conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to recognize judy chu, a member of the judiciary committee from california, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for three minutes. ms. chu: proponents of this bill claims this is about fiscal responsibility but it is the opposite. this bill makes it impossible, in fact, unconstitutional, for the government to save for the future. under this bill programs like social security or long-term federal highway projects would have to be completely eliminated to comply with the constitution. today, american workers put money into a social security trust fund built to pay and save for future benefits. but under this short siggeted -- shortsighted constitutional amendment, money must be paid out the same year. that means you can't have a social security trust fund. so goodbye, social security. goodbye, savings for retirement. let me tell you how bad this idea is. let's say for a moment that this was your family's budget. i

conyers: mr. speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: the chair must remind all members that remarks in debate may note had not engage in personalities toward the president. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i am directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased now to recognize from virginia, the distinguished gentleman, jim moran, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. moran: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i have to rise in opposition to this balanced budget amendment. i did vote for a similar measure in 1995, but the events of the last 15 years ha

conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself 15 seconds, please. ladies and gentlemen, forgive my passion on the discussion of this subject. but almost 300 young people of african-american descent are injured or killed by gunfire from ages 15 to 24 every week. with that i would yield to my colleague, mike quigley, distinguished member of judiciary, from illinois, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to this measure. i, too, offered an amendment which failed in committee. my amendment would have prevented individuals convicted of assaulting a police officer or impersonating a police officer from carrying concealed loaded guns. several states that allow permits also denied them to those who have assaulted or impersonated cops. the law enforcement officials of these states have decided that that is what's best for their communities. this bill wipes those protections away and will go further. may i remind

conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself 15 seconds, please. ladies and gentlemen, forgive my passion on the discussion of this subject. but almost 300 young people of african-american descent are injured or killed by gunfire from ages 15 to 24 every week. with that i would yield to my colleague, mike quigley, distinguished member of judiciary, from illinois, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in opposition to this measure. i, too, offered an amendment which failed in committee. my amendment would have prevented individuals convicted of assaulting a police officer or impersonating a police officer from carrying concealed loaded guns. several states that allow permits also denied them to those who have assaulted or impersonated cops. the law enforcement officials of these states have decided that that is what's best for their communities. this bill wipes those protections away and will go further. may i remind

conyers, for holding this discussion. it will help to focus our nation's attention on voter suppression legislation that we eat in the league of women voters as all the rest of us have seen sweeping this country. particularly over the last year. the right to vote and have your vote counted is the very foundation of our democracy. and today is under attack. my name is elizabeth macnamara and i am president of the league of women voters of the united states. this year the league actively oppose the voter suppression legislation in 21 states. we were successful in protecting the vote in 13 of those states, but the remaining states did create new and in some cases on insurmountable barriers to the polls. today we are experiencing an assault on voters. this is one of the greatest and self inflicted threats to our democracy, to our way of governing in our lifetime. these new laws threaten to silence the vote -- the voices of those least heard and rarely listen to in this country, the poor, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorit

conyers: mr. speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: the chair must remind all members that remarks in debate may note had not engage in personalities toward the president. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i am directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased now to recognize from virginia, the distinguished gentleman, jim moran, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. moran: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i have to rise in opposition to this balanced budget amendment. i did vote for a similar measure in 1995, but the events of the last 15 years ha

conyers: mr. speaker, i'd like unanimous consent to ask that jerry nadler of new york become the manager of this amendment from this point on. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: thank you, mr. speaker. this amendment, while superficially appealing, is one of the most damaging things we could do to the constitution of the united states. and yes, it is true if you ask people today if you think we should have a balanced budget, they say yes. if we ask them, do you think we should have an amendment requiring a balanced budget in the constitution if it meant a cut in social security, they say no. if it meant a cut in medicare, they say no. if it meant in cutting other essential services, they say no. and when you probe further you find it's a very damaging provision. . ec

conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield to the distinguished gentlelady from florida, debbie wasserman schultz, a former member of the judiciary committee, two minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. ms. wasserman schultz: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to h.r. 822, the national right to carry reciprocity act. this ill conceived bill is yet another distraction from what should be the most pressing concern of this congress, putting americans back to work. what's more disturbing is that this bill jeopardizes public safety by mandating that states honor even the most laxed concealed weapons laws of other states. the gentleman from illinois is incorrect. this is about criminals. from my constituents in south florida, gun control is a serious issue. miami-dade county has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the country. and in the entire state of florida, there are 8,000 permits for concealed firearms. florida's process for issuing license is problematic

