Speech #820212070

There are many others to which I intend to devote considerable attention in a much longer speech later this week. Therefore. I should like to hear each and every member of the Judiciary Committee stand on the floor of the Senate during this debate and tell the Senate that the bill represents. in fact. his personal convictions as to what ought to be in an immigration law. that it represents his studied conclusions as to what the legislation should be. rather than what I fear may be the case. that the bill represents his willingness to go along with the subcommittee if the bill could be handled quickly. without too much debate. but that he is reserving judgment as to what his final position on the bill will be. in the light of the parliamentary developments on the floor of the Senate. The second point which I wish to make has been made before. so I dwell on it very briefly. but I want my position to be known. I feel hurt. as a Member of this body. that those of us who are sponsors of the LehmanHumphrey bill have not had what I think is our duenot as a matter of right. because I recognize that we have no such right. but as a matter of what I want to believe is the unwritten law of senatorial courtesy. namely. that when so large a body of colleagues in the Senate becomes the sponsor of a specific bill. a bill considerably at variance with the bill reported by the committee. formal hearings on our bill as such should be held before action is taken on the committee bill.