[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 119 (Friday, July 21, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7446-H7448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. FAZIO of California asked and and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I take this time to yield to 
the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], the distinguished majority 
leader, to explain the schedule for next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, by now it is obvious to most of the Members that we did 
not make our 3 o'clock departure today. Mr. Speaker, before I give the 
details of next week's legislative schedule, let me first outline what 
we need to accomplish next week in order to protect the August recess 
for Members. I recognize that we have all worked very hard for many 
long hours during this appropriations process, and I think by and large 
that we have made good progress.
  We have worked these long hours for many reasons, not the least of 
which is our strong commitment to preserve the right of every Member to 
offer amendments to these important pieces of legislation. I want to 
thank each and every Member for their patience and diligent efforts to 
keep the House on schedule.
  That being said, to protect the August departed tour date, next week 
we need to complete the Transportation appropriations bill, as well as 
the Commerce, Justice, State, and the VA-HUD appropriations bills.
  I realize that working all night every night is unhealthy and is not 
overly productive. With that in mind, I will outline a schedule I feel 
is more reasonable and fair to Members.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday the House will meet at 10:30 a.m. for the 
morning hour and 12 o'clock for legislative business. Members should be 
advised that there will be no recorded votes before 5 o'clock on 
Monday, During the time when no recorded votes are expected, we plan to 
consider the rule and amendments to H.R. 70, the Alaskan oil export 
bill. If any recorded votes are ordered on H.R. 70, they will be 
postponed. We then plan to return to the Transportation appropriations 
bill. We will rise no later than 10 o'clock p.m. on Monday night, 
hopefully, after completing consideration of the Transportation bill.
  On Tuesday, and the balance of the week, the House will meet at 10 
a.m. for legislative business. On Tuesday, we plan to consider H.R. 
1943, the San Diego Coastal Corrections Act. We will then return to the 
appropriations bill, hopefully taking up the Commerce, State, Justice 
bill. We plan to rise on Tuesday by no later than 8 o'clock. Members 
will take note that the House will meet in joint session with the 
Senate at 11 a.m. on Wednesday to receive the President of Korea. We 
hope to rise no later than 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.
  On Thursday, we hope to finish no later than midnight, unless a few 
extra hours of work would allow us to complete our scheduled business 
and get Members home to their districts and their families at an 
earlier time.
  Members should realize that when we finish the schedule I have 
outlined, we will go home. But if we have not, the House will work on 
Friday and through the weekend to finish the business I mentioned 
earlier.
  Again, I would like to thank the Members for their help and patience 
thus far during this difficult process, and I would simply close by 
saying that no one is looking more forward to the August break and to a 
good fishing hole than I am. And I thank the gentleman for yielding.

[[Page H7447]]

  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate particularly 
the 8 o'clock departure on Tuesday night, which I think accommodates 
both parties. But I did have some questions about some of the bills 
that were not listed on the calendar.
  I wonder if you could tell us whether or not the
   deficit reduction lockbox bill would be brought up. The gentlewoman 
from California [Ms. Harman] has asked me to inquire about that bill, 
and indicate if it will be before the body at any time over the next 2 
weeks, whether or not it would be available for amendments.

