mr. rubio: thank you, guys, for all being here. in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy at parkland, three weeks ago today, actually close to around this time, one of the things i did and we both did in the aftermath is learn as much as we could about how this happened. and we've discussed earlier in the week, we're both sponsors of the stop school violence act. that senator hatch has offered. which has already gotten a broad number of co-sponsors. including, i believe, leaders of both the republicans and the democrats in the united states senate. and i personally have been searching for things that we can do quickly, that we can begin to move on and find consensus. there's a lot of issues on this topic. that, as you know, create some division. there need to be a debate on those issues and i believe that debate can happen but what can we do quickly, what can we agree on to get action on? i think the families gave us a great example this week they met on sunday. they have different opinions on

mr. rubio: that senator hatch has offered. which has already gotten a broad number of co-sponsors. including, i believe, leaders of both the republicans and the democrats in the united states senate. and i personally have been searching for things that we can do quickly, that we can begin to move on and find consensus. there's a lot of issues on this topic. that, as you know, create some division. there needs to be dea bait on the issues -- needs to be a debate on the issues. but what can we do quickly, what can we agree on to get action on? i think the families gave us a great example this weefpblgt they met on sunday. they different opinions on some issues. but they found common ground on the things they agreed on. because of that i believe the florida pleggeture will send to the govern ar bill that makes florida a safer place than it is three weeks ago. in the process of learning about this tragedy in parkland, one of the things that we learned is that there is really not many tools availabl

with $17 holocaust today, mr. rubio? to that17 all the cost day, mr. rubio? is jacqueline. am proud to say that parkland is my home. parkland is the heart of this movement. the just as a heart neeeeds blod to pump, my hometown is the alliance of other communities to properly spread this message. we openly recognize that we are privileged individuals and would not have received as much attention if we were not for the affluence of our city. sayuse of that, however, we today and forever with those who have always stared down the barrel of a gun. i actually have a special guest for you guys, so i'm going to bring her up. >> my name is the remaking, granddaughter of martin luther king and karen to scott king. dream thather had a his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. i have a dream that enough is enough. this be a done-free world. period. would you please repeat these words after me. spread the word! word! the across the nation1 we're going to be a great generation!! my name is edna chavez and i'i'm from s

would $17.85, was that all it cost you that day, mr. rubio?e. this is a morals issue. and to the politicians that believe that their right to own a gun comes before our lives, get ready to get voted out by us. the future. we will not allow a price to be put upon our lives. we will no longer be hunted down and treated like prey by politicians who simply just don't care about us. we are fighting. we have been fighting. we've been fighting since columbine, since sandy hook, since pulse, since las vegas. and we will continue to fight. until we put a stop to gun violence in america. [ cheers and applause ] because we are no longer a statistic in this country. we will not be treated like a statistic in this country. my school, pulse, every other mass shooting, will no longer be a statistic, because we're going to put an end to those statistics. and we will never stop fighting. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chanting ] [ crowd chanting "vote them out" ] >> my name is edna chavez and i am from south los angeles, california. [ speaking in s

mr. rubio: thank you, mr. president. two weeks ago the tragic incident in parkland, one of many that have impacted our country over the last decade and beyond, and both that community in parkland, the residents of the state of florida that i represent, and, frankly, the entire nation have demanded not just action, but immediate action. we know and anyone who watches this process is well aware that there are deep differences on how far and how much we should restrict the second amendment right of every american. we know that there are deep differences about whether or not some of those proposed restrictions work. and i imagine that those debates and those differences will not be easily resolved and will continue. but i also know that there is widespread support and agreement that we must act now as soon as possible to do everything we can to prevent another tragedy like parkland from happening anywhere else ever again. that is a consensus position. no matter where you fall on this debate, no matter how far or how restrict

was $17.85 all it cost you that day, mr. rubio? one life is worth more than all the guns in america! [applause] this is not a red versus blue issue. this is a moral issue. [applause] and to the politicians that believe that their right to own a gun comes before our lives, get ready to get voted out by us, the future. we will not allow a price to be put upon our lives. we will no longer be hunted down and treated like prey by politicians who simply just don't care about us. we are fighting. we have been fighting. we have been fighting since columbine, since sandy hook, since pulse, since las vegas. and we will continue to fight until we put a stop to gun violence in america. [applause] because we are no longer a statistic in this country. we will not be treated like a statistic in this country. my school, pulse, every other mass shooting, will no longer be a statistic, because we're going to put an end to those statistics and we will never stop fighting. [applause] thank you. [chanting "vote them out!"] >> [speaking spanish] my name

