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183304357
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House of Representatives
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183304357
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House of Representatives
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Records of the White House Office of Public Liaison (Reagan Administration)
Morton Blackwell's Subject Files
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Blackwell, Morton: Files
Folder Title: House of Representatives
Box: 11
To see more digitized collections visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
STATEMENT OF GROUPS & INDIVIDUALS OPPOSING LEADERSHIP'S PROPOSED
RULES CHANGES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
file
"I believe there are more instances of the
abridgement of the freedom of the People by
the gradual and silent encroachment of those
in power than by violent and sudden usurpa-
tations."
James Madison
June 16, 1778
Those words are just as true today, as they were two hundred
years ago. The leadership in the House of Representatives is
attempting to stifle debate on important issues by pushing through
a series of rules changes that will limit the offering of amendments
to appropriations bills and make it almost impossible to force
Constitutional amendments out of committee and onto the floor.
The founding fathers saw the House of Representatives as the
people's voice in government. The House is supposed to be the
chamber where the people's concerns are debated and ideas explored.
The rules changes that are now being contemplated will prevent
the House from working its will and serving as a truly deliberative
body. These rules would allow a leadership "elite" tyrannic control
over what House Members will have the opportunity to debate and vote
on.
Generally, rules of procedure are designed to protect the rights
of a minority and allow the majority to work its will. These rules
are designed to block any minority from bringing their ideas to the
view of the full House and to prevent the majority from expressing
views that are contrary to the opinions of the leadership.
In the past, House majórities have made use of the existing
rules to block the use of funds for forced busing, abortion, and
the enforcement of gun registration regulations. These same "limiting
amendments" have also been used to restrict funding of pork barrel
projects because of environmental concerns, such as the recent vote
to stop the Clinch River project; defense expenditures have been
limited, the most recent example being the MX vote; foreign policy
also has been affected, such as Congress' restriction of funds for
U.S. incursion into Cambodia. None of this would be possible under
the leadership's proposed rules.
The existing rules have been used to call Constitutional
amendments from committee and allow the whole Congress to debate and
vote on very important amendments. In the past, the amendment to
repeal prohibition was brought to the floor by discharge petition,
as were the Equal Rights amendment and most recently the Balanced
Budget amendment.
The issues that existing rules have allowed to move from
behind the doors of committees and onto the floor of the House cut
through party lines and affect all people of all political persuasions.
The leadership of the House is showing the contempt they have
for the people's representatives. We urge the leadership to withdraw
the rules changes, and failing that, we urge the Members to vote
against such undemocratic procedures being put in place in the
people's House.
Mrs. Judie Brown
Paul A. Brown
American Life Lobby
Life Amendment PAC
Bob Tobin
Peter Gemma
Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life
Pro-life PAC
Don Todd
Gregory Butler
American Conservative Union
Coalitions for America
Larry Pratt
William H. Shaker
Gun Owners of America
National Tax Limitation Committee
Robert Heckman
Mark Gallagher
Fund for a Conservative Majority
National Committee for a
Human Life Amendment
Nellie J. Gray
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
March for Life
Council for a Competitive Economy
James D. Davidson
John W. Snyder
National Taxpayers Union
Citizens Committee for the Right
to Keep and Bear Arms
Ronald Madison Dees
Peter T. Flaherty
Public Service Research Council
Citizens for Reagan
Douglas Johnson
Neal Blair
National Right to Life Committee
Free the Eagle
Dr. Ronald S. Godwin
Dick Dingman
Moral Majority, Inc.
Kingston Group
Thomas Olson
Morgan Norval
Conservatives Against Liberal
Journalist
Legislation