the house will make two important changes. first, it will require that every state provide for at least 15 days early voting, and it will require the states to provide adequate resources to staff polling places and -- in federal elections to ensure voters are not forced to wait in line for more than an hour. numerous changes need to be made to adequately protect the rights of all americans and the right to vote, and i support comprehensive reforms developed by mr. lewis and mr. clyburn. today we have a simple step we can take to make sure voting is simple for americans and they can exercise their right to be broadcast to the rest of the world about how we choose our leaders and exercise of democracy, but that democracy is now being supported by efforts at the local and state level to make voting more difficult and prohibit people from voting. we can change all that in the motion to commit today in this rules package. i would urge my colleagues to support that. i want to thank mr. cliburn and mr. lewis for their leadership. i'm sorry leadership is not able to be here today. >> the gentlelady reserves -- the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you very much, madam speaker. i'm very disappointed that the minority, even upon me just asking, has chosen not to share the text of the motion to commit with us. a lot of discussion about wanting people to come and vote back home and see things -- there is a lot of debate here about what we are hoping a lot of republicans will vote with us. but we are not providing the text of that where our members would have an opportunity to understand that. i think it is clearly of great importance to a gentleman, at least from south carolina and a gentleman from california -- as a member of the minority leadership he should now that when he discusses it with great passion and perhaps wants us to

vote for it, we still have not seen a copy of that. first edition of the rules package today has been online for nearly a week. the republican package we would want people to vote on has been online, available. at our conference right -- last night, we put up, as soon as we knew the final revisions -- we put that out. in contrast, we still have not seen that. i would ask the gentleman for a copy of that motion. >> madam speaker, would you like to yield? >> the gentlelady is recognized. >> the proper time to offer a motion to recommit is after the previous question has been approved. we will be happy to provide a copy. >> reclaiming my time. thank you very much. i think it is 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 and of complaining that they did not pass something, but they are not willing to share their ideas. i think it is amazing -- we are talking about transparency and accountability, trying to share

information to where we can work closer to gather and glean ideas from each other, come together with an opportunity at the appropriate time -- we will get a copy. i am sure that will happen at a minute before we are asked to vote on it. that is not a way to be transparent. that is not a way that i think we should move forward. but it is consistent. and we will have a consistent outcome. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady is recognized. >> let me take a second to say i would be happy to share anything in the proper time, and we will do that. we will follow the rules. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. eleanor norton. >> i thank the gentlewoman from new york for yielding. the very first vote of the 113th congress was a vote on whether

or not i was entitled to vote for the 600,000 -- 600,000 taxpaying residents of the district of columbia i represent. the a motion prevailed. it tabled my motion. the motion would have simply required a study of the delegate voting as to whether there was any reason that such votes would be denied. this would not have been a difficult study, because the federal courts have already done this for us. two federal courts have found that delegate voting in the committee is constitutional. what is more painful and arbitrary than not having the final vote? what is more painful and arbitrary then not even getting the vote in the committee of the oil which we have exercised

before and has been approved by the courts? it is being denied -- it is having a vote that you have exercised withdrawn as this vote was today. 3 congresses we exercise that vote. no committee should be dependent -- no vote should be dependent on which party is in power. the vote 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 of vote once it has been granted. i yield back the balance of my time. >> the lady yelled back. the gentleman from texas is recognized you thank you very much. i think it is well understood that the offices of the resident commissioner from puerto rico and the delegate from american samoa, the

district of columbia, guam, the virgin islands, and the commonwealth of the north mariana islands, are treated by statute and not the constitution. they represent territories and associated jurisdiction, not states. they are not members of congress and they do not possess the same rights accorded to members under the constitution. -- we recognize them and listen to them. as it refers to voting on the floor in the committee, that is an issue that i believe is well understood. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> madam speaker, let me give 30 seconds.

