[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H11981-H11982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2546, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2546) making appropriations for the 
government of the District of Columbia and other activities chargeable 
in whole or in part against the revenues of said District for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes, with a 
Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree 
to the conference asked by the Senate.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gillmor). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.


                motion to instruct offered by mr. dixon

  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Dixon moves that in resolving the differences between 
     the House and Senate, the managers of the part of the House 
     at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the 

[[Page H 11982]]
     two Houses on the bill, H.R. 2546, be instructed to insist on the House 
     position relating to technical corrections to the Financial 
     Responsibility and Management Assistance Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California [Mr. Dixon] 
will be recognized for 30 minutes, and the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Walsh] will be recognized for 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California [Mr. Dixon].
  (Mr. DIXON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, this motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 
2546, the Fiscal Year 1996 District of Columbia Appropriations Act, is 
very straightforward. This motion would simply instruct the House 
conferees to insist on the House position related to technical 
corrections to the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and 
Management Assistance Act, Public Law 104-8.
  When the House considered the District of Columbia appropriations 
bill, the House unanimously adopted an amendment from the distinguished 
gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Davis, making technical, but important, 
changes to the enabling statute for the District's financial control 
board. These changes would correct several inadvertent errors made in 
the original statute enacted in April 1995, and carry out the original 
intent of Public Law 104-8.
  These provisions were not included in the Senate version of the bill, 
but should be adopted by the conference committee.
  These provisions will strengthen the hand of the financial oversight 
board in dealing with the district. I urge the adoption of this motion 
to instruct.
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no objection to the motion. I support the motion.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois [Mr. Durbin].
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, those who are following the budget debate in 
Washington may be aware that we are coming upon some deadlines, 
important deadlines for every American family. Next week there will be 
a deadline on funding the Federal Government. If this Congress fails to 
pass a continuing resolution which is signed by President Clinton, then 
in fact many offices of the Federal Government will close. For many 
American families, the veterans seeking to sign up at the Veterans 
Administration, those seeking to sign up for Social Security, small 
businesses looking for help from the SBA, they will place the phone 
call, no one will answer, and the lights will be out.
  There is another deadline coming up soon. It is called the debt-
ceiling extension, which most Americans are not aware of. It is, in 
fact, the authorization by this Congress to the Federal Treasury to 
continue to borrow, to extend the full faith and credit of the United 
States. If we fail to make that extension, then in fact we will default 
for the first time in our history, the first time in U.S. history, and 
that default, of course, will ripple across the economy as it raises 
interest rates and raises the cost of home mortgages.
  There are the doomsday scenarios, the train wrecks, the gridlocks 
that we hear so much about as part of the strategy from the Republican 
side of the aisle.
  Speaker Gingrich has said repeatedly when it comes to dealing with 
President Clinton on the budget, ``I will cooperate, but I will not 
compromise.'' Let me tell my colleagues this:
  For us to sit by and watch the Federal Government shut down or to 
default on this debt is a total abdication of responsibility, and that 
is why I am supporting a provision which says no budget, no pay. It is 
in the Senate version of this bill. I will be pushing for it in the 
conference committee. What it says is simply this:
  If Congress fails to keep the agencies of Government open, if we 
default on the national debt because of the negligence of this 
Congress, Members of Congress will not be paid for those days.
  Now I know that is tough medicine. A lot of my colleagues are 
murmuring about me, and they will not talk to me in the hallways. That 
is OK. I think the bottom line is Democrats and Republicans were sent 
here to solve problems on a bipartisan basis, not to preside over a 
train wreck or any gridlock.
  Mr. Speaker, I will be pushing for this no budget, no pay in 
conference.
  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise just briefly to respond. I think that certainly 
our party has reached out to work with the administration to try to 
preclude any of the train-wreck scenarios the gentleman from Illinois 
[Mr. Durbin] has talked about, and our leadership has gone out of its 
way to try to resolve these issues, they need to be resolved, but at 
the same time we are very concerned about getting our budget in balance 
for the first time in a long, long time. Raising the debt ceiling for 
the Federal Government is an important issue, and I think it is 
important that both sides work together to try to resolve it so that we 
can, while we are going to increase our ability to borrow money to pay 
the debt, we need to talk seriously about getting our budget in 
balance. So I ask that first of all we support this motion.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct 
offered by the gentleman from California [Mr. Dixon].
  The motion to instruct was agreed to.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the Chair appoints the 
following conferees: Mesrrs. Walsh, Bonilla, Kingston, Frelinghuysen, 
Neumann, Livingston, Dixon, Durbin, Ms. Kaptur, and Mr. Obey.
  There was no objection.

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