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tv   [untitled]    February 23, 2016 7:01pm-8:01pm EST

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the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 397, the nays are 0. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i send to the desk proprivilege red ports from the
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committee on frurels filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: are port to acompmy house resolution 618, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 3624, to amend title 28, united states code to prevent fraudulent joinder. report to acompmy house resolution 619, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 2406, to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. members please take your conversations off the floor. members are encouraged to take their conversations off the floor.
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for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> 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 620, resolved that the house has heard with profound sorrow of the death of the honorable antonin scalia, associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. resolved that the house tenders its deep sympathy to the members of the family of the late associate justice in their bereavement. resolved that the clerk communicate these resolutions to the senate and to the supreme court and transmit a copy of the same to the family of the late associate justice. resolved, that when the house adjourns today it adjourn as a further mark of respect to the
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memory of the late associate justice. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one hour. he house will be in order. members are encouraged to take their conversations off the floor. the gentleman is recognized. >> we are adopting this resolution today in honor of . stice antonin gregory scalia mr. mccarthy: his passion, his intelligence and indeed his courageous defense of the constitution was unmatched. law should be how
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practiced. separation -- our country has not only lost a great man because profound man a principled man, and a good man. i yield back and move the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent that the committee on house administration be discharged from further consideration of house concurrent resolution 113 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 13. concurrent resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall and the capitol visitor's centers to present the congressional gold
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medal to the regiment. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider s laid on the table. pursuant to clause 4 of rule 1, the following enrolled bill was signed by the speaker on uesday, february 23, 2016. the clerk: h.r. 644, to re-authorize trade facilitation and trade enforcement functions and activities and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minutes. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one
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minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to congratulate the eden prairie girl's hockey team for winning the minnesota state championship last weekend. the eagles prevailed in a tight contest over maple grove in a tight game when lauren everyly scored the game-winning goal in overtime. this marks the third straight title for eden prairie in the last 11 years. econdition prairie was led by goals from anna gabble and others. it takes commitment, it takes hard work and it takes teamwork and dedication to achieve a state championship. this is even more impressive with the amount of time these student athletes put together in their studying, exceling in school and participating in other extracurricular activities. con fradgelations to the players, coaches, family and fans of the eden prairie girls' high school hockey team. our community is proud of you. i yield back.
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the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- does the gentlelady from exas seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: ms. speaker, without objection, the gentlewoman senseless gun violence over the past weekend in our community, a young man, 19 years old, worked in a pose rhea, was gunned -- in a pizzeria, was gunned down. the story says as he worked in this robbery, he attempted to respond to the killers' demands but 9/11 spite of that, he was gunned down, murdered. we have listened to the sad eloquence of our colleagues from michigan, vicious gun violence, a person with 11 guns in their home and yes as many a, people kill, guns don't. but they use guns to kill. it is time for this congress, as
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many police officers have said to me, to get their hands around the rampage of guns and gun violence, senseless killings, bad guys, some good guys, killing people with guns. it is important to close the gun show loophole. to be able to use and demand science and safety restraints. but i am just appalled, but i am outraged. enough is enough. innocent people, killed, gun violence. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i rise to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, today our administration announced that they would go against the american people and shout down guantanamo bay, cuba. mr. olson: gitmo. detainees being held at gitmo
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reason, our one constitution. the administration wants to give the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, khalid sheikh mohammed, the same constitutional right he is took of nearly 3,000 americans that he killed on september 11 of 2001. all the detainees in gitmo were captured by our military on the battlegrounds. not the police. khalid sheikh mohammed was never told he had the right to remain silent when he was captured. does he go free? is there another loophole to his free tom? our administration's actions are against the will of the american people and are dangerous. this house and i will stop them. i yield back.
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the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection. >> mr. speaker, tomorrow is wear red wednesday to bring back our girls. right now, many female victims nigeria escape the violence of boko haram only to face ill treatment and mistrust in their community. mrs. wilson: even worse, the children who are the result of rape are scorned, deemed born of bad blood. we must do what we can to ensure that the next generation of nigerians is free of boko haram. i'm pleased i will be joining he subcommittee on terrorism
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nonproliferation, and trade on the committee on foreign affairs tomorrow as it holds a hearing on boko haram. i hope the rest of the congress will also wake up to boko haram's atrocity. the girls are still alive but still missing. please continue to tweet, tweet, tweet, #bringbackourgirls, eet, tweet, tweet, #joinrepwilson. remember to wear something red over wednesday, it can be shoe a belt, a tie, anything, just wear something red. we cannot forget the vibles in nigeria. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.
