to agendas or platforms, only to the constitution. the one addition we dare make that george washington did is to evoke the assistance of our heavenly father. this makes us servants of posterity and causes us to refuse the pool of passing interests and follow a more perfect union. put simply, we are sent here not to be something, but to do something. or as i like to call it, doing the right thing. it's a big job, and it comes with big challenges. our government has built up too

much debt. our economy is not producing enough jobs. and these are not separate problems. at $16 trillion and rising, our national debt is draining free enterprise and weakening the ship of state. the american dream is in peril so long as its name sake is weighed down by this anchor of debt. break its hold, we set our economy free, jobs will come home and confidence will come back and we do this not just to boost g.d.p. or reduce unemployment, but to secure for our children a future of freedom and opportunity and frankly, nothing is more important. as washington wrote in his fare well address, we should not

throw upon posterity the burden which ourselves ought to bear. that burden is ours, and so is the opportunity. there's no substitute for the wisdom of the people. we here are their servants. as speaker, i pledge to listen and to do all i can to help all of you carry out your oath of office that we are all about to take, because in our hearts we know it's wrong to pass this debt on to our kids and grandkids. now we have to be willing, truly willing to make this problem right. public service was never meant to be an easy living. extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary leadership. if you have come here to see your name in the lights or pass off a political victory on some

accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. the door's right behind you. if you have come here humbled by the opportunity to serve, if you have come here to be the determined voice of the people -- if you have come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not by our constituents, but by the times, then you have come to the right place. there is a time for every purpose under heaven and for the 113th congress, it is a time to rise. when the day is over and the verdict is read, maybe it's said that we well and faithfully did our duty to ensure freedom --

that freedom will endure and prevail, so help us god. i'm ready now to take the oath of office and would ask the dean of the house of representatives, the honorable john dingell, congressman from michigan to offer the oath of office. mr. dingell: will the gentleman from ohio raise his right hand. do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you

take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god? the speaker: i do. mr. dingell: congratulations, mr. speaker. the speaker: according to precedent, the chair will swear in the members en masse. if all members-elect will raise

their right hands. do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties about which you are about to enter, so help you god. >> i do. the speaker: congratulations. you are now members of the 113th congress.

the speaker: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the speaker: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from washington state. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: mr. speaker, as chair of the republican conference i'm directed by that conference to notify the house officially that the republican members have selected asthma the gentlewoman

reserves the balance of her time. leader, the gentleman from virginia, the honorable eric cantor. the speaker: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. becerra. mr. becerra: i have been directed to report to the house that the democratic members have selected as minority leader the the gentlewoman from california, the honorable nancy pelosi. the speaker: the chair recognizes the gentlelady from washington state. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: as chair of the republican conference i'm directed by that conference to notify the house officially that the house has selected the

gentleman from california asthma the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. whip, the honorable kevin mccarthy. the speaker: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. becerra. mr. becerra: as chairman of the democratic caucus i have been directed to report to the house that the democratic members have selected as minority whip, the gentleman from maryland, steny hoyer and assistant democratic leader, the gentleman from north carolina, the honorable james clyburn.

the speaker: the chair recognizes gentlelady from washington state. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1, resolved, that karen l. haas is chosen clerk of the house of representatives, that paul d. irving of the state of florida is hereby chosen sergeant at arms of the house of representatives. that daniel j. strodel is hereby chosen chief administrative officer of the house of representatives. and that father patrick j. conroy of the state of florida is hereby chosen chaplain of the

house of representatives. the speaker: the gentlelady from washington. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i yield to the gentleman from california, mr. becerra for the purpose of offering an amendment. mr. becerra: mr. speaker, i have an amendment to the resolution. but offering the amendment i request a division of the question on the resolution so that we may have a separate vote on the question of the chaplain. the speaker: the question will be divided. the question is on agreeing to that portion of the resolution providing for the election of the chaplain. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the portion of the resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. . the gentleman from california. mr. becerra: i ask for a resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk -- the speaker: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: amendment offered by

mr. about a sessa of california. that -- mr. becerra of california. and that richard meltzer of the state of illinois is chief administrative officer of the house of representatives. the speaker: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. the amendment is not agreed to. the question is on the remainder of the resolution offered by the gentlewoman from washington state. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have. it the resolution say greed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair will now swear in the officers of the house.

and the house will be in order. you'll raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true fate and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, that will you well and faithfully discharge the duties of your office on which you are about to enter so help me god. congratulations.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia recognition? >> mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 2, resolved that the senate be informed that a quorum of the house of representatives has assembled. that john a. boehner, a representative of the state of ohio, has been elected speaker. and that karen l. haas, a citizen of the state of maryland, has been elected clerk of the house of representatives of the 113th congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 3, resolved that a committee of two members be appointed by the speaker on the part of the house of representatives to join with a committee on the part of the senate to notify the president of the united states that a quorum of each house has assembled and congress is ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the resolution? without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 4, resolved that the clerk be instructed to inform the president of the united states that the house of representatives has elected john a. boehner, a representative from the state of ohio, as speaker and karen l. haas, a citizen of the state of maryland, as clerk of the house of the 113th congress. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the resolution? without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the

motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the house will be in order. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: -- >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order.

