[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 178 (Friday, November 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12124-H12125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would be pleased to yield to 
the distinguished majority leader for the purposes of apprising the 
House on the schedule for next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday, November 13, the House will meet at 12:30 
p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business.
  We plan to consider 11 bills under suspension of the rules. I won't 
read through the long list now, but a list of those suspensions will be 
distributed to Members' offices today and will appear in the Record.
  The suspensions are as follows:
  H.R. 2527, permitting electronic filing and preservation of Federal 
Election Commission reports;
  H.R. 2204, the Defense Production Act;
  H.R. 924, prohibition on certain transfers of national forest lands;
  H.R. 657, extending Federal Power Act deadline for construction of 
three Arkansas hydroelectric projects;
  H.R. 680, extending the time for construction of certain FERC 
licensed hydro projects;
  H.R. 1011, extending Federal Power Act deadline for construction of 
an Ohio hydroelectric project;
  H.R. 1014, authorizing extension of time limitation for a FERC-issued 
hydroelectric license;
  H.R. 1051, providing for extension of certain West Virginia 
hydroelectric projets;
  H.R. 1290, reinstating the permit and extending the Federal Power Act 
deadline for the construction of an Oregon hydroelectric project;
  H.R. 1335, providing for the extension of a West Virginia 
hydroelectric project; and
  H.R. 1366, authorizing the extension of time limitation for the FERC-
issued; hydroelectric license for the Mount Hope waterpower project.
  Members should be advised that any recorded votes ordered on the 
suspensions will be postponed until 5 p.m. Monday.
  On Tuesday, November 14, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for morning 
hour and 10 a.m. for legislative business. We will first take up two 
bills on the Corrections Day Calendar:
  H.R. 2366, a bill to repeal an unnecessary medical device reporting 
requirement; and
  S. 790, the Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995.
  After consideration of the corrections day bills and for the balance 
of the week, the House will take up the following bills, all of which 
will be considered under rules:
  H.R. 2539, the ICC Elimination Act;
  H.R. 1058, the Securities Litigation Reform conference report;
  H.R. 2126, the fiscal year 1996 Department of Defense appropriations 
conference report;

[[Page H 12125]]