>> i grant the gentleman that the delegates are here by statute, but the gentleman should recognize that the vote we have 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 be a completely arbitrary to withdraw that vote, particularly for the district of columbia. as far -- lummis to take our taxes, the very least the people i represent are entitled to do is to vote in the committee. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler. >> the gentleman is recognized for 2 minutes. >> thank you. madam speaker, i rise with an opposition to this rules package, and in particular one

specific provision that places the house on the wrong side of history and misrepresent the position of this house and its members. section four of the resolution continues to spend taxpayer money to defend in court the unconstitutional and discriminatory so-called defensive marriage act. it goes further -- it states that this partisan effort "speaks for and articulates the institutional positions of the house." that is simply not true. the decision to defend doma was taken by a party-line vote of the bipartisan legal advisory group. all further decisions have been taken by the republican leadership alone, some in secret. so far the republican leadership has authorized the expenditure of $2 million of taxpayer money to defend this discriminatory law. this defense is not supported by the entire house. 145 members of the house signed a brief arguing doma should be declared unconstitutional. so far every court has agreed that doma is unconstitutional.

we have repeatedly asked the speaker for a briefing from the lawyers retained by the republican majority. the speaker has not even seen fit to give us the courtesy of a response. if these high-priced lawyers really represent the house, bishop of these have the courtesy to meet with their alleged clients and 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 reality that the house is deeply divided on the question and the outside lawyers acting at speaker boehner's direction do not speak for the institution as a whole. i urge my colleagues to vote against this rules package and yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from california. >> the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise for two purposes. first, to oppose the rule which institutes again the folly of

spending taxpayer dollars to defend the unconstitutional and -- law that is doma. this was a poor use of our resources in the last congress and will be even worse in a position of scarce taxpayer dollars in this new session. second, i rise for another issue debated fiercely, 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 airwaves this fall. the last congress, i introduced an amendment drafted by a constitutional scholar that will address the central flaw in reasoning underlying many of the court -- supreme court's decisions. that is, the artificial distinction between contributions which may be regulated and supposedly independent expenditures, which maybe not. i do not support a

constitutional amendment likely and have found -- lightly, and have found few i would even entertain with my 12 years in congress, yet unrestrained spending and the unmistakable corruption it creates demands action. 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 so set the stage for a debate of a constitutional amendment to restore transparency and accountability to our campaign finance system. >> the gentleman from texas. >> thank you very much, madam speaker. once again, i appreciate and respect the opportunity afforded in this time for members of congress like the gentleman from california and others to come forth and give their ideas. >> be gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida.

>> speaker, i urge a no vote on the previous question. the congress convenes as we embark on a new year and hope for new politics. yet anyone with a new year's resolution knows that self improvement require self reflection. as full of goodwill as we are today, we must the knowledge why some americans are fed up with our politics. whether it is the ramp and misinformation or the bitter partisanship -- so much of it comes from big money but in our democracy. all the americans do not have super pac's, madam speaker. children in poverty do not have corporate lobbyists. the american people count on us to make sure their voices are heard. that is what they expect from us. americans are outraged over our inability to govern in the public interest -- it should not be that way.

in america, we do not have to accept the status quo. we make the rules. it is time for the 20th amendment to the constitution. through 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 how we do a. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i reserve my time. >> the gentleman reserves. >> madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. edwards. >> recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. although i do support the changes to our ethics rule contained in the package, i cannot support the overall package and a rise in opposition to the previous question. for the purpose of allowing the house to consider a constitutional amendment to address the decision in citizens united. the 2012 election was the most expensive in our history. outside groups including over

1200 super pac's -- $970 million were spent and $123 million of anonymous cash in the campaigns. the pricetag for last year's election was $6 billion. this is only the beginning. in the years to come, spending will expand. megaphones of money interests will drown out the voices of ordinary americans. it is time for us to do something about it. i do not think amending our constitution and -- do not take amending our constitution lately. when we are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation, it is time for all americans to be free and to free our elections, interests and amend the constitution to protect the integrity of our elections. with that, i yield. >> the gentleman continues to reserve. >> that is correct. >> madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and i'm prepared to close.

>> does the gentle lady yelled back? >> the gentleman from texas. >> i've reserved. >> madam speaker, it has become glaringly obvious that our democratic process is broken, due in large part to the overwhelming influence of money. together with widespread discriminatory laws. they seek to suppress the vote -- and our electoral process is on the brink of dysfunction. my democratic colleagues and i are committed to fixing our election system and have a chance today to return democracy to the hands of voters. speaker, i 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 from limiting the corrupting influence of money in politics and the unlimited soft landing in elections and proliferation of super pac's.

i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material prior to the vote. after voting on these, i offer a motion to commit and asked them to consider the simple voting act that would insure that no american would have to wait longer than one hour to vote. nothing is more important than expediting the vote and making sure that that right is attended to. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the previous question and urged a yes vote on the motion to commit pande no vote on the resolution. >> the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized peking today we have had -- today we have had a good time with a number of members coming down to the floor of the house of representatives. this was done yesterday in the republican congress and the democratic caucus.

