Deparment of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008

Floor Speech

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 -- (House of Representatives - May 09, 2007)

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Mr. HOYER. If the gentleman will yield, I believe we did give notice. My staff gave notice to the leader's staff, I believe. This came out of committee, as you know, unanimously. I think we are all for this provision. There was a jurisdictional issue raised. I think we have resolved that jurisdictional issue. I know that all your Members voted for it. I think most of our Members would want to vote for it, and we are certainly hopeful that we can move ahead and have this in the bill at this time.

I thank my friend for yielding.

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Mr. HOYER. Will my friend yield?

Mr. KING of New York. I will yield, yes.

Mr. HOYER. I don't want to be cute about this, but this was the amendment that was offered by you, I don't mean you personally necessarily, but this was the amendment you just offered. It was not approved, not because we didn't favor it but because we had a jurisdictional issue on our side. And in light of the fact that it is your amendment that you offered and it is an amendment which I think will pass the House handily, I would hope that the gentleman would reconsider or perhaps if we could give him maybe 5 minutes for the purposes of reviewing his amendment to determine whether he is still for his amendment.

Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to object. This is the first time we have seen a copy.

Mr. HOYER. This is your amendment we are asking unanimous consent to adopt.

Mr. KING of New York. Again, I object, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, the parliamentary situation in which we find ourselves is that we adopted a motion to recommit forthwith to be reported back with an amendment. That amendment was adopted favorably. When the vote was called, you indicated that amendment was defeated.

My parliamentary inquiry: Would at this point in time a motion to reconsider that vote be in order?

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Yes ..... the request for a recorded vote aside.

Mr. HOYER. I would suggest that a motion to reconsider might solve the problem.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the last voice vote be vacated and that the question be put de novo.

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Mr. HOYER. By the way, I'm trying to help the gentleman. You may have missed that, but I'm trying to help your side. But we can do it by unanimous consent that it be done de novo.

Parliamentary inquiry. And just so that the gentleman from Louisiana knows, on a voice vote, of course, because there is not a recorded vote, anybody can ask for a motion to reconsider because there is no record as to who voted on the prevailing side or who voted on the opposing side.

But, notwithstanding that, I press my motion de novo; that, in other words, the question be placed, once again, de novo.

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