the millions in campaign contributions mr. rubio has accepted from the gun lobby. $1.05. he said, i respect their views and recognize many americans support certain gun bans, however many other americans do not support a gun ban. david wright, abc news, washington. >>> this year's kids' choice awards was dominated by the march for our lives movement with the host paying tribute to the students leading the charge for safer gun laws. >> kids made their voices heard with the incredible march for our lives. and it all happened because you want to make the world a better place. you see, change is only possible when we all work together. and it is so inspiring to see kids take charge! >>> actress and oakland native zendaya marched yesterday in los angeles and thanked everyone who took part. several much smaller rallies too defend americans' second amendment rights. you are looking at what organizers called the march before our lives rally. they say their goal is also protecting children and stopping violence in schools. >> teachers, administrators and again collegiate level stu

flake's idea is off like. .s -- is a flake as far as mr. rubio, that is a better idea than what obama did. law.efd flag host: tony is calling and from fort lauderdale, florida. what do you think about today's protests? caller: really not toomuch. these children are so traumatized and we are going to listen to people who are panicky -- i just want to ask a few things. they say they want to ban assault weapons, whatever that is. i want to remind everybody that the first mass school shooting was columbine. , fiveurred in the middle years into the first weapons ban. no gun use there was banned. you cannot just wave you cannot just wave a law and feel good. it is not about safety, all about politics. hogg, he goes, on tv cursing, i hope his parents are proud. but somehow, they are not concerned with the police, fbi, failure failure to protect anybody. nobody seems focused on that. host: what would you like to see changed? what do you think should happen to ensure that things like of the parkland shooting does not happen again? caller: how about we hol

. >> ademas de propuestas de mr i mrubmarco rubio, tambien se presento otro plroyecto de ley que prohibiriata de armas que hacen mas poderosos los rifles. >> aunque sigue siendo conten o contensioso el apoyo bipartidi t bipartidista es reformar el tema de revision de antecedentes, d cada partido quiere hacerl o o u manera, y no hay algo programa o programado. >> continuan las vlaseclases en ie(informacion en pantalla() agentes detuvieron detuvieron ayer a alejandro crotesortes, i detectives no encontaroraron n q que indicara que hubiera un ti o tiroteo . >> puel presidente de la federacion rusa, vladimir putin dijo que su pais tiene un nuevo arsenal nuclear. >> o como dice andrea cruz, p i podria incrementar la capacidad militar de rusia rusia esta maÑana esta con su u musculo militar, amenazando con un nuevo arsenal de armas nuc a nucleares que puede esquivar sistemas de defensa gr estadounidense. >> adelante de una pantalla que proyectaba imagenes de la tra c trayectoria de un misil en estados unidos, el presidente u ruso dijo que naiedie los escuc antes y que ahora si . >> en su discurso

mr. rubio: if you'll watch c-span you know. it's just the nature of the place, number one. we don't move as fast as florida legislatures do. this congress with 500-something members represents a -- [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] >> the house returning now. we'll leave this. house returning for a series of votes on bills debated earlier. 1917, and passage of h.r. 1917, if ordered. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the question on agreeing to the motion to recommit on h.r. 1917 offered by the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will redesignate the motion. the clerk: motion to recommit h.r. 1917 offered by ms. castor of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the motion to recommit. members will record their votes by

mr. rubio: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator if florida. mr. rubio: mr. president, since the tragedy three weeks ago tomorrow in parkland, florida, we all as a nation had a conversation about how did this happen, why did it happen, and what can we do to make sure something like this never happens again. and as part of that conversation, we spent a significant amount of time talking to all sorts of different groups and individuals from students and teachers impacted by this to experts across the can unto other communities who have put in place policies to address this. and we have learned a lot about not just this particular incident but some of the dangers around the country. it's interesting. just in the last couple of weeks since it happened, we've seen a significant increase in the number of potential shooters that have been reported to law enforcement. people have been arrested. i think one of the lessons from this terrible tragedy is that we live in a day and age when someone is out there talking about hurting people, it's got to be taken seriously.

mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator rubio. i appreciate it very much and we call the first panel and before i introduce the first panel, i'll wait until your name gets up there so you know where you're going to sit, but i'd like to have you stand and i would like to swear you before you take a seat. do each of you affirm that the testimony you're about to give before the committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing, but the truth so help you god? thanks for each of you assigning to that. sit down and i'm going to introduce you now before you speak. mr. brandon is the acting director of the bureau of tobacco, firearms and explosives. he began at this agency within the department of justice as a career special agent in detroit in 1989. mr. brandon has also been in the united states marines since 1978 to 1982. david bowitch is the acting deputy director of the federal bureau of investigation and began his career as a police officer in new mexico in 1991, and then joined the fbi in 1995 as a special agent that served

mr. chairman, rubio, ranking member cardin and other members of the committee and including senator cane and, i will acknowledge him. thank you for the opportunity to appear this afternoon. i wish to thank my good friend senator cardin. we go back a long way when we were both young lawyers. we have an informal agreement that if i don't tell stories on him, he won't tell stories at me. i will leave it at that and thank him for being here today and introducing me to the committee. it is an honor to appear as the president's nominee to be the united states ambassador to the argen tine republican. i'm used asking the questions and controlling the red lights. so it is a little different situation for me today. be that as it is, my career as a judge, my work ethic, my resolve make we well-qualified to be america's voice in argentina. i thank president trump in his confidence in me and for this opportunity. i thank secretary rex tillerson for supporting my nomination. i'm here today with my wife of 44 years, maria. my strongest supporter throughout my life and our marriage and in this new endea

at this news conference, mr. rubio was asked why states are moving and congress is not.video clip] you watch c-span, you will know. it is the nature of the place, number one, and we do not move as fast as the florida legislature can do. congress, with 500 something members, represents a diverse country. as a result, there are people in different parts of the country who have different views on these issues. some are very strong in one direction, others are strong in the other. those often play out in our own conferences at times. everyone in the florida legislature represents florida or part of florida. there are only two of us to represent florida in the u.s. senate and the house, the numbers are a little different. and the processes are different. rules, everything takes longer, you will see the house move on school violence acts, which has a lot of the same components to the federal equivalent of what the states are doing, but not all parts of it. the federal processes are designed differently. that is the best answer i can give you. it moves a lot slower than a 60 da

mr. chairman rubio, ranking member cardon and other members of the committee including senator cane who is here and i'll acknowledge him and thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this afternoon, and i also wish to thank my good friend senator cardon. we go back a very, very long way when we were young lawyers and we have an informal agreement that if i don't tell stories on him, he won't tell stories on me and i thank him for being here today and introducing him to the committee. it's an honor to appear before you today as the president's nominee to be the united states' ambassador to the argentine republic. i must say it's a rather awkward position for me because as an appellate judge, i am used to the one being behind the bench and asking the questions and controlling the little red lights and light traffic. it's a little different twagz for me today, but be that as it may i hope to assure you that my career as a judge, my work ethic and my resolve make me well qualified to be america's voice in argentina. i thank president trump for his confidence in me and for this opportu

$17.85, was it all that cost us that day, mr. rubio?e than all the guns s in america.. [cheers] bluees not a red versus issue. this is a moral issue. and to the politicians that believe that their right to own a gun the car -- their right to own a gun comes before our lives, get ready to be votod out byby us. the future. we will not allow a price to be put on our lives. we will no longer be hunted down and be treated like prey by politicians who sisily do nott care about u us. we are figighting, we have been fighting. we have been fighting since columbine, since sandy hook, since pulse, since las vegas. and we will continue to fight. until we put a stop to gun violence in america. [cheers] we are no longer statistics in this country. we w will not read treated likea statistic in this country. my school, pulse, every other bes shooting will no longer a statistic. we will put an end to those statistics. and we will never stop fighting. thank you. >> vote them out. vote them out. vote them out. vote them out. vote them out. vote them out.

