[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 50 (Thursday, April 18, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. BONIOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to inquire of the distinguished 
majority leader of the schedule for the remainder of the week and for 
next week.
  I yield to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], majority leader.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, before I announce the program for next week, I would 
like to take a moment and inform the body that the distinguished 
chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary has just completed work on a 
very, very important piece of legislation on the day of his birthday. I 
think it would behoove us all to congratulate Chairman Hyde on his 49th 
birthday.
  Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, I do appreciate 
the gentleman's indulgence with me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to announce that we have now concluded our 
legislative business for the week. There will be no votes on Monday, 
April 22. On Tuesday, April 23, the House will meet at 12:30 p.m. for 
morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business.
  Members should be advised, Mr. Speaker, that we do not expect any 
recorded votes before 5 p.m. on Tuesday next. As our first order of 
business on Tuesday, the House will consider two bills on the 
Corrections Day Calendar: H.R. 3049, to provide for the continuity of 
the Board of Trustees of the Institute of American Indian and Alaska 
Native Culture and Arts Development; and H.R. 3055, to permit continued 
participation by historically black graduate professional schools in 
the Grant Program.
  After the corrections bills, we will then take up seven bills under 
suspension of the rules. I will not read the list now. I believe the 
gentleman has a copy before him, but a list of suspensions will be 
distributed to all Members' offices this afternoon.
  After consideration of the suspensions on Tuesday, the House will 
dispose of the President's veto message for H.R. 1561, the American 
Overseas Interests Act of 1995.
  On Wednesday, April 24, and Thursday, April 25, the House will take 
up the following items, all of which will be subject to rules: The 
conference report for H.R. 3019, the fiscal year 1996 omnibus 
appropriations conference report; H.R. 2715, the Paperwork Elimination 
Act of 1995; and H.R. 1675, the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement 
Act of 1995.
  We should finish business and have Members on their way home to their 
families by 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the gentleman from Texas 
a couple of points, if he would indulge me in a few questions.
  The gentleman mentioned in his remarks that after consideration of 
the suspensions on Tuesday, the House will dispose of the President's 
veto message basically on the State Department Authorization Act. Will 
we vote on the veto override on Tuesday?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, yes, we will.
  Mr. BONIOR. So this is not just a matter of sending it back to 
committee.
  Mr. ARMEY. No, there will be a recorded vote.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank my colleague for that.
  Mr. Speaker, can my friend from Texas, in light of what happened 
before we adjourned here for the Easter Passover recess, when the Chair 
was in error with respect to the motion on the previous question with 
respect to the minimum wage, can the gentleman assure our side that we 
will have an opportunity to vote on the issue of the minimum wage in 
the near future?

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, I 
was just asked by one of my colleagues a moment ago why is it the 
minority did not raise the minimum wage last year when they had the 
majority in the House and they had the majority in the Senate and they 
had the White House? Mr. Speaker, I suspect the reason is they read 
page 27 of Time magazine on February 6, 1995, where the President was 
quoted as saying that raising the minimum wage is, and I quote, ``the 
wrong way to raise the incomes of the low wage workers.'' Perhaps they 
did not dispute the President at that time.
  Mr. Speaker, I will say to the gentleman, I know of no consideration 
being given to this subject in any committee of jurisdiction of the 
House at this time. Consequently, I would see no basis by which I would 
anticipate a bill being reported out and a request being made to 
schedule floor time.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would say to my friend from Texas that his 
comments remind me of the comments that he made originally at the 
beginning of the session when he said, and I believe this is a direct 
quote, that he would fight the minimum wage with every fiber in his 
body. And the Speaker had said yesterday, at least according to the 
paper reports this morning, that the Republicans would not be able to 
duck, the word ``duck'' was used in many of the accounts in the papers 
this morning, this issue any further.
  So I was just trying to find out how we could reconcile those two 
concerns and whether or not the people in this country who are choosing 
work over welfare and trying to raise a family on less than $8,500 a 
year, can they expect any type of relief yet?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I again will tell the gentleman that I know 
of no committee of this body that has jurisdiction on this subject that 
is considering any legislation on this subject. Obviously, I would have 
no basis to anticipate any committee reporting legislation or 
requesting floor time for consideration of such legislation.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, the only other comment I have on this 
subject, I would tell my friend from Texas that 70 percent of the bills 
that have come to this floor this year have not gone through committee. 
They have come right our of the Committee on Rules. So we hope and pray 
that in the near future those folks who are working hard and have 
children and are working for $8,500 a year will be able to get the 
break they deserve.
  One other question on the budget resolution, Mr. Speaker. Should we 
be finished with the budget resolution this week as the schedule calls 
for and the budget calendar for the year?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. If the 
gentleman will continue to yield, I am told by the Committee on the 
Budget that they expect to be prepared to report a budget to the floor 
the week following next.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague.

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