WASHINGTON —  The Republican congresswoman from Florida wanted to make one thing absolutely clear: Her argument was not whether the little house in Hope, Ark., should be designated as a national historic site.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite on Wednesday delayed for hours the House passage of a bill designating President Clinton's boyhood home as a national landmark. Brown-Waite said she wanted to draw attention to Clinton's involvement in a deal allowing a Dubai-owned company to help manage six U.S. seaports.

"It is not against President Clinton, it is not against (the resolution), but rather I wish we had more time so that the public would know how exactly involved he was," Brown-Waite said.

The bill passed 409-12 in a vote held later in the day. Senate approval is still needed.

The former president has acknowledged DP World privately sought his advice about the deal in a mid-February telephone call but has denied any further involvement.

"President Clinton is not an adviser to Dubai Ports World," Clinton spokesman Jay Carson said in a statement. "As a former president with strong ties around the world, he gets many calls from international political and business leaders."

Congress has honored other past presidents, including Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, by designating their childhood homes as national historic sites. Born in 1946, Clinton lived in his grandparents' 2,100-square-foot home on South Hervey Street until 1950, according to the Clinton Birthplace Foundation.