{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394305", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 9.22.14", "2014-09-22", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Bipartisan Agreement: Good Process, Good Policy / Bad Process, No Policy On many occasions, I have taken issue with the modern interpretation of the Senate filibuster rule.\u00a0 The historical rule \u2013 as depicted in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington when Jimmy Stewart holds the floor with an impassioned filibuster that slowly changes the minds of his fellow senators \u2013 is a good process.\u00a0 But starting in the 1970\u2019s, a senator can filibuster by merely making a request (and the senator\u2019s identity doesn\u2019t even have to be made public). I strongly believe that this modern filibuster rule is a threat to the long-term stability of the Republic, and that it devalues the role of Congress.\u00a0 It would appear that liberal Democrat Congressman John Larson (CT-01) agrees with me. On September 17, Congressman Larson and I were among a number of our colleagues who discussed how to streamline and make Congress more efficient at a Members\u2019 Day hearing held by the panel responsible for the process, procedures, and internal operations of the House, relations between the two houses of Congress, and the relations between Congress and the Judiciary. Congressman Larson, who has been serving in Congress since 1999, noted how rare it is for Congress to complete anything in regular order.\u00a0 \u201cThe reason we don\u2019t,\u201d he said at the hearing, \u201cis that the Senate figured out a while ago that it\u2019s in their best interest that there not be regular order.\u201d Congressman Larson stated that even when Democrats were in control of both the House and the Senate, nearly 500 House-passed bills (70 percent of which he said were bipartisan) were never taken up in the Senate. How many House-passed bills are currently awaiting action in the Senate, you ask?\u00a0 387. As a potential solution, Congressman Larson proposed that any bill originating in the Senate be subject to the same rules it was subjected to in the Senate upon arrival in the House.\u00a0 What that means is senators\u2019 bills would be subject to a hold being placed on the bill in the House of Representatives until 60 percent of the House agreed to end debate on that measure. I may not agree with Congressman Larson on everything, but what an innovative idea!\u00a0 I enthusiastically \u201cseconded\u201d this concept at the hearing.\u00a0 The Senate probably won\u2019t like this, but I believe this will force the Senators to return to their pre-1970's rule.\u00a0 More bills will be voted on, more compromises will be reached, and I believe the public will have a more positive view of Congress in the process. At the hearing, I proposed a change that will help us limit federal spending, among other things.\u00a0 I will continue pushing for these and other improvements to Congressional rules. Angels in Adoption For the past 16 years, the nonpartisan Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) has hosted the Angels in Adoption program to increase awareness of the positive impact adoption can have and also honor those from throughout the country who are doing great things on behalf of children without homes. Three families from the Ninth District were suggested to us by the Virginia Department of Social Services as candidates for the Angels in Adoption awards.\u00a0 At their recommendation, we forwarded these families\u2019 stories to the CCAI selection committee for consideration in this year\u2019s program.\u00a0 While all three of these families have certainly made a difference, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Emily Herndon of Salem were named by CCAI the Ninth District of Virginia\u2019s 2014 Angels in Adoption. In 2012, the Herndons became foster parents to a young man named Calvin.\u00a0 Just over one year later, soon after Calvin\u2019s sixteenth birthday, the adoption process was finalized.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to introduce you to our son,\u201d the Herndons wrote in their blog.\u00a0 \u201cOur real son. \u2026 Born: 1/20/96.\u00a0 Adopted: 2/12/13.\u201d But there\u2019s more!\u00a0 The Herndons are continuing to serve as foster parents and are hoping to one day adopt a young girl, Elizabeth, whom they are currently fostering. Mr. and Mrs. Herndon traveled to Washington, D.C. the week of September 15 in order to be officially honored as 2014 Angels in Adoption.\u00a0 I was fortunate enough to spend time with them while they were there.\u00a0 They are kind-hearted, compassionate people, and I am deeply thankful for their dedication and willingness to bring these children in their lives. Best wishes to the Herndons and all Ninth District heroes who open their hearts and their homes or advocate on behalf of children needing a forever family. As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=394305"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4302991330623627, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}