the house will be in order. the clerk will proceed. the clerk: house resolution 5, resolved that -- mr. cantor: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman. mr. cantor: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading is dispensed with. the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one hour. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the district of columbia seek recognition? ms. norton: mr. speaker, i rise to offer a motion that is at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. will the gentlewoman submit her motion?

the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: ms. norton of the district of columbia moves to refer the resolution to a select committee of five members to be appointed by the speaker, not more than three of whom shall be from the same political party -- ms. norton: mr. speaker, the house is not in order and i cannot hear. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is correct. the house will come to order. the house will come to order. the clerk may proceed. the clerk: ms. norton of the district of columbia moves to refer the resolution to a select committee of five members to be appointed by the speaker, not more than three of

whom shall be from the same political party, with instructions not to report back the same until it has conducted a full and complete study of and made a determination on whether there is any reason to deny delegates voting rights in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union in light of the decision of the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia in michael vs. anderson, 14-f-3-d, d.c. 1994, upholding the constitutionality of these voting rights and the inclusion of such voting rights in the rules for the 1 -- 103rd, 110th and 111th congresses. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i have a motion to table at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. cantor of virginia moves to lay on the table the motion. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to table. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. ms. norton: mr. speaker. on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the ayes are 224. the nays are 187. the motion is agreed to. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one hoyer. >> i yield to mr. sessions and i ask unanimous consent that he be permitted to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i yield the customary 30 minutes to the the gentlewoman from rochester, new york, mrs. slaughter during consideration of this resolution. all time yielded for purposes of debate only. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i yield one minute to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: it is a privilege to sponsor house resolution 5, the rules package for the 113th congress. this rules package is

straightforward and builds upon the reforms and transparency implemented in the 112th congress to address job creation and the economy, control the growth of government and limit wasteful spending. we have incorporated a number of significant improvements, including a proposal from chairman of the republican policy committee, james lankford, to identify duplicative programs and examine the usefulness of existing government programs. this will help ensure that hard working taxpayer dollars are not wasted and that we remain focused on making the federal government smarter and more efficient. similarly, two proposals from the the gentleman from michigan, congressman amash, will improve transparency of the legislative process by making it easier to see how proposed legislation would interact with existing law. additional proposals from the republican study committee

chairman, steve scalise, the gentleman from louisiana, will help bring more transparency to the regulatory process. american families and small business men and women already suffer from too much red tape coming out of washington. this proposal will ensure that the regulatory burden of any proposed bill is part of our deliberations. under the current administration, madam speaker, we have also seen an explosion in the spending for welfare programs. for the first time, we will require annual budget resolution include information about the growth of means testing and nonmeans-tested entitlement programs. this important reform will allow us to begin to responsibly control the growth of these welfare programs and ensure they can help those who need them most. i look forward to a productive 113th congress where we can work

together to produce results and make life work for more americans. i yield back to the distinguished the gentleman from texas and now chairman of the rules committee, pete sessions. mr. sessions: he we reserve our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from new york. ms. slaughter: thank you, madam speaker and i thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. slaughter: i congratulate my colleague, mr. sessions, in his new role as chairman of the rules committee. i have worked with mr. sessions for many years and i look forward to working with him more closely in the months and years to come and will welcome a new class of legislators today and go through the procedures that has governed our nation. i'm pleased to welcome my newest

colleagues and welcome back old friends. it's a great honor to be chosen. our neighbors have placed our their trust in us and should not take the honor for granted. starting today, we have the opportunity to move our nation forward and in the words of our nation's founders, provide for our common defense, promote our general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for our posterity. our work begins today and one of the first orders of business is considering the new rules package for the incoming congress. during the last congress, we promised an open and transparent process but we unfortunately fell short. under the majority leadership, more than a third of the rules were completely closed and at times endangered our economy. today provides an opportunity for the majority to put these behind them and govern in an

open and bipartisan way and we are willing to meet them every step of the way. with this goal in mind, though of the rules committee, i must say that i look at it with trepidation and most troubling for me is the proposal to adopt the ryan budget. doing so would keep alive dangerous budget proposals including the repeal of parts of the federal care act. in addition, today's resolution makes it easier for members of congress to use private planes and i'm puzzled. i don't think members should be flying around incorporate jets and continues the campaign over the fast and furious operation. to loosening the ethics restrictions should not be the priorities of congress. and finally with today's resolution, the majority continues their efforts to oppose the marriage equality.