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mr. thompson: i rise in recognition of the annual penn state dance marathon or thon which was held other the weekend on the pennsylvania state university's main campus in pennsylvania's fifth congressional district. hon is the largest student fundraiser in the world. since 1977, they've raised more than $127 million for the four diamonds fun at penn state-hershey's children's hospital. each year people from across pennsylvania and the nation gather at the jordan center for thon, including penn state students, alums, and the parents and children impacted by childhood cancer. to the organizers of this wonderful event, i want you to know how proud i am of your efforts. it was just announced this year's dance marathon raised nearly $9.8 million. i continue to be amazed by the good works of this student-run organization and wish them the
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best of luck in planning for next year. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to commend the bipartisan policy center for establishing the congressional patriot award and naming sam johnson and john lewis as its first recipients. on march 15 at the library of congress with david rubin stein op presiding we'll talk about their extraordinary lives and thashe contribution to this institution. mr. larson: they will be given a medal in their names which
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forevermore will be perpetuated by this body where both a democrat and a republican will receive this distinguished award based on the patriot -- patriotism they provided to their nation. i cannot think of two more exemplary figures in this body than sam johnson, who was nearly beaten to death by the vote congress and imprisoned for seven years, 42 in solitary confinement, and john lewis, nearly beaten to death by the alabama police after crossing the edmund pettus bridge. this is what this institution is about. please join us at the library of congress. we'll be here on the floor every day with my co-chair, tom cole, to talk about this great event in their honor. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition?
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ms. ros-lehtinen: permission to add the house for one minute and resize and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise tonight to support the guardian hands foundation in its third annual walk against rare diseases taking place this sunday, february 28 in florida. in the united states, a disease is considered rare if it impacts less than 200,000 people. but there are over 7,000 recognized rare diseases so when taken as a whole, nearly one in 10 americans are living with a rare disease and nearly 50% of those, mr. speaker, are children with rare diseases. how tragic. but the guardian hands foundation continues to raise wareness about the south floridians impacted and serves as an important voice of hope and inspiration for families
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across our area. so please and enjoy some wonderful exercises this weekend and join our community at the third annual walk against rare diseases and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: today is our first opportunity to remember and honor the life and legacy of supreme court justice scalia with a further tribute tonight with barbara comstock of virginia. i'm grateful for his lifetime of service and his dedication to protecting and defending the constitution. in the nearly three decades he served, he was renowned with his brilliant opinions and sharp witness. his dedication to strict interpretation of the constitution and he was beloved
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by his colleagues. for judges to interpret the law, not legislating, undermining democracy. nominated by president reagan in 1986 and confirmed by the senate, justice scalia for opinions that upheld conservative values, the pend -- defending the right to bear arms by the second amendment. our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children and grandchildren. god bless our troops and may the president never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> permission to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker, i rise today in response to president obama's announcement of his plans to close guantanamo bay detention facility and transfer the detainees to the
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united states. we as a congress made our position on the closing of guantanamo bay clear when we passed and the president signed the defense authorization appropriation bill in 2016 which prohibits the president from closing the facility or transferring any of the detainees to the united states. additionally, on october 1, i joined 15 of my house colleagues who have served or continue to serve in the military in sending a letter to the joint chiefs of staff requesting they acknowledge that the execution of any proposal that is poot forth by the president to close gitmo would be in violation of federal law. the joint chiefs con filmed that quote, the current law prohibits the use of funds to transfer, release or assist it in the transferor release of detainees from guantanamo bay to or within the united states. and that they will, quote, not take any action contrary to
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those restrictions. mr. speaker, the president's primary function is to enforce the law, not break it. moving k.s.m. to the united states and availing him to our courts to fulfill personal political goals are not only irresponsible but potentially extremely reckless. with that. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dold: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to recognize february as american heart month. heart disease is the leading cause of death in the united states. every 43 seconds someone in the united states dies of a heart attack. fortunately research has determined actions we can take to prevent this disease and other heart conditions. as a member of the fitness caucus here in the house of representatives, i work to
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promote an active lifestyle. high blood pressure shows no signs or symptoms which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is very important. it's easy to get your blood pressure checked. get it screened at your doctor's office, drug stores and check it at home using a monitor. the c.d.c. and million heart efforts is preventing strokes and heart attacks in the united states by 2017. they are encouraging americans to make control their goal. if you know you have high blood pressure ask your doctor what your blood pressure pressure should be. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i recognize my