we brought his ideas to the floor of the house to ascertain more about not only what we stand for and perhaps what people are asking for -- i also want to thank the staff, not just the rules staff but also every one of these people who have spent a lot of time to prepare us as we go into this new congress. i really do appreciate the hard work of our staff and the speaker's staff and the leader's staff. i am pleased we are able to bring -- begin this process today. the american people are watching us. they are interested in what we do. they are interested in how open and prepared we are. and that we talk about the things that they talked about around the table, that they talked about work and talk about educational institutions. likewise, that is fair, good, and makes this country even stronger. i appreciate the gentlewoman from rochester for more vigorous analysis today of what we need to do looking for. i will continue to listen to that.

i know the gentlewoman will be on the rules committee, i look forward to the service she will be making. with great enthusiasm we will move forward in this new congress. i yield back the balance of my time and i moved the previous question of the resolution. >> the house returns tomorrow morning at 10:00 eastern. live coverage here on c-span. a joint session of the house and senate will meet to count the electoral college votes and certify the presidential election.

live coverage, here on c-span. >> i like to watch c-span, because i can get the news about the goings on in congress. also the debates and news coverage. i like c-span programming. it is clear. it is direct. it does not seem to be colored by points of view. >> david maxwell watches c-span on comcast. c-span, created by america's cable companies in 1979, brought to you as a public service by your television provider. >> one of the first orders of business after the house caviled in yesterday was to elect a speaker of the house. republican john boehner got 220 votes, and will continue as speaker. nancy pelosi will remain the democratic leader, with 192 votes. after the vote, leader pelosi

and speaker boehner spoke to the assembled house. >> colleagues. colleagues. to my fellow members of the house of representatives, it is a high honor to welcome you to the 113th congress. [applause] to our newest members of congress, it is a special privilege and honor to welcome you and your families, and to extend congratulations to the newest members of congress. welcome.

[applause] to reach this day, he to of us has been strengthened by our faith -- each of us has been strengthened by our faith and our families. with a full and a grateful heart, and want to thank my family, my husband of 49 years, paul policy. -- pelosi. [applause] our children, our grandchildren, who are represented here today by our daughter who. when i have some -- i include another family in a gratitude as well. and i think my constituents in

san francisco for the privilege of lifting the represent that beautiful and diversity in the congress of the united states. each of us here today is truly 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, here we observed at midnight the 150th anniversary of the signing of the emancipation proclamation. [applause] at midnight, there was an enactment of harriet tubman ringing the bell. as she rang the bell, she said,

"now, we are free." it was quite an incredible moment, and it was one that ushers in the president -- what president lincoln would call a new birth of freedom for his era, after generations to come -- and for generations to come. that 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 porch of progress, -- 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. it rests in a strong and thriving middle-class, but backbone of our democracy.

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 rest of the heart of our success, that we remain first in science, technology, engineering, and energy. but we educate and prepare our young people for the opportunities of tomorrow. who and when we make it in america, he all of america's families can make it in america. [applause] 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 to participation in our democracy for all americans.

we must increase the level of civility, and reduce the role of money in our elections. [applause] 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. [applause]

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, in their schools, and in their neighborhoods. as we mourn the families of newtown, we know 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. [applause]

in the same year that president lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, the statue of freedom was unveiled atop the capitol dome. it continues -- that dome -- it 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 our 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, 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 boehner is a leader who has earned the confidence of his conference 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. as we congratulate him, we also congratulate and thank his wife debbie, and their two daughters lindsay and tricia, 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 that is a higher, better place for our country. 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 trust. 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. [applause] may god bless you, speaker boehner. may god bless this congress. may god always bless the united states of america. my colleagues, the speaker of the house, john boehner. [applause]

>> thank you. leader pelosi, members of the house and senate, dear family and friends, fellow countrymen, 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. it is an interlude for reflection, a glimpse of old truths. to our new members and their families, welcome.

you are likely feeling awestruck right about now. history runs through here. and now you are among a select few to share in this privilege. for those who are returning, who have walked these aisles before, maybe it's time we feel awestruck again. [applause] the way our founders envisioned it, the republic would be led by citizens who recognize that the blessing of governing ourselves requires that we give something of ourselves. everything depended on this. so they made each other and their successors swear an oath of allegiance.

in a few moments, i will take this oath for the twelfth time as representative of the eighth district of ohio. it is word for word the same oath we all take. note that it makes no mention of party, faction, or title, contains no reference to agendas or platforms - only to the constitution the one addition we dare to make, as george washington did at the first inaugural, is to invoke the assistance of our heavenly father. this covenant makes us servants of posterity. it calls us to refuse the pull of passing interests and follow the fixed star of a more perfect union. put simply, we are sent here not to be something, but to do something - to do the right thing.

