[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 153 (Thursday, September 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1996

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 230 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 230

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order, any rule of the House to the contrary 
     notwithstanding, to consider in the House the joint 
     resolution (H.J. Res. 108) making continuing appropriations 
     for the fiscal year 1996, and for other purposes. The joint 
     resolution shall be debatable for one hour equally divided 
     and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of 
     the Committee on Appropriations. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the joint resolution to final 
     passage without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions. The motion to recommit 
     may include instructions only if offered by the minority 
     leader or his designee.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier] 
is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Dayton, OH [Mr. Hall]. All 
time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks and to include extraneous material.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time a I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of House Joint 
Resolution 108, a continuing resolution making appropriations for 
fiscal year 1996 through November 30, 1995. The rule provides for 
consideration of the joint resolution in the House, any rule of the 
House to the contrary notwithstanding, with 1 hour of general debate 
divided equally between the chairman and ranking member of the 
Committee on Appropriations.
  Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit with or without 
instructions. The motion to recommit may include instructions only if 
offered by the minority leader or his designee.
  Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of an historic effort to change the 
Washington culture of deficit spending by balancing the Federal budget 
over a 7-year period. For the first time in three decades, the majority 
in Congress is insisting that Federal spending not take priority over 
the future of our children. We are implementing a budget plan that sets 
priorities within the $1.5 trillion Federal budget by slowing the rate 
of growth of most Federal programs while eliminating those that are 
clearly wasteful, duplicative, or unnecessary.
  Balancing the budget is clearly not a simple job, especially when the 
President, sizable minorities in the House and Senate, and special 
interests that live off the fat of the bloated Federal Government stand 
in the way. The appropriations process is a central feature of that 
budget balancing struggle.

                              {time}  1100

  It is clear that the bills that meet the targets of the 7-year 
balanced budget plan will not be completed by October 1, the beginning 
of the new fiscal year. The continuing resolution that we are going to 
be considering here today gives Congress time to complete the regular 
appropriations bills.
  Mr. Speaker, the administration supports House Joint Resolution 108, 
the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Appropriations appeared before the Committee on Rules yesterday and 
both supported both the rule and the measure. This continuing 
resolution is a bipartisan compromise that was the result of a long, 
sincere, and tireless negotiating process.
  While this continuing resolution is a responsible bill, there should 
be no mistake the fact he continuing resolutions will not replace the 
regular appropriations process. House Joint Resolution 108 provides the 
time we need to do the work we need, and that is it. It is a temporary 
stopgap, and it is a fiscally responsible stopgap.
  The spending level incorporated in this continuing resolution is 
below the level in the House-passed balanced budget plan. It should be 
made clear that this continuing resolution does not attempt to impose 
major policy changes on the Federal Government. Those policy changes 
will be accomplished through the regular legislative process, an 
effort, even a struggle in some cases, that I look forward to. But they 
will not be implemented today.
  Mr. Speaker, with the beginning of the new fiscal year rapidly 
approaching, it is important that we act quickly. I urge my colleagues 
to support this rule and to support the resolution. It should be 
approved, sent to the other body for equally prompt and responsible 
consideration, and sent to the President for signature this weekend. 
Then we can get back to the critical work of balancing the Federal 
budget, saving the Medicare system from bankruptcy, ending welfare as 
we know it, and implementing a growth-oriented tax cut that will create 
more jobs and increase the take-home pay of American workers.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a comparison of the rules 
considered by the Committee on Rules during the 103d and 104th 
Congresses.

  THE AMENDMENT PROCESS UNDER SPECIAL RULES REPORTED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE,\1\ 103D CONGRESS V. 104TH CONGRESS 
                                           [As of September 27, 1995]                                           
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  103d Congress                        104th Congress           
              Rule type              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Number of rules    Percent of total   Number of rules    Percent of total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open/Modified-open \2\..............                 46                 44                 50                 74
Modified Closed \3\.................                 49                 47                 15                 22
Closed \4\..........................                  9                  9                  3                  4
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Totals:.......................                104                100                 68                100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ This table applies only to rules which provide for the original consideration of bills, joint resolutions or
  budget resolutions and which provide for an amendment process. It does not apply to special rules which only  
  waive points of order against appropriations bills which are already privileged and are considered under an   
  open amendment process under House rules.                                                                     
\2\ An open rule is one under which any Member may offer a germane amendment under the five-minute rule. A      
  modified open rule is one under which any Member may offer a germane amendment under the five-minute rule     
  subject only to an overall time limit on the amendment process and/or a requirement that the amendment be     
  preprinted in the Congressional Record.                                                                       
\3\ A modified closed rule is one under which the Rules Committee limits the amendments that may be offered only
  to those amendments designated in the special rule or the Rules Committee report to accompany it, or which    
  preclude amendments to a particular portion of a bill, even though the rest of the bill may be completely open
  to amendment.                                                                                                 
\4\ A closed rule is one under which no amendments may be offered (other than amendments recommended by the     
  committee in reporting the bill).                                                                             


