mr. speaker , i thank the gentlewoman from texas , ms. jackson-lee , for her courage in bringing this personal privilege before the house . 
the very fact that this member has been mistreated should cause all of us deep concern . 
it is wrong and unacceptable . 
the fact that a report is being supplemented by the chairman with significant and startling changes attests to the fact that the majority knew that the original report was wrongly and inappropriately filed . 
but that does not resolve the matter -- an apology is owed to ms. jackson-lee by the chairman of the judiciary committee . 
i know that the distinguished chairman , for whom i have great respect , would like to call it a drafting dispute or return to a discussion on the merits of the bill . 
in fact , i would think that the chairman of the judiciary would be sensitive to the treatment of committee reports and would share my view that committee reports should not be misused to hurt a member , given that the distinguished chairman was the cosponsor of a resolution in 1983 regarding the alteration of committee reports , a matter of seriousness that was ultimately investigated by the ethics committee . 
this issue is about fundamental respect for our democracy , for the dignity of the house , and for the integrity of the proceedings of this body . 
it is about how we treat each other , and it is about trust and the betrayal of that trust . 
the bounds of trust that we need to function in this body are weakened even further by this sorry and disgusting chapter . 
what the leadership of the committee on the judiciary did is just another extension of the abuse of power of the republican majority in both chambers of the congress of the united states . 
what they are doing with the filibuster in the other body is to try to silence the minority and break the rules . 
they are using any means to justify their partisan agenda to the far right , even if it violates the rules , the constitution , and fundamental decency and trust . 
here in the house , there is an attempt to disregard the rules that protect us all , corrupt the integrity of our proceedings , and demean not only the dignity of this house , but going so far as to demean individual members . 
there is an attempt to limit the voice of the minority , reducing the opportunity for members to speak on the floor , and offer substitutes and amendments . 
comity and trust between the majority and the minority are essential and must be encouraged . 
that is why the republican leadership has an obligation to come here right now on the floor and disavow this disgraceful behavior . 
there is no need for this kind of misbehavior and abuse by the majority . 
we should follow the rules of this house and treat each other with the proper respect . 
to preserve the trust that the american people place in us , the republican leadership in this house must pledge that this travesty will never happen again . 