[applause] 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. 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 namesake is weighed down by this anchor of debt. break its hold, and we begin to set our economy free. jobs will come home. confidence will come back. we do this not just to boost gdp or reduce unemployment, but to secure for our children a future of freedom and opportunity.

nothing is more important. as washington wrote in his farewell address, we should not "throw upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear." well, the burden is ours and so is the opportunity. there is no substitute for the wisdom of the people. we are their servants. as speaker, i pledge to listen and do all i can to help you carry out the oath you are about to take. because in our hearts, we know it is wrong to pass on this debt to our kids and grandkids. now we have to be willing - truly willing - to make this right.

public service was never meant to be an easy living. extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary leadership. so if you have come here to see your name in lights or to pass off political victory as accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. the door is 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 just by our constituents but by the times, then you have come to the right place. [applause]

there is a time to every purpose under heaven. for the 113th congress, it is a time to rise. when the day is over, and the verdict is read, may it be said that we well and faithfully did our duty to ensure freedom will endure and prevail. so help us god. [applause] i am now ready to take the oath of office, and i would ask the dean of the house of representatives to a minister the oath of office. >> please 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 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? >> i do. >> congratulations, mr. speaker. [applause] >> thank you, all. thank you.

according to precedent, the chair will swear in the members en masse so all members-elect will rise, and the chair will now administer the oath of office. if all members-elect will raise their 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? >> i do. >> congratulations. you are now members of the 113th congress. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> while john boehner will remain speaker of the house, the

vote was not unanimous among house republicans. the group of dissident republicans failed to push him to a second ballot, and potentially replace him as leader of the house. "house republicans either voted for someone else or deliberately did not vote at all. that was five short of what would have been needed to force a second ballot. the hill and named a second term congressman has leading the effort. republicans announced other leadership positions. eric cantor and kevin mccarthy were reelected as majority leader and whipped. cathy mcmorris will become the new chairman of the conference committee. with nancy pelosi as minority leader, steny hoyer is still the democratic whip, with james cliburn the assistant leader.

joe crowley is the caucus vice chair. after formal swearing-in, hear speaker boehner met with members and their families for a mock swearing in, so they could have their picture taken.

>> have a great day. keep smiling. >> put your right hand. right hand.

thank you. >> so everybody can see you here. >> stay right there. thank you all. >> appreciate it. >> how are you? >> i am right here.

>> thank you. >> thank you, sir.

>> come on in here. >> put your right hand up. there we go. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> you are doing a good job. >> thank you. >> raise your right hand. >> you can step right here.

right hand. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> hello, mr. speaker. >> hello, everybody. >> congratulations. >> thank you.

left hand in the air. put your right hand on it. there you go. >> thank you. it is an honor. >> how are you? >> thank you. thank you so much. >> congratulations. >> we will get this started.

>> perfect. >> arena miller is here. >> all right. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> hello, speaker. i am from illinois. >> look straight ahead. here we go. >> this is like hollywood.

>> thank you. >> a couple more hours. >> pat is unexcused. tell her i said that. >> thank you. >> nice to see you. how are you?

>> right hands up? >> there you go. perfect. raise your right hand. a nice suit. very nice. >> how are you, speaker? you know my mom who.

-- my mom. >> all right. here we go. come on. get in there. get in there. i got them. in front of your wife and kids. >> how are you? >> all right, next. gee whiz. right hand up. there we go.

>> very good. >> congratulations. see you all. thank you. i know. nice to see you. don't worry. >> mr. speaker? >> hi. move over here a little bit. there we go. >> smile. smile. >> good job. good job. a good job, guys.

look at this. >> i know. >> thank you. all right. hi. put your hand up. the that is good. there you go. are you behaving yourself?

i know better. i can read it all over your face. i have seen this picture before. >> mr. speaker? >> step up a little bit. i can see him. how are you? how are you? guys, how are you? here we go. look at this.

thank you, everyone. thank you. >> working hard today, mr. speaker. >> no, no, no. >> that is not true. it worked great. thanks. >> thank you. >> mr. speaker. >> in a great spot. >> family, how are you? who is going to hold the bible? we are going to hold this. you put your right hand on it,

and we are going to look right over here. this is me, rushing everybody along. come in here. how are you? there you go. everybody look right here. there we go. a sorry. that was my fault. looks like a million dollars. >> mr. speaker, congratulations.