                          SPECIAL RULES REPORTED BY THE RULES COMMITTEE, 104TH CONGRESS                         
                                           [As of September 27, 1995]                                           
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  H. Res. No. (Date                                                                                             
       rept.)               Rule type             Bill No.                 Subject           Disposition of rule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H. Res. 38 (1/18/95)  O...................  H.R. 5..............  Unfunded Mandate Reform..  A: 350-71 (1/19/   
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 44 (1/24/95)  MC..................  H. Con. Res. 17.....  Social Security..........  A: 255-172 (1/25/  
                                            H.J. Res. 1.........  Balanced Budget Amdt.....   95).              
H. Res. 51 (1/31/95)  O...................  H.R. 101............  Land Transfer, Taos        A: voice vote (2/1/
                                                                   Pueblo Indians.            95).              
H. Res. 52 (1/31/95)  O...................  H.R. 400............  Land Exchange, Arctic      A: voice vote (2/1/
                                                                   Nat'l. Park and Preserve.  95).              
H. Res. 53 (1/31/95)  O...................  H.R. 440............  Land Conveyance, Butte     A: voice vote (2/1/
                                                                   County, Calif.             95).              
H. Res. 55 (2/1/95).  O...................  H.R. 2..............  Line Item Veto...........  A: voice vote (2/2/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 60 (2/6/95).  O...................  H.R. 665............  Victim Restitution.......  A: voice vote (2/7/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 61 (2/6/95).  O...................  H.R. 666............  Exclusionary Rule Reform.  A: voice vote (2/7/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 63 (2/8/95).  MO..................  H.R. 667............  Violent Criminal           A: voice vote (2/9/
                                                                   Incarceration.             95).              
H. Res. 69 (2/9/95).  O...................  H.R. 668............  Criminal Alien             A: voice vote (2/10/
                                                                   Deportation.               95).              
H. Res. 79 (2/10/95)  MO..................  H.R. 728............  Law Enforcement Block      A: voice vote (2/13/
                                                                   Grants.                    95).              
H. Res. 83 (2/13/95)  MO..................  H.R. 7..............  National Security          PQ: 229-100; A: 227-
                                                                   Revitalization.            127 (2/15/95).    
H. Res. 88 (2/16/95)  MC..................  H.R. 831............  Health Insurance           PQ: 230-191; A: 229-
                                                                   Deductibility.             188 (2/21/95).    
H. Res. 91 (2/21/95)  O...................  H.R. 830............  Paperwork Reduction Act..  A: voice vote (2/22/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 92 (2/21/95)  MC..................  H.R. 889............  Defense Supplemental.....  A: 282-144 (2/22/  
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 93 (2/22/95)  MO..................  H.R. 450............  Regulatory Transition Act  A: 252-175 (2/23/  
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 96 (2/24/95)  MO..................  H.R. 1022...........  Risk Assessment..........  A: 253-165 (2/27/  
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 100 (2/27/    O...................  H.R. 926............  Regulatory Reform and      A: voice vote (2/28/
 95).                                                              Relief Act.                95).              
H. Res. 101 (2/28/    MO..................  H.R. 925............  Private Property           A: 271-151 (3/2/   
 95).                                                              Protection Act.            95).              
H. Res. 103 (3/3/95)  MO..................  H.R. 1058...........  Securities Litigation      ...................
                                                                   Reform.                                      
H. Res. 104 (3/3/95)  MO..................  H.R. 988............  Attorney Accountability    A: voice vote (3/6/
                                                                   Act.                       95).              
H. Res. 105 (3/6/95)  MO..................  ....................  .........................  A: 257-155 (3/7/   
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 108 (3/7/95)  Debate..............  H.R. 956............  Product Liability Reform.  A: voice vote (3/8/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 109 (3/8/95)  MC..................  ....................  .........................  PQ: 234-191 A: 247-
                                                                                              181 (3/9/95).     
H. Res. 115 (3/14/    MO..................  H.R. 1159...........  Making Emergency Supp.     A: 242-190 (3/15/  
 95).                                                              Approps..                  95).              
H. Res. 116 (3/15/    MC..................  H.J. Res. 73........  Term Limits Const. Amdt..  A: voice vote (3/28/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 117 (3/16/    Debate..............  H.R. 4..............  Personal Responsibility    A: voice vote (3/21/
 95).                                                              Act of 1995.               95).              
H. Res. 119 (3/21/    MC..................  ....................  .........................  A: 217-211 (3/22/  
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 125 (4/3/95)  O...................  H.R. 1271...........  Family Privacy Protection  A: 423-1 (4/4/95). 
                                                                   Act.                                         
H. Res. 126 (4/3/95)  O...................  H.R. 660............  Older Persons Housing Act  A: voice vote (4/6/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 128 (4/4/95)  MC..................  H.R. 1215...........  Contract With America Tax  A: 228-204 (4/5/   
                                                                   Relief Act of 1995.        95).              
H. Res. 130 (4/5/95)  MC..................  H.R. 483............  Medicare Select Expansion   A: 253-172 (4/6/  
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 136 (5/1/95)  O...................  H.R. 655............  Hydrogen Future Act of     A: voice vote (5/2/
                                                                   1995.                      95).              
H. Res. 139 (5/3/95)  O...................  H.R. 1361...........  Coast Guard Auth. FY 1996  A: voice vote (5/9/
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 140 (5/9/95)  O...................  H.R. 961............  Clean Water Amendments...  A: 414-4 (5/10/95).
H. Res. 144 (5/11/    O...................  H.R. 535............  Fish Hatchery--Arkansas..  A: voice vote (5/15/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 145 (5/11/    O...................  H.R. 584............  Fish Hatchery--Iowa......  A: voice vote (5/15/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 146 (5/11/    O...................  H.R. 614............  Fish Hatchery--Minnesota.  A: voice vote (5/15/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 149 (5/16/    MC..................  H. Con. Res. 67.....  Budget Resolution FY 1996  PQ: 252-170 A: 255-
