Doug Collins

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, how much time is remaining for both sides?

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin, (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, three-quarters of the States failed to ratify the equal rights amendment by the 1979 deadline set by Congress, yet House Democrats are trying to retroactively revive the failed constitutional amendment. Congress does not have the power to do that. Congress set the deadline; it was passed; it did not get approved; and now there is an end run to go around that. The United States Supreme Court recognized this in 1982 when it stated that the issue was moot because the deadline for ERA ratification expired before the requisite number of States approved it. The next year, the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, acting on the same understanding, started the entire process of ERA approval over again. But that new ERA also failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority in the House on November 15, 1983. But today, in defiance of historical reality and the clear acceptance of the situation by all relevant participants in the original debate, the Democrats have brought forward a resolution that denies the obvious. Now, the proponents of this resolution want to convince their base that if both Houses of Congress pass this joint resolution, and it is signed into law, the 1972 ERA will become part of the Constitution just because the Democrats control the Virginia State legislature and that legislature passed the ERA this year. Even current Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg--and she is taking a lot of heat for this--a supporter of ERA since its beginning, has said, just a few months ago: I hope someday we will start all over again on the ERA, collecting the necessary States to ratify it. On Monday of this week, Justice Ginsburg said of the ERA: I would like to see a new beginning. I would like to see it start over. There is too much controversy about latecomers-- Virginia, long after the deadline passed. Plus a number of States have withdrawn their ratification. So if you count a latecomer on the plus side, how can you disregard States that said: We have changed our minds. Congress does not have the constitutional authority to retroactively revive the failed constitutional amendment and to subject the citizens of all 50 States to what may be the current political trends in just one State. The U.S. Supreme Court has already recognized that. Past Democratic leaderships of the House have recognized that. Justice Ginsburg has recognized that. But apparently, the current Democratic leadership is intent on rewriting history. As we have our debate today, I will show, and our speakers will show, what the real intent about this is, and it has nothing to do with equal rights. It has a lot to do with other issues that will be exposed today. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, I was absent from the vote series due to commitments in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 25, NAY on Roll Call No. 26, and YEA on Roll Call No. 27

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, on Monday, January 27, 2020, I was absent from the vote series due to my attendance at a funeral in Georgia. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 23, and YEA on Roll Call No. 24.

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia

Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Ralph Owens for his retirement as Mayor of the City of Lavonia. Mayor Owens retired on December 31, 2019, after serving the people of Lavonia as Mayor for over 30 years. Since first being elected to the Lavonia City Council in 1987 and, two years later, being elected Mayor in 1989, Mayor Owens has dedicated over 30 years to serving the people of Lavonia. During his tenure as mayor, Mr. Owens oversaw dramatic changes to the city's departments and emergency services. When Mayor Owens took office, the city's police department had only six officers and two police cruisers at their disposal. His expansion of the city's police department and their capabilities resulted in the construction of a new complex, hiring of an additional eight officers, and providing each officer with their own vehicle. Throughout his 30 years of service, Mr. Owens remained focused on Lavonia's economic and industrial growth. As chair of the Franklin County Industrial Building Authority, he worked to successfully bring new businesses to the community, such as the AutoZone Distribution Center and St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital, who now employ hundreds of people in and around the area. In 2012, Owens was honored for his leadership by being named the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission's (GMRC) Elected Official of the Year Award. The GMRC focuses on advancing economic and administrative cooperation amongst the various Northeast Georgia communities. As mayor of Lavonia, Mr. Owens made considerable efforts to do his part in representing the interests of the people of Lavonia. In addition to being named Georgia Mountains Regional Commission's Elected Official of the Year 2012, Mayor Owens was also recently named Lavonia Chamber of Commerce's Good Citizen of the Year and was honored with the Margaret Ayers Award for Civic Health. For over three decades, Mayor Owens has made great sacrifices to serve the people of Lavonia. I want to congratulate him and his wife, Judy, on his retirement. But most of all, I want to thank him for dedicating his life to the betterment of the people of Lavonia.