in an age when marriage equality is recognized by americans, they shouldn't be using taxpayer money to stand on the wrong side of history. we could start our new beginning by joining the democratic colleagues and reforming our broken election laws and i know everyone wants to do that. in the year since the supreme court handed down its ruling in the citizens united case, money from billionaires have flooded our elections, led by secret political spending that is hidden from public view. wealthy special interests have tried to by our air waves and fund expensive campaigns and tactics to sway the outcome of countless elections. a report says during the 2012 election cycle alone super pacs spent $620 million to effect the

federal elections. nobody believes that corporations are people and they should not be able to use unlimited ammingts of money to influence our elections. at the end of this debate, my democratic colleagues will provide the house an opportunity to overturn the flawed citizens united decision. if approved, this amendment would finally remove the unlimited and untracked political donations from our electoral system. in addition to addressing the uncontrolled money in our political process, the congress should be ensuring that every american citizen can easily exercise their right to vote. voting is fundamental and what it means to be an american. in recent years, we have seen a concerted effort to discourage voters from casting a ballot. under the cover of a cynical and untruthful claim that voter fraud is a serious threat to our

democracy, states across the country have advanced a number of discriminatory and dangerous pieces of legislation. the methods range from enacting unfair voter i.d. laws to reducing the number of voting machines in low-income neighborhoods. unfortunately, these discriminatory practices have made it harder for our citizens to vote. this past november, there were numerous reports of voters being turned away from the polls. many of those who did manage to vote had to wait in line for hours and sometimes as many as eight hours before they could cast a ballot. it is clear as day that keeping people waiting in long lines is purely intended to make them give up and go home. later today, my democrat colleagues will ask the house to bring to the floor the streamlined and improved methods at polling locations and early voting act or simple voting act. this legislation would guarantee

no voter would have to wait more than an hour and require every polling station in the country has the resources it needs to run a smooth and fair election. when taken together, the overwhelming influence of money in politics and the discriminatory attacks on americans' right to vote have distorted our system and helped to create a broken legislative process that fails to serve the american public. as we open the 113th congress, we stand ready to work with the majority on fixing our broken electoral system and getting back to a bipartisan legislative process worthy of the citizens who sent us here. i couldn't be happier or more honored to serve in the 113th congress. i look forward to serving with all my colleagues and it is my sincere hope that we will have a open, transparent and bipartisan house so we can produce the results for those whom we

represent. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: madam speaker i ask unanimous consent to insert a section-by-section analysis of the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: i want to thank the the gentlewoman from new york. i look forward to our time where we will work together day and night perhaps with the committee that she will be the ranking member for and i will be the chairman of. i have told the gentlewoman before today that it will be my hope and her hope that we will not only work for the betterment of the institution, but also the members to ensure that they stand a better chance to make sure that our committee, the rules committee, is one that we can both look at each other and know that we have done a job that is fair and appropriate on behalf of the majority leader, minority leader, speaker of the

house of representatives. the rules package will continue the effort of our republican majority to make the work of the house as open, transparent and as streamlined as possible. this work began in the 112th congress under the leadership of former chairman david dreier. and when a number of important reforms were implemented, david dreier made sure that they worked. today, we will continue the tradition of that transparency initiated by david dreier. the nonpartisan sunlight foundation recently praised our endeavors in that effort by saying, and i quote, it is clear that the house has become a more transparent institution over the last two years. the accolades there go to the gentleman from california, david dreier. this body has wholeheartedly committed to advancing that reform process. and i am as its new chairman.

our work must begin and must always be directed to accountability to the people who granted us the privilege of serving in this body. but the imperative accountability is never higher than when we face tough economic times, economic times that each of us bring to the floor because of the demand upon people that we represent. as our national debt sky rockets and our economy limps sluggishly along and unemployment remains predictably high and the need for fully an transparent and accountable process in this institution to help end that effort of unemployment in this country and to gain more jobs is one of the things which this rules committee and the floor, work on the floor should be about. the rules package that we focus on today for the 113th congress will help us to achieve that goal.

it preserves the important reforms that we made in previous congress, while adding a few perfecting amendments and several other ideas. one such amendment in section 2 will help to streamline and expedite floor voting procedures. it is important to note, however, that these procedures are intended to be used to expedite consideration of questions in the house while ensuring that no member is denied an adequate opportunity to vote. section 2 also makes several improvements and clarifications in the congressional code of conduct in order to more efficiently hold each member of this body accountable. for example, it expands the current nepotism rule to conform to current law and add to grandchildren who are not covered under house rules or current law. this is a strongly bipartisan that is held by transparency

groups, including the sunlight foundation. this rules package amends the restrictions on the use of private aircraft contained in the code of conduct so as to harmonize house and senate rules. these changes provide more flexibility to members whose district including rural and remote locations are not easily reached by car and do not have scheduled air service. they will also facilitate travel during extraordinary circumstances, such as an an emergency or aftermath in a natural disaster. . at the same time they make sure they are consistent with house rules. they will make sure members pay a fair market rate for air travel regardless of the method