 95).                                                                                         168 (5/17/95).    
H. Res. 155 (5/22/    MO..................  H.R. 1561...........  American Overseas          A: 233-176 (5/23/  
 95).                                                              Interests Act.             95).              
H. Res. 164 (6/8/95)  MC..................  H.R. 1530...........  Nat. Defense Auth. FY      PQ: 225-191 A: 233-
                                                                   1996.                      183 (6/13/95).    
H. Res. 167 (6/15/    O...................  H.R. 1817...........  MilCon Appropriations FY   PQ: 223-180 A: 245-
 95).                                                              1996.                      155 (6/16/95).    
H. Res. 169 (6/19/    MC..................  H.R. 1854...........  Leg. Branch Approps. FY    PQ: 232-196 A: 236-
 95).                                                              1996.                      191 (6/20/95).    
H. Res. 170 (6/20/    O...................  H.R. 1868...........  For. Ops. Approps. FY      PQ: 221-178 A: 217-
 95).                                                              1996.                      175 (6/22/95).    
H. Res. 171 (6/22/    O...................  H.R. 1905...........  Energy & Water Approps.    A: voice vote (7/11/
 95).                                                              FY 1996.                   95).              
H. Res. 173 (6/27/    C...................  H.J. Res. 79........  Flag Constitutional        PQ: 258-170 A: 271-
 95).                                                              Amendment.                 152 (6/28/95).    
H. Res. 176 (6/28/    MC..................  H.R. 1944...........  Emer. Supp. Approps......  PQ: 236-194 A: 234-
 95).                                                                                         192 (6/29/95).    
H. Res. 185 (7/11/    O...................  H.R. 1977...........  Interior Approps. FY 1996  PQ: 235-193 D: 192-
 95).                                                                                         238 (7/12/95).    
H. Res. 187 (7/12/    O...................  H.R. 1977...........  Interior Approps. FY 1996  PQ: 230-194 A: 229-
 95).                                                              #2.                        195 (7/13/95).    
H. Res. 188 (7/12/    O...................  H.R. 1976...........  Agriculture Approps. FY    PQ: 242-185 A:     
 95).                                                              1996.                      voice vote (7/18/ 
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 190 (7/17/    O...................  H.R. 2020...........  Treasury/Postal Approps.   PQ: 232-192 A:     
 95).                                                              FY 1996.                   voice vote (7/18/ 
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 193 (7/19/    C...................  H.J. Res. 96........  Disapproval of MFN to      A: voice vote (7/20/
 95).                                                              China.                     95).              
H. Res. 194 (7/19/    O...................  H.R. 2002...........  Transportation Approps.    PQ: 217-202 A:     
 95).                                                              FY 1996.                   voice vote (7/21/ 
                                                                                              95).              
H. Res. 197 (7/21/    O...................  H.R. 70.............  Exports of Alaskan Crude   A: voice vote (7/24/
 95).                                                              Oil.                       95).              
H. Res. 198 (7/21/    O...................  H.R. 2076...........  Commerce, State Approps.   A: voice vote (7/25/
 95).                                                              FY 1996.                   95).              
H. Res. 201 (7/25/    O...................  H.R. 2099...........  VA/HUD Approps. FY 1996..  A: 230-189 (7/25/  
 95).                                                                                         95)..             
H. Res. 204 (7/28/    MC..................  S. 21...............  Terminating U.S. Arms      A: voice vote (8/1/
 95).                                                              Embargo on Bosnia.         95).              
H. Res. 205 (7/28/    O...................  H.R. 2126...........  Defense Approps. FY 1996.  A: 409-1 (7/31/95).
 95).                                                                                                           
H. Res. 207 (8/1/95)  MC..................  H.R. 1555...........  Communications Act of      A: 255-156 (8/2/   
                                                                   1995.                      95).              
H. Res. 208 (8/1/95)  O...................  H.R. 2127...........  Labor, HHS Approps. FY     A: 323-104 (8/2/   
                                                                   1996.                      95).              
H. Res. 215 (9/7/95)  O...................  H.R. 1594...........  Economically Targeted      A: voice vote (9/12/
                                                                   Investments.               95).              
H. Res. 216 (9/7/95)  MO..................  H.R. 1655...........  Intelligence               A: voice vote (9/12/
                                                                   Authorization FY 1996.     95).              
H. Res. 218 (9/12/    O...................  H.R. 1162...........  Deficit Reduction Lockbox  A: voice vote (9/13/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 219 (9/12/    O...................  H.R. 1670...........  Federal Acquisition        A: 414-0 (9/13/95).
 95).                                                              Reform Act.                                  
H. Res. 222 (9/18/    O...................  H.R. 1617...........  CAREERS Act..............  A: 388-2 (9/19/95).
 95).                                                                                                           
H. Res. 224 (9/19/    O...................  H.R. 2274...........  Natl. Highway System.....  PQ: 241-173 A: 375-
 95).                                                                                         39-1 (9/20/95).   
H. Res. 225 (9/19/    MC..................  H.R. 927............  Cuban Liberty & Dem.       A: 304-118 (9/20/  
 95).                                                              Solidarity.                95).              
H. Res. 226 (9/21/    O...................  H.R. 743............  Team Act.................  A: 344-66-1 (9/27/ 
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 227 (9/21/    O...................  H.R. 1170...........  3-Judge Court............  ...................
 95).                                                                                                           
H. Res. 228 (9/21/    O...................  H.R. 1601...........  Internatl. Space Station.  A: voice vote (9/27/
 95).                                                                                         95).              
H. Res. 230 (9/27/    C...................  H.J. Res. 108.......  Continuing Resolution FY   ...................
 95).                                                              1996.                                        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Codes: O-open rule; MO-modified open rule; MC-modified closed rule; C-closed rule; A-adoption vote; D-defeated; 
  PQ-previous question vote. Source: Notices of Action Taken, Committee on Rules, 104th Congress.               

