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Inslee listens to a constituent.

Montage of Wing Point in Bainbridge Island and the Edmonds Ferry.

Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

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Schiavo Legislation

20 March 2005

Today U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee issued a statement in reaction to the decision by House and Senate Republican leaders to recall Members of Congress from their Constituent District Work Periods to Washington, D.C. to vote on legislation that would intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo. The House bill, expected to be taken up in an extraordinarily rare session on Palm Sunday and voted upon shortly after midnight, would allow the federal U.S. District Court in Florida to review the Schiavo case without considering the Florida State Court decisions.

Said Inslee, "Like people across the country, I sympathize with Terri Schiavo's family members during this difficult time. Because of a number of commitments to my constituents, including a forum in my district this evening on Social Security, I will not be able to fly back to Washington, D.C. for this midnight vote. Over the course of this weekend, statements by the Republican leadership have caused me to believe that this unfortunate and personal family matter has been maneuvered into a political opportunity. I am very disturbed that the Republican leadership has resorted to this extraordinary overreach of federal authority for one individual."

Inslee continued, "Had I been able to return to D.C. for a vote, I would have voted against this bill because I do not believe that it should be the role of Congress to overrule a state Supreme Court while injecting itself into private medical decisions of individual Americans and their families. I am deeply concerned that Congress' intervention in the Schiavo case sets a dangerous precedent for the American judicial system and federal authority."