[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14796-H14798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
    WAIVING THE PROVISIONS OF CLAUSE 4(b) OF HOUSE RULE XI AGAINST 
  CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN RESOLUTIONS REPORTED FROM THE COMMITTEE ON 
                                 RULES

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 297 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 297

       Resolved, That the requirement of clause 4(b) of rule XI 
     for a two-thirds vote to consider a report from the Committee 
     on Rules on the same day it is presented to the House is 
     waived with respect to any resolution reported from that 
     committee for the remainder of the first session of the One 
     Hundred Fourth congress providing the territory of the 
     Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, any amendment thereto, 
     any conference report thereon, or any amendment reported in 
     disagreement from a conference thereon.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The gentleman from New York 
[Mr. Solomon] is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Moakley], 
I know he is going to support this rule which will get all of our 
Members home by Christmas, pending which I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, during the consideration of the resolution, all time 
yielded, of course, is for debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, this rule is similar to rules we granted prior to the 
Thanksgiving recess for the consideration of general appropriations 
bills, continuing appropriations resolutions, the debt limit bill, and 
the Balance Budget Act.
  In this instance, we would be waiving clause 4(b) of rule XI, which 
requires a two-thirds vote for the same day consideration of special 
rules reported from this committee, for rules that deal with bills, 
resolutions, amendments, and conference reports dealing with five 
separate matters:
  First, general appropriations bills; second, continuing 
appropriations measures; third, debt limit measures; fourth, the 
Balanced Budget Act; and fifth, measures relating to United States 
troops in Bosnia.
  At the request of the minority leadership, we have dropped two 
provisions from an earlier draft that would have waived the layover 
requirement for all conference reports and created special suspension 
days on days other than Mondays and Tuesdays.
  As Members may be aware, there is already a standing House rule that 
permits the same day consideration of special rules for any matter 
during the last 3 days of a session. But that rule is not activated 
until we have adopted a 

[[Page H14797]]
sine die adjournment resolution since that is the only way we can 
determine with certainly which are the final days of a session.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to refer to this rule as the ``family 
friendly, holiday get-away rule'' since we are attempting to expedite 
the business of this House so that Members can return as soon as 
possible to their districts and families for their holiday 
celebrations.
  We still have several appropriations matters to complete action on as 
well as the Balanced Budget Act which is now the subject of 
negotiations between the Congress and the White House.
  The expedited consideration of a possible rule relating to the 
deployment of United States troops in Bosnia was included in this rule. 
We anticipate bringing such a rule to the floor today that will make in 
order up to three measures on Bosnia. This rule permits those measures 
to be considered today.
  The Senate is considering three different measures as well today. It 
is important that both Houses act today since tomorrow is the signing 
of the Paris peace agreement in Paris.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the minority on the 
Rules Committee expressed the hope that there would be ample time 
available to see any emergency matters that we do the same-day rules on 
so that Members can study them before voting--both on the rules and the 
bills they make in order. We think that is a reasonable request and 
will do all in our power to see that this emergency authority is not 
abused.
  With that assurance, Mr. Speaker, this rule was adopted by unanimous 
voice vote in the Rules Committee. I urge that the House follow suit by 
adopting this rule to permit us to get on with out business in an 
expeditious fashion.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New York for yielding me the 
customary half hour and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to this rule.
  I am sorry we have to do this rule in the first place. I am sorry my 
Republican colleagues have not finished the appropriations bills. I am 
sorry that they spent so much time on the contract on America instead 
of on the business of the House that the Federal Government actually 
shut down for 6 days.
  But as Walter Cronkite used to say, ``That's the way it is.'' It is 
the middle of December and five appropriations bills still have not 
even gotten to the President.
  Those appropriations bills are probably Congress' most serious 
responsibility and I am certainly willing to help my Republican 
colleagues get them done. But Mr. Speaker, this rule is far too 
dangerous in fact it is already being misused.
  I have just been told that the Rules Committee will be meeting this 
afternoon to consider a very serious, very far-reaching profound Bosnia 
resolution that very few people have seen.
  Mr. Speaker, we are talking about American lives. We are talking 
about American national security. We are talking about an awesome 
responsibility, the responsibility to authorize the President to commit 
our troops to the peacekeeping effort in Bosnia. This responsibility 
absolutely must be borne with the gravity and solemn consideration it 
deserves.
  But, Mr. Speaker, the legislation that Members will be asked to vote 
on, later today, legislation to give the President this authority, has 
just been written. Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely inexcusable.
  And, Mr. Speaker, to make matters worse, the reason we are doing this 
rule is simply because my Republican colleagues are disastrously behind 
in the appropriations cycle. This work needs to get done and it needs 
to get done now. In fact it needed to get done 3 months ago. But not at 
this price.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this dangerous rule. For 
matters of this importance, thoughtful, responsible legislating should 
take precedence over speed.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to come over and vote for 
this very fair rule.
  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 SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present, and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
  The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 230, 
nays 186, not voting 16, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 851]