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. HALL of Ohio asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 230 is a closed rule 
to allow consideration of House Joint Resolution 108, a bill making 
continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 1996.
  As my colleague from California has described, this rule provides 1 
hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.
  Under the rule, no amendments will be allowed. A motion to recommit 
with instructions may be offered only by the minority leader or his 
designee.
  The Rules Committee reported this rule by voice vote without 
opposition.
  Too often in recent years, Congress has waited until the last minute 
to keep the Government going past the beginning of the fiscal year. 
With this ritual comes the fear of Government furloughs, shutdowns, and 
programs grinding to a half.
  This year, with loud threats being made not to compromise, the fears 
were stronger than usual. There was talk of a train wreck coming 
October 1.
  The American people deserve better. What kind of a signal are we 
sending to the dedicated, public-spirited civil servants who work for 
the Governments?
  What kind of a signal are we sending to Americans who depend on 
Government services?
  What kind of a signal are we sending to the people of other nations 
who are our allies and trading partners?
  There has to be a better way.
  During Rules Committee consideration of the continuing resolution, we 
heard testimony from our colleague from Pennsylvania, Mr. Gekas, who 
has proposed a bill that would provide an automatic back-up plan in 
case the appropriations bills are not passed before the end of the 
fiscal year. It is a sound idea that has merit.
  I hope that the House will give serious consideration to his bill--or 
any proposal that will end this embarrassing ritual once and for all.
  The rule under consideration is a closed rule. In general, I am 
opposed to closed rules. This institution usually does its best work 
when full and open debate is permitted, giving the American people an 
opportunity to hear complete discussion of the issues.
  But there is a time when legislation is so urgent and so 
fundamentally important to our Nation that a closed rule is acceptable. 
This is such a time.
  We must pass this bill quickly to ensure the smooth continuation of 
Government services into the next fiscal year. Even more important, we 
must send a signal to the Federal workers at military bases, veterans' 
hospitals, air traffic control towers, national parks, and elsewhere 
that this House respects their work.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield such time as he may 
consume to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Glens 
Falls, NY [Mr. Solomon], the chairman of the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank the vice chairman of the 
Committee on Rules for yielding me this time. The gentleman has very 
ably stated the necessity for this continuing resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, let me first of all just really praise the chairman of 
the Committee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Louisiana, Bob 
Livingston, for the great job than he and his staff have done on this 
entire appropriation process this year under very difficult 
circumstances. But let me speak just briefly to the aspect of a closed 
rule.
  This is not a typical closed rule. What this rule does is simply 
allow the Committee on Appropriations to bring a continuing resolution 
to this floor which will allow an additional 6 weeks for this body to 
negotiate between the Democrats and the Republicans, to negotiate 
between Republicans and Republicans, and to negotiate with the other 
body as well as the White House.
  I want to make one thing very clear: This in no way diminishes our 
effort to stay on a glidepath toward a balanced budget. This Member of 
Congress is voting for nothing that is going to in any way diminish 
that effort to bring about a balanced budget. As a matter of fact, the 
continuing resolution, as the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] 
has stated and will state in a few minutes, and the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Dreier], this continuing resolution actually keeps us 
on that glidepath more than if we did nothing at all. That is very, 
very important.
  For example, when various programs or projects or bureaus or agencies 
have been zeroed out, have not been funded, this says that they can 
continue at last year's 1995 levels, minus or not to exceed 90 percent; 
nor can they go ahead with any kind of expediting of programs that are 
not provided for. For all of the other programs, and this is very 
important, they will only be funded during the next 6 weeks at the 
average of the House and Senate, minus another 5 percent.
  That means by passing this continuing resolution, we are actually 
saving the taxpayers dollars. That is important to keep in mind. I hope 
everyone does support this continuing resolution so we can get on 
toward balancing this budget, which is desperately needed in this 
country.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida [Mr. Goss], a member of the Committee on Rules and the chairman 
of the Subcommittee on Legislative Process.
  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support of this 
rule and I thank my friend, the vice-chair of the Rules Committee, Mr. 
Dreier, for yielding. For those who despair that partisan politics have 
ground the legislative process to a halt, this rule and this continuing 
resolution should provide some encouragement. Today we have before us 
the product of good faith negotiation and practical cooperation between 
the Houses of Congress and up and down Pennsylvania Avenue. The 