used. together the amendments contained in this resolution will better ensure that elective representations, elective representatives and employees and officials of the house can execute their official duties in an official, ethical and transparent way. section three of the rules package makes a numb of separate orders. the most significant among them, eliminates provisions in the affordable care act that limit the ability to respond to recommendations from the independent payment advisory board. now house republicans have made it clear we opposed obamacare. we have acted repeatedly to repeal and replace this controversial law. regardless of where any member may stand on the issue, it will allow the -- allowing the house

to work its will without controversy needs to be achieve. a article 1 states that this house has the right and responsibility to determine the rules of its proceedings. this will help ensure as we proceed with health care reform, the ability of the house to respond to the independent payment advisory board is not abridged. sections 3 and 4 enhance our budgetary process, strengthen our ethics procedures. finally section 5 allows the speaker to recognize members for the reading of the constitution on any legislative day through january 15, 2013. every member of this body sworn in today is sworn in to uphold and defend the constitution of the united states. it is a worthwhile endeavor to spend time in the first few days of this new congress, perhaps any congress, to review the inspiring words of our

nation's founding document. the rules package i have just outlined for you will better enable each of us as an institution to perform our constitutional duties. and obligations -- duties and obligations with integrity, transparency and accountability while streamlining its operations. presenting this package to the house as my first official act for the 113th congress, i think it exemplifies an open, deliberative process that allows the majority to work its will while preserving the ability of individual members, particularly those in the minority, to present their ideas and engage in meaningful debate. i urge my colleagues to support this rules package and reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield two minute this is the democratic whip from maryland,

mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the ranking member, ms. slaughter and thank her for the work she's doing and has been doing, as our representative and leader on the rule committees, i also want to congratulate my friend, mr. sessions, on obtaining the chairmanship of the rule committees, an extraordinarily important committee that sets parameters for debate and legislation on the floor of the house. i want to thank him for his discussions with me, his willingness to work together and i'm looking forward to a positive relationship as we try to make sure that we consider legislation on this floor giving everybody on both sides of the aisle the opportunity to make their case. i also want to thank the gentleman, he explained we are affecting the rule bus i want to thank the rules committee and thank the chairman in particular and frankly the

speaker an the leadership for making changes prospectively so existing individuals are not adversely affected. i thank the chairman. having said that, let me say i'm disappointed that the majority is calling up a rules package that again embraces what i believe to be a partisan budget, which obviously there's significant disagreement about and rejects efforts to compromise toward restoring in my view fiscal stability in our country. despite bipartisan agreements in the budget control act, the continuing resolution, just this week, on the fiscal cliff, this rules package returns to the partisan stance that republicans brought to the last congress on fiscal issues. particularly on the budget. it deems the amounts in the ryan budget to be the default

funding level this is year, levels well below this week's compromise agreement. we saw that in the last budget process as well. we made an agreement and lo and behold the budget came out with numbers substantially below that agreement. ms. slaughter: i yield the gentleman another two minutes. mr. hoyer: thank you. it also has massive tax cuts as well as the cost of repealing the health reform act. we voted on that over 30 times in this house and the american people had an opportunity to vote on that we ought to be focused on making that act as good as it can be, saving as much money as it can and providing access to affordable quality health care to all our people. after more than 30 votes in the 112th congress to repeal it did not happen. yet this proposed rule signals

that the 113th will continue along a path that has been rejected, another provision in this package continues the spoil of denying to five million american citizens living in our territories, the district of columbia, ms. norton is here and will speak, puerto rico and the district of columbia, as well as guam, the u.s. virgin islands and the northern mariana islands. we have extended in congresses past when i was the majority leader the ability for those representatives to vote on this floor, not to vote on final passage, the constitution would have to do that. but to vote in the committee, the committee in the whole. they ought to give them that here as a show of respect to honor their service to american citizens in the territories and the district of columbia.

as this new congress begins, we have an opportunity to commit ourselves to the spirit of compromise which our sit zepps seek from their representatives. our nation continues to face a number of challenges that can only be addressed by working together and giving every family the opportunity as our leader said when she spoke so eloquently to make it in america. let's take advantage of this new session to start off on the right foot and show americans we are ready to come together to tackle our greatest channels. i thank the gentlelady for the time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very much, madam speaker. i want to address the minority leader if i can, the gentleman from maryland. he is a very dear and fine friend of mine, i have enjoyed the opportunity that i've been in this house to know him, to work with him and in fact what

he said is true that i have offered myself to him in a way that would be fair and good not just for every member of this body but for those he represents and will try to do my very best within the limits and constraints i have but my attitude always to be stellar and i hope that he knows he can count on that also. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman very much. mr. sessions: i would also extend that to other member who was come down to express their ideas, their ideas about how to make this a better place is always important. yesterday, the republican conference, the majority, had a vigorous time, yesterday afternoon, as we debated the house rules, as we offered our ideas, as we debated how we can make this a better place. not just transparent for the

people who sent us here. i must say i'm fresh from that wonderful and invigorating time as where we talked about the ideas, we defended what we did and change the things that needed to be done and our members all recorded not just equal time but a chance to bring their ideas forth, perhaps from back home of a season of elections, perhaps from their experiences they had back home. this is a good time for not just me as a member but all of us in our body and today we enjoy that same opportunity as we come together, democrats and republicans, on the floor, to talk about the trials of house. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york. ms. slaughter spm i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the assistant democrat leader, mr. clyburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes.