>> here we go. there we go. there we go. >> congratulations. >> you having fun? ago have fun. -- go have fun. how are you? >> make sure we can all see you. >> right hand up. there we go. good job.

here we go. there you go. you got it? thanks. >> yes, sir. >> congratulations. >> a lot of fanfare. right there. >> thank you. thank you, speaker. >> thank you. you got to be in the middle.

>> just 37 years old. >> while. -- wow. how are you? there we go. good job. good job. forf it hadn't been [indiscernible] none of this would have happened. >> oh my god, floras. how are you?

we should do that in front of your wife. >> congratulations. thank you. >> just looking forward to working with you. >> glad to see you all. thanks. >> mr. speaker? >> there we go. right here. how hard will this be? >> hi/ -- hi. >> thank you.

: :

. >> do you solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution against all enemies and bear truth faith and allegiance and take this without mental reservation or purpose of evasion and well and faithfully

discharge the offices that you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> how are you doing. hey, mike, how are you. hey, jack. everybody needs a brother to carry him like my brother did. joan, nice to meet you. >> hi, mom. >> this is my sister. >> hey, sis. every time somebody meets my sister they ask what is it like

having a brother like me and she says it is very difficult. let me get here between you and mom. come on, sis, get in here. thank you. appreciate it. nice to see you, pal. >> see you later.

>> hey, how are you? you will put your left hand on the baseball and raise your right hand. >> do you solemnly swear you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies and bear truth faith and allegiance of the same and take this obligation fairly without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> congratulations.

>> you have a lot to smile about. you should be so proud. i have three brothers. when my mom is around your son is vice president. i have three sons. there is jimmy and franke. and yes, joey. what does he do?

>> well, he is a lawyer. i'm not kidding. keep the faith. >> all right. >> thank you. >> thank you. great to see you. >> nice to meet you. >> this is my sunday to go to meeting suit. i only wear it when i swear

people in. hey, how are you? good to see you. we are going to do this again. solemnly swear to support and donor the constitution of the united states against all enemies and bear true faith and allegiance and take this freely without mental reservation or purpose evasion and well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office in which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. >> thank you. >> this is my daughter. >> how are you? great to see you. >> my son. >> we know one another. >> my mom, kathy. and my dad. >> good to see you. my folks live in kansas city and out for this.

>> i remember. my house was real simple. there are mothers and something else and something else and mothers and mothers. so, it works for me. i hope she does better for you than she did for me.

no, she's wonderful. great job. as they say in southern delaware, mom, he's done good. >> thank you. hey, dan. >> my 1-year-old. >> how are you doing? can i swear you? how are you doing? >> fine. >> how old are you, 14? >> no, four. >> i knew there was a four in there somewhere. come on. mommy, you stand right there.

>> do you solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and bear truth and favorite and allegiance to the senate and take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and well and faithfully discharge your duties you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> we would love to have my mother, kathy. >> you look like his sister. ben, how are you? come on, let's slide in here.

>> thank you. >> hey, how are you? good to see you. >> congratulations, man.

congratulations. how are you? we will have you stand right there. you will hold the bible. you stand right there so they can see your face. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and bear true faith and allegiance to the stadium and take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> congratulations. >> nice to meet you. >> this is my mother. >> mom, you come by me.

what is your name? good to see you. ok, ready? thank you so much. jeff, congratulations. a pleasure to meet you all.

hi, how are you? how old are you? >> 4 1/2. >> almost five. all right. you put your left hand on the bible. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and you bear true faith and allegiance of the same and take this

obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge your duties of the office of which you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> congratulations. i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did here. >> thank you. >> this is my mother. >> hi, mom. we are going to put you right next to me here.

hi, how are you. joe biden. how are you? nice to see you. hey, sis, how are you? hey, man. how are you. ok.

hi, how are you.

