Political maneuvering in action
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Political maneuvering in action
To the editor:
I have to give the minority party in the U.S. House of Representatives credit for innovation. On May 13, the GOP sent a bill to increase funding for
scientific research and math and science education back to committee. That is nothing new – but the way they did it is what I find so inventive.
While in Committee the first time, the bill went through 48 hearings, three subcommittee markups, the full committee markup, the floor consideration and then passed in a bipartisan vote of 29 to 8.
But when it hit the floor for a vote by the full House, the ranking member of the House science committee, Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), introduced a motion to recommit, to send the bill back to committee. Why? To add an amendment to stop the federal government from paying employees who've been disciplined for viewing pornography at work.
This put Democrats in a position where if they voted to bring the existing bill to a final vote they would go on record as being in favor of paying
Federal employees to surf for porn. Can't you just see the headlines on Fox News?
Brilliant!
So instead of passing a bill to make American businesses and entrepreneurs more competitive and give them an edge in the global economy, to increase
math and science education, they voted to send the bill back. Whew. That was a close one – and we all know what a huge difference that amendment will make to this economy.
The icing on the cake? The guy that introduced the motion to recommit, Rep. Hall, has this to say on the Committee on Science and Technology Republican Caucus website: http://gop.science.house.gov/Pressroom/Item.aspx?ID=243
HOUSE RECOMMITS ‘AMERICA COMPETES'
Bipartisan majority passes Republican improvements; Democrats pull bill prior to final vote… Republicans were disappointed that they did not have
the opportunity to cast a final vote on the improved bill.
Boy are these guys good.
Sincerely,
John Tallieu
Hillsboro
To the editor:
I have to give the minority party in the U.S. House of Representatives credit for innovation. On May 13, the GOP sent a bill to increase funding for scientific research and math and science education back to committee. That is nothing new – but the way they did it is what I find so inventive.
While in Committee the first time, the bill went through 48 hearings, three subcommittee markups, the full committee markup, the floor consideration and then passed in a bipartisan vote of 29 to 8.
But when it hit the floor for a vote by the full House, the ranking member of the House science committee, Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), introduced a motion to recommit, to send the bill back to committee. Why? To add an amendment to stop the federal government from paying employees who've been disciplined for viewing pornography at work.
This put Democrats in a position where if they voted to bring the existing bill to a final vote they would go on record as being in favor of paying Federal employees to surf for porn. Can't you just see the headlines on Fox News?
Brilliant!
So instead of passing a bill to make American businesses and entrepreneurs more competitive and give them an edge in the global economy, to increase math and science education, they voted to send the bill back. Whew. That was a close one – and we all know what a huge difference that amendment will make to this economy.
The icing on the cake? The guy that introduced the motion to recommit, Rep. Hall, has this to say on the Committee on Science and Technology Republican Caucus website: http://gop.science.house.gov/Pressroom/Item.aspx?ID=243
HOUSE RECOMMITS ‘AMERICA COMPETES'
Bipartisan majority passes Republican improvements; Democrats pull bill prior to final vote… Republicans were disappointed that they did not have the opportunity to cast a final vote on the improved bill.
Boy are these guys good.
Sincerely,
John Tallieu
Hillsboro
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