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constituent phillip briggs who s the recipient of the third music educator award. it was established to recognize current educators who have made a significant contribution to the field of music education. he was sleggetted. he is a native of mount airy, north carolina. phillip was exposed to music and other traditional ways as well. his father was a leader of the church choir during his childhood. he is the recipient of the outreach award presented annually by the university of north carolina board of governors. thank you for representing north carolina honorably for your tremendous career in music education and inspiring musicians across our state and nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the
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gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise today on behalf of the safety and security of every single american. and i stand in opposition to the president's plan to close the detention facility at guantanamo bay, cuba. mr. yoder: bringing the world's most dangerous terrorists to kansas, is a request that congress cannot and shall not honor. the president continues to move forward in spite of vocal opposition and bipartisan legislation that this congress has passed and this president has signed into law that prohibits bringing these known terrorists on to american soil and closing the facility in cuba. nothing changes today. we will not put our national security at risk and we will not disarm ourselves on the war of terror.
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giving up intelligence-gathering capabilities. what we ask is the president as commander in chief follow the law. we must stand up and do everything in our power to stop the administration's transfer and stop the president from closing the guantanamo bay facility. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. hastings of florida from february 23 through february 26. mrs. napolitano for today and the balance of the week and mr. perry of pennsylvania for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from virginia, mrs. comstock is recognized for 60
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nutes as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. comstock: i ask that members have five legislative days to include extraneous materials on the subject of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. comstock: thank you, mr. speaker. this special order is meant to honor the live and decades of service of associate justice of the united states supreme court antonin scalia. justice scalia was a person of great joy, great intellect, great witt and great faith. our nation suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of justice scalia. my husband, chip, and i and my parents and children are deeply saddened by the passing of a legal legend. he was a courageous advocate for the rule of law and the
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constitution. justice scalia and his wife raised nine children and 36 grandchildren and we are privileged to know and have loved them. justice scalia was a larger than life justice who leads a profound legacy in law, husband, father, grandfather and delightful friend who loved his lord and god, wife and family, the law, opera, hunting and a good laugh. we have all heard the stories of his friendship across the spectrum. none more famous than his friendship with justice ginsburg. justice scalia explained, quote, if you can't disagree ardently . th your colleagues
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justice ginsburg explained as ignored as he might be, he is so utterly charming, so amusing and outrageous, you can't help but say, i'm glad he's my friend or he's my colleague. justice scalia was a shining example of fidelity and faithful to the oath of law. a revered mentor to the dozens and dozzyeps of clerks who lined the steps of the clerks last friday and every one of them know doubt had a story that had profound legal discussions in it but ended with a good laugh. he simply will be irreplaceable and leaves a legacy that will be discussed and debated for the ages. on the personal front, his life
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was also a great life. justice scalia married his wive of over 55 years, maureen in 1960. they were set up on a blind date. he told one author that maureen was quote, the product of the best decision i ever made. his nine children, nine, how appropriate for a supreme court justice, were split 5-4, five boys, four girls. they became lawyers, a priest, a poet, an army major and parents themselves of those wonderful 36 grandchildren. he proudly gave the lion's share of the credit to the resourceful, talented and very smart love of his life, who as her son said, matched at him every step. and maureen, he said and their children -- the children, and
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there's not a dullard in the bunch. his son, father paul was a sell brant for his father's funeral mass with assistance of dozens of priests this past saturday. father paul began his homily by saying, quote, we are gathered here because of one man, a man known personally to many of us, known only bright reputation to many more. a man loved by many, scorned by others, a man known for great controversy and for great compassion. that man, of course, is jesus of nazareth. father paul continued. in the past week, many have recounted what dad did for them, but here today, we reflect what god did for dad, how he pleased
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him. father paul explained how his father understood that the deeper he went into his catholic faith, the better a citizen and public servant he became. that faith now inspires his children and grandchildren and generations to come of the scalia family and the so many lives he touched and influenced. justice scalia had a rich tenor oice that intimid dated many but as his son chris explained it was perfect for reading stories to his grandchildren. his rendition of the "night before christmas" was a tradition and played the piano and that singing would go on and on for the long car rides. pictures with his children and grandchildren cover the walls on the end tables and piano in the home and picture with one or
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more of those children and grandchildren or is beloved maureen, justice scalia would always be beaming. only -- an only child himself, he loved that he gave his children the gift of many brothers and sisters. no doubt that's a great solace to them now and a source of great strength for their mother. may god bless justice antonin scalia, a good and faithful son, and may god bless his wife maureen and their entire family and the scores and scores of -- of their friends and colleagues and the millions more admirers and may god bless the country he so loved. with that, mr. speaker, i would like to yield to the gentleman from virginia and the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee, mr. goodlatte. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: thank you, mr.