>> you stand there and you get in the middle of us, ok?

do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies and bear true faith an allegiance to the same and take this obligation freely without my mental reservation or purpose of evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of office on which you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> there is my daughter molly. >> hey, molly. pleasure to meet you. >> this is josh. >> hey, josh. >> this is her family. how are you doing?

good to see you. >> my sister. >> how are you. how are you? good to see you. all right.

congratulations. enjoy the day. >> thanks again for your service. >> you are welcome. thanks again to all of you. of you stand right there.

would you place your left hand on the bible. do you solemnly swear you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and bear true faith and allegiance to the same and take this obligation freely and without any mental reservation or purpose evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to help you god? >> i do. thank you very much. all

nate, you get next to me over here.

hey, guys. how are you? what is your name? >> micah. >> how are you? you are ok. i'll be darn. mom, would you mind holding the bible and we will reenact this. do you solemn swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and you bear truth favorite and allegiance to the same and take this obligation freely without 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? >> i do. >> congratulations. i hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

>> we will have the bible holder standing right in the middle. do you solemnly swear you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies and you bear truth favorite and

allegiance to the same and that you take this obligation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter so help you tkpwotd? >> i do. >> congratulations. i hope you enjoy it as much as i did. i really do. it is a great place. mom, you stand next to me. i want you two guys right in the middle.

good to see you. you stand right here and you will put your left hand on the bible. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic and you will bear truth faith and allegiance to the same and you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> welcome.

>> how are you? congratulations. we will have you stand there. you stand right here.

all right. do you solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of the united states of america against all enemies and you bear true favorite and allegiance to the same and take this obligation seriously without mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which you are about to enter so help you god? >> i do. >> i have no doubt about it. >> what happened to the rest of my family out there? they all came from hawaii, so they need to be in this picture, don't you think? >> yes. take your time. >> where is my family? they are coming.

good to see you. they are more coming. >> they are coming. >> take your time. come on over to this side. now are you? great to see you guys. ok?

hi, how are you? congratulations. mom, how are you? mom, we will have you stand right in the pheumiddle. ready. do you solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, that you bear true faith and hraoepbl to the same and take this obligation freely without mental reservation or purpose of evasion you will well and faithfully discharge the office of the office respond which you are about to enter? >> i do. >> congratulations, senator. congratulations, mom. do you have any family? >> yes. >> ok. my brother. >> what is your name?

>> kevin. good to see you. great to be with you. >> he is a sergeant major in the army. >> he looks it. looks like he still plays. look at that guy. still working out. here we go.

>> mom, congratulations. sergeant major.

all right, guys. that's it. all right, guys. thanks for your patience. i appreciate it. see you later. see you guys. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> the 113th congress convened yesterday. today we will talk with two senators about the legislative agenda for the new congress. at 7:45 republican senator john hoeven of north carolina then

angus king. the government releases the unemployment report for november today. we will talk about the unemployment numbers and what they mean for the economy. >> the big discussion that i remember was what is richard nixon going to do. >> i can remember going home that home, you are scared to death. this is like a time bomb. this gets out in the press it is a disaster for all of us. >> johnny waurplts came to me and said john dean the president's counsel has brought me a list of 50 names of people and wants a full field investigation. that is a very unpleasant thing to have happen. >> it was shortly after the farewell speech the chief of staff called me. i can't remember what he said

but it is david we forgot one thing. i said what is that. he said we forgotten a resignation letter. i said that is interesting. i will be glad to read it. he said you don't get it. you need to write it. >> i thought the best way was not for me as a historian but for the players, key people living from that era to tell the story themselves. so i thought the best way to do this was to start a video oral history program that involved the knicksen players and players in the watergate drama from left and right and have them tell the story and use portions of that story in the museum to let visitors understand the complexity of this constitutional drama. >> the former head of the knicksen presidential library and museum details the library's oral history project sunday night at 8:00 on "q&a."

>> it is quite true that a people's history is the result of how it is synthesizing the work of a great many other historians. what had happened in the 1960's with the counterculture was that a whole new generation of young historians had come up and they were in essence reevaluating all aspects of our past. >> on the life of historian and activist howard zinn saturday night at 10:00 eastern on "wave word words". >> on the first day of the 113th congress the house passed a rules package which sets the groundwork for how the house of representatives operates. democrats unsuccessfully tried to add provisions to limit corporate political

contradiction, put limits on waits for voters on election day and allowed delegates from the u.s. territories to vote on the house floor. members debated the measure for an hour before passing it in a party line vote. here is that debate. 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 the gentleman from oklahoma to identify duplicative programs and examine usefulness of existing government programs.

