[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 120 (Sunday, August 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. GINGRICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask for this 1 minute for the purpose of 
receiving the schedule from the distinguished majority leader.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GINGRICH. I yield to my good friend from Missouri.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. 
Gingrich] for yielding.
  We have completed our legislative business for the week, or is it the 
weekend; I am not altogether sure. But whatever it is, we are finished 
for today.
  In a moment I will offer a concurrent resolution providing for the 
House to adjourn, if and when the Senate adjourns in the coming week or 
week after. The adjournment resolution provides the House shall stand 
adjourned until Thursday, September 8, upon concurrence by the Senate. 
Following that I will ask unanimous consent that the House meet at 10 
a.m. each Tuesday and Friday until such time as the Senate concurs in 
the resolution. Members are advised that the concurrent resolution also 
provides that the Speaker and the majority leader may, after 
consultation with the minority leader, ask for reassembly of the House 
after 48 hours, if the public interest shall warrant it. Members should 
also be advised that obviously on these Tuesday and Friday sessions, 
they will be pro forma sessions, and votes will not be taken.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GINGRICH. I will yield to the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if I might ask the distinguished 
majority leader if his definition of ``public interest warranting 
reassembling of the Houses'' might include an invasion of Haiti in 
which American armed service personnel were actively involved.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I would say to the gentleman that, if an event of that 
type, or some like event, were to occur, the Speaker and myself would 
obviously consult with the leadership of the other side, and we would 
make a judgment, given the wording of this resolution, about whether or 
not to bring the Congress back. Obviously we would have to assess the 
event and the facts surrounding the event, and we would have to act 
appropriately.

  Mr. GOSS. If I may continue, I very much am gratified by that 
explanation. That assurance of a consideration to deliberate at the 
leadership level I think is extremely comforting to those of us who are 
concerned that such an event might happen out of the cognition of the 
United States Congress having the opportunity to provide some 
deliberation on something of that magnitude, and I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, if I might just for a moment ask the 
majority leader, first of all, if I can make the observation briefly 
that the earlier attempt to pass the crime bill in a more narrowly 
partisan manner has been replaced by a more bipartisan effort, and I 
wonder if there is any possibility, either during the break or when we 
come back, if we might talk about health care in a more bipartisan 
manner since that seemed to be more likely to produce a bill that 
passes. I just offer that.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. If the gentleman would yield, I know that all of us are 
interested in addressing the health care issue, and we would be happy 
to enter into some talk and discussion of how to address this problem. 
We saw in this last bill that we have got to find a majority to enact 
legislation, as the gentleman well knows, and we will look for votes, 
and support, and help on both sides of the aisle.
  Mr. GINGRICH. I just would like to suggest if we could look together 
earlier in the design of the things we try to get votes for, the total 
number available may be much larger.
  Secondly, I think every Member has an interest in the potential 
session on the 8th and 9th because of the way in which that week works 
out with religious holidays, and I just wanted to ask. I would hope 
from our side that, if Members are to be called back on the 8th, that 
we would have, if we are going to pursue health care, that we would 
have the bills ready and scored so Members would actually have 
documents to work on that were complete and available to the public, 
and I wonder, if bills are not ready and scored as of the 8th, whether 
there is a prospect that those 2 days might end up as pro forma 
sessions and Members would be notified, or what the Democratic 
leadership's intention might be.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, we obviously 
will keep in close communication with the Congressional Budget Office. 
If a judgment has to be made that it is not feasible to begin on the 
8th, we will give Members adequate notice that we would then begin on 
the 12th.
  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. 
Gephardt].

                          ____________________