Stockman moves to automatically kill unconstitutional Senate Amnesty Bill

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Steve Stockman Thursday sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner requesting he immediately kill the Senate’s amnesty bill, S. 774 through a constitutionally-required “blue slip” resolution.

“Not only is the Senate amnesty bill an abuse of taxpayers and immigrants, it’s utterly unconstitutional.  The Senate cannot invent its own amnesty taxes,” said Stockman.  “I hope Speaker Boehner will immediately kill the amnesty bill through a constitutionally-required blue slip.  As long as the amnesty bill sits in the House it poses a threat to taxpayers and immigrants.”

Several provisions of the Senate amnesty bill create new taxes, a violation of the “origination clause,” Article I, Section 7, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, which states “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”

A “blue slip” is a resolution that automatically returns to the Senate any bill that violates the origination clause of the United States Constitution.

Blue slip resolutions are immediately considered as a matter of constitutional privilege, are debatable for an hour and are not subject to amendment.

Section 2102 of the amnesty bill requires the payment of certain taxes and forgives the payment of other taxes as a condition of receiving amnesty and other benefits.  The Constitution prohibits the Senate from approving bills that raise revenue.

Stockman also points to the Congressional Budget Office, which flatly states “enacting S. 744 would have a wide range of effects on federal revenues, including changes in collections of income and payroll taxes, certain visa fees that are classified as revenues, and various fines and penalties. Taken together, those effects would increase revenues by $459 billion over the 2014-2023 period.”

Stockman’s letter to Boehner follows.

June 27, 2013

Honorable John Boehner
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Speaker,

When the House of Representatives receives S. 744, I hereby request that you raise a point of order that the legislation violates the origination clause of the United States Constitution; that “all Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.”

Although there are other provisions in the bill which are in violation of the prerogatives of the House, the most obvious is section 2102 which requires the payment of certain taxes and forgives the payment of other taxes as a condition of receiving benefits under this legislation.

The Congressional Budget Office analysis of S. 744, dated June 18, 2013, on page 44 states in part that “enacting S. 744 would have a wide range of effects on federal revenues, including changes in collections of income and payroll taxes, certain visa fees that are classified as revenues, and various fines and penalties. Taken together, those effects would increase revenues by $459 billion over the 2014-2023 period, according to estimates by JCT and CBO.”

Therefore, I urge you to protect the origination clause and the intent of the Constitution by using the ‘blue slip’ to return S. 744 to the Senate.

I am grateful for your service to our nation in upholding the Constitution.

Warmest Regards,

Steve Stockman

Congressman Steve Stockman's AR-15 winner

Dear Patriot,

I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to the nearly 100,000 participants in a special sweepstakes for an AR-15. 

The winning number was drawn on Independence Day in Lumberton, Texas. 

The lucky winner has been notified, and pending verification will be presented with the firearm in the coming days.

If the Minute Men were around today, I believe they would be carrying a rifle resembling the AR-15. 

I refer to such firearms as the torch, or symbol, of freedom.

In Washington, where I am honored to serve as a representative in Congress, anti-gunners are clamoring to restrict your right to keep and bear arms. 

They forget that their “just powers” are derived from the “consent of the governed.”

That’s why it’s so important for you, the voter, to stay active in the political battles. 

And that’s the real reason I gave away an AR-15 rifle. 

I want as many people as possible to be involved in the political process, to be aware of what’s happening to our liberty. 

If it takes giving away a rifle to get more people in involved, then I’ll do it.

Protecting our constitutional rights is what is needed more than ever. 

America is great because of the foundation laid more than 230 years ago. 

If that foundation is destroyed, America will cease to be great. 

It’s as simple as that.

I hope that you agree, and that you will stand with me in this fight for the Constitution and the Second Amendment.

If you can provide financial support, thank you so much. 

Gun grabbers would happy if I were defeated, so I rely on individuals like you for support.


But I also know these are tough economic times for many.  So even if you can’t afford to give right now, please stay active. 

I send out frequent updates on legislation, which you can forward to your friends and get even more people active in politics.

Below is a video of the drawing.  Please stay tuned for our next offer, which will be announced soon!


Warm Regards,
 
Congressman Steve Stockman

P.S. The drawing of the Ar-15 is over, and it was a tremendous success.  Thanks again to all participants. 


You can also donate by check toFriends of Steve Stockman,” 133 N Friendswood Suite 229, Friendswood, Texas 77546.

The facts on late term abortion, a shocking death toll

According to Planned Parenthood's Guttmacher Institute 4.8% of all abortions are performed after 17 weeks. At around 1.2 million abortions each year in the US that's around 60,000 abortions performed late into pregnancy.

Based on 2010 numbers from the CDC, that's more deaths from late term abortions than from influenza each year, and on par with the annual death toll from diabetes. Late term abortions kill almost twice as many people each year than do suicides.

Pro-abortion lobbyists say there are "virtually no" abortions performed that late, but the number of people killed each year by late term abortions is more than the Astrodome can seat.

That's how many babies are shredded alive every year late into pregnancy.