continuing resolution reflects a bipartisan commitment to ensuring that 
the Government continues to function beyond the first of the fiscal new 
year. Yet we must be perfectly clear--this continuing resolution is 
temporary--lasting no more than 6 weeks--and it is carefully designed 
to squeeze discretionary spending enough so that all parties to the 
budget negotiations will have the incentive to get the real job done in 
passing--and signing--the 13 regular appropriations bills. This 
concurrent resolution reflects our commitment to balancing the budget 
and cutting Federal spending, while allowing us to work out some very 
deep philosophical differences on issues involving the size and scope 
of the Federal Government. That work lies at the heart of what must be 
accomplished in our congressional budget process. I know that many 
Americans are concerned about what has been labeled an impending train 
wreck in the budget process. While we have yet to reconcile the issues 
of Medicare, Medicaid, welfare and other major components of the budget 
picture, today's action at least clears the way for the discretionary 
spending train to leave the station, only slightly delayed, but on the 
right track. Mr. Speaker, this rule, as has been explained, is simple 
and should be noncontroversial. Although few people believe that 
continuing resolutions have been--or should ever be--standard business, 
today's rule is highly standard for such matters and I hope my 
colleagues will support it. I would like to note that we did have some 
testimony in the Rules Committee from Members taking a longer view of 
the congressional budget process, seeking a way to avoid annual action 
on continuing resolutions in the future. While we are not able to 
resolve that process question here today, I would like to assure 
Members interested in the broader topic of budget process reform that 
our Rules Subcommittees, chaired by Mr. Dreier and myself, have been 
reviewing our entire budget process and seeking opportunities for 
reform. We welcome the input of all Members. While process cannot 
protect us from making the tough policy decisions needed to find 
balance in our budget, it can help us adhere to those decisions once 
they are made.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do so to simply inform my colleagues that we are very 
pleased to have the distinguished former chairman of the Committee on 
Rules, the ranking minority member here, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts [Mr. Moakley], and the entire House would like to extend 
our very warm welcome.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my very good friend, the gentleman 
from Loveland, CO [Mr. Allard].
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Dreier] for yielding me time. I commend the gentleman 
for his hard work in bringing about reform in the Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 230 and House Joint Resolution 
108. In August I introduced H.R. 2197, the Continuing Resolution Reform 
Act. It was clear to me that a continuing resolution was very likely 
and that it would be necessary to ensure that any continuing resolution 
immediately begin to cut spending.
  The Allard rule would amend the rules of the House to require that a 
continuing resolution would find programs at the lower of the House-
recommended level or the Senate-recommended level at, and in no case 
would funding exceed 95 percent of the prior year's level. This 
proposal would mandate a minimum of 5 percent real cut in any 
continuing resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I intend to continue the fight to get this proposal 
enacted into our House rules so it can provide a guideline for any 
future continuing resolutions.
  Today we have before us a continuing resolution that will temporarily 
fund most programs at the average of the House recommended level and 
the Senate recommended level with an additional 5-percent cut below 
that level. I want to commend my colleague from Louisiana for working 
on such a strong agreement with the administration.
  This continuing resolution is consistent with the overall 
discretionary spending target established by the budget resolution. It 
would result in $24.5 billion in discretionary spending cuts if 
calculated on an annualized basis.
  This represents real spending cuts. In addition, it will act as a 
catalyst to get the regular appropriations bills enacted into law as 
soon as possible. It is not a painless alternative for those who wish 
to preserve the status quo and block budget cuts.
  This is a credible agreement and a good start to our 7-year balanced 
budget plan. It will let the American people know that we are serious 
about keeping our promises. It will let them know we are serious about 
eliminating deficit spending by 2002.
  Mr. Speaker, I intend to support this continuing resolution, and I 
urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to my good 
friend the gentleman from Harrisburg, PA [Mr. Gekas].
  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, it is no secret to the members of the Committee on Rules 
that for several terms now I have regularly appeared before it to urge 
consideration of my proposal which we have called the instant replay, 
meaning that if on September 30 of every year, the end of the fiscal 
year, we do not have a budget in place, that automatically on October 
1, would go into effect--by instant replay mechanism--last year's 
budget, or the lowest figure between the House and Senate, whichever is 
the lowest figure, for the remainder of the term, so that the White 
House and the Congress could continue to negotiate without the fear of 
and without the pressure of a threat of or actual shutdown in 
Government.

