José Serrano

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Wynn].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio] for yielding me the time. The gentleman from California [Mr. Thomas] has made some very interesting points. But the one that touches me the most, for someone who just became the ranking member of this committee and who has been on the Committee on Appropriations for a shorter time than most members on that committee, is his understanding and my understanding that what we are trying to do here is, through the back door, increase a committee at the same time that we are sending out press releases talking about the fact that we are cutting staff. And indeed, we are cutting staff in many committees. And, in fact, the whole House has felt the need at times to deal with this issue. And here we single out one committee, one committee that in our opinion has become a very political instrument to use in this House, not necessarily one that simply deals with the facts and figures; and we, through the back door, are trying to increase this committee. Now, I know the difficulty that we face, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] and I, in my case being supportive of his decisions to make some changes in the committee structure. But the fact of life is that no matter how we present this, there is no other way to present it but to admit the fact that this committee is being increased. The gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio] has made that point clearly. Anyone that votes against the Fazio amendment is in fact admitting to the fact that one committee was singled out for an increase, while other committees we gladly yell and scream are being cut. So we cannot have it both ways. We cannot cut an increase and then deny it.

Mr. SERRANO. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think it is a wonderful amendment. I would like, however, if possible to ask the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh], if he would allow me to ask him a question. I am very much in favor of this notion and I am very much supportive of it. But, as we know, in the past I have discussed the possibility of Members being able to do this in their own districts. I would hope that we do this as a 1-year situation, which I support wholeheartedly and that next year the subcommittee look at possibilities, that Members in their own districts can accomplish what the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Davis] is accomplishing for the great city of Washington, DC.

Mr. SERRANO. I do, Mr. Chairman, not in opposition.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I think what some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have to try to understand is the process which has been used in dealing with this issue. No one argues with the fact that if one party feels aggrieved in any way, they can bring up an issue, and that is what we have the court system for and we have rules of the House. But I can tell the Members that I have been on the short side of a couple of elections in my life where I thought there had been some problems on the other side, and there were different communities involved in that vote, not only different regions of a county, but certain different ethnic groups and political persuasions. I do not recall that anyone on my side ever suggested that the way to deal with this issue was to single out one particular group and to target those surnames and to go through the books and just make a mockery of the whole system. Mr. Chairman, let me also say that if you are a member of the Hispanic community and are involved in the political process, you know that for the last 25 or 30 years, 40 years, you have been working hard to try to get people registered to vote, to get people interested in the political system, and in the cases of immigrants, to get them to understand in this country you can participate and not be afraid that someone is going to do a number on you. I do not think that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle understand, and some may understand and not care, the chilling effect that this has on legitimate individuals who are here, who want to vote, who want to participate, and now are feeling that somehow, somehow they are being targeted. Let me conclude by saying that I know this subject well. I know this area well. It is so difficult on the receiving end to have one community targeted, to have people's last names be the issue of the day, and not what in fact happened in the election. That is not the right way to do it. What does that mean now, that every time there is an election throughout the country where there is a question, whatever your political persuasion is, that is the only group you are going to target? That could happen in all 50 States. That is not the proper way to do it. There are people on that side that know that is not the proper way. That is why we are making an issue of it today, because the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Sanchez] has won. She should continue to sit here, and this investigation should come to an end. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Maloney].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York [Ms. Velazquez].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Menendez]. (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio], a man who set the tone for me to follow, and it is very difficult.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, let me first say that my colleague, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh], deserves quite a bit of praise for this bill. This is a good bill, and it is a bill that was put together by the work that the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] has done and the way in which he has treated the members of the committee. He has been very fair to this ranking member, and he has been very fair to the members on our side. And for that, we thank him and we look, in spite of some present difficulties, to a future working relationship that will improve as time goes on. I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], our ranking member, for the work that he has done in support of my work on the committee, and also to thank the other members of the committee, the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio] and the gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur], and a special thanks to the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio], who set a track record here in this House for this kind of work. Once again, I thank the gentleman. And I thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] for being the kind of person that he is and for the work that he has done on this committee. Mr. Chairman, the difficulty of today's discussion is the fact that while this bill starts out as a good bill, outside problems, problems that do not belong really within the committee but then become part of the committee, have taken a hold of this process. I am speaking specifically about the fact that the minority party feels very much that fairness is not being applied in the dealings with amendments not only on this committee but throughout the committees in the House and that a lack of civility has grown in the institution to the point where the minority party in no way on our side of the aisle feels that we are being treated fairly and properly. In addition, on this particular bill, we asked for some amendments which were denied. They were amendments, in our opinion, that belong as part of this discussion, because they speak as to how the majority party is running the House and how some things are being done. While some may argue that the amendments specifically do not speak to the bill, they certainly do speak to the running of the House, they speak to the way in which business is being conducted, and in that sense we have some very serious problems with those issues. We asked for those amendments to be presented. We were very much concerned, for instance, with the fact that $1.4 million is being spent on an investigation of organized labor in this country. We are concerned also with the fact that a Member of Congress who has been duly elected has been harassed and her campaign and her campaign results continue to be questioned. I speak about the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Sanchez]. It is improper, in our opinion, to continue to harass her and harass the results of her campaign. We particularly feel very nervous about the fact and very concerned about the fact that in carrying out, as we feel, this harassment, that some people have been targeted throughout the country, namely Hispanic surname Americans, for special negative treatment. We are also very much concerned about the fact that, in general, when we ask for amendments, amendments are either denied or they are rewritten by the Committee on Rules before they are presented in the House, and that is something that has been of great concern to us. With that in mind, we will hear Members today on our side of the aisle speak about these issues, and it is with much displeasure that I once again inform my friend the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh], and I mean that sincerely, my friend, that it is not the intent of this side to vote for this bill when final passage comes. There will be some amendments that we will deal with, we will try to make our point, but I am hoping that the gentleman from New York will continue to understand or at least try to understand, if he does not already, that this is a very difficult time in terms of the behavior of this House, and our side of the aisle is trying to very strongly make the point that this has to change, that it has to end, and that a new day has to be born in this House. With that in mind, I once again commit myself to working with the gentleman from New York. I look forward to the day, pretty soon, when these issues are put aside and we continue to build on this work that he has put forth. Mr. Chairman, let me close with this thought. When I had an opportunity in the Committee on Appropriations to either go back on the Education subcommittee or choose this subcommittee, I chose this one with the understanding that I personally have such respect for this institution that I do not have a problem in dealing with this particular bill year after year, that I do not have a problem in working with the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] in building the institution up. I am concerned that some of the issues we will discuss today are indeed targeting the work that we do, because if other parts of the House and other behavior are not being carried out properly, then it really does not matter how much we try to protect the institution, the institution will always be in danger and our ability to deal with each other and conduct business will be in danger. I look forward to this type of behavior coming to an end, and I look forward to the debate that we will have today. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Gejdenson].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella].

