I have spent the majority of my tenure in Congress as a Member of the House Rules Committee, which is responsible for crafting the rules for debate on each bill that comes to the floor.  This includes the length of debate, which amendments will be debated, and how many will be debated.  Consequently, the party that controls the Rules Committee has power to determine what amendments come to the floor for a vote.  My Republican colleagues and I often present our alternatives or ideas to the Rules Committee in the form of amendments.  But many of our common-sense amendments never see the light of day because they are voted down by the Democrat-controlled committee.  We simply want our ideas to be debated and voted on by Members on the House floor. 

Unlike other committees, the Rules Committee does not have cameras installed in our main hearing room.  To bring transparency to this closed and restrictive process, I have cosponsored a resolution by Congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA) to require that cameras be installed in the committee room and that the live proceedings be broadcast on the internet.  The American people have a right to access the most powerful committee on Capitol Hill.  It’s time to bring sunshine and transparency to the Rules Committee so that the American people can see firsthand how the Democrats are continually stifling debate on important issues.