Speech #810074029

In Washington three men can keep a secret if two men die. It is like the old lady who said. "I can keep a secret but the people I tell it to. cannot." I must counter the remarks of the previous speaker. We have in the bill this very significant language "for permanent residence without regard to their inadmissibility under the immigration or any other laws or regulations." In the first place. if there had not been a closed rule. I would have made the point of order to strike out this provision because it is exclusively within the province of the Committee on the Judiciary and is not the business of the Committee on Armed Services. The Committee on Armed Services has nothing to do with immigration. I may say. Mr. President. that I have here a copy of the La FolletteMonroney Act. That legislation was passed 2 years ago in order to give to each committee jurisdiction of certain specific matters. On page 17 of the La FolletteMonroney Act it is provided that the Committee on the Judiciary shall have exclusive jurisdiction of immigration and naturalization. The distinguished Senator from Maryland knew that. so he talked to the chairman of the Committee on the Jud-!ciary. The distinguished Senator from Maryland is one of the ablest Senators upon the floor. He made a long and extended argument in favor of the La FolletteMonroney bill. He knew that the chairman of the Armed Services Committee had no authority to write any law affecting immigration and had no authority to pass upon such a matter. It was a matter which was entirely and solely. first of all. within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Judiciary Committee. Up to the present time the bill has not been referred to the Judiciary Committee. I want to make it clear how differently committees function.