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speaker. i'd like to especially thank congresswoman comstock for eading this tribute to justice scalia. the nation's legal lights faded recently with the loss of the great supreme court justice antonin scalia. but they will not be dimmed for long. for justice scalia left a legacy of illumination that will continue far beyond his mortal years. although justice scalia is no longer with us on earth, his cogent, witty, and plain spoken writings will continue to educate law students and good citizens everywhere for centuries to come. justice scalia was no mere legal technician. he was a deep thinker who had an uncommon knack for crystallizing powerful ideas into trenchant, lasting prose. the journey on which he led his readers was always a joy, always
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compelling, because justice scalia always made clear where the path started he once said, than your only fwation to follow your conscience or at least prior to it is your obligation to form your conscience correctly and for justice scalia, as with morality, so it was with the law. justice scalia always made sure he built his argument on a solid foundation, the constitution the supreme law of the land. as a strong defender of the rule of law he was a gentle legal giant. like all great educators, justice scalia was respectful of others regardless of their differing view. i attack ideas, he once said. i don't attack people. some very god people have some very bad ideas. and if you can't separate the two, you've got to get another day job.
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that's a life lesson for all of us who engage in any debate and the ideas that undergird them. in that spirit, justice scalia often said my best buddy on the court is ruth bader ginsburg. has always been. and justice ginsburg's moving tribute to her own best buddy should reduce every bitter partisan to tears. throughout his life, justice scalia correctly inveighed against the notion of a living constitution. the misguided idea that the constitution's text and original meaning somehow shifted this way and that with changes in polar attitudes. justice -- in popular attitudes. justice scalia said there's the argument of constitutional flexibility and it goes like this. the constitution is over 200 years old an societies change. it has to change with society, like a living organism, or it will become brittle and break. but the constitution is not a
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living organism. it is a legal document. it says some things and doesn't say other things. as a lifetime appointed supreme court justice, justice scalia, like all other lifetime appointed judges, had the opportunity to effectively alter the meaning of the constitution if he wanted and could garner the support of four of his colleagues. but like george washington refusing the crown offered him, justice scalia rejected the notion the supreme court should impose its own preferred policies on the country through strained constitutional interpretation. instead, justice scalia was an ar dent defender of democracy, representative democracy, as he said, if you think afisha gnaw does of a hiing constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. you think the death penalty is a good idea, persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it.
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you want a right to abortion, persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. that's flexibility. justice scalia's respect for article 1 of the constitution, the article that begins with these words -- all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives. that article, which clearly sets forth the powers of the congress to legislate, not the executive branch and not the court, is one of justice scalia's greatest legacies. as much as justice scalia will be remembered as an able critic of the notion of a living constitution, he'll be remembered for his own living dissents and many majority opinions which will live forever in the hearts and minds of lovers of the law, in america and around the world. thank you, justice scalia.