  H.R. 1977, the fiscal year 1996 Department of the Interior 
appropriations conference report;
  H.R. 2564, the Lobbyist Disclosure Reform Act;
  House Resolution 250, the Congressional Gift Reform Act; and
  H.R. 2491, the Seven-Year Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995.
  Of course, Members should keep in mind that additional conference 
reports may be brought to the floor at any time.
  Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, November 16, it is our hope to finish 
business on the budget reconciliation and recess for the Thanksgiving 
district work period until Tuesday, November 28. However, Members 
should keep their schedules flexible toward the end of next week as we 
may have to continue work on the important business of balancing the 
budget.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for going through 
that schedule.
  Mr. Leader, when the President vetoes the CR, what do you plan to do 
on Monday to preclude the Government from shutting down on Tuesday?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments.
  As the gentleman knows, we have taken action on the continuing 
resolution. The Senate will consider that action. We should have action 
completed on the CR in ample time for the President to sign the bill in 
order to prevent any shutdown of the Government. Of course, we have 
every expectation that the President will do so.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Leader, as the lawyers would say, assuming for 
argument's sake. I will not use the Latin, but----
  Mr. ARMEY. I may dare say, the gentleman may find an argument without 
assuming it, the way things have been going today, but we will try not 
to.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Leader, very seriously, we have been debating pretty 
hotly the question of whether or not the CR, in fact, will do what we 
want to do, I think most of us want to do, and that is keep the 
Government open.
  In point of fact, it has to go to the Senate. The Senate has gone 
home; the Senate is not here, because we changed it over here. 
Presumably, they therefore cannot act on it until Monday morning. 
Presumably, from what the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston] 
said, and I think the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon] also said, 
the Senate is going to take the amended CR, so they will send it to the 
President.
  The President has said, without question, he is going to veto the CR 
as it stands now with the Medicaid premium increase.
  My question, therefore, is assuming that that happens, and assuming 
that we do not want to shut down the Government, you have not indicated 
on there a timeframe in which we might continue to pass another CR 
which would provide for the Government's operation on Tuesday, November 
13. Is there such a contingency plan?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his inquiry.
  I had not understood that the President had stipulated that he would 
require to find Medicaid payment increases in the bill as a reason for 
his veto. Since there will be none found in the bill, I remain 
confident that the President will sign it and we will have no problems 
to deal with.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Leader, I understand that we can be rhetorically cute 
with one another, and I think probably both of us could be reasonably 
good at that, but the fact of the matter is, I think it would be 
irresponsible for us, Mr. Leader, not to provide a contingency for this 
House to consider the possibility at the very least that we will have 
to act again on Monday on this legislation.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I will try to be 
clear.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman addresses his question to 
me, I can tell the gentleman I have no reason to expect the President 
to veto the bill. I see no reason for me to speculate about what would 
be the behavior I would make with respect to a veto that has not been 
taken.
  If the President should veto the bill, at that time we will make what 
preparation is necessary to deal with the President's veto, but the 
President has not vetoed the bill. I personally will assure the 
gentleman from Maryland that I have no expectation that the President 
will veto the bill. However, if he should, we will deal with his veto 
as we do in response to the President's veto message, which I expect 
perhaps in this case might tell us why he vetoes the bill, and I am 
sure we can respond.
  Mr. HOYER. I am sure it will.
  Mr. Speaker, if I could ask the gentleman, the gentleman indicates 
that the 7-year Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act of 1995, H.R. 2491, 
will be considered next week. Our conferees have not heard anything 
about a conference. Could you apprise us on this side of the aisle when 
a conference might occur on this legislation?
  Mr. ARMEY. I would encourage your conferees to get in touch with the 
conference, and I am sure that they will have an opportunity to work on 
the material before we report the conference report to the floor.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. HOYER. I thank the leader for that comment.
  Frankly our conferees have been looking for the conference and have 
been unable to find it. Can the gentleman tell us where it is?
  Mr. ARMEY. I do appreciate the gentleman's difficulty. The 
gentleman's difficulty is understandable in that the Senate has not yet 
been able to appoint conferees pursuant to the threat of a filibuster 
by the minority in the Senate. We, of course, hope that that progress 
will be made and then the conference can be found.
  Mr. HOYER. Is the scheduling of that bill contingent, I presume, on 
the fact that they will have a conference? We would not bring it to the 
floor without a conference?
  Mr. ARMEY. We would, of course, remain optimistic as we do with 
respect to actions we expect from the gentlepersons from the other side 
of the building.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, all of us are concerned about what is going 
to happen next Thursday. Does the gentleman expect to get out next 
Thursday pursuant to the schedule?
  Mr. ARMEY. Yes, I do. But of course I have learned over my 10 years 
here to be flexible in my expectations regarding when I will get out 
when we are in the end times.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, two additional questions. We dropped the 
Istook amendment today by motion of the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. 
Livingston].
  In light of the fact that was the only thing holding up the Treasury-
Postal bill, is it the gentleman's expectation the Treasury-Postal bill 
might move next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. I am very anxious to get together with the conferees and 
see what they can work out.
  Mr. HOYER. With respect to the Interior appropriation bill, does the 
gentleman have any information for us on that?
  Mr. ARMEY. We are, of course, hopeful that that, too, will be worked 
out next week. The conferees are working on these bills.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Dreier). The Chair wishes to inform the 
gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] that his 1 minute is rapidly 
expiring.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman. I will keep close watch on the 
clock.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I have a very brief but I think important 
question to the gentleman. In a moment it is my understanding we will 
have an opportunity to vote for or against a motion to adjourn.
  If that motion passes, is it my understanding that this House will be 
in recess the rest of Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, all day 
Sunday, and that this House will not go back into session until less 
than 12 hours before the Federal Government goes in default; is that 
correct?
  Mr. HOYER. In answer to the gentleman's question, as I understand 
what the majority leader has said, there will be no votes expected 
until 5 on Monday. So it will be 7 hours before we shut down 
Government.



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