                               YEAS--230

     Allard
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baker (CA)
     Baker (LA)
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Bereuter
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bliley
     Blute
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Brownback
     Bryant (TN)
     Bunn
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Canady
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Chrysler
     Clinger
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins (GA)
     Combest
     Condit
     Cooley
     Cox
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cremeans
     Cubin
     Cunningham
     Davis
     de la Garza
     Deal
     DeLay
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Doolittle
     Dornan
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     English
     Ensign
     Everett
     Ewing
     Fawell
     Fields (TX)
     Flanagan
     Foley
     Forbes
     Fowler
     Fox
     Franks (CT)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frisa
     Funderburk
     Ganske
     Gekas
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Greenwood
     Gunderson
     Gutknecht
     Hall (TX)
     Hancock
     Hansen
     Hastert
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Heineman
     Herger
     Hilleary
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Hoke
     Horn
     Houghton
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kim
     King
     Kingston
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     LaHood
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Laughlin
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Lightfoot
     Linder
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Longley
     Lucas
     Manzullo
     Martini
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McHugh
     McIntosh
     McKeon
     Metcalf
     Meyers
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Molinari
     Montgomery
     Moorhead
     Morella
     Myers
     Myrick
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oxley
     Packard
     Parker
     Paxon
     Petri
     Pombo
     Porter
     Portman
     Pryce
     Quillen
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Ramstad
     Regula
     Riggs
     Roberts
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roth
     Roukema
     Royce
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaefer
     Seastrand
     Sensenbrenner
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shays
     Shuster
     Skeen
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stump
     Talent
     Tate
     Tauzin
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas
     Thornberry
     Tiahrt
     Torkildsen
     Traficant
     Upton
     Vucanovich
     Waldholtz
     Walker
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Watts (OK)
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Wicker
     Wolf
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Zeliff
     Zimmer

                               NAYS--186

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Andrews
     Baesler
     Baldacci
     Barcia
     Barrett (WI)
     Becerra
     Beilenson
     Bentsen
     Berman
     Bevill
     Bishop
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boucher
     Brewster
     Browder
     Brown (CA)
     Brown (FL)
     Bryant (TX)
     Cardin
     Chapman
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coleman
     Collins (IL)
     Collins (MI)
     Conyers
     Costello
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Danner
     DeFazio
     DeLauro
     Dellums
     Deutsch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doyle
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Evans
     Farr
     Fattah
     Fazio
     Fields (LA)
     Filner
     Flake
     Foglietta
     Ford
     Frank (MA)
     Frost
     Furse
     Gejdenson
     Gephardt
     Geren
     Gibbons
     Gonzalez
     Green
     Gutierrez
     Hall (OH)
     Hamilton
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Hefner
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Holden
     Hoyer
     Jackson-Lee
     Jacobs
     Jefferson
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kleczka
     Klink
     LaFalce
     Lantos
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lincoln
     Lipinski
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Luther
     Maloney
     Manton 
     
[[Page H14798]]

     Markey
     Martinez
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McDermott
     McHale
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek
     Menendez
     Miller (CA)
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Moran
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Neal
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Orton
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pastor
     Payne (NJ)
     Payne (VA)
     Pelosi
     Peterson (FL)
     Peterson (MN)
     Pickett
     Pomeroy
     Poshard
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reed
     Richardson
     Rivers
     Roemer
     Rose
     Roybal-Allard
     Rush
     Sabo
     Sanders
     Sawyer
     Schroeder
     Schumer
     Scott
     Serrano
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Spratt
     Stark
     Stokes
     Studds
     Stupak
     Tanner
     Taylor (MS)
     Tejeda
     Thompson
     Thornton
     Thurman
     Torres
     Torricelli
     Towns
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Volkmer
     Ward
     Waters
     Watt (NC)
     Waxman
     Williams
     Wise
     Woolsey
     Wyden
     Wynn
     Yates

                             NOT VOTING--16

     Ballenger
     Brown (OH)
     Franks (NJ)
     Gallegly
     Hayes
     Hostettler
     Johnston
     McInnis
     Mfume
     Schiff
     Stockman
     Tucker
     Velazquez
     White
     Whitfield
     Wilson

                              {time}  1317

  Mr. DIXON and Mr. McNULTY changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________