[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1802-H1803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1275, CIVILIAN SPACE AUTHORIZATION 
                    ACT, FISCAL YEARS 1998 AND 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 128 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 128

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 1(b) of rule 
     XXIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 1275) to authorize appropriations for the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal 
     years 1998 and 1999, and for other purposes. The first 
     reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. Points of order 
     against consideration of the bill for failure to comply with 
     clause 2(l)(6) of rule XI are waived. General debate shall be 
     confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally 
     divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Science. After general debate the 
     bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute 
     rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill 
     for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the 
     Committee on Science now printed in the bill. The committee 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered 
     by title rather than by section. Each title shall be 
     considered as read. During consideration of the bill for 
     amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may 
     accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the 
     Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in 
     the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that 
     purpose in clause 6 of rule XXIII. Amendments so printed 
     shall be considered as read. At the conclusion of 
     consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee shall 
     rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as 
     may have been adopted. Any Member may demand a separate vote 
     in the House on any amendment adopted in the Committee of the 
     Whole to the bill or to the committee amendment in the nature 
     of a substitute. The previous question shall be considered as 
     ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage 
     without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with 
     or without instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Duncan]. The gentleman from Colorado 
[Mr. McInnis] is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall], pending 
which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During the 
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes 
of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very simple resolution. The proposed rule is 
an open rule providing for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on 
Science. The resolution waives points of order against consideration of 
the bill for failure to comply with clause 2(L)(6) of rule XI. After 
general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5-
minute rule. Furthermore,

[[Page H1803]]

it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of 
amendment under the 5-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a 
substitute recommended by the Committee on Science now printed in the 
bill.
  Additionally, Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 128 provides that the 
committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered 
by title rather than by section. Moreover, the rule provides that the 
Chair may accord priority recognition to Members who have preprinted 
their amendments in the Congressional Record.
  Mr. Speaker, at the conclusion of the consideration of the bill for 
amendment, the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House 
with such amendments as may have been adopted. Finally, Mr. Speaker, 
the rule provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
  Mr. Speaker, under the proposed rule, each Member has an opportunity 
to have their concerns addressed, debated, and ultimately voted up or 
down by this body. House Resolution 128 was reported out of the 
Committee on Rules by a voice vote.
  Mr. Speaker, the underlying legislation, H.R. 1275, the Civilian 
Space Authorization Act for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 is a bipartisan 
compromise that keeps the Nation's civilian space program on course.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the 
underlying legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from 
Colorado [Mr. McInnis] for yielding me this time. This is an open rule 
which will allow full and fair debate on H.R. 1275. This is a bill to 
reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for 
fiscal years 1998 and 1999.
  This bill is important to a lot of people, especially to my 
colleagues in the State of Ohio. My district is the home of the Wright 
Brothers and the birthplace of aviation, so Ohio is one of the top 
States for aerospace research through Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 
in Dayton and NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland.
  The aerospace industry is estimated to employ nearly 300,000 workers 
in the State of Ohio and contributes nearly $23 billion to the total 
economy of the State.
  As my colleague from Colorado [Mr. McInnis] has described, this rule 
provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Science.
  Under the rule, amendments will be allowed under the 5-minute rule, 
the normal amending process in the House. All Members on both sides 
will have a chance and an opportunity to offer amendments. The rule 
does waive the clause in the House rules requiring 3-day availability 
for committee reports. However, given the open process and bipartisan 
support behind this bill, the Committee on Rules did not consider this 
a problem. The Committee on Rules approves this open rule unanimously 
by a voice vote, and I would urge adoption of the open rule and the 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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