Statement of Congressman John D. Dingell, Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce

H.RES. 952, THE RULE ON H.R. 4157, THE “HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 2006”

July 27, 2006

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. There once was a time when we considered legislation under open rules. Any Member could offer an amendment. That was the way I, as Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, brought bills to the House floor.

Eventually amendments were limited, perhaps under the guise of efficiency. But certainly the Minority should be allowed to offer an alternative. Democrats brought an alternative to the Committee on Rules. It was supported by every Democrat on our Committee.

It was not a radical alternative. It was identical to the bill that passed the Senate unanimously, with the addition of language to protect patient privacy. Yet this rule blocks the offering of our proposal.

If my Republican colleagues disagree with this substitute, fine – vote against it, but don’t hide behind a rule that prevents us from offering it.

If we had an open rule, we could fairly debate this important issue. All of us want to improve health information technology. One hundred Senators voted for a bill to do so, but under this closed rule, if a Member of the House wanted to offer that Senate bill, which was sponsored by Republican Majority Leader Frist, along with Senator Enzi, Kennedy, and Clinton, he or she could not do so.

That’s right – my rubber stamp Republican colleagues are about to pass a rule that makes sure that a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate cannot even get a vote in the House. It is a closed rule – and that means only amendments that the Republican leaders can accept will get a vote.

I have read that many of my Republican colleagues are trying to distance themselves from the policies of the House Republican leadership. Well, here is your chance. Reject a rule that prohibits Members from offering a substitute that consists of a bill passed unanimously by 100 Senators. Reject a rule that prohibits an amendment dealing with the privacy of personal medical records.

But we know the fix is in. Why else did not a single Republican Member go to the Rules Committee to ask for a rule to allow them to offer a bill supported by 100 Senators? Why else did not a single Republican Member care to offer an amendment to protect the privacy of medical records?

A vote for this closed rule is, quite simply, a vote against bipartisanship. It is a vote against privacy protections for Americans. And it is a vote against getting a bill signed into law this Congress.

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(Contact: Jodi Seth, 202-225-3641)