[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H12179-H12180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I take this time to proceed out of order for 
the purposes of asking something about the scheduling with the 
gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Hastert], and the gentleman from New York 
[Mr. Solomon].
  Mr. Speaker, because the chairman of the Committee on Rules is on the 
floor and Mr. Hastert, another one of the leaders on your side of the 
aisle, I am very concerned that the Senate apparently has not yet 
passed the omnibus appropriation bill, or the CR, whatever we are 
calling the vehicle we are using to fund the balance of Government. The 
concern obviously is, as the chairman knows, the fiscal year ends in 
essentially 9 hours 45 minutes.
  Can the gentlemen sort of enlighten us as to where the Senate might 
stand, what are the prospects of making sure we pass something by 
tonight, so that we do not put the Federal employees and the Federal 
Government to the test of shutting down and opening up?
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, let me say to 
the distinguished gentleman from Maryland, who is a strong defender of 
the Federal employees of this country, as well he should be, because 99 
percent of them are good, loyal Americans and hard working people, and 
he should be concerned.
  Let me just say I was about to pose the same question to him. As the 
gentleman knows, we constructed an unusual rule, an innovative rule, 
which sent over to the other body not only the omnibus appropriation 
conference report, taking care of all of the unfinished appropriation 
business, but at the urging of the other side of the aisle, the 
gentleman's side, we also sent a freestanding bill consisting of the 
exact language.
  The reason for that was that there were Members that wanted to offer 
some amendments. As I understand it, and I talked to Mr. Lott not too 
long ago, they are going to pursue that out of courtesy and fairness to 
the Democrat side of the aisle. Should any of those amendments I guess 
be enacted, I think they would pull that freestanding bill and then 
pass the conference report well before midnight tonight.
  How long it is going to take to go through this amendment process, I 
do not know. In the meantime, as the gentleman knows, there are a 
number of other unfinished matters. Some are terribly important to some 
Members. We are operating under a unanimous-consent rule now. Those are 
being negotiated.
  To answer the gentleman's question, I feel confident from my 
conversations with the other body that they are going to act on the 
final conference report before midnight tonight, which would solve the 
concerns of the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his answer. 
Obviously I think all of us believe that

[[Page H12180]]

ought to occur, and hopefully it will occur. I am pleased that the 
focus is on that so that we do not pass this deadline.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Why do not you and I just kind of lurk through the halls 
and kind of give them a little push and make sure it happens.
  Mr. HOYER. I am sure they will look forward to that.

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