this will help ensure that hard working taxpayer dollars are not wasted and we remain focused on making the federal government smarter and more efficient. it will be easier to see how proposed legislation would interact with existing law. additional proposals from the republican study committee chairman the gentleman from louisiana will help bring more transparency to the regulatory process. american families and small businessmen 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 deliberation. under the current administration, madam speaker, we have seen an explosion in the spending for welfare programs.

for the first time we will require an annual budget resolution including information about the growth of means test 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 yield back to the distinguished gentleman from texas and now the chairman of the rules committee, pete sessions. >> thank you. we reserve our time. >> the gentleman reserves his time. the gentle woman from new york. >> thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman. i yield time as may consume. thank you very much. i want to begin by

congratulating my colleague on his new role as chair of the rules committee. i have worked with him many years and look forward to working with him more closely in the months and years to come. we will welcome the new class of legislators as well today and we go through the positions that have ged our nation. i'm pleased to welcome my newest colleagues and welcome become old friends. it is great honor to be chosen to represent them in congress. our neighbors have placed their trust in us and we must never take such an honor for granted w. this comes a solemn responsibility starting today we have the opportunity to move our nation forward and in the words of our founders provide for our common defense, promote our general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

our work begins two-hand one of the first orders of business is to set the if you rules package for the incoming congress. during the last congress we promised an open and transparent process but we fell short. understood the majority leadership more than a third of the rules were completely closed and at times endangered the economy. this is an opportunity to put this behind them and govern in an open and bipartisan way and we are willing to meet them every step of the way. this goal in mind though of the rules committee i must say that i look at it with a little bit of trepidation and most for me is the proposal to once again to adopt the ryan budget. doing so would keep alive dangerous budget proposals including the repeal of parts of the affordable care act. in addition, today's resolution makes it easier for members of

congress to use private planes and i'm puzzled by that. i don't think members should be flying around in corporate jets and it continues in the fast and furious operation campaign. to begin by loosening the ethics restrictions and advancing politically motivated programs shouldn't be the priority of congress. finally, with today's resolution the majority continues their efforts to oppose the marriage equality before the courts. in a age where that is rocked by americans across the country chambers shouldn't oust taxpayer money to stand on the wrong side of history. we could start our new beginning by joining all the democratic colleagues and me in reforming our broken election laws and i know were wants to do this. in the year since the supreme court handed down the rulings in the citizens united case unlimited amounts of money from billionaires and hidden special interests have flooded our

elections. led by secret political spending they have hidden from public view wealthy special interests who tried to buy our airwaves to fund outrageously expensive campaigns and launch political attacks to sway the outcomes of countless elections. the sunlight foundation reports that during the 2012 election cycle alone super pacs spent more than $620 million to affect the federal elections. at the ends of this debate my democratic colleagues and i will provide the house with an opportunity to consider a constitutional amendment to overturn the flawed decision. if approved this amendment would finally remove the unlimited and political dosageses from the

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 to what it means to be an american but in recent years we have seen an effort to discourage voters from casting a ballot. a number of discriminatory and dangerous pieces of legislation have been advanced. the methods range from enacting unfair voter i.d. laws to reduce the number of voting machines in low income neighborhoods. unfortunately these discriminatory practices have indeed made it harder for our citizens to vote. this past november there were numerous reports of voters being turned away from the polls.

many who did manage to vote had to wait for hours and sometimes as many as eight hours before they could cast their ballot. it is clear as day that keeping people waiting in long lines is purely intended to make them give up aed go home. later today my democratic colleagues and i will ask the house to bring to the floor the streamlined and impraofrtd methods at polling locations and simple voting act. it would guarantee no voter would have to wait more than an hour to cast a ballot and require that every polling station have the resources it needs to run a smooth and fair election. when taken together, the overwhelming influence of money in politics and discriminatory tax have distorted the system and created a broken process that fails to serve the american public. as we open the 113th congress,

my colleagues and i stand ready to work with the majority on fixing our broken electoral system and getting back it a bipartisan layoff process worthy of the citizens here. i couldn't be happier or more honored to serve in the 113th congress. i look forward to serving with all of my colleagues and it is my hope that we would have an open transparent and bipartisan house so we can produce meaningful results for those whom we represent. i reserve the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from texas. >> thank you, madam speaker. i want to insert the resolution. >> without objection. so ordered. >> i want to thank the gentlewoman from rochester, 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 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 would be fair and appropriate on behalf of the minority leader, majority leader and speaker of the house of reference and all our members. the rules package today will continue the effort of our republican majority to make the work as open, transparent and streamlined as possible. this work began in the 112th congress under the leadership of former chairman and when a number of reforms implemented he made sure they worked. today we will continue that transparency initiated by the

