[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 200 (Friday, December 15, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14961-H14962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     EXTENSION OF AU PAIR PROGRAMS

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on International Relations be discharged from further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 2767) to extend au pair programs, and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kingston). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I do 
not intend to object, I am pleased that the gentleman from New York 
[Mr. Gilman] and I were able to work on this bill to extend the 
authority of USIA to run the au pair program for another 2 years, and I 
yield to the gentleman to explain the bill.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HAMILTON. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
appreciate the opportunity to bring to the floor H.R. 2767, a 2-year 
extension of the au pair program. I know this is a program of interest 
to a number of our Members, many of whom have heard from their 
constituents that have been affected by the expiration of the program. 
Through a bipartisan effort, we have cleared the way to quickly pass 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the key role that the gentleman 
from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the distinguished ranking member of the 
House Committee on International Relations, played in drafting the bill 
and moving it through the committee. I urge the support of H.R. 2767.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HAMILTON. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, with regard to this bill, I want to rise in 
support of the extension of the au pair program for 2 more years under 
the auspices of the United States Information Agency. I know that this 
is a minor issue in the context of a much more important issue with 
regard to the Government shutdown, but many Members have asked us to 
bring forward this bill.
  The program, a very successful cultural program, not only benefits 
young people wishing to learn more about the United States, but it 
benefits also a great many families throughout the country in providing 
important child care and the opportunity to learn from the au pair 
about the traditions and cultural differences in their home country.
  Now, I understand that Mr. Johnston and others have some concern over 
whether this is a family-friendly measure, with some very attractive au 
pairs coming from Scandinavian countries, particularly. I do not think 
that is a particular reason to oppose the legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that we pass this legislation today 
because it would expire otherwise. We have many families across the 
country that have been left hanging, waiting for their au pair to 
arrive, so they are trying to find temporary child care, hoping that it 
will not have a negative impact on their children. Many families, 
particularly with two parents working, are struggling to make ends meet 
and are dependent upon these au pairs. The visas cannot be issued to 
these young people until Congress passes this legislation.
  It is really not fair to them in other European allied countries that 
have tried to participate in this program months ago to have their 
visas held because of congressional inaction. They 

[[Page H14962]]
leave their jobs, they move from their apartments when they are 
accepted into the program. So I would urge my colleagues to support 
this bill to extend the au pair program and stop the uncertainty facing 
many American families.
  I understand there is greater uncertainty facing a greater number of 
families that I would hope we could deal with as well, but there is no 
reason to object to this legislation, and I would urge its 
consideration and passage.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kingston). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, let me 
inquire, do I understand this is a unanimous-consent request where you 
are asking everyone in good faith, in goodwill, to permit you to take 
up this measure to continue a statute that is about to expire; is that 
right?
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, the gentleman 
is correct. It is a unanimous-consent request because it does expire on 
the 30th of this month.
  Mr. DOGGETT. The gentleman from Maryland, just before you arose, was 
asking for the same type of good faith and goodwill with regard to the 
standard procedure in this body when we recess, giving other Members an 
opportunity to get up on special orders and have their say with 
reference to what is occurring here.
  I am wondering if we could have any more guidance as to whether, when 
we complete this measure, we will have that opportunity, if we showed 
good faith and goodwill with reference to this unanimous consent 
request, if there will be an opportunity for Members on both sides of 
the aisle to have their say this afternoon about some of the things 
that are occurring here, or whether we are to be muzzled.
  Mr. GILMAN. If the gentleman would yield, I regret that I cannot 
speak for the leadership with regard to the special orders.
  Mr. DOGGETT. You are going to inquire about that?
  Mr. GILMAN. I think the inquiry was made, and if the gentleman would 
further yield, I believe the inquiry was made and the majority leader 
said he would get back to us with the answer.
  Mr. DOGGETT. That is what I am concerned about, through he is an 
amicable fellow and a fellow Texan, I do not know what he means by 
that. He may mean never.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DOGGETT. I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my colleague from 
Texas in making a similar kind of inquiry. The normal procedure has 
been that when we do go into recess, that we all, in a bipartisan way, 
on both sides of the aisle, have the opportunity to go into special 
orders; and sometimes we have a dialog amongst all of us, and sometimes 
we just share the time. But it would seem to me that that is the 
procedure that we ought to follow here so that in fact we are not 
sitting around here doing nothing while we are waiting for the 
opportunity to come back and find out what the rest of the schedule is 
going to be, and that people in the peoples House have that opportunity 
to make know their concerns, their interests, and take this time, which 
I think we all agree is used usefully on behalf of both parties.
  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, because 
I want it crystal-clear on the record that I want special orders 
tonight. I have an hour on Bosnia; some of your Members are going to 
join me, and if you would like to form some kind of unofficial ad hoc 
committee of three, I will join you in the name of freedom of speech. I 
was in the minority for 16 years.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman who has often 
utilized that freedom of speech to provide some of the more interesting 
special orders here, and perhaps as we carry on this reservation with 
some discussion about the implications of doing this, you can get some 
indication from your leadership whether both sides will have that 
opportunity.
  Mr. DORNAN. Form an ad hoc committee. I have the key to the Speaker's 
door, and we will go down and see him.
  Mr. DOGGETT. He has never given me that key, but I invite your doing 
that, because I think there are going to be some other people that want 
to be heard on my reservation, and I cannot yield the floor on this 
point, but I think we will be here long enough to give you time to get 
some answer.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DOGGETT. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I have been listening with great 
interest to the gentleman's reservation, and I think he is making an 
excellent point, and I am pleased to see this Doggett-Dornan alliance.
  Mr. DOGGETT. It is the second time this week, although Mr. Dornan may 
not know it.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, since you have to stay here, I would 
hope that maybe Mr. Dornan would take his key and go find his 
leadership. I do not think anyone over here has a key, but if he could 
go find his leadership, that would be very, very helpful. Maybe he can 
come back and a lot of us can keep talking about how bad it is that we 
are constantly gagged over here, and one more time, we are going to be 
gagged if the gentleman from California cannot find them.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, regular order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Regular order is demanded.
  Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York?
  Mr. DOGGETT. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members can no longer reserve the right to 
object on the request for regular order.
  Members must object or not object.


                         parliamentary inquiry

  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. DOGGETT. In that regard then, if I am no longer able to do my 
reservation and I make objection at this time, will the gentleman be 
able to make his unanimous consent request again later in the day?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair can entertain that request later 
if the gentleman is withdrawing his reservation.
  Mr. DOGGETT. No; I am not withdrawing. I am going to make an 
objection, if that is the case.
  I object, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard.

                              {time}  1500


                         parliamentary inquiry

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kingston). The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. BENTSEN. Under the rules of the House, is only one Member allowed 
to reserve the right to object to a unanimous-consent request?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Any Member may demand regular order. At that 
point, the Chair must put the unanimous-consent request to the office 
immediately.
  Mr. BENTSEN. So a demand for regular order is superior to a 
reservation of a right to object?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is correct.
  The gentleman from Texas has objected.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I have a unanimous-consent request.

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