mr. clyburn: thank you for yielding me the time. today is a day of great pride for every member that's just been sworn in, particularly our newly elected members. it's a great honor to be elected to serve in this body. on election day, our constituents went to their polling places and voted for us. we should be thankful for that. particularly so when far too many of our constituents, regardless of their political leanings, voted on lech day -- on election day was an unnecessarily burdensome, time consuming experience. in my county in south carolina voters reported waiting for four hours. one young voter thought ahead of time, brought an ipad and watched the entire "hunger games" movie while in line. others, understandably, didn't have three hours to spend on a

workday. in detroit, michigan, one voter waited in deadline three hours before giving up. danielle wilkins voted after waiting for four hours. in lee county, florida, angelo -- angela went to her polling place in the morning with her infant son. seeing the three-hour line, she decided to come back later. after finding a babysitter she returned in the afternoon at which point the line had grown to five and a half hours. unable to be away from her infant son that long, she left without voting. president obama said on election night, we have to fix that. as we take our places in this congress that we earned on election day, now is the time to fix it. this motion to commit would ensure that no voter has to

wait longer than an hour to cast a ballot. we have a long history of struggle over the right to vote in this country. yet time and again, we reaffirm the principle that every eligible american has an equal right to cast a ballot without facing discrimination. a three-hour wait is discrimination against those who have to work. those who have to take care of their kids. those whose health prevents them waiting in line for such a long time. long lines are the 21st century version of poll taxes and literacy tests. disenfranchising the least advantaged and the most vulnerable citizens. we have an obligation to ensure that every american has an equal opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote. my good friend and lifelong

colleague john lewis has called the right to vote precious, almost sacred. ms. slaughter: i yield the gentleman 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clyburn: and the most powerful nonviolent tool to have to create a more perfect union. john could not be here to speak on this motion today but i'm proud to stand in his stead with mr. miller. it is a small but important step to fulfilling our obligation to protect the right to vote and i urge the passage of this commitment. thank you so much and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very much, madam speaker. i appreciate the gentleman coming down with his words today. by the way, the gentleman mentioned a motion to commit and we have yet to see that. so if there is one, i would appreciate if the gentlewoman from new york or the clerk

could provide that to me. the chance for us today is to talk -- ms. slaughter: if i could address that if i may. mr. sessions: i yield to the gentlewoman. ms. slaughter: the motion will be presented at the proper time. mr. sessions: reclaiming my time. when that is available we would appreciate that opportunity that's been spoken about on the floor. today what we're talking about, madam speaker, is how we're going to make sure this rules committee worked very effectively. later we'll be calling a rules committee meeting, i'll be announcing that the gentlewoman from north carolina, virginia foxx, will become the vice chairman of the rules committee, the gentlewoman from rochester, new york, will have a chance to bring her team up and we'll begin that process of

working together and many of the quds which have been brought forth here are very good ideas, the rules of the house are how we're going to proceed. i think a lot of what has been talked about is legislation that we need to work on and look at and analyze. every single election we learn things from around the country. not one election have i not learned something that we need to make better. i would say that i think that john boehner, our great young speaker, is energized to look at all the ideas that might come from legislation, would be pleased as i would to make sure that we look at these because the integrity of who serves in this house and the ability that people have back home to go vote is important. . i'm reminded by virginia foxx, who will be appointed the

vice chairman, of how important people are back at home. when we serve, we serve at the pleasure of others and our election to this republic and the votes that we make are very, very important. and so, it's always good to come down to the floor and be reminded of that as we remember our duty as we move forward. so i enjoy the opportunity to debate these issues and talk about them. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i'm delighted to yield two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, member of the rules committee, mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: i thank the ranking member for the time and her extraordinary leadership. i want to congratulate the incoming chairman mr. sessions. i'm hopeful that the 113th congress will be more productive, collaborative and civil than the 112th, i'm not

particularly optimistic but hopeful, hopeful to return to semblance of regular order, bills coming to the floor under the open amendment process and members having the opportunity to reflect the will of their constituents. at the very least, i hope the outrageous, partisan and closed process is not repeated. that is no way to legislate. and it's no wonder after that bit of theater that the american people have so little regard for congress. one of the best ways that we can help the country is to improve the way we conduct our elections, because bad elections lead to bad law making. if 2012 taught us anything is that we desperately need campaign finance reform. if the previous question is defeated, democrats will amend the resolution to give the house a vote on the constitutional amendment to control the corrupting influence of money in politics. the supreme court's terrible

decision in the citizens united case opened the floodgates and is now awash in a sea of unregulated money drowning out the individual voices of americans. they are beholden to national interests, an oil company can write a big check, undisclosed check to americans for apple pie and puppies and see the advertising work their magic. there are a variety of ways to tackle this problem. in the last congress i introduced the people's rights amendment which would overturn citizens united and put a stop to the nonsense. despite what governor romney said on the campaign trail, corporations are not people and did he do not deserve the same american rights as citizens. we need to have this debate and i --

