Pelosi Remarks at Enrollment Ceremony for Wall Street Reform

WASHINGTON, July 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Leaders, Committee Chairs, and Members of Congress delivered remarks this afternoon in the Capitol at an enrollment ceremony to sign the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and send it to President Obama for his signature.  The House passed the bill on June 30 by a vote of 237 to 192; the Senate passed it this afternoon by a vote of 60 to 39.  Below are the Speaker's remarks.  

Speaker Pelosi.  As Speaker of the House, I have the privilege of signing all of the legislation that passes both houses of the Senate and to send it on to the President of the United States.  Few pieces of legislation meet the title of fair.  It's about fairness—fairness for the American people.  It's about transparency and financial transaction.  It's about support for consumers.  It's about Main Street as well as Wall Street.  It's about the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  It is with a great deal of pride that I take pens in hand to sign this legislation today to join Senator Reid, who may be signing on behalf of the Senate.  I am not sure.  But I want to commend Senator Reid for his leadership.  

Two chairman who are not here—Chairman Collin Peterson and Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln—for their great leadership.  But we wouldn't be standing here without the extraordinary leadership, knowledge, experience, astuteness and resourcefulness and just plain stamina on top of it all, of two great leaders in the Congress.  They both bring to their chairmanships the respect across the aisle and across the nation.  They have made this day, which is one of the pillars of the—this legislation is one of the pillars of President Obama's building a new foundation for a stronger economy and a fair society.  

Senator Chris Dodd, we take great pride that Chairman Dodd served in the House of Representatives from the great state of Connecticut, as I frequently say.  If we could at least say that the three most important issues facing the Congress are our children, our children, our children—their health, their education, the economic security of our families, the safety of the neighborhoods in which they live, a world in which they can reach their fulfillment.  And no one has done more for our children, our children, our children than Chris Dodd, Chris Dodd, Chris Dodd.  

And in keeping with that strength of our society, investing in our children and our future, Senator Dodd has taken the lead on this important legislation which is important to the economic stability of our country as well as of our middle class and each and every American family.  Senator Dodd, again as you know, is a great Senator, left the House and its constraints on time limits in speaking, and went over to the Senate to make an important mark in so many ways.  Within this year, he has led the way in the passage of the health care reform bill and now the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  I am not going to have the privilege of introducing him.  I just wanted to talk about him.  

I am going to introduce Barney Frank, who will introduce his co-chair, well another chairman on the reconciliation committee.  What do we call it?  Conference.  [Laughter.] The conference committee.  Well, it is a committee where you go to reconcile the bills.  

We are very blessed in the House to have the leadership and service of Chairman Barney Frank.  He comes from Massachusetts and has long served in the House of Representatives.  His intellect is regarded around the world as exceptional and, from time to time, with great humor.  I said to him the other day, that in our Caucus, I said 'Apolo Ohno signed an autograph for my grandson, and it said: Reach for no regrets.'  Apolo Ohno.  And I said: 'That should be our goal—no regrets in anything that we do.'  Barney starts waving his hands.  I said, 'What is it, Barney?'  He said: 'I asked 10 people and nobody here knows who Apolo Ohno is.' [Laughter.]  So I said, George Miller said: 'You should have tried that he won Dancing with the Stars.'  Did that help?  

Chairman Frank.  Did he win Dancing with the Stars?        

Speaker Pelosi.  He did.  He won Dancing with the Stars.  Well, I don't know if that helps either.  

Chairman Frank.  I was rooting for Tom DeLay.  [Laughter.]  

Speaker Pelosi.  In any event, without Barney's leadership, we would never have passed this bill.  He had extraordinary chairmen—Chairman Kanjorski, Chairwoman Waters, and others—working with him.  But he was, to watch him work was to see a master at work.  In crafting this legislation, just total knowledge and bright light that is in his head about how you go from here to there to get the job done.  And so, as I said, because of his leadership and that of Chris Dodd and others gathered here and some who couldn't be here, I have today the extraordinary honor of signing a bill that promotes fairness for all Americans.  That is an American value, and for that we are very grateful to Chairman Chris Dodd and to Chairman Barney Frank.

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House

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