                              {time}  1115

  That is all I ever intended, to prevent a shutdown of our Government. 
We had the anomally, the sad state of affairs, where in 1990, as our 
youngster were gathering their military forces in Saudi Arabia--waiting 
for Desert Storm to occur, in forming Desert Shield--that while they 
were there, the Government supported the shutdown. That is 
unacceptable.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, where are we? I should feel chagrined that the 
Rules Committee again smacked me down and did not consider my proposal, 
but, on the other hand, the sense of that instant replay has been 
incorporated in the current continuing resolution. It prevents shutdown 
of Government, does bring in the lower levels of spending for an 
appreciable time, but the problem is that, after this 6-week continuing 
resolution's life, the question recurs, the danger recurs, the specter 
of a shutdown in Government comes back to haunt us.
  Mr. Speaker, my instant replay would have prevented that for all 
time. But I am happy at least for 6 weeks to be able to debate the 
merits of instant replay again. There should never be a Government 
shutdown.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of my friend if he has any 
speakers on the other side of the aisle.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time. I would 
simply say that I am thankful that we are avoiding this tremendous 
embarrassment, this big, certainly hurt to the country by having this 
continuing resolution before us. I am very thankful to the gentleman 
from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] for his work, certainly the gentleman 
from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] for his diligence behind the scenes and 
working very, very hard to keep this, along with Mr. Livingston, and 
certainly our President for making it happen.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I would join in saying that I believe this is a very important day. 
We are headed toward a balanced budget within the next 7 years. We have 
successfully, when we pass this resolution, avoided a shutdown of the 
Federal Government. It is due to the efforts of the gentleman from 
Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], the chairman of the Committee on 
Appropriations, and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], and all of 
us who have participated in supporting their work here.
  I hope, very much, that we will be able to move quickly to passage of 
this and then provide it so that the President can sign it this 
weekend. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the rule and support 
of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the rule just adopted, I 
call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 108) making continuing 
appropriations for fiscal year 1996, and for other purposes, and ask 
for its immediate consideration in the House.

  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Hefley). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] will be recognized for 30 
minutes, and the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey] will be recognized 
for 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston].


                             general leave

  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
on House Joint Resolution 108, and that I might include tabular and 
extraneous material.
  The Speaker pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume, and I do not anticipate that I will take nearly all the time 
allotted to me.
  First, I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Solomon], chairman of the Committee on Rules, and all of the members of 
that committee for hearing us out and for bearing with us while we 
entertained the ongoing negotiations on this continuing resolution. We 
did have some last minute changes that we had to engage in with the 
administration but the Committee on Rules was most gracious in giving 
us the extra time so that we could put the final touches on this 
package. I am deeply appreciative of their consideration.
  Likewise, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the representatives of the 
administration, Mr. Panetta, Chief of Staff over at the White House, 
and all of his people for working with us. We had some interesting 
moments, but I am glad to say that with their help we finally brought 
it to a conclusion.
  I especially wanted to thank my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin 
[Mr. Obey], the ranking member on the Committee on Appropriations. 
Without his help, I do not think we could have closed the loop on this 
package, and I do think that it is important that we have an additional 
6 weeks of time to complete our processes on the appropriations bills.
  Mr. Speaker, we went through a very exhaustive spring when the 
Contract With America was working its way through the Congress and, 
obviously, the budget and appropriations process was put to the back of 
the line in terms of the agenda on the floor of the House. We have had 
to take a little extra time at the back end, but we are in the process 
of completing our business, and I think that this 6-week continuing 
resolution will enable us to get over the hump without unduly stressing 
the work force of the Federal Government or the business of the United 
States of America.
  I am very, very pleased then to bring to the House this fiscal year 
the 1996 continuing resolution, House Joint Resolution 108. We will not 
have all 13 appropriations bills enacted into law before October 1. A 
continuing resolution to keep the Government operating is, therefore, 
necessary.
  This continuing resolution has been developed in consultation with 
both sides of the aisle, with our Senate counterparts, and with the 
joint leadership, as well as with the President. The President has 
indicated that he will sign it if it is presented in its current form. 
The passage of this continuing resolution by this body and its 
enactment will avoid any unnecessary and costly disruption of 
Government operations while we work out our difference on the regular 
13 appropriations bills.
  Mr. Speaker, the current status of our 13 regular bills is as 
follows: Two bills, military construction and legislative branch have 
been cleared by us for presentation to the President. Two more 
conference reports, Interior and Defense, are ready for consideration 
in the House. One bill, the Agriculture bill, has completed conference, 
and I expect that the conference report will be filed later today, and 
I am hopeful we may even consider the conference report on the floor of 
the House tomorrow before adjourning for the week. Three bills, Energy 
and Water Development, Transportation, and Treasury-Postal, have passed 
both bodies and are currently in conference. Two bills, foreign 
operations and VA-HUD, have passed both bodies and are awaiting 
appointment of conferees. Two bills, Labor-HHS and Commerce-Justice, 
passed the House and are awaiting floor consideration in the Senate. 
The bill on the District of Columbia has not yet been reported to the 
House, but we anticipate that it could be considered in the coming 
days.