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: once again, we have a lot of political dogma is taking place and i was a worker in a corporation and i felt i was the vital part of success of not only that company and the things that i did, but i felt like in my 16 years that i contributed to the success of customers and other people. and just like here in this body, there may be some organization or something that somebody doesn't like that serves this house of representatives, but everybody is here. they show up at work and get their work done. so i would say that corporations , employers, are very important to this country. the ability that all people have just as they were going to vote, to have a say in the processes that happen. there is a lot of attacking that gets done in this house of representatives against

employers, against people who go to work and provide honest services. and a lot of people who spend a lot of time demeaning others. and i would like to see that stopped, but it's not going to. so people like myself will stand up and hopefully talk about the rights and responsibilities that we all have in an open society to make our country even stronger and better, once again what the rules package is about. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i yield one minute to the the gentleman from cole, mr. polis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: house republicans in this rule are seeking to authorize lawyer fees for a costly federal take over of marriage that would single legally married coupleles for discrimination. in our debt and deficit, house republicans want to continue to waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money defending a law

that the administration has said they won't spend a penny on. typical tax and spend republican policies. last congress finished with majority of republicans voting for the biggest tax increase by opposing the fiscal cliff bill and we are hitting taxpayers with millions of dollars with unnecessary costs right on day one. at least when democrats spend money, we educate kids, provide health care. this republican spending goes in the pocket of lawyers, big spending republicans on day one spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on the federal take over of marriage and stimulus. vote no. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, the distinguished ranking member of the committee on education and

the work force, mr. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: i thank the gentlewoman for recognition. i rise in favor of the motion to commit that i will be offering with mr. clyburn and mr. lewis before the house later today so we can take an important step to protect the right of every american to vote. i was appalled by widespread reports of voters to wait in long lines simply to exercise one of our fundamental rights, the right to vote. even in some states with early voting, they were forced to choose missing work or taking care of their children or giving up their right to vote all together. in miami, hundreds of vote rsers stood in lines for four hours after the polls closed after president obama had been declared the winner. it is denial of the right to vote because of illness or change in the work schedule or

pick up a child from school or an emergency that they could not afford to wait in line for several hours to exercise that right sm the motion to commit in the house will make two important changes, first it will require in federal elections that every state provide for at least 15 days early voting and two, it would require the states provide adequate resources, staff and machines at polling places in federal elections to ensure that voters are not forced to wait in line for more than an hour. there are numerous changes needed to protect the right of all americans to their right to vote and i support comprehensive approach of voter protection developed by mr. lewis and mr. clyburn. we have a chance to take the simple step to make sure that voting is simple so they can exercise their right, a right we broadcast to the rest of the world about how we exercise our democracy. but that right and democracy is now being thwarted by efforts at

the local and state level to make voting more difficult to prohibit people from voting and we can change all of that in the motion to commit today in this rules package and i urge my colleagues to support that. and i thank mr. clyburn and mr. lewis for their leadership. mr. lewis is unable to be here today because of the untimely death of his wife lillian. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i'm very disappointed that the minority even upon the asking a few minutes ago has chosen not to show the text of the motion to commit with us. there is a lot of discussion about wanting people to come and vote back home and see things and there is a lot of debate here about what we're hoping that they vote with us, but by not providing the text of that to where our members would have the opportunity to understand that. i think it's clearly of great

importance to the gentleman from from south carolina and the gentleman from california and as a member of the minority leadership, he shed know that while he discusses it with great passion and perhaps wants to vote for it, we still have not seen a copy of that. so, first edition of the rules package has been online for nearly a week. our package that we would want people to vote on has been online available. in a conference last night, we put out as soon as what we knew what the final revisions were, we put that out. in contrast, we still have not seen that. i would ask the gentlewoman for a copy of that motion. ms. slaughter: madam speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: would you like to yield? mr. sessions: i would. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. slaughter: proper time is to

offer the motion to commit is after it has been approved. mr. sessions: reclaiming my time. i think it's pretty obvious that what the gentlewoman is saying is that they want to stand up and make a point and they want to have a vote here and they probably want to end up complaining if they didn't pass something, but they're not willing to share their ideas. i think it's amazing we're talking about transparency, accountability, trying to share information to where we can work closer together and glean ideas from each other, come together with an opportunity, yet at the appropriate time we'll get a copy of that. i'm sure that will happen about a minute before we are asked to vote on it. that's not a way to be transparent. that's not a way that i think we should move forward. but it is consistent. and we'll have a consistent

