[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 88 (Thursday, May 25, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. GEPHARDT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to proceed out of 
order for 1 minute in order to question the distinguished majority 
leader about the schedule for next week.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished majority leader to ask 
about the schedule for next week and the week after.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, let me predicate my remarks about the coming schedule by 
making a few observations about the American Overseas Interests Act 
that we have had under consideration, and to provide some explanation 
for why we are holding the bill over to the week following.

                              {time}  1145

  I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that without being too poetic, that it is 
bemusing how confusing it has been for so many people that a purely 
logistical decision, made out of consideration for the work 
requirements of the House and the desire to have full participation by 
the Members, has been written up in the newspapers as something that is 
completely different than in fact what it was.
  Therefore, out of regard for this lack of understanding, let me just 
make these points. On this bill, we have 100 amendments filed. We 
considered nine amendments in 9 hours. Ninety-one were left to be 
considered, many to be en bloc. That is over 25 Members that have 
amendments left to be considered in the bill. By the time we finished 
last night we had only 35 minutes left under the existing rule. Those 
25 Members deserve regard, Members from both sides of the aisle, on the 
bill.
  We had thought yesterday at the time the decision was made that we 
would do not only the conference for Medicare Select, but that for the 
budget as well today. I was not prepared to take as much as 3\1/2\ 
hours away from our Members who might otherwise have had that time 
available for this bill. For that reason, I made the decision to hold 
the bill over, and to in fact, because time was available, increase the 
time available for those amendments, this done wholly in the spirit of 
our desire to include as many Members as possible on every bill as we 
can.
  In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, we made a decision to add from 
those amendments already printed in the Record the option, placed in 
the hands of the committee chairman, to have a chairman's amendment 
insofar as he may find an opportunity available to improve his bill. 
There was no consideration given to a doubt about the vote outcome. It 
was all done out of concern for the logistics of the House's business 
with this bill and other bills, and a desire to improve the 
participation opportunities for all our Members on both sides of the 
aisle.
  Having said that, Mr. Speaker, let me just say that the House will 
stand in adjournment through Monday, June 5. On Tuesday, June 6, the 
House will meet at 12 o'clock in a pro forma session. There will be no 
recorded votes on Tuesday. On Wednesday, June 7, the House will meet at 
12 o'clock for legislative business. We plan to take up a rule 
governing further
 consideration of H.R. 1561, the American Overseas Interests Act of 
1995, and then complete consideration of that legislation and pass it 
that day. We then hope to complete three hatchery bills under rules 
previously adopted by the House. These bills are H.R. 614, the New 
London National Fish Hatchery Conveyance; H.R. 584, the Fairport 
National Fish Hatchery Conveyance; and H.R. 535, the Corning National 
Fish Hatchery Conveyance.

  The House will meet at 10 o'clock a.m. on Thursday, June 8. It is our 
hope to have Members on their way home, Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, June 
8, it is our hope to have the Members on their way home to their 
families and their districts by 6 o'clock p.m. on that Thursday.
  The House will not be in session on Friday, June 9.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I want to again 
note that we have these three fish hatchery bills. I know the 
gentleman's great interest in fishing, and I know that he wants these 
fish to be hatched as much as I do, so we are all looking forward to 
getting these three bills passed next week or the week after next.
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, I 
thank the gentleman for his observation. I guess we cannot catch them 
and kiss them if we do not hatch them.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. That is right. I know the gentleman is interested in 
doing that. Maybe the gentleman and I can figure out how to catch and 
throw back some of these fish.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just simply report what the gentleman said, so 
Members who may not have been paying as close attention as they might 
will understand this. As I get it, we will not expect votes on Monday, 
Tuesday, or Friday of the week we get back from the Memorial Day 
recess.
  Mr. ARMEY. That is right.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I understand the gentleman will be asking unanimous 
consent that the Committee on National Security will be allowed to file 
the Defense authorization bill during the recess. Would the gentleman 
tell us when he expects that important bill to be considered by the 
House?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, we would hope to 
begin consideration the week following the week ending on June 9.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and wish him a 
prosperous, effective, and successful district work period.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Speaker. I wish the same for 
him and all the Members of his party.

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