[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 107 (Friday, July 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          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, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], of the schedule 
for the remainder of the week and next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that we have had our 
last vote for the week. The House will next meet on Monday July 28 at 
12:30 p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. 
Members should note that there will be no recorded votes before 5 p.m. 
next Monday evening.
  On Monday the House will consider the following 11 suspensions:
  H.R. 1855, establishing a moratorium on large fishing vessels in 
Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries;
  Sense of Congress regarding acts of illegal aggression by Canadian 
fishermen with respect to Pacific Salmon Fishery;
  House Concurrent Resolution 98, Authorizing the Use of the Capitol 
for the Safe Kids Buckle Up Car Seat Safety Check;
  H.R. 2005, Death on the High Seas Act;
  H.R. 1596, Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 1997;
  H.R. 1953, To clarify State Authority to Tax Compensation Paid to 
Certain Employees;
  House Concurrent Resolution 75, Sense of Congress that States Should 
Work More Aggressively to Attack the Problem of Repeat Criminals;
  H.R. 103, the Private Security Officer Quality Assurance Act of 1997;
  H.R. 1109, Regarding Citizenship for Children of U.S. Citizens Born 
Abroad;
  H.R. 1348, Expanded War Crimes Act of 1997; and
  We expect to concur to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1866, the 
Charitable Donation Antitrust Immunity Act.
  The House will then resume consideration of H.R. 2209, the 
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1998, under a 
modified closed rule.
  On Tuesday, July 29 and the remainder of the week, the House will 
consider the following bills all of which will be subject to rules:
  The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1998;
  The Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriation Act for Fiscal 
Year 1998;
  H.R. 2159, the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 
1998;
  Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1998;
  H.R. 2015, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 Conference Report; and
  H.R. 2014, the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 Conference Report.
  Mr. Speaker, meeting times for next week are as follows:
  On Tuesday, July 29, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for morning hour 
and 10 a.m. for legislative business.
  On Wednesday, July 30, and Thursday, July 31, the House will meet at 
10 a.m; and at 9 a.m. on Friday, August 1.
  As Members may know, the annual bipartisan congressional baseball 
game will be held Tuesday night. I know that our stellar athletes, it 
says here, Mr. Speaker, stellar athletes, on this side of the aisle 
have been rising early in the morning to practice. We very much look 
forward to a victory on the diamond next week, and we will end voting 
early Tuesday evening in order to ensure adequate batting practice. 
However, as the August district work period approaches, we are faced 
with the usual legislative crush. As this is the case, it is difficult 
to predict with any certainty the get-away time for next Friday, August 
1. Members should be prepared for votes throughout all of that day, and 
I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would say to my friend from Texas, ``If 
you want to ensure adequate batting practice, you're going to have to 
get us out of here a lot earlier than early Tuesday evening.''
  I would ask my friend from Texas, ``Do you expect the House to 
complete its business by next Friday, and my sense is that you do from 
the schedule, and to begin the August recess as scheduled after 
Friday?''
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, it is our 
expectation, as he knows, and as a longstanding tradition in the House 
that when we have important business, as it were, on the eve of the 
commencement of an extended recess period, that it is very difficult to 
predict the get-away time. But I would predict that some time Friday 
next we will complete that work that requires completion prior to that 
extended district work recess period.
  Mr. BONIOR. And I also noticed in the gentleman's statement that he 
expects we will finish our conference reports both on the spending and 
tax reconciliation bills; is that correct? Does the gentleman expect we 
will finish those conference reports next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. Again, if the gentleman would yield, that is our 
expectation. Conferees are meeting now. There is consultation with the 
White House that I think is progressing with general enthusiasm on the 
part of all parties. And so we have, I think, good reason to expect 
that we could complete that work and have it acted on by the House 
before we leave on Friday next.
  Mr. BONIOR. I would also just thank the gentleman for accommodating 
the bipartisan events that are scheduled next week, the baseball game; 
as well, I think, the gym dinner is on Wednesday, and that does not 
pose too much of a problem to work through; but the baseball game is 
one that traditionally we have been able to work together on, and I 
thank the gentleman for his concerns there.
  And one final question. Well, actually two. How late on Monday night? 
And the second question is, do we expect a motion to go to conference 
on the State Department authorization bill next week; and what day if 
we do?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman again for the inquiry, 
and if the gentleman would yield, we would hope to be able to go to 
conference on State Department Monday evening, and we would expect that 
probably, depending on how our work goes, we would complete work 
between 9 and 10 o'clock in the evening.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, and I wish him a good 
weekend.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. 
Hastings].
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding. May I please respectfully request of the distinguished 
majority leader that he consider, although I know he cannot answer me 
now, that on Tuesday next it is anticipated that Justice Brennan's 
funeral will be held and several, indeed a considerable number of our 
colleagues, are desirous of attending that funeral; and if it will be 
possible to roll votes in the event votes are being had, I would ask 
the majority leader to please consider that.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Michigan will continue 
to yield, let me just say to the gentleman from Florida, perhaps after 
this colloquy we could talk a little bit about times and hours and see 
to what extent that is something we can accommodate, too, in the way we 
manage the floor on that day.
  Mr. BONIOR. It is my understanding the funeral will be held in 
Washington, DC, so hopefully we can work something out.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to work with the gentleman 
and I appreciate the gentleman calling it to my attention.

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