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, I have with me a letter that is being sent to all Members of the House in a bipartisan fashion by the gentleman from Connecticut [Mr. Gejdenson], the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran], the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer], the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella], the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Wolf] and the gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Davis]. They clearly point to the fact that the Klug bill is not a good idea. In fact, the subcommittee had recommended a cut of 50 positions as part of the ongoing work that we are doing in the House. Yet this particular amendment goes way overboard in asking for 350 position cuts. Let me just make one other quick comment. The gentleman did mention the fact that the web pages are opening all over the Nation. That is not reaching everyone. In fact, that is an issue for another day. But not everyone in this country and some communities are totally being left behind in this technology. To suggest that this is a way to reach them is totally improper at this time. I understand that the gentleman has a reputation for being one who likes to cut the budget and we applaud him at times for that. But I think this particular time he is making a drastic mistake and we should all join in defeating this amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me once again extend my appreciation to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh], even during this debate, for the gentlemanly way in which he conducts himself and treats the Members on this side of the aisle. As I have said at the outset, it was difficult to stand up in opposition to this bill at first because of the fact that we understood well that outside issues had come into play. But as we listened to this debate, I think we can come to the conclusion that, while they may have started out as outside issues, they are in fact very much a part of this bill because this bill sets out to run the House, to pay the bills for the House, if you will. And when those bills are paid to harass people and those bills are paid to bring pain on the institution, then I do not think it is improper to bring it up during this debate. So we have done so. Let me just say that much of the discussion was around the Sanchez case. That is a very crucial case. It is not, in my opinion, crucial because it speaks about a seat in Congress, although I tell my colleagues I love my seat and I know how important that is. It is crucial because it speaks about a much broader issue. And it is the treatment of a community. The last gentleman who spoke clearly said that other communities had been investigated but there are many people who feel that the target was specifically the Hispanic community that presents to some people a political threat. Let me also tell my colleagues that I come from a district in the Bronx where at times we hear and deal with information regarding people who are not in this country with documents, as some would say, illegal. Well, the fact of life is that their behavior is one of hiding in the shadows of society, of never coming out in front. So the whole idea that people in large numbers were registered to vote to steal this election goes, runs contrary to everything we know about the behavior of people who are not citizens yet. Those people hide. We cannot get them sometimes into a clinic for help because they are afraid somehow somebody will find them out. That is a fact of life. I do not know where all of a sudden this one county came up with the boldest of undocumented aliens who now want to be out front, sign up and be deported in the process. This is not the way it is. My side will vote against this bill tonight, and we will hope that in the process we will discuss other issues which will make it easier for the gentleman from New York [Mr. Walsh] and I to present next year's bill and any changes thereof on this bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time remains?

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to recognize the Great Dominican Parade and Carnival of the Bronx on its seventh year of celebrating Dominican culture in my South Bronx congressional district. Under its founder and president Felipe Febles, the parade has grown in size and splendor. It now brings together an increasing number of participants from all five New York City boroughs and beyond. On Sunday, thousands of members and friends of the Dominican community will march along the grand concourse in honor of Juan Pablo Duarte, the father of the independence of the Dominican Republic. The event will feature a wide variety of entertainment for all age groups. This year's festival includes the performance of Merengue and Salsa bands, crafts exhibitions, and food typical of the Dominican Republic. In addition to the parade, President Febles and many organizers have provided the community with nearly 2 weeks of activities to commemorate the contributions of the Dominican community, its culture, and history. Mr. Speaker, it is with enthusiasm that I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to this wonderful celebration of Dominican culture, which has brought much pride to the Bronx community.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I demand separate votes on the following amendments numbered on the Clerk's list in the order in which they appear in the bill.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.