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, that 
bill is under consideration in the committee. We do not expect to be 
able to consider it next week. We have many Members on our side that 
are also anxious for it and we are trying to move as fast as we can, 
and we will try to be as open as we can on the rule, but of course that 
would be the jurisdiction of the Rules Committee.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, that bill, of course, has a 
great deal to do with all of the appropriations we are passing, and I 
gather that we are probably going to pass all of the appropriations 
bills before we take up the lockbox?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that. We are moving as fast as 
we can on the matter.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, it looks like the last two 
bills that will be coming up during the getaway week would be the 
defense appropriations bill and the health human services and education 
labor bill; is that correct?
  Mr. ARMEY. I expect that is correct, and of course, depending on the 
progress we make, if possible, possibly telecommunications.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. That was my question. I was wondering, that 
is a major bill. Do you hope to bring it up before the August break, 
and if so, how much time do you think would be devoted to such an 
important measure?
  Mr. ARMEY. It is an important piece of legislation, as the gentleman 
knows. It is kind of a slippery thing. And so we are just sort of 
playing it by ear. If we can sort of get everybody in agreement at a 
time that is opportune, we will try to bring it up and try to be as 
generous as we can on the rules relating to this consideration.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, we do appreciate the heads-up 
about next Friday and into the weekend, but as the gentleman has 
indicated, we will stay in Thursday night as late as reasonable, if we 
could complete our work, in hopes of avoiding the possibility of a 
Friday session, which I know had been originally left vacant for 
Members to plan in their districts other activities. At the moment, 
however, it looks like Friday is a very likely prospect; is that what 
the gentleman is saying?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, of course, all of this depends upon how much 
progress we have on the floor management, and the managers frankly 
deserve our appreciation. But assuming they can have success, we might 
be able to finish it on Thursday night, and I think most Members, if we 
get close to that, recognizing then the chance of being home on Friday, 
of approval or moving on.
  I have to tell you, I have a--I fear that it is more likely that we 
will be in Friday than not, and although I think with all of our 
efforts and a good cooperative week, we could avoid Friday. So that too 
is a strong possibility that we do not want to ignore.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. But Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, July 31, 
which had been noticed as a day available to Members in their 
districts, with any luck at all will not be encumbered; is that 
correct?
  Mr. ARMEY. I think the gentleman actually put his finger on the key 
point, with any luck at all.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. I appreciate that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Roemer] who 
is the chairman of the family friendly caucus, which I might say has 
had a rather bad year here in Congress.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that very kind and 
gracious introduction. I appreciate that.
  As the majority leader knows, we put together a family friendly 
schedule at the beginning of this year, and it has not performed very 
well. I am delighted that I did not sign the resolution stating that 
this was going to be a family friendly Congress.
  Let me ask the gentleman a couple of questions. Speaker Gingrich said 
on this floor at that podium back in January 4, and I quote, we are 
going to set schedules we stick to so families can count on time to be 
together, unquote.
  Certainly, 10 p.m., Monday night, 9 p.m. Tuesday night, 10 p.m. 
Wednesday night, and then midnight, at least, Thursday night, maybe 
Friday, maybe Saturday, I don't know that we are going to see our 
families. I also am not sure that this is what the American people want 
us doing. We have been in session 300 more hours, 150 more rollcall 
votes, 54 percent of the time, we have been adjourning after 9 p.m. And 
while you are announcing the schedule earlier to us, it certainly is 
not good news for next week.
  I have a couple of questions.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, let 
me make this point, and then if the gentleman would please excuse my 
impatience, I too have a plane I would like to catch to get home to my 
family.
  I take my chapter and verse from Jimmy Buffet who has a wonderful 
song called ``Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season.''

                              {time}  1745

  I have been singing Mr. Buffett's song to a little bit different 
lyrics called ``Trying to reason with the appropriations season.'' That 
is the season of inconvenience to the body at large, out of 
consideration for the rights of the Members at large.
  I would say to the gentleman, count up the notes, and in addition to 
the information you have I think you would also find an extraordinarily 
high number of votes on motions to rise and motions to adjourn.
  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman, we are happy 
to work as hard as we were during the first 6 months, and I voted for 
many items in the contract, but the Speaker himself said after the 
first 6 months that we would have a more reliable schedule, a schedule 
where we would occasionally see our families and children, a schedule 
which was predictable.
  Now we are not going to have that between now and August, nor will we 
have it in September or October. Can the gentleman give us some 
indication of September and October and when we will adjourn? Is it 
going to be right before Christmas?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield, and let me remind the 
gentleman I, too, am trying to catch my plane, and I can only tell the 
gentleman that the only thing I have to fly by right now is my best 
hopes and aspirations and the faith and confidence I have in the 
goodwill of my colleagues.
  Mr. ROEMER. Further, Mr. Speaker, could I make some suggestions to 
the distinguished majority leader?
  Mr. ARMEY. Yes.
  Mr. ROEMER. We certainly want to work hard, Mr. Majority Leader, we 
do not have any complaint with that, but we want to work smart. If I 
could give the gentleman some suggestions, could we come in at 8 
o'clock in the morning and start our 1-minutes, so those people that 
want to give 1-minutes are here at 8 o'clock, they give 10 minutes on 
each side, 20 on each side, and we start the legislative business by 9 
o'clock in the morning? Those are American work hours.
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, this kind of 
suggestion, especially particularly the gentleman--I cannot believe you 
guys are trying to make me miss my plane.
  Mr. ROEMER. We have been missing lots of planes for 7 months, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Mr. ARMEY. These are all under consideration. We are working with it, 
but I have to tell the gentleman, one of the things that does in fact 
make it difficult to come upon a universally agreed upon comfortable 
arrangement is that we insist on paying regard to the legitimate rights 
of the individual Members. That sometimes makes it a little bit more 
complicated.
  Gentleman, I welcome all your suggestions, and the gentleman from 
Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery] has given me a suggestion in writing and 
gotten a list of cosigners for his suggestion, and I am sure he is here 
to present that to me.

[[Page H7448]]

  Mr. ROEMER. If I could reclaim my time, Mr. Speaker, I could want to 
let the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery] have just one 
question, and let the gentleman get off to Margaritaville.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. ROEMER. I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Majority Leader, have a great flight, but when 
you fly away, think about working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and 
Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and I would appreciate that.
  Mr. ARMEY. The gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery] has been 
very generous.
  If the gentleman will continue to yield for one quick moment, I think 
we have a statement here that needs to be clarified. I would like to 
make it very clear so there is no misunderstanding regarding working on 
Monday, July 31. It is very clear that we will work, and it will be 
necessary for us to work on that, but hopefully not on the weekend 
before.
  Mr. FAZIO. I thank the leader for his comments.

                          ____________________