House Proceeding 02-25-10 on Feb 25th, 2010 :: 3:08:20 to 3:15:40
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3:08:20 to 3:15:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Jr.Conyers

3:08:22 to 3:08:42( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: come to know resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? mr. conyers: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 1109, i take from the speaker's table the bill h.r. 3961 with the senate amendments thereto and i have a motion at the desk.

3:08:43 to 3:09:03( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill and report the senate amendments. the clerk: h.r. 3961, an act to amend title 18 of the social security act to reform the medicare s.g.r. payment system for physicians and to reinstitute and update the pay-as-you-go of budget

3:09:04 to 3:09:24( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: neutrality on new tax and spending legislation enforced by the threat of annual automatic sequestration. senate amendments. mr. conyers: mr. speaker - the clerk: the house concur in the senate amendments to h.r. 3961.

3:09:25 to 3:09:46( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution, the debate shall be controlled for one hour. mr. conyers and mrsmith each will control 30 minutes. mr. conyers: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise

3:09:47 to 3:10:07( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: and extend their remarks, insert extraneous material in this matter and further yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: mr. speaker and members, this measure before us will extend three provisions of our foreign intelligence

3:10:08 to 3:10:28( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: surveillance laws for one year. the provisions are section 206 of the patriot act, governing roving wiretaps, 215, which addresses collection of business records and the so-called lone

3:10:29 to 3:10:49( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: surveillance law. without extension, these provisions, members, will expire on sunday coming. as we consider this short-term extension i make these observations.

3:10:50 to 3:11:10( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: as one who has found that the u.s. patriot act needs a great deal of improvement and that there have been many excesses and sometimes abuses of these broad powers over the years, i

3:11:11 to 3:11:33( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: have found that too little consideration of the impact of this type of surveiance on our civil liberties has been looked into. and that's why the judiciary committee has undergone an extensive process over the past year and reported out a bill

3:11:34 to 3:11:55( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: that attempts to reform these provisions and enhance congressional oversight. in the other body, the judiciary committee has also passed out a bill that improves, in my view, the patriot act. so we're very close to real reform.

3:11:56 to 3:12:18( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: the house bil has new protections for library and book seller records. it clarifies the reach of roving authority to prevent blanket wiretaps. it tightens the standards for national security letters that

3:12:19 to 3:12:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: have been abused in the past. it has extensive new reporting oversight and sunset provisions to greatly strengthen congressional oversight and makes other changes to the related provisions of law. please understand, members, that

3:12:41 to 3:13:02( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: this extension is not the final word on the patriot act. and what we will do is use the time between now and the year it will elapse, to improve and pass real reform.

3:13:03 to 3:13:23( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: now while i would prefer to do this now, it is not strategically wise nor although gist particularically possible to accomplish this at this time. and with the provisions expiring in a matter of thre days, the

3:13:24 to 3:13:47( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: other body has sent us this extension bill. and so there is no reasonable possibility that they could pass by broader measure such as the judiciary-passed bill at this time. in other words, we have no other

3:13:48 to 3:14:12( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: choice but to go along with this extension because there isn't sufficient time - wel, tomorrow's the last day of the week. it's physically impossible. and so under these circumstances , it seems to me the best course

3:14:13 to 3:14:34( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: is to merely maintain the status quo and work with the other body and the administration towards some improvements that i have in mind. . i can announce we made progress toward reaching common ground and i believe an orderly path

3:14:35 to 3:14:55( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: forward beween now and the next year will lead us to a much better result. now, although this extension doesn't reform underlying law, we rognize there's some value in a process that brings us quickly to another sunset date.

3:14:56 to 3:15:17( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: experience hs taught there's nothing like an approaching sunset to bring both the executive branch and the other body to the table with a will to se this resolved. so while i'd rather pass the

3:15:18 to 3:15:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Jr.Conyers: judiciary committee bill up and truly make the reforms that i think are necessary because of the time constraints, the -- the time constraints that we find, i recommend that we take the next year and continue the process. i urge your careful

>==Official Record==