  We are well on our way, Mr. Speaker, to completing congressional 
action on all of these bills. Not all will be signed at the outset when 
they are presented to the President. Some may be vetoed, but until 
action on all 13 is completed and they are enacted, we will need to 
have a continuing resolution.
  We need to continue Government while maintaining funding prerogatives 
and providing incentives to get all 13 bills signed into law. The key 
features of this continuing resolution are, first, that its funding 
levels are below, and I have to stress that, Mr. Speaker, they are 
below the section 602(a) levels of the budget resolution. In order 
words, any projected savings that we anticipated with the 13 
appropriations bills in fiscal year 1996 leadership likewise will be 
achieved, and we will exceed those savings under the rates in the 
continuing resolution during its term of no more than 6 weeks.
  As such, it will not be more attractive, because the savings are 
greater actually during the period of the continuing resolution, for 
the administration to sit back, not sign the appropriations bills and 
depend on a continuing resolution to fund Government. Also, because it 
does not produce the specific reductions we think are important, it 
provides an incentive to us to produce the bills that provide the 
savings we want.
  The continuing resolution has restrictive funding rates but does not 
prematurely terminate any ongoing program. It does not allow for any 
new initiatives. It prevents costly furloughs and associated 
termination costs. It does not prejudge final funding decisions either 
up or down in the 13 regular bills. It establishes a climate which is 
conducive to all involved to produce 13 bills as soon as possible. It 
is clean of extraneous provisions. It runs until November 13 or until 
all of the regular bills are signed into law, whichever is sooner, 
meaning that as appropriation bills are signed by the President, all 
the programs within that bill are taken off the table and the 
continuing resolution pertains only to the bills which have not yet 
been signed into law under the normal appropriations process.
  Mr. Speaker, this continuing resolution should be passed by the House 
and the Senate. If that occurs the President will sign it and we will 
avoid any unnecessary shutdown of the Government. It will give us the 
additional time we need to work out our remaining individual bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I would strongly urge the adoption of this joint 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
thank the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] for his kind 
comments.
  Mr. Speaker, Let me simply say that I think this bill is very simple. 
It simply guarantees that the functions of Government will continue and 
that innocent Federal workers will not, through no fault of their own, 
be furloughed because the Congress itself has not yet completed its 
work on appropriation matters.
  I appreciate very much the flexible attitude of the gentleman from 
Louisiana. As he knows I was especially concerned yesterday when things 
appeared to be breaking down, and I am happy that a little frank 
private talk could resolve those matters in a very short period of 
time, and I appreciate the gentleman's help on that.
  Mr. Speaker, I would simply say that, as the gentleman from Louisiana 
has indicated, this bill creates some additional pressure on both 
sides, both the White House and the Congress, to finish action on the 
appropriation bills on which action has not yet been completed, because 
it contains a spending level which is lower than the level provided for 
in the budget resolution. It also works out a reasonable way of dealing 
with the differences in funding levels between the bills in the two 
Houses. It does not unfairly advantage either the White House or the 
Congress in the disagreements that are still pending, and I think it is 
well worth the support of people in this body.
  Mr. Speaker, those who say that somehow the way to avoid these 
potential train wreck problems is some procedural fix, I would urge a 
bit of caution on that. It has been my experience that these bills get 
finished when the committee is allowed to do its work without outside 
forces and pressures intervening, and I think we demonstrated that last 
year, for instance, when every single appropriation bill was passed by 
the House and by the Senate and signed by the President before the 
expiration of the fiscal year.
  When other events intervene as they have this year, it makes it very 
difficult for the committee to do its work So this is the responsible 
thing to do. It does not cause unnecessary turmoil in the country just 
because there are strong differences on legislation before this body. 
Dick Bolling, my old mentor in the House taught me that when you do not 
have the votes you talk, and when you do have the votes you vote. So I 
would just as soon we get to the voting, as soon as the gentleman 
assures me there are no other speakers.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I have one remaining speaker and, 
otherwise, we will not ask for additional time.
  I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky 
[Mr. Rogers].

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the distinguished 
chairman of the full Committee on Appropriations for his great 
leadership in bringing about this step forward that we are making 
today, along with the help of the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], 
the distinguished ranking Democrat on the committee. These two 
gentlemen should be congratulated by the entire country for the work 
that they have done, their yeoman's work over the last several days in 
trying to avert the shutdown of the Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, shortly I will offer a technical amendment to the bill 
to assure that international broadcasting operations under the United 
States Information Agency are covered under the terms of this 
continuing resolution.
  What the amendment does is waive the provision in the 1994 
International Broadcasting Act which says that no appropriation can be 
provided unless previously authorized.
  Since there is no authorization in place, no appropriation could be 
provided for the next 43 days without this waiver, and international 
broadcasting operations would have to shut down.
  There are already waivers in the continuing resolution for all the 
programs at the State Department, the Agency for International 
Development, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and other 
programs at USIA, but it was not until last night that their lawyers 
discovered that in the 1994 Act, a requirement was inserted applying to 
international broadcasting that requires a separate waiver.
  Since then, the Director of USIA has called requesting this; the 
Office of Management and Budget says it is necessary; the chairman of 
the Committee on International Relations has requested it; and the 
ranking minority member of the committee has concurred.