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ms. comstock: i thank the gentleman for his remarks and i now yield to my friend the gentlelady from missouri, ms. agner. ms. wagner: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my dear friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from virginia, barbara comestock, for organizing this special order and yielding me this time. mr. speaker, father paul scalia said in his beautiful eulogy of his father, justice antonin scalia, on saturday, we give thanks that jesus brought him to new life and baptism, nourished him with the eucharist and healed him in the confessional. god bless dad -- god blessed dad with a deep catholic faith, the conviction that christ's presence and power continue in the world today through his body, the church. mr. speaker, last week, our
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country lost one of its most outspoken and dedicated defenders of faith and liberty. for nearly 30 years, supreme court justice antonin scalia stood as a monument to a faith-based viewpoint on the constitution that will be sorely missed. there is no one in history of our country who better protected the original intent of our constitution and upheld the god-given rights of all americans than justice scalia. shown by his fierce dedication to defending our constitution, from protecting americans from government intrusion to protecting the rights of the unborn, justice scalia was a man of conviction a man of passion, and a man of integrity. his honor and vigilance toward the original meaning of the constitution and his historic
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dissents will ring throughout history. every single ounce of justice scalia's heart and soul was devoted to our country, its faith, and his family. his wit, his candor and his character will be missed on our nation's highest court. the legacy of justice scalia must never be forgotten. mr. speaker, i stand commit today to ensure we continue to prioritize faith and freedom in this country. protecting our natural born rights as citizens of the united states of america. it is simply the right thing to do. i thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the rest of my time. ms. comstock: i thank the jeament for her remarks and yield to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. fortenberry. mr. fortenberry: i thank the
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gentlelady for the time. when i was informed of the justice's death, it came across my electronic devices, i texted my wife back home and i said, i just want to cry. i had the extraordinary privilege of getting to know the justice on a more personal basis . in western nebraska, there is a large outcropping called chim knee rock, and chim knee rock was the place that -- and chimney rock was the place that marked the halfway part of america. when settlers crossed this egreat country, when they got to chimney rock, they knew they were halfway alonger that journey. in the shadow of that rock, just this past december, i was in a duck blind with justice scali what who had that as an avocation. when you spend a couple of days in a duck blind with someone, you get to know them more
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personally. but in my own reflections about what chimney rock meant to the country, a bridge to the past and future, i thought it appropriately captured the character, the nature, the wisdom of the great justice. he was a great student of american history. our legal system. a great protector of the constitution and precedent. he understood how important television to act in a consistent manner with principle while looking forward and applying that principle in ever-changing circumstances of american life. and because he did so with continuity and with consistency, he was a man of great integrity. his inner voice matched his outer voice. when we saw this beautiful outpouring of support at his funeral, from people all across the political aisle, i think the common narrative there was a deep respect for this great man.
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mr. speaker, when he died, i felt like america lost her grandfather. he was a soaring intellect, had an incisive wit, and had in a certain sense a humble personality. loved to share a joke. and for me, to have the privilege of spending some time in a personal, intimate setting with him, i count as an extraordinary privilege of my time in public service. may god rest his soul, may god grant him peace, may god continue to bless the united states of america and give us all the strength to continue to think through how we are going to elevate and form the next generation of americans who can apply themselves in such an extraordinary, sacrificial way as justice scalia did. with that, i thank you, gentlelady from virginia, for
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the time and thank you for his -- for your beautiful remarks. i remember one other comment i wanted to leave with you, i remember when the justice asked me, he said, how many children do you have? you beautifully talked about how he was so devoted to his family and faith he asked me, knowing i knew he had nine, he asked me how many children. i said, i have five. he paused. he said, respectable. anyway, thank you for giving me this moment to honor this great american. ms. comstock: i thank the gentleman for his lovely remarks. five is a good start. i now yield to the gentleman from new york, mr. king. mr. king: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and i especially thank her for arranging this special order tonight in memory of justice scalia, who was truly
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a legal giant. he was a man who surpassed all of the -- all other intellects i have been aware of in my lifetime. certainly no one in the legal profession demonstrated more of a love for the law, more respect for the law and more respect for the original intent of the constitution. now, i have nowhere near the personal contact with justice scalia robert comstock did or the gentleman from kansas, mr. fortenberry. i did meet him on a number of occasions, had the opportunity to speak with him. usually our conversations consisted of talking about that we grew up in a working class area in queen, we attended jesuit high schools. that's about where the comparison ended, he was valedictorian and i was far from hit. but he was a person who had the strength of someone from the neighborhood but he had the scholar's select. he -- scholar's sclect. it was an intellect that went intellect, it was
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haped by a deep religious faith and immutable principles. that reflected itself throughout his opinions. yet he never let his own feelings or his own prejudices influence his thinking. that was certainly proven in the flag burning case which as anyone who loved his country would oppose the act of flag burning was justice scalia. yet he upheld and many of us have a hard time doing is following the letter of the law, following the intent of the law and the meaning of the law. somehow we like to put our own feelings and beliefs and justice scalia told us there is a higher principle. and he had a respect for language. there were no escape clauses or phrases. there was an intent, purpose and meaning. and to read his opinions whether
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in the majority, which made us feel much better, but when you read his dissents and you realized how forceful he was and how committed he was at arriving at the correct decision which was follow the original inat the present time of the constitution. ertain references by barbara comstock at his funeral service was love and respect for such a person who i doubt will ever see him again in our life times. he was a giant of the law and faith and gipet of his country. and i join with my colleagues tonight, in honoring the member of justice scalia and hope we carry out his unmatched love for the law, love for his country, his family ap religion.