outcome. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. slaughter: i would be happy to share anything that we can at the proper time and we will do that. we will follow the rules. i yield two minutes to the the gentlewoman from district of columbia, ms. eleanor norton. ms. norton: the very first vote of the 113th congress was a vote on whether or not i was entitled to vote for the 600,000 tax paying residents of the district of columbia i represent. the motion to table to prevailed 221 to 187. my motion would have required a study of delegate voting, as to whether there was any reason

that such votes to be denied. this would not have been a difficult study, because the federal courts have already done our work for us. two federal courts have found that delegate voting in the committee of the whole is constitutional. what is more painful and arbitrary than not having the final vote. what is more painful and arbitrary than not even getting the vote in the committee of the whole, which we have exercised before and has been approved by the courts. it's being denied -- is having a vote that you have exercised. withdrawn as this vote was today. three congresses, we exercise that vote in the committee of the whole. no vote should be dependent on which party is in power. the vote in the committee of the whole was not a vote on final

legislation. it was a symbol of our american citizenship. you cannot take away our citizenship in this country. you should never be able to take away a vote once it has been granted. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you very much, madam speaker. i think it's well understood that the offices of the resident commissioner from puerto rico and delegates of the house of representatives from american samoa, the district of columbia, guam and u.s. virgin islands and now the commonwealth of the north mariana islands are created by statute and not by the constitution. they represent territories and associated jurisdictions not states. they are not members of congress, and they do not possess the same parallel men tear rights afforded to members under the constitution.

they are here in this body. we represent them to each other as important and we listen to them and they do things, but as it refers to voting on the floor in the committee of the whole, that is an issue that i believe is well understood. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. . the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: let me ms. slaughter: let the yield the gentlelady a minute and a half. ms. norton: we are here by statute but the vote we had in three congresses was a vote the federal courts have said is constitutional. once we are here by statute, once we get a constitutional vote, it seems to me a complete -- it seems to me completely arbitrary to withdraw that vote. particularly for the district of columbia. as long as you take our taxes,

the very least, i think, that the people i represent are entitled to is a vote in the committee of the whole. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. nadler: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in opposition to this rules package, in particular one specific provision that places the house on the wrong side of history and misrepresents the position of this house and its members. section 4 of the resolution continues to authorize expenditure of taxpayers' money to defend in court the discriminatory defense of marriage act. it goes further to state that the it speeks for and articulates the institutional positions of the house. that is simply not true. the original decision to defend doe ma was taken by a -- to

defend doma was taken by a partisan vote and other vote thopes measure have been taken by the republican sleadership alone. they've expended $2 million of taxpayer money to defend this law this defense is not supported by the entire house. 145 members of the house have signed a brief arguing that doma should be three declared unconstitutional and struck down system of far every court that decided this question has agreed that doma is unconstitutional. we re-- we have repeatedly asked the speaker for a briefing by the lawyers retained from the majority party. the speaker hasn't seen fit to give thinks courtesy of a response. if these high-priced lawyers really represent the house, they should at least have the court stoy meet with their alleged clients to answer questions about that representation. the time has come to call a halt to this farce. at the very least the rules should reflect the real i --

reality that the house is divided on this question and the lawyers do not speak for the institution as a whole. i urge my colleagues to vote against the rules pack and and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from california, mr. schiff. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. schiff: i thank the gentlewoman for yielding and i rise for two purposes, first to oppose the rule which institutes again the folly of spending taxpayer dollars to defend the unconstitutional and that is doma. this was a poor waste of our resources in the last congress, it will be an even worse utilization of taxpayer dollars in this new section. second, i rise to raise another issue, debated fiercely, and that is campaign finance reform. clearly our democracy is broken with billions of dollars of campaign spending by special

interests, much of it anonymous, flooding the airwave this is fall. last congress i introduced an amendment drafted by constitutional scholar larry tribe that would address the central flaw in reasoning underlie manage of the supreme court's decisions and that is the artificial distinction between contributions which may be regulated and supposedly independent expenditures which are not. i don't support a constitutional amendment lightly and have found few i would entertain in my 12 years in congress yet unrestrained spending and the ting of corruption it creates demand action. disclosure should come first but the power to reasonably regulate both contributions and expenditures should follow. that will require a constitutional amendment. mr. speaker, i urge the house to defeat the previous question and in doing is set the stage for a debate of a constitutional amendment to restore transparency and