                    amendment offered by mr. rogers

  Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that 
it may be considered at this point, and that the previous question be 
considered as ordered on the amendment and on the joint resolution in 
accordance with House Resolution 230.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Rogers: On page 2,  line  16,  
     after  ``1948,'',  insert  the following: ``section 313 of 
     the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 
     and 1995 (Public Law 103-236),''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment offered by 
the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Rogers].
  The amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, while I rise in support of the continuing 
resolution, I want to express my deep regret that the leadership has 
waited until 3 days prior to the end of the fiscal year to bring this 
important bill to the floor.
  For the last 2 months, the Federal Government has invested an 
enormous amount of time and effort preparing for a possible shutdown of 
Government operations beginning this weekend.
  While I am glad that this scenario will not occur, I very much regret 
the leadership's decision to allow millions of dollars to be spent in 
preparation for such a shutdown.
  In addition to the expense, this delay has caused unnecessary worry 
for Federal employees in Maryland and throughout our Nation who have 
children to feed and mortgages to pay. Some of my colleagues may have 
found it amusing rhetoric to talk about a furlough of many of our civil 
servants, but I believe it is the wrong way to treat those who have 
committed themselves to public service.
  A private company that treated its employees this way could certainly 
not expect the best and the brightest to stay on staff.
  In August I pressed for the Appropriations Committee to hold a 
hearing on a possible shutdown. While I can think of no more important 
issue for the committee to consider, we have yet to have a single 
hearing.
  On September 13, during consideration of the Treasury, Postal 
Service, General Government Appropriations Conference, I offered a 
continuing resolution to keep the Government operating after September 
30.
  At that time it was clear that the Congress would not get all of the 
appropriations measures to the President by the end of the fiscal year. 
Despite the fact that it was clear then that a crisis was imminent, 
none of the Republican house conferees supported my motion.
  My intention in offering that resolution was to ensure that no 
Federal employee would be furloughed. I am pleased that the leadership 
has accepted my contention that no employees should be laid off even if 
the House or the Senate or both bodies have made substantial cuts in 
fiscal 1996 funding.
  While I join in supporting this measure, I think we should have 
passed it several weeks ago. Federal employees should not have been 
forced to wait until today to find out when they might next get a pay 
check.
  Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
continuing resolution and to urge its swift enactment.
  This resolution, which I understand is a compromise worked out 
between the White House and the congressional Republican leadership, 
will allow the Government to continue to operate after the beginning of 
fiscal year 1996, and through November 13, 1995. This resolution will 
also mean that Federal employees will be allowed to continue to go to 
work and collect their paychecks.
  As the representative of tens of thousands of Federal employees, I 
can assure you that this resolution is welcomed news. And, although I 
support the resolution, I would like to take a minute to reflect on why 
I feel that we should really be doing more. We should be exploring 
possible options of ensuring that Federal employees are not put in the 
unenviable position of not knowing if they are going to have a job--or 
a paycheck--after October 1 every year.
  We may hear today that Federal employees are being used as ``pawns in 
the budget battle.'' While I agree that there does appear to be some 
merit to that accusation, it has always been my sense that in order to 
use a person or a group in that fashion, you must at least be aware of 
their existence.
  I am not convinced that the concerns of Federal employees are even 
being taken into account by the people who are leading the 
confrontation that may still result in furloughs. From the Republican 
leadership, we hear strong words about not backing down and allowing 
the ``train wreck'' to go forward. Yet I have not heard from one of 
these ``leaders'' about trying to help, or at least abate the impact of 
a shut down, on the people who would be most affected.
  Combine the threat of furloughs with the other proposals that have 
been floated this year which would have an adverse affect on Federal 
employees and the result is an unwarranted disrespect for the men and 
women who have chosen to work for the people of this Nation. Rather 
than place these dedicated people on a situation of constant 
uncertainty, we should be thanking them for their efforts on our behalf 
and providing them with the benefits and security that they deserve.
  There are Members, on both sides of the aisle, who have been working 
hard to try to ensure that Federal employees are not adversely affected 
by a Government-wide shut down. I have tried to contribute to these 
efforts and I certainly support them. I am hopeful that at some point 
in the very near future we will be successful and the budget problems 
that may exist between Congress and the White House do not result in 
sleepless nights and tension-filled days for Federal employees.
  It is the right, and indeed perhaps the duty, of politicians to stand 
up for what they believe in and to fight for their principles. Yet I 
would urge them to try to develop a means of ensuring that our hard-
working Federal employees are not the innocent victims of their 
convictions.
  Until that time, I urge support of the continuing resolution and hope 
that my colleagues will join me in working towards its swift enactment.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the previous question 
is ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint 
resolution, as amended.
  The joint resolution, as amended, was ordered to be engrossed and 
read a third time, and was read the third time, and passed, and a 
motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________