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and with that, i yield back. mrs. comstock: i thank the gentleman from new york for his kind words and bringing a new york flavor here to such a wonderful man and i now yield to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. walker. mr. walker: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to thank the gentlewoman from virginia for thank taking the initiative to honor a great man. 86, justice scalia was nominated and i was a junior in high school. i believe it's safe to say that not only is he one of the strongest conservative voices of our day, but could be for all time. i think of his life and i think of the example that he left for all of us, whether in politics or out.
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it's one thing to be conservative. it's another thing to be effective. he showed with his life he didn't have to compromise his principles or his values to be effective. when i look at his peers around him, judge ginsburg talks about the relationship she had with him. it was again you in. justice kagan, taught her how to hunt, caught her first big deer there with justice scalia at her side. it tells me something we need to remember. you can connect with people and hold your values, but have a again you inlove for your fellow man. there is much to be said about his faith. obviously he lived it. but lived it in a way that set an example for all of us and ok to be angry vertically but never
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horizontally to our co-workers, our friends and neighbors and family. he set the mark. he set it high. someone that could work in arguably the toughest environment in the world, yet still gain the respect of his political arch rivals. for that, i will thank him. tonight, i honor him for showing us how to be both conservative and to be effective. thank you. i yield back my time. mrs. comstock: i thank the gentleman for his remarks. i now recognize the gentleman .rom illinois mr. rothfus: justice scalia's daughter lives in my
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neighborhood and i learn that her last name wasn't the same. and i said if your dad is ever in town. i was that guy. mr. roskam: she called me up and said my dad is coming in and you and your family to stop by. my wife and my children went over and there we spent a few minutes on a sunday afternoon ith justice scalia, very gracious with his blue jeans but extending himself to us. i won a seat in the u.s. house and i thought i have a little bit of a connection, i'll reach out and try to make a courtesy call. and i made some contact with his chambers and they said, well, would you like to come over and listen to an argument, new
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member of congress? i said i would love to come over. over i go and listen to an argument in the supreme court and very dramatic. and i was walking out feeling a little bit let down because i wanted to say hello. his staff said come on with us. i go up to his office and there in his chambers, he sut out a lunch and the two of us had lunch together. now, it was not lost on me who i was having lunch with. it was not loss with me the magnitude, the scale, the capacity of this man and his ability to influence things at a grand scale and yet he was willing to spend some time with me that day. i have to tell you one other quick story. few years ago, i invited him to dinner. i said i have a number of colleagues who would love to have dinner with you. i told my wife afterward, i said
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this guy is so interesting and charming, if he had a radio show, you would listen to it. you would set your timing so you could listen to him. he was so interesting, so clever and so quick and willing to take all kinds of questions and debate and so forth. i just want to close by saying this. there are many, many times when we feel overwhelmed by events that are before us in our public life. there are many times when our constituents feel overwhelmed and they get a sense is there anybody out there that has judgment, wisdom and capacity. any examples and role models? and the answer is, justice scalia. he's an example. he's is an example that we are all the beneficiaries of, his clear mind, his capacity to dis agree without being disagreeable. his ability toe articulate a
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world view and be a follower of his savior jesus and basically invite people along to celebrate and to participate in this great gift, which is our democracy. even in these short interactions that i had with him, you always get the sense or i did that he got the joke. in other words, there was a twinkle in his eye, look, this is a democracy and we have roles to play. his role on the court was to do his thing. our role, mr. speaker, is to legislate with that same sense of commitment and character antennasity and clarity that justice scalia brought to his role on the judiciary. so i want to honor justice scalia. i want to honor his wife and honor his children and grandchildren and thank them, because it's a sacrifice for them to have someone of that
