[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 103 (Thursday, June 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H6242-H6243]
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.)
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished majority 
leader to inquire about the schedule for next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday, June 26, the House will meet in pro forma 
session. There will be no recorded votes on Monday.
  On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:30 a.m. for morning hour and 12 
noon for legislative business. We plan to consider one bill under 
suspension of the rules, H.R. 1565, legislation extending health care 
to veterans who have been exposed to Agent Orange. We will then 
continue consideration of H.R. 1868, the fiscal year 1996 foreign 
operations appropriations bill.
  On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. to take up House Joint 
Resolution 79, a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment 
prohibiting desecration of the U.S. flag, subject to a rule. We then 
plan to spend the balance of the week working on appropriations bills. 
We will complete the foreign operations legislation and, time 
permitting, consider the fiscal year 1996 energy and water, Interior, 
and Agriculture appropriations bills. On Thursday and Friday, the House 
will meet at 10 a.m. for legislative business.
  Mr. Speaker, it is our hope to have Members on their way home to 
their families and their districts by no later than 3 p.m. on Friday.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. If the gentleman will answer a question or two here. I 
wonder if the gentleman can advise Members how late he expects the 
House to work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, I think the Members 
should be prepared to work very late on all three of those evenings, 
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
  I would point out that we are prepared and hopeful that we can during 
next week deal with a budget conference report, perhaps the Medicare 
select report, and hopefully we would be able to do something on a 
rescissions or supplemental assistance bill.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. On that score, on an earlier version of the schedule 
provided by the majority, the rescissions bill was listed. It is not on 
the schedule that you just outlined. You just mentioned it. I assume 
that you are thinking it might come forward as well next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, we are still hopeful 
to have some continued discussions with the White House, but I believe 
that it is very likely that we will be able to do that next week.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. The Committee on Rules is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 
to consider a rule regarding the constitutional amendment on the flag. 
Could the gentleman or the distinguished chairman of the Committee on 
Rules advise Members what rule is expected for that resolution?
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I yield to the gentleman from New York, the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. SOLOMON. I would say to the minority leader that the Committee on 
Rules will be meeting, I believe, at 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The 
Interior appropriations bill has been pulled from that meeting and we 
will only consider the constitutional amendment that would allow States 
to ban the physical desecration of the American flag. It certainly will 
come to the floor under a rule and probably with 1 hour of debate and 
some time for a substitute by those that might be in opposition to the 
bill. We are in negotiation now as to just exactly how the rule would 
be brought to the floor.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I thank the gentleman.
  A couple of further questions. Could the gentleman advise Members as 
to when he expects the House to consider the budget conference report? 
I think he answered that and said it might be coming forward next week. 
I assume at this point you are not sure of that, but it could happen?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, we are optimistic and 
we would hope if everything comes together that we might be able to do 
that on Thursday. Possibly Friday morning.
  However it works, we will do our utmost to maintain our commitment to 
the 3 p.m. departure for the district work period. But I should expect 
it would be Thursday or Friday morning.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Finally, at the end of the week, we begin the Fourth of 
July recess.
  Could the gentleman advise Members whether he expects votes on 
Monday, July 10?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, I believe we would 
probably need to be prepared to have votes by, say, 5 p.m. on Monday, 
July 10. We will try to examine that and make an announcement later 
next week if there is any change from that.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just end with one statement for consideration. I 
know the gentleman is trying, as we said this morning, to have a family 
friendly situation here and that was part of the reason I assume we had 
problems with cutting off times on votes. We appreciate that.
  I would just hope that if it can be worked out next week if there is 
one of the nights next week that could not be extra late, that might be 
helpful to [[Page H 6243]] people. I realize you are trying to juggle a 
lot of different bills and conference reports. But to the extent we 
could work to make that happen, I am sure Members would appreciate 
that.
  Mr. ARMEY. I do appreciate that. I do think the Members ought to 
certainly make sure they make good arrangements for Monday night next 
week.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I thank the gentleman.
  

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