marco rubio: mr. president, thanks for bringing us here. because i think we all agree -- we all know what the issues are that are fought over on this issue. i think everyone agrees we never want to see this happen anywhere again in america. you mentioned something about the shooting that is critical. this is a multi-systemic failure. without pointing fingers or laying blame on anyone in particular that may or may not be here to defend themselves, the sheriff's office knew this was a problem. the school districts knew this was a problem. the fbi had been alerted to a problem. the department of children and families in florida knew this was a problem. but the big problem is none of them talked to each other. nobody told the others what they knew. and there is a bill out there that sen. hatch is going to file very soon and congressman rutherford and others have filed called stop school violence act. i'll let them describe it more in detail. but one of the things that it does is it incentivizes the creation of this synergy where all these peopl

is marco rubio purposely acting like an absurd character from "veep"? >> mr.daylight saving, not plural, time has never saved us from anything. this bill will be a call for less government. from our clocks to our privately built for-profit prisons and yes, to the very watches on our wrists. the daylight savings time loving bureaucrats have been punching the clock on the taxpayers' dime for too long. well, now it's time for me to punch a clock. with a hammer. >> oh. >> oh. >> and timothy symons the actor who plays that fictional congressman jonah ryan definitely noticed marco ruben has taken this position what time it is. in a re-tweet he said literally this is a stance we thought was do dumb that jonah ryan would sponsor it. sponsor gun control legislation, you spineless turd, children are being slaughtered. urry. the world made war, my parents made love. and i screamed into life. ♪ did mom give me too much freedom? did dad make me lust for too great an adventure? my scars and bruises tell their own story. so here's to you, mom and dad. freedom and adventure.

mr. warner: but i want to point out as well that senator rubio has some very important legislation with senator van hollen. that i think bears consideration as well. and i want to acknowledge senator klobuchar who has been active in the piece of legislation that we're working on. i think one of the consensus that we all came up with was we were all disappointed that states, the federal government, and the department of homeland security was not more on their game in advance of the 2016 elections. as the chairman's indicated, there were 21 states that were -- attempted to be an intervention in. at least one state that was full hacking through the protections. and one of the most frustrating things were that in the aftermath of this information coming out, it took the department of homeland security nearly nine months to notify the top election officials that their states had -- systems had been messed with. i want to again thank the chairman and the whole committee. i think our hearing last june was an impetus to the department, to communicate better with the states. and the reason that somehow

mr. chairman, and if i may be excused to go on to the commerce committee. >> of course you're excused. >> thank you. >> senator rubio. thank you, senator nelson. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and to the ranking member for holding this hearing. unlike any of the issues we've confronted in the seven years here, this one has had a dual impact both as a policy maker and also as a father of four school-age children, including two girls in high school and each time the pictures come up of the students and their families, i know i'm familiar with the stories because they're the stories that could very well have been the classmates of the children that my kids go to school with. and like parents all across the country, one worries every day now about what could happen when you drop them off in the morning, and no american family should carry that burden, and our heartbreaks for the families that are carrying it now, and the in the hopes that we can act here to make sure this happens to no one ever again. today, across the country, in a few minutes, students from across america will be exercising their first amendment right to

mr. president, i yield the floor. >> julie: senator marco rubio having very tough words for the current lawsace basically blaming the laws. if the proper laws had been put in place this shooting could have been prevented. he is going to be presenting a new law that will basically lead to the creation of gun violence, he says. restraining orders to bring and obtain a court order in order to prevent the gun sales to those who either pose a threat or some v. some sort of issue or history of mental illness. we will continue to watch what washington does to react. but we will hand it over to jon now. >> jon: as marco rubio and the senate struggle to deal with the aftermath of the parkland florida shooting, another florida massacre is about to go on trial. talking about the pulse nightclub and the widow of the gunman in that massacre faces charges, jury selection is underway today. bring in panel mercedes colwin, defense attorney and fox news analyst bob ask a criminal defense attorney former head county prosecutor as well. mercedes and moore salmon charged with what his husband was about to do th

