[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 15 (Monday, February 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NO DESSERT UNTIL WE CLEAN OUR PLATES

                                 ______


                         HON. RICHARD J. DURBIN

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 1, 1996

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, until we have taken care of spending bills 
for the rest of government operations, we have no business taking care 
of ourselves. Today, along with my colleagues, Representatives Morella, 
Davis, and Luther, I am introducing a resolution to postpone final 
action on Legislative Branch appropriations for any fiscal year until 
all other regular appropriations for that fiscal year have been enacted 
into law.
  The resolution adds new points of order under three House Rules. 
These would preclude final action on the regular Legislative Branch 
appropriations bill, if all other regular appropriations bills for the 
fiscal year have not been enacted into law. Similarly, a continuing 
resolution could not contain Legislative Branch appropriations unless 
it also included continuing appropriations for the same period for all 
other regular appropriations bills for the fiscal year that have not 
yet been enacted into law.
  Basically, this means, for Legislative Branch appropriations, there 
could be no final action on conference reports, no motions on Senate 
amendments, and no action on continuing resolutions if we have not 
first, or concurrently, provided appropriations for the other twelve 
regular appropriations. This resolution would ensure that the 
Legislative Branch is last in line for appropriations in the future.
  The concept is elementary--no dessert until we clean our plates.
  Last September, Congress made the mistake of trying to fully fund the 
Legislative Branch bill for fiscal year 1996 before taking care of 
nearly every other appropriations bill. And it backfired. The 
Legislative Branch spending bill was vetoed the first time around--not 
because of its content, but because of its timing.
  Even after a Legislative Branch appropriations bill was enacted, many 
regular appropriations bills remained in limbo. As a result, the second 
Government shutdown did not affect Congressional operations.
  We should never again leave major portions of the Government hanging, 
with ourselves high and dry. We should never again play with the lives 
of innocent Federal employees and disrupt the operations of Government 
unless we are willing to risk our own time, our own staff, and our own 
operations. We should never again enjoy our dessert while our main 
course remains on the table before us.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this resolution to 
make sure that before we ever fund ourselves again, we have first met 
our obligation to take care of the rest of our Government operations 
and the public we are here to serve.

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