H.R. 1771 passes House of Representatives on a voice vote
Chairman Royce (R, Cal.) and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D, Va.) both spoke strongly in favor. No member was opposed, and no member asked for a vote. The “ayes” had it just after 3 p.m.
If there’s any aspect of this that’s bittersweet, it’s that a lot of people who worked hard for this outcome could not be there to see it because the vote was scheduled on such short notice.
Here is the version that passed the House today.
Now, on to the Senate.
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Update: Jean Arthur explains congressional procedure to Jimmy Stewart in the classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
Gerry Connolly strongly supports your bill. You reward him by endorsing his opponent, whose position on anything beyond human rights is mindless boilerplate.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if Gerry Connolly were running against anyone but Suzanne Scholte, I’d be supporting him. This is a race between good and best, and I’ve always given Connolly credit where it’s due.
As far as your characterization of Suzanne’s other positions, this is all I have to say about that. You’re obviously pretty far to the left of mainstream opinion and the national mood. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I suppose your characterization could just as well express your view of what most Americans believe about the issues they consider most important, as least as measured by opinion polls.