is marco rubio purposely acing like an absurd character from "veep"? >> mr.aker, daylight saving, not plural, time has never saved us from anything. this bill will be a call for less government. from our clocks to our privately built for profit prisons and yes, to the very watches on our wrists. the daylight savings time loving bureaucrats have been punching the clock on the taxpayers' dime for too long. well, now it's time for me to punch a clock. with a hammer. >> oh. >> oh. oh. >> and timothy symons the actor who plays that fictional congressman jonah ryan definitely noticed marco ruben has taken this position what time it is. he said literally this is a stance we thought basso dumb that jonah ryan would sponsor it. sponsor gun control legislation, i spineless turd, children are being slaughtered. ...with its high-tech cameras and radar... ...contemporary cockpit... ...three hundred and sixty degree network of driver-assist technologies... ...and sporty performance... ...what's most impressive about the glc? all depends on your point of view. lease the glc

mr. gutenberg, and yet i've seen you stand up andla tts senator marco rubio from yourin. wheris that courage coming om 1?4fr, but she was tough. honestly, the toughest person k. d unfortunately, the way she died was running down a hallway with a gun at her back, and she was running f life, and every seco i think about the fear in her as she was doingt is fighting to live. honestly, because of what she we's perspective, but i r doabout because nothing anuld be like what shemongd,re ytexpenyriennd a until i me go through what my daughter went through and what my family is going through, i just have this need to fight like this. this h gone on too many times. in the past, whenever these tragedies have happened, i've found the conversation afterwards to always be way too polite, way too comfortable and way too temporary i don't feel like being polite, i don't feel like making people comfortable, and i don'l lioinuntt feil something gets done. and that comesrom my daughter.wh do th s.dr >> wof: fred guttenberg, our hearts go out to you and your family. twe can't imagine whats

mr. trump was advised not to congratulate the russian president. that advice later leaked to the media. florida republican marco rubio i don't like what he did, but i really hate that there's someone in his inner circle that is willing to leak this stuff. if you don't like working for the president, you should resign your job. >> reporter: the president and chief of staff john kelly are aggravated by the leak of what was described as a classified document. now, the president helped a separate briefing with advisers just before he telephoned putin. no advice was given then about whether to offer congratulations. jeff. >> glor: major, thank you. the president tonight is still facing legal actions from the adult film actress stormy daniels. daniels, who is suing to break a nondisclosure agreement, the president has denied an affair, was interviewed by anderson cooper for this sunday's "60 minutes." >> i'm not 100% sure on why you're doing this. >> glor: you will hear her response sunday on "60 minutes." night in his grandparents backyard. the officers say they thought he had a gun. he was holding only a cell phone. here

. >> senator rubio said hypothetical, but if i hear he's doing a book tour, we're going to all claim royalties off that. senator feinstein. >> thanks, mr. chairman. i think senator rubio hit the nail on the head. and i'll tell you what surprises me. first of all, secretary johnson, it's great to have you back again. enjoyed working with you and so welcome. let me ask you this first question. i don't understand, you learned about this in august. you did a number of specific things. you spoke about the dates that you did these things. and yet, the american people were never told. why? >> well, senator, the american people were told. >> not sufficiently in any way, shape, or form to know that there was a major active measure going on, perhaps by a foreign power. >> on october 7th, 2016, the director of national intelligence and i issued a pretty blunt statement saying that the russian government was interfering in our political process, directed by the highest levels of the russian government. that was a pretty blunt statement. some people believe we should have done that sooner, and frankly, it did not get the attention that i thought it

mr. trump was add vietzed not to congratulate the russian president. that advice later leaked to the media. florida republican marco rubio i don't like what he did. i really hate there is some one in his inner circle willing to leak this stuff. if you don't like working for the president. resign your job. >> president and chief of staff, john kelly are aggravated by the leak, described as classified document, the president held a separate briefing with advisers just before he telephoned putin. no advice was given then about whether to offer congratulations. jeff. >> chief white house correspondent, major investigate. thanks. the president is facing legal action from adult film actress stormy daniels. daniels who is suing to barack a nondisclosure agreement. the president denied an affair was interviewed by andersen cooper for this sunday's "60 minutes." >> not 100% why you are doing this? >> you will hear her response sunday on "60 minutes." >>> there has been a dramatic turn in the case of an illegal immigrant arrested as her children screamed. video of the arrest has been seen more than 12 million times now. carter eva

