Inslee: Have we forgotten what our ancestors have done int he cause of liberty? Don’t we realize that we cannot legitimize violations of American privacy rights and violations of the rule of law? What is the cost of turning from a nation of laws to a President who knows how to manipulate our fears. July 4, 1776 was pre-9/11 — heaven help us when those words are cast aside. Reject this bill.

Conyers: The grant of retroactive immunity is inconsistent with our basic principles. We are intervening in a court decision to achieve a pre-ordained outcome — for the firsttime in pending litigation. The executive branch has been deemed to be very near an imperial presidency from a number of constitutional scholars. We have gone too far. A fight to restore our precious rights and liberties must continue.

Reyes: Submit statement for the record from Boswell. Yield one minute to Hoyer. Says he has the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job. I may barf.

Hoyer: I love my staff. Thanks for all your efforts. Thanks everyone involved in this. Thanks Conyers — because he has been conflicted — but he has been focused on the necessity to respond to issues that are real, so that we did not have a bill passed that we thought was unacceptable — the Senate bill. We would not be here without his leadership — not because he supports this — but because he saw the necessity of fighting the Senate bill. Thanking various staffers and Sen. Rockefeller. Thanks Sen. Bond and Hoekstra.

It’s hard to reach compromise on difficult issues. Roy Blunt cares about this country. [CHS notes: Okay, now I really am going to barf.] Thank Roy Blunt for his friendship, for his integrity, and his willingness to take risks to achieve compromise. Just over a year ago, the Congress came under great pressure to support the PAA and the Senate’s bill. The RESTORE Act passed by the House last November. The Senate vote passed by 68 votes last year. The House bill is a better bill — a better alternative — but it was not a consensus alternative and we needed to move forward. We needed to give people the tools they needed for intel to protect the American public — but to also protect civil liberties.

This is not the bill I would have ultimately wanted. We never get that when there is a compromise bill. Wants to thank all the outside organizations, whether they agree with this or not. Particularly wants to thank those groups who stand up for unpopular positions to push for the rights of individuals. [CHS notes: then, perhaps, Steny, you should not have worked so hard to keep those organizations utterly and completely in the dark by refusing to speak and meet with them for months or allow them to review a draft or have any discussion with you or others involved in the drafting of this. I'm just saying...] This bill requires that the executive follow the law — this and this alone, not the President being able to do as he pleases without oversight.

Notes that this does not excuse individual behavior from folks in the executive branch.  Looks forward to working with colleagues in the future.  Urges a vote for this bill. 

Reyes:  Thinks this is a good bill and a good compromise and worthy of support. 

Ayes have it on previous question.

Conyers asks for yays and nays.  Vote recording will go for 15 minutes. 

(YouTube — a little Carole King, because I needed something mellow…)