chairman. the nonpartisan sunlight foundation recently praised our endeavors in that effort by saying -- and i quote -- it is clear the house has become a more transparent institution over the last two years. the accolades there go to the gentleman from california. this body is wholeheartedly committed to advancing that reform process and i am as its new chairman. our work must begin and always be directed to accountability to the people who granted us the privilege of serving in this body. but the imperative for accountability is never higher than when we face tough economic times. economic times that each of us ring to the floor because of the people we represent. as our national debt skyrockets our economy limps along and

unemployment remains predictably high. the need for fully transparent and accountable processes in this institution to help end that effort of unemployment in this country and gain more jobs is one of the things which this rules committee and the floor work of the floor should be about. the rules panel we focused on today for the 113th congress will help us achieve that goal. it preserves the important reforms that we made at previous congress while adding a tpafew amendments. one such amendment in section two will help skraepl line and expedite voting procedures. it is important to note however these procedures are intended to be used to expedite consideration of questions of the house while ensuring no member is denied an adequate opportunity to vote. section two also makes several

improvements in 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 rule to conform to current law and add grandchildren to the rule who are not currently covered under house rules or current law this. is a strongly held bipartisan measure that has received praise from a number of groups including the sun lit foundation. this package also amends the restrictions on the use of private aircraft contained in the code of conduct so as to harmonize house apnd it includes groups not easily reached by car and do not have scheduled air service. they will also facilitate travel

during extraordinary circumstances such as in an emergency or in the after mamatf a natural disaster. at the same time the rules keep in place safeguards to help ensure such travel is fully consistent with house and ethics guidelines and rules. the new rules will ensure members pay a fair market rate for air travel regardless of the type of aircraft that is used. together the amendments and clarifications to the code of conduct contained in this resolution will better ensure elective representations -- or representatives, officials and employees of the house can execute their official duties in an efficient, ethic and transparent way. section three of the package makes a number of separate orders. the most significant among them eliminates provisions contained in the affordable care act that limit the ability of the house to respond to recommendations

from the independent payment advisory board. now, house republicans have made it clear we oppose obama care. we have acted repeatedly for appeal and replace this controversial will you. but regardless of where any member may stand on this issue the question of preserve being the prerogative of the house of representatives to its work and its will without dispute or controversy must be achieved. article one section five of the clearly states that this body has the right and the responsibility to determine the rules of its proceedings. this provision will ensure that as we proceed with the issue of healthcare reform the ability to respond to the independent payment advisory board is not abridged. four go on to and make a number of adjustments that enhance our budgetary process and preserve the oversight rules and strengthen

our ethics procedures. finally, section five 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 nights. it is a very worthwhile endeavor to spend time in the first few days of this new congress and perhaps any congress to review the inspiring words of our nation's founding document. the rules package that i have just out-lind for you will better enable each of us as an institution to perform our constitutional duties and obligations with integrity, transparency and accountability while streamline being its operations. presented in this package is my first official act as chairman of the rules committee for the 113th congress and i think it

exemplifies our commitment to an open deliberative prosecutes that empowers the majority to work its will while reserving the ability of members particularly those in the minority to present their ideas and engage in meaningful debate. i urge my colleagues to support it and reserve my time. >> madam speaker, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland mr. hoyer. >> you may ask for two minutes. >> i thank the ranking member and the work that she's doing and has been doing over the years as our reserve and leader on the rules committee. i also want to congratulate my friend mr. sessions on obtaining the chairmanship of the rules committee an important committee that sets the parameters for debate and consideration of legislation on the floor of the house. i also want to thank him for his

discussions with me, his leness to work together and i look 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 rules but i want to thank the rules committee and chairman in particular and frankly the speaker and leadership for making changes prospect actively so existing individuals are not adversely affected. having said that, let me say that i'm disappointed though 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

fiscal stability in our country. despite bipartisan agreement on the budget control act the continuing resolution and just this week on the fiscal cliff. this rules package returns to the partisan stance republicans brought to the last congress on fiscal issues. particularly on the budget. it deems the amount in the ryan budget to be the default funding levels this 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. >> i yield another two minutes. >> the gentleman is recognized minutes. minutes. >> it has