mr. gutenberg, and yet i've seen you stand upnd talk forcefully to a united states senator marco rubio froyour state of florida, i've seen you be forceful in many of the interviews you've done. where is that courage coming from? >> um, well, my daughter. my daughter was 14, but she was tough. honestly, the toughest person who i knew. and unfortunately, the way she died ws running down a hallway with a gun at her back, andin se was ru for her fe, and every second i think about the fear in her as she was doing i and i also know how hard she was fighting to live. honestly, because of what sh went through, it's perspectido, but n't feel fear about anything any could be like what she experienced, and until i do something so that no otherl parent wver have to go through what my daughter went through and what my famy is going through, i just have this need to fight like this. this has gone on too many timesa in thet, whenever these tragedies have happened, i've found the conatven afterwards to always be way too polite, way too comfoable and way too temporary. i don't feel like being polite, i don't f

mr. putin's denials will be taken with several pinches of salt. he would have motive and technical capacity to make this kind of attack. i think senator rubio'snt is well taken. vladimir putin is clearly someone who calculates and to a fine extent what he can gain and lose from certain scenarios. one of the things that we'll be watching with interest is whether the u.k. does pursue very aggressive sanctions as a consequence of this and whether it is joined in that effort by the trump administration and other allies. >> rick: why would, if putin was responsible for this, why would they be so sloppy? why would they use a poison that russia was known to possess? why would they allow this to be discovered? >> the explanation seems to be that perhaps they would want that to be known as a sign to other dissenters -- the gentleman in the u.k. was a former double agent. the idea is while there are public denials, the kremlin doesn't really have a problem with the widespread suspicion that they're responsible because they would see it as a deterrent to other people to deviate against -- against deviateing from the kremlin. >> rick: there are other all

. >> senator rubio said hypothetical but if we hear he is doing a book tour, we are all going to claim royalties. >> thank you, mr. chairman. bio hit the ru nail on the head. secretary johnson, it is great to have you back again. let me ask you this question. i do not understand --you learned about this in august. you did a number of specific things. you spoke about the dates that thedid these things and yet american people were never told. why? >> sec. johnson: the american people were told. >> not civil in any way, shape or form, to know there was a active measure going on perhaps by a foreign power. october 7,n: on 2016, the director of national intelligence and i issued a pretty blunt statement saying that the russian government was politicalg in our process directed by the highest levels of the russian government. that was a pretty blunt statement. some people believe we should that sooner. and, frankly, it did not get the attention that i thought it should have received. below-the-fold news the next day because of the release hollywood" video the same day and a number of other events. i was expecting follow

. >> senator rubio said hypothetical but if we hear he is doing a book tour, we are all going to claim royalties. >> thank you, mr. chairman. bio hit the ru nail on the head. secretary johnson, it is great to have you back again. let me ask you this question. i do not understand --you learned about this in august. you did a number of specific things. you spoke about the dates that thedid these things and yet american people were never told. why? >> sec. johnson: the american people were told. >> not civil in any way, shape or form, to know there was a active measure going on perhaps by a foreign power. october 7,n: on 2016, the director of national intelligence and i issued a pretty blunt statement saying that the russian government was politicalg in our process directed by the highest levels of the russian government. that was a pretty blunt statement. some people believe we should that sooner. and, frankly, it did not get the attention that i thought it should have received. below-the-fold news the next day because of the release hollywood" video the same day and a number of other events. i was expecting follow

the junior senator from florida, senator rubio, and i met with andrew pollock, the father of one of those victims who lost her life in -- at stoneman douglas. now, mr. pollock's daughter isn't coming back, sadly, but the least we can do is to prevent others like her from losing their lives from similar incidents in the future. i wanted to tell andrew that steps have already begun to be taken. i wanted to say this will not happen again. your daughter and other future victims have pushed us finally to change, but i couldn't do that, not with a straight face, and i still can't. here we are almost a week after the meeting and we have taken zero steps forward. even though the fix nics bill is now cosponsored by 50 united states senators on a bipartisan basis. the majority leader, a republican, and minority leader, a democrat, are cosponsors of the bill. senator murphy from connecticut, senator cornyn from texas, we are the principal cosponsors of the bill. we agree with very little in other areas of public policy, but we agree in this case that this is simply too important of be an issue that we really need to demonstrate our competence and to try to re