mr. speaker , i thank the distinguished gentleman from florida and ranking member , and the gentleman representing the committee on rules on the republican side and also the author of this legislation . 
i rise to oppose the rule and the underlying legislation for some of the very reasons that my good friend and colleague from florida has enunciated . 
i also raise another question , that this body is the people 's house and the people represent a wide diversity of america , heroes and sheroes , little unknown to many of us until they rise and shine . 
it is interesting that this legislation would come without going to the full committee in this session to be able to have the oversight of the committee structure , and then to be reminded of the fact that we took great joy and pleasure in honoring both president reagan and mrs. reagan , dr . 
king and mrs. king , and of course , legislation that i proposed to acknowledge the columbia seven that tragically lost their lives on our behalf as astronauts and heroes in space . 
all right . 
i recognize that judgment is necessary , but this legislation does not speak to judgment . 
it speaks to denial , and it denies the congress its authoritative right to make decisions on who has represented america in the most honorable way to deserve a congressional gold medal . 
the legislation that i have has over 320-plus sponsors out of 435 and growing . 
individual members acquiesced and affirmed the fact that these individuals were worthy of a congressional gold medal . 
i agree , as well , that the committee on financial services has put in place a very effective , very effective oversight of this process . 
let me thank the gentleman from new york ( mr. crowley ) xz4000870 for his insight in his amendments that would expand the numbers for the congressional session and also bifurcate or equalize the numbers for each party . 
i , too , believe that there should be restraint in judgment , but i believe as well that america has her heroes and sheroes and who are we in 2005 to predict what might happen in 2010 or 2015 or 2020 where there may be a multitude of heroes who americans believe are deserving of this worthy award . 
i am disappointed and saddened that this could not be a bipartisan process . 
i , for one , believe that we should overwhelmingly vote against the rule and overwhelmingly vote against this intrusion into the objective and the precise and the bipartisan decisions that have been made on ronald reagan and mrs. reagan , the president of the united states ; dr . 
king and mrs. king , very surely representatives of the human and american spirit . 
i would ask my colleagues to reconsider this legislation and most specifically because it violated , if you will , the precise rules that we adhere to , oversight by committees , the committee on rules ' involvement in an open rule , and the bipartisan spirit in which we honor our heroes and sheroes , whether dead or alive . 
mr. speaker , i rise to urge my colleagues to defeat the overly restrictive rule that has been reported out of committee relating to h.r. 54 . 
despite my disappointment and dismay at not only the criteria of this rule but the nature of the underlying legislation , i am pleased that two amendments offered by my colleague from new york , mr. crowley were made in order . 
the central amendment that would have made this legislation palatable at the very least and not so disrespectful to the heroes that we strive to honor with the congressional gold medal has been effectively blocked by partisan stubbornness . 
if the import of this legislation is good , why not allow the representatives of this august body to openly debate it before the american people ? 
are we so ashamed of its true legislative intent that we feel the need to hide behind obstructionist rules ? 
i say that legislation with bona fide purpose should have nothing to fear -- at the very least should it fear honest and open debate . 
the underlying legislation that is before this house seeks to `` provide reasonable standards for congressional gold medals '' but will essentially limit the bestowal of honor to american icons . 
one of the main reasons that the medal is bestowed is to make the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions . 
h.r. 54 will summarily restrict this goal and prevent many honored heroes from receiving proper recognition . 
blocking debate on a provision that is utterly unreasonable is disrespectful to the constituents that members seek to honor with the congressional gold medal . 
mr. speaker , i oppose this rule and i urge my colleagues to defeat it . 
