Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. 3221, Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008

Floor Speech

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Madam Speaker, last night, I offered an amendment to the Rules Committee and it was turned down. It was not even allowed to be brought up today, and it will not be brought up on this bill.

And what is this amendment that the majority feared so much, that they won't even have it discussed on the floor of the House? It would have simply increased the property tax deduction for homeowners.

Now, look, all of us in Florida have received calls, letters, faxes from constituents asking for relief from their property taxes. Now we all know that ad valorem taxes are not a Federal issue. We don't control property taxes, but there's something that we can do right now to help the American people and that is increasing this deduction for property taxes. We can do that right now.

Is it that crazy? Well, no. On April 10 of 2008, 84 Senators from both sides of the aisle voted to do just this, to increase the deduction, to help people to be able to afford their mortgages. It would benefit everybody. It would benefit the economy, in particular all Americans who are struggling to pay their mortgages.

You see, Madam Speaker, there is no good reason to not allow this commonsense amendment to be discussed, to be debated on the floor of the House. There's no good reason to not allow other commonsense amendments to be discussed. Why are people so scared, so afraid of just debating ideas on the floor of the House?

Again, for that reason, Madam Speaker, I obviously will have to object to this rule.

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