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caliber and that capacity and that role for our country. and it's not a burden that's easy, but they have been willing to bear that burden and our country is better off. mr. speaker, i thank you and i yield back. mrs. comstock: i thank the gentleman for those lovely memories. and i know so many of the outpouring that we saw in his passing, one of the pictures i saw from a neighbor was a picture of justice scalia how he had been coming home from a long day at work and some children on our street had a lemonade stand and he had stopped and gotten out there to support those little entrepreneurs and took a picture and the mom took a picture and he is there beaming with those kids in a suit all dressed up and these kids with
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their lemonade stand and he did engaged and and loved life so much. i would like to yield to the gentleman from from florida. mr. desantis: i thank my colleague for organizing a fitting tribute to someone who really did make a difference and very few people who served not only in the judiciary but any level of government leaving a lasting mark that antonin scalia as one of the ny all-time greats in american law. he was sharp, he was witty and wrote brilliantly. i think the reason why he is a titan of modern american law is because he insisted on
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discharging the judicial duty -- he insisted on concept you willism and organizationist outlook when you are talking about the constitutional interpretation and those frames of reference really vindicated the separation of powers. the judicial power under article 3 is to decide cases in covers. you have cases. and be a roving justice put your opinions. once they free their objectives, they are taking away power from the american power and should be exercised. and justice scalia always understood that and he was always insistent that judges have an objective standard when they are discharging their duty.
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when you talk about text urlism, you read the statute for what it says. you don't correct or amend the statute. you don't find subjective finds of a random legislature that said something. you apply the words as written and that is the judicial task. and when you do that, you're basically vindicating the power of the congress and the people's elective representatives. and if the courts depart from that they are departing from what representatives did. he saw countless statutes but said that's not my job to correct that. he is vindicating the separation of powers in the constitutional order. and same thing with constitutional interpretation. before scalia took the bench thrks what as a free wheeling thing. judges would say it's up to us
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to update the meaning of the constitution. that means you have five lawyers unelected, unaccountable that serve as a roving constitutional convention. and that was something justice scalia thought was outside the bounds of the proper judicial role. he said the constitution has a fixed enduring meaning and our jobs as judges to ascertain that meaning and apply it to the cases and controversies before us. if you look at a figure that has more impact on how we think about the law and the constitution over the last 50 years, you are not going to find one that surpasses justice antonin scalia. he was a great american. he fought the good fight and finished the race, kept the faith. what a good guy, what a life. i yield back. mrs. comstock: i thank the
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gentleman. i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. rothfus. mr. rothfus: i thank the gentlelady for organizing this special order on behalf of this remarkable, remarble american. on february 13 of this year, our country lost a giant. is legacy will never fade. he influenced jurists, attorneys, law students and every day americans. my thoughts and prayers have been with the scalia family and his wife, and father paul since the passing of this american statesman. this man's consistent integrity and admirable character cannot be denied. he was a man of deepest character and virtue. this was evident in the commencement address that he
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gave in 1996 at william and mary and said bear and mind that brains and learning are articles of commerce. they are bought and sold. you can hire them by the year or by the hour. the only thing in the world that is not for sale is character. the way he lived out the virtues of integrity and humility did not go unnoticed. several weeks ago we here in washington had the opportunity to go to the national prayer breakfast which attracted congress, president, ambassadors and were treated with an appearance by bocelli and i think justice scalia would have enjoyed his appearance and his appreciation for opera. addition to his wonderful renditions, again would have been another treat for justice

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