1-Jul-10 5:00 PM CST

Legislative Update: Recently Offered Amendments

This week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, Justice and Technology met to vote on legislation that would fund the related federal agencies for FY2011. As a member of this subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over NASA and the Department of Justice, I offered the following amendments during the meeting:

An amendment to require a report from the Attorney General on the participation and costs of “Operation Streamline”– a successful border enforcement program that has dramatically reduced crime and illegal immigration along parts of our southern border.The amendment also asks the Department to report on potential costs of expanding the program to every judicial district along the U.S. – Mexico border.

This amendment passed on a voice vote.

An amendment to prohibit funds for space partnerships with China.The President’s recently announced national space policy calls for greater international cooperation in space. While I support cooperation, we must be cautious when it comes to China, who’s space program is run wholly by its military. My concern is that the President’s policy creates the possibility of the United States and American companies contracting with the Chinese military.

This amendment was defeated on a 4-9 party line vote.

An amendment to prohibit the administering of “Miranda Rights” to “enemy belligerents”in the custody of the Department of Defense or intelligence agency officials. It is appalling to me that our soldiers and law enforcement officials are required to grant Constitutional rights to foreign combatants who seek to kill Americans.

This amendment was defeated on a 4-9 party line vote.

An amendment to prohibit funds for the Department of Justice to participate in legal challenges to the recently passed immigration law in Arizona.The federal government has failed to secure our southern border. Rather than spend time and resources suing Arizona, we should focus on securing the border and fixing our broken immigration system.

This amendment was defeated on a 5-8 vote, with one Democrat supporting the amendment.

In addition to these amendments, I voted in favor of amendments offered by my Republican colleagues that would have saved billions of taxpayer dollars by freezing spending and prohibiting trial lawyers from engaging in certain class action lawsuits. Unfortunately, these amendments were also defeated on party line votes.

As Congress moves through the appropriations process, I will continue fighting for fiscal and Constitutional conservatism.