[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10644-H10645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mrs. KENNELLY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished majority 
leader, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey].
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the House has 
finished its work for the week. We will next meet for legislative 
business on Tuesday, September 24, at 10:30 a.m. for morning hour and 
noon for legislative business. Votes will be held after 5 p.m. on 
Tuesday, September 24.
  Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday we hope to consider the following measures: 
Correction day bill H.R. 3153, the Small Business Transport Correction 
Advancement Act; Correction Day bill H.R. 2988, a bill regarding 
traffic signal synchronization; a bill to permit same day consideration 
of rules and to allow suspensions on days other than Monday and 
Tuesday; and H.R. 3666, the VA/HUD appropriations conference report.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will also take up a number of bills under 
suspension of the rules, a list of which will be distributed to 
Members' offices tomorrow afternoon.
  For Wednesday, September 25 and the balance of the week, we hope to 
have a number of conference reports ready. Among the possibilities are 
H.R. 3540, the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act; H.R. 3259, the 
Intelligence Authorization Act; H.R. 2202, the Immigration in the 
National Interest Act; and H.R. 3005, the Securities Amendments of 
1996.
  The House may also consider a fiscal year 1997 omnibus appropriations 
bill next week.
  Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of the 104th Congress, we brace 
ourselves for our usual hectic pace. We expect that a number of other 
measures, both from the other body and from our own committees, may 
become available. Of course, we will keep Members apprised throughout 
the week of what might be brought under consideration.
  As previously announced, we hope to conclude legislative business and 
adjourn the 104th Congress sine die on Friday, September 27.
  Mr. Speaker, if I might just add, call me optimistic but it is still 
our hope that we may be able to conclude by that day and that is the 
target for which we shoot.
  I thank the gentlewoman.
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, should I take from the gentleman's last 
remarks that Members should not prepare to stay through the weekend 
next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman will continue to yield, as 
I said to my conference yesterday, we are at sine die. These are the 
end times and there are times of great tribulation. I think the prudent 
Member might be prepared to work not only Friday but possibly even 
Saturday next week as we try to clean up the year's final days of 
business. Again, I think it is always useful to speak in the most 
optimistic terms, but also to be prepared for the possibility delays 
keeping us either late Friday night or even into Saturday.
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, last week in this very same exchange, in 
this forum, Mr. Fazio asked you if you might schedule a vote so that we 
in the House could proclaim our support of the troops in the Iraq 
situation. The Senate took such a vote on September 5. I wonder, is 
there any possibility that we might schedule a vote so we, too, could 
share our support in this House for the troops that are in the Iraq 
situation?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman will continue to yield, I 
thank the gentlewoman for her inquiry.
  If I might just also make a point, if I may just digress for a 
moment, as I talked about our concerns and hopes with respect to the 
27th and/or the 28th, we should also recognize it is altogether 
possible we would perhaps have to work the following week. Nothing is 
settled until it is settled.
  With respect to the kind of resolution that the gentlewoman has asked 
about, I have at this point not had any member of any committee, any 
chairman, approach me with any resolution and any inquiry with respect 
to placing it on the schedule.
  Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I think what I would hope is that maybe 
we could just take up the Senate bill.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the suggestion, 
and I will take it under consideration.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. KENNELLY. I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman knows, having been here in 
the last Congress, we did not do the martial law resolution which we 
will be doing for this Congress. I do not have any great reservations 
about it because we used it many times before and I can understand in 
the closing days you use it.
  But there is one part of this one that I have some serious problems 
with. I would like some assurances that perhaps we could get, depending 
on the circumstances, perhaps a little more notice. It says in here, 
``shall be in order for a time for the remainder of the second session 
for the Speaker to entertain motions to suspend the rules, provided 
that the object of a motion is announced from the floor at least 1 hour 
before the motion is offered.''
  Now, my concern about this is, let us say that we are in a recess, 
and as you know, there will be days toward the end when we will be in 
suspended recess, maybe for several hours. I would hope that we would 
make sure that Members have an opportunity, if a bill is brought up 
through a suspension, which it can be at any time, that at least we 
have an opportunity, knowing that it is going to be brought at a 
certain time, we have an opportunity to examine the bill, look at it, 
have our staff look at it so that we can appraise it before we vote. 
That is my biggest concern, not that you have the right to do the 
suspension but that Members could have sufficient time to be prepared 
to vote on it.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman makes an important 
point and a point that I am in agreement with.
  Let me just say, one, I would hope that we would not even need to use 
this authority from the Committee on Rules. Should it become necessary, 
I think again a primary consideration must be the orderly functioning 
of the body, and in due respect for the needs of the minority and all 
Members to be informed as timely as possible for any action pending. I 
will pledge to the gentleman my personal commitment to do that to the 
very utmost of my ability.
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. KENNELLY. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, this last weekend the Speaker said he 
had no objection to a bill that some of us have offered, that passed 
unanimously in the Senate and the President said he would sign. I was 
wondering if there was any way we could get that to the floor in the 
last week. That is the bill that would expand the Brady bill so that 
people who have been convicted of domestic violence offenses could not 
be able to purchase a gun. I was really pleased to hear the Speaker say 
he did

[[Page H10645]]

not have an objection to it, and was wondering, since it appears to 
have been cleared and so noncontroversial, could we get it out and 
could we get it passed?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for that inquiry. Let 
me say, that is on a long list of bills that I hope to pour over, and 
perhaps we will be able to do so even this afternoon. But at this point 
I cannot make any comment on that, if for no other reason, out of 
respect for the other bills that I think Members want. I think it is 
fair for everybody to know that they had a fair look-see along with the 
rest.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to inquire about the 
suffragettes who are still in the basement of the rotunda, who have 
been down there since 1921. I understand that the funding has now been 
procured privately to raise them up to the first, to the main floor 
where they are supposed to be. Again, the Senate I guess has 
unanimously passed this. Would there be any way we could free those 
women, who have been relegated to the basement since 1921, before we 
could go home? Do you think we could work that in?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her compelling 
expression of concern. It would be very difficult for me to do anything 
but commit to, with all haste, find out more about this situation. I 
should suspect that perhaps I could begin by checking with the House 
administration committee, and I will look into it.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

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