democratic law enforcement john conyers and jerrold nadler are calling for congressionalç hearings to too, announcing efforts to educate voters there. next week mississippi will vote on a ballot initiative that could make them the 15th state to enact a voter i.d. law. also on the front lines wisconsin. the league of women voters is suing to stop the voter i.d. law passed by governor scott walker and his republicans. filing a lawsuit to block the law, hoping to overturn it before it goes into effect next year. joining me now is andrea kaminsky, executive director of the league of women voters in wisconsin. thanks for joining me today. >> happy to be here. >> why did you think it was important to fight back against this law, andrea? >> well, the league of women voters for 91 years has believed that voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed. it's a core issue and this violates that principle. >> now the league of women voteers is non-partisan, but let me just show the american public the partisan, not partisan but the political reality. if you look at this graph, pres

-- he has long estranged from his wife and the affair he was having with a single woman with long conyersefore. but it might have affected the whole and how they answered the question. >> host: if you fast forward to today's political environment but the way were so polarized, et cetera, do you think even given the facts, to think that question would be answered differently? or is that too hypothetical to answer? >> guest: gloria, i think it all depends on the candidates. if we had a similar situation trying to re-create what it was like in 1996, i think the one in 19 issue to use it specifically was certainly in the wind had been written about and reported about in the mainstream media as they call it. and it seemed -- i can't imagine not being asked in this world and very graphic terms. i just think he would be -- i think in a legitimate -- >> host: if they knew about john edwards now -- casco yes, absolutely right. i hadn't thought of it, until you read this, but knowing what we knew even then about the gennifer flowers case and for him not to be asked about it -- and i didn't ask abou

we will hear from map -- you'll hear remarks from john conyers, steny hoyer, and the president of the naacp. that is live at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> i want to make sure that we have taken every step possible to bring peace of mind to the family members of our fallen heroes. and for that reason, this review commission will look at the processes and procedures there and make sure that we are implementing the highest standards in dealing with the remains of our fallen heroes. and in addition to that, i want to make certain that we have taken all appropriate disciplinary action here. >> with respect to the most recent accusation, i have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period. >> with hundreds of hours of new public affairs programming available each week, if the c- span video library as the online resource to find out what you want anyone. indexed, searchable, cheryl. it is washington your way. >> today president obama began a nine-day trip to the asia- pacific region with a weakened -- weekend economic conference and a light. he stopped in hawaii to speak to troops aboa

conyers, for holding this discussion that will help to focus our nation's attention on voter suppression legislation that we in the league of women voters, as all of the rest of us have seen sweeping this country, particularly over the last year. the right to vote is and to have your vote counted is the very foundation of our democracy and today it is under attack. my name is elizabeth mcnamara and i'm president of the league of women voters of the united states. this year the league actively opposed voter suppression legislation in 21 states. we were successful in protecting the vote in 13 of those states but the remaining states did create new and in some cases insurmountable barriers to the polls. today we are experiencing an assault on voters. this is one of the greatest self-inflicted threats to our democracy, to our way of governing in our lifetimes. these new laws threaten to silence the voices of those least heard and rarely listened to in this country. the poor, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, the young and the differently abled. these new laws require photo i.d. or p

you'll hear remarks from representative john conyers, house minority leader's steny hoyer, and the president of the naacp. that is live at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> i want to make sure that we have taken every step possible to bring peace of mind to the family members who have -- of our fallen heroes, and for that reason, this review commission will look at the processes and procedures there and make sure that we are implementing the highest standards in dealing with the remains of our fallen heroes. and in addition to that, i want to make certain that we have taken all appropriate disciplinary action here. >> with respect to the most recent accusations, i have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period. >> with hundreds of hours of new public affairs programming available each week, the c-span video library is the online resource to find what you want when you wondered indexed, searchable, cheryl. it is washington your way. >> next, the emmy awards ceremony for news and documentary. during the event, a cnn anger larry king was given a lifetime achievement award for more than 50

henry waxman didn't have a problem and i didn't have a problem and john conyers didn't. it wasn't true. people exaggerate that. there is no great generational change going on as part of the constant flow. >> you were asked by your personal investor about renewed focus about whether or not members decided -- [inaudible] -- such as the stock act. do you think current laws are adequate? >> the tv reporter for fox didn't just ask but implied i was being driven out because i was about to be exposed. in fact as a pointed out my own investments are in massachusetts municipal bonds. being accused of being too hard to be wedded to the defense of fiscal stability of the state represent would minimize accusations of hanky-panky. because the rating agencies unfairly rate them as if they were going to fail sometimes and pay more interest than they should. the rates are lower. are was frankly surprised to see that happen to the extent that it does. i wrote when they came out to spencer bacchus and asked for movement on the stock packed and moved on that. inside of trading the people w

