[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 124 (Friday, July 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H7963-H7964]
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.)

[[Page H 7964]]

  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I have asked to proceed for 1 minute to 
inquire about the schedule for next week.
  I yield to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from 
Texas [Mr. Armey] to inquire about the schedule for the rest of today 
and next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  We can advise all Members that there will be no more recorded votes 
today. The House will convene with special orders and upon the 
completion of special orders we will recess subject to the call of the 
Chair for the purpose of allowing the Committee on Rules to file rules 
later in the day.
  There will be no more legislative business, nor votes today.
  On Monday, July 31, the House will meet at 10:30 a.m. for morning 
hour and 12 p.m. for legislative business. We tentatively plan to 
consider two bills under suspension of the rules: H.R. 2017, the 
District of Columbia Highway Relief Act, is tentative, and legislation 
extending the expiration date of the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act 
of 1994.
  We then plan to complete the VA-HUD appropriations bill on Monday 
evening.
  Today we would plan on moving S. 21, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Self-
Defense Act, which is subject to a rule. Members should be advised that 
there will be no recorded votes taken before 5 p.m. on Monday.
  The balance of the week the House will meet at 10 a.m. for 
legislative business to consider the fiscal year 1996 Labor-HHS 
appropriation bill, subject to a rule, and H.R. 1555, the 
Communications Act of 1995, also subject to a rule.
  We hope to complete legislative business and have Members on their 
way home for the August district work period by no later than 3 p.m. on 
Friday.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I noted in his statement that the 
gentleman is planning at least tentatively to bring up the Bosnia 
legislation, S. 21, probably on Tuesday. I strongly hope, for what it 
is worth, that that is the case. We believe that this is obviously an 
important piece of legislation. We may or may not have an alternative, 
but we believe, even if we do not, that this legislation demands 4 or 5 
hours of debate so that Members can be heard on it. It is of obvious 
importance for the country.
  Then on Tuesday, obviously, I would hope that the gentleman would go 
ahead with the Labor-HHS bill and try to bring it to a fairly 
reasonably speedy conclusion. We have been working with the minority, 
as the gentleman knows, in trying to figure out how to do that on that 
bill.
  Then the rest of the week could be given over to the 
telecommunications bill and would give it adequate time to be finished 
before the end of the week. If the Department of Defense appropriations 
bill could be figured out, that might also be able to be accomplished.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his observations. I 
think the gentleman outlines pretty nearly the way things are expected 
to go. I think all those suggestions are extremely meritorious. I would 
project as far as that there would be very little change from the 
program as the gentleman has outlined.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Obviously, with this much business, I take it we could 
let Members predict that we would be here into the evening most 
evenings of next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for the 
observation. I think that is a fairly reliable prediction. I can, 
though, with even more certainty predict that they will be on their 
leave for their August work recess by 3 on Friday, August 4. That is, 
or course, the most important objective we have for the week's 
schedule.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I know how strongly the gentleman feels about that time 
and that date and how strongly all our colleagues feel about that time 
and that date. So we can safely predict without any qualification that 
we are going to leave on that time and that date; is that correct?
  Mr. ARMEY. The gentleman is absolutely correct.
  Mr. SABO. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.
  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I would just suggest to the two leaders that 
there is a longtime traditional event on Tuesday evening whose time was 
cleared with the leadership months ago.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, what 
the gentleman refers to is of course something that we on our side look 
forward to with great anticipation, and we will certainly accommodate 
the schedule for this important event.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, we have got a pressing schedule next week. 
If the gentleman would like to stipulate that we win the game and you 
lose, we would be happy to do that. Then we would not even need to 
play.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay a compliment to the 
majority leader, if that would be all right.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, absolutely.
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for 
giving us the opportunity yesterday to go the Korean Memorial 
dedication. It worked out very well.
  Then I would like to also comment, I hope the gentleman would 
consider from 9 to 9 that we have been talking about for a number of 
weeks now. I think it has a lot of merit, instead of coming in at 10, 
coming in at 9 and getting out at 9. We did set time limits for this 
past week and it worked pretty well. So I hope the majority leader 
would consider this proposal.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, I 
want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi for his suggestion. I want 
to also agree. The gentleman from Mississippi has observed that time 
limits and debate, the flow of things did work well last week. But in 
all due respect, the credit for that goes to the floor managers that we 
have had working on the bills and the cooperation they have gotten from 
the membership, and with that kind of spirit of cooperation I think our 
floor managers will have a similar success next week.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I see sitting next to the 
majority leader the gentleman from California, Chairman Packard. I 
assume he is about to file the legislative branch conference report. 
Could the gentleman tell us whether he expects that to come before us 
next week and when that might be?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, yes, we would try to find a way to put that 
on the floor and see if we can move it along next week.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Does the gentleman think it might be 
Wednesday, Thursday, before it would come to the floor? I am seeking a 
little information about timing.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I would hope maybe Wednesday.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. I thank the gentleman.
  

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