accountability toward campaign finance system. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. once again i appreciate and respect the opportunity that is afforded in this time for members of congress like the gentleman from california and others to come forth and to give their ideas and i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida, mr. deutch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. deutch: thank you. madam speaker, i urge a no vote on the previous question. the 113 -- the 113th congress convenes as we embark on a new year. anyone with a new year's resolution knows self-improvement requires self-reflection. as full of good will and common purpose as we are, we have to know why there's so much frustration. so much frustration rises from

the big money in our democracy. elderly americans don't have super p.a.c.'s, madam speaker. children in poverty don't have corporate lobbyists. the american people count on us to ensure their voices are heard. that's what they expect from us. americans' outrage over our inability to govern is quickly becoming an accepted frustration but it shouldn't be that way. it shouldn't be that way in america. we don't have to accept the status quo. we, the people make the rules, it's time for the 28th amendment to the constitution. throughout american history, republicans and democrats alike have defended our right to decide our destiny as a people. we must restore our democracy to the people. this is the way to do it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. slaughter: i yield one

minute to the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. edwards. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. edwards: though i do support the changes to ethics rules in the package, i cannot support the overall package. for the purposes of allowing the house to consider -- i rise to allow the house to consider a constitutional amendment to consider the decision in citizens united. the 2012 election was the most expensive in our nation's history. outside groups including 1,200 superp.a.c.s, spent $970 million, $123 million of anonymous cash spend in our campaigns. the pice tag for last year's election was $6 billion. this is only the beginning. in the years to come spending will expand at the federal and local levels. moneyed interests are drowning out the voices of ordinary americans. i don't take amending our constitution, our founding document, lightly.

here in this day, when we're celebrating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation, it's time for all americans to be free in our leches, to free our leches from money interests, to amend the constitution so congress can protech the integrity of our elections. with that, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. and the gentlelady is recognized. ms. slaughter: i have no further requests for time and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlelady yield back. ms. slaughter: no, i'm -- mr. sessions: thank you for advising me of that. ms. slaughter: madam speaker, it's become glaringly obvious that our system is broken and our leches, together with widespread discriminatory laws that seek to suppress the vote, our electoral process is on the brink of dysfunction.

my democrat colleagues and i are committed to fixing our election system and have a chance today to return the democracy to the hands of voters. madam speaker, if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the resolution to make sure the house votes on a constitutional amendment to overturn court decisions, including citizens united, that prohibit congress and the states from limiting the corrupting influence of money in politics in the unlimited political spending in leches and proliferation of super p.a.c.s. i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote an after our vote on the previous question, we will offer a motion to commit and ask the chamber to consider the simple voting act, passing it would ensure that no american would have to wait longer than an hour to vote. nothing is more important than expediting the vote and making sure of that right and madam speaker, i urge my colleagues

to vote no, defeat the previous question, and i urge a yes vote on the motion to recommit -- on the motion to commit and a no vote on the previous question. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you, madam speaker. today we've had a really good time where we've had a number of members who have come down to the floor of the house of representatives as i suggested in the beginning, this was done yesterday in the republican conference, i'm sure it was done within the democrat caucus. we brought those ideas ott floor the house of representatives. we've been able to ascertain more about not only what we stand for, perhaps what people are asking for. i also want to thank our staff, not just the rules staff here on the majority side but also the minority side, obviously every one of these people have spent a lot of time prying to -- trying to prepare us as we go into this new congress and i really do appreciate the hard work by our staffs, the

speaker's staff, the leader's staff and i'm very pleased that we've been able to begin this process today. the american people are watching us, they are interested in what we do. they're interested in how open and prepared we are, how we present ourselves, our ideas, that we talk about the things they talk about around the table, that they talk about it at work, that they talk about in educational institutions, likewise that they talk about in the field of play, that is fair that is good, and make this is country even stronger. so i'm delighted we've done that today. i appreciate the gentlewoman from rochester for her vigorous analysis today of what we need to do looking forward, i'll continue to listen to that. i know the gentlewoman, ms. ros-lehtinen, will be on the rules committee and i look forward to that service that she will be making and with great enthusiasm we will move forward in this new congress. madam speaker, i yield back the

plans of my time and i move the previous question, move the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the previous question is ordered. ms. slaughter: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered, members may record their vote by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 227, the nays are 191, the previous question is ordered. the house will be in order.

>> i have a motion at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. george mill over this california moves that the resolution, house resolution 5, with instructions to report it back to the house forthwith with amendment. at the end of the resolution, add the following new sections, section 6, to shorten voting lines and protect early voting opportunities. not later than january 3 -- mr. miller: madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. without objection. without objection the previous question is ordered on the motion to commit. question is on the motion. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. mr. miller: i ask for a

recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. miller: the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen having risen, -- a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on

this vote the yeas are 194, the nays are 229. the motion is not adopted. the chair will receive a message. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: mr. speaker, i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed to s.con.res. 3, provided for a conditional adjournment or recess of the senate and an adjournment of the house of representatives in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on adoption. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. ms. slaughter: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 228, the nays are 196. the resolution is adopted.

without obio