john conyers, jr. law enforcement, policy experts and state and local government.his is because local officials know through experience putting more guns on the street will not make us safer. instead it will further endanger our communities and the lives of law enforcement officers pledged to protect them. martha, this was the first time the house debated and voted on a pro-gun bill since their colleague gabrielle giffords was shot. martha: thank you very much. peter doocy in d.c.. bill: another fox news alert. down on wall street the opening bell is in four minutes. this is the protest planned by "occupy wall street". all these pictures just into us here at "america's newsroom." you hear the sirens in the background. the police were ready for this. they are out in force. we'll see whether or not anything comes from this. we're keeping eye on that throughout the morning here. martha: people trying to get to work to do their job today and they're runing into that. how about this? the question of insider trading. it is the kind of charge that can send you to jail if

i want to thank ranking member conyers and the immigration subcommittee ranking member zoe lofgren. she has been instrumental in putting this bill together to make it something that we hope would pass today. and her work on the judiciary committee. the immigration and nationality act provides that the total number of visas made available to natives cannot exceed 7% of the total number of such visas made available in that year. the bill completely eliminates the per-country caps from employment visas and raises the per-country cap from 7% to 15% for family-based visas all without adding a single additional visa. in other words, there is no net increase in the total number of visas. and what i want members on both sides of the aisle to understand or recognize is there is not a net increase in the total number of visas. but it does make important adjustments that will allow us to better service and fix legal immigration which is one of the commitments i have in working in this congress. while per country limits makes some limited sense in the area of family immigration, they make no se

conyers: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman's recognized. mr. conyers: members of the house, the measure that we have under consideration today is a very curious one in that there is some misunderstanding of what the constitutional right to carry loaded, hidden guns in public is really all about. and i would begin our discussion to point out that under the proposal before us, a concealed firearm permit issued by any state would be valid in every state that allows a concealed carry provision. and so, for example, a visitor to my home state of michigan would be allowed to carry a loaded, hidden weapon in public even if he has not met the minimum requirements to do so mandated by our state law. different states have enacted different requirements for carrying concealed weapons within their borders. and although federal law prohibits individuals with federal convictions from possessing a weapon, 38 of our states have chosen to deny concealed carry licenses to individuals with convictions for certain misdeme

conyers and mr. scott were helping to put in place. in one of them was the issue of statewide voter registration systems that is every state was given an opportunity to computerized their voter registration roles. it would solve many of the concerns about having the data right in front of you. it would even pull up your face on information right at the polling sight. those things are very much part of what should have been done. a i give them a six-foot i. >> ms. murphy? >> i'd say f. i'd say f. >> mr. segel? >> i would say f. >> one last thought -- when i was a child, mr. segel you weren't around them, they had a tv showed "have gun will travel." now we have "have gun will vote." i yield back the remainder of my time. >> we're going to have the chairman to ask his questions and close us down. i want to thank everybody so much. but while steve cohen was talking i had an opportunity to examine the license when she turned 60, and you would be shocked to learn how long ago that was. but congressional courtesy prevents me from revealing wh

chairman conyers, members of the committee, fellow resident of tennessee, representative cohen, before i continue their edify would like to introduce myself. my name is lee campbell and i am a native of lake city iowa. i had a 42 year career in public education as a teacher and as a guidance counselor both in on u.n. and in tennessee. i retired in 2006. i of never failed to vote in any election i was able to cast a ballot beginning with my first presidential vote on november 3rd, 1964 in summer's iowa. back to where they left off, i approach the worker the information desk at the driver's testing station and stated that my wife was here and wanted to obtain the free voter i.d.. the person responded with a nonverbal side. a sigh indicating no, not that. the worker then suggested why not just get a duplicate license for a fee of the dollar's? caught the scent of the fact that a senior citizen friend of ours, mr. steve bling genscher would force these borough in the previous month had paid the $8 fee i replied no we want the freedom of voter photograph. at that point the worker held up on

conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. ladies and gentlemen, this balanced budget constitutional amendment is one that surprises me and very little surprises me any more. but for us to be seriously on this day, in this time considering an amendment to the constitution of the united states, it would destroy jobs, it will drastically cut social security and medicare gives members of the federal judiciary the right to raise taxes and makes spending decisions for us is relatively shocking to me. and i am very much opposed to it. i wanted to engage my dear friend, the chairman of the committee the exchange of views on this. let's start off the discussion with this reality. this is not 1995. and that's why so many people that supported the amendment then have changed their minds now, and they will explain this as they go along. and i would like now, mr. speaker, to yield to the former chairman of the constitution subcommittee, jerry nadler, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york