[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 137 (Monday, October 6, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8383-H8385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2160,
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND
RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 232 and ask for its
immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 232
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider the conference report to accompany the
bill (H.R. 2160) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30,
1998, and for other purposes. All points of order against the
conference report and against its consideration are waived.
Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution the House shall be
considered to have adopted the concurrent resolution
specified in section 3.
Sec. 3. The text of the concurrent resolution described in
section 2 is as follows:
``Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That in the enrollment of H.R. 2160 the Clerk of
the House shall, in title IV, in the item relating to
`Domestic Food Programs--Food Stamp Program', strike the
period and insert the following: `: Provided further, That
none of the funds made available under this heading shall be
used for studies and evaluations.'.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington [Mr. Hastings]
is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate
only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Hall), pending which I yield myself such time as I may
consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is
for the purpose of debate only.
(Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise
and extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 232
provides for the consideration of the conference report to accompany
H.R. 2160, a bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies for
fiscal year 1998, and for other purposes.
The rule waives all points of order against the conference report and
its consideration, and upon its adoption the House shall be considered
to have adopted the text of the following concurrent resolution:
``Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, that
in the enrollment of H.R. 2160 the Clerk of the House shall, in title
IV, in the item relating to `Domestic Food Programs--Food Stamp
Program', strike the period and insert the following: `; provided
further, That none of the funds made available under this heading shall
be used for studies and evaluations,'.''. This amendment, I understand,
has been agreed to.
[[Page H8384]]
Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies of the
Committee on Appropriations, the distinguished gentleman from New
Mexico [Mr. Skeen], and the ranking minority member, the gentlewoman
from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur], are to be commended for their leadership on the
House-Senate conference committee. They have brought to the House floor
a conference report which largely reflects the priorities agreed upon
earlier this year when the House passed H.R. 2160 by a vote of 395 to
14.
Mr. Speaker, this conference report appropriates $49.6 billion in new
fiscal year 1998 budget authority for agriculture programs, which is
$103 million more than the House-passed bill but $3.6 billion less than
was appropriated in fiscal year 1997. When scorekeeping adjustments are
taken into account, the bill provides $35.8 billion for mandatory
programs, which is about 80 percent of the total appropriated, and
$13.8 billion for discretionary programs.
This conference report cuts food stamps by $2.5 billion from last
year. It increases funding for the supplemental nutrition program for
women, infants and children by $118 million over fiscal year 1997. It
cuts funding for the Commodity Credit Corporation, maintains level
funding for the Federal Crop Insurance and increases funding for both
the Agriculture Research Service and the Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, this rule also self-executes
one minor technical correction which was inadvertently omitted from the
conference report itself. Once again, I commend the House conferees on
their work on this important agreement and urge my colleagues to
support both the rule and the accompanying conference report.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. I want to thank my colleague from Washington [Mr. Hastings]
for yielding me the time.
As he explained, this resolution is a rule waiving all points of
order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 2160, which is a
bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development and Food
and Drug Administration programs for fiscal 1998. The rule also self-
executes an amendment to correct a technical problem.
On September 15, the Department of Agriculture released new
statistics revealing that 11 million people in the United States
experienced moderate or severe hunger, including more than 4 million
children. In a Nation as rich as ours, this is unacceptable. Private
charities cannot do the job alone.
This bill funds critical food and nutrition programs that are
essential to ensuring a minimal safety net. The programs protect
children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations from facing the
harsh realities of hunger.
I am pleased that the conference agreement provides a slight increase
above the original House level for child nutrition programs. These
programs are important to maintain the health of the next generation of
Americans. I am also pleased to see a small increase in funding over
the House position for overseas food assistance programs. These
programs save lives and show America's commitment to reducing hunger
worldwide.
I commend the chairman and ranking minority member of the
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies for their work on this bill. Mr.
Speaker, this rule was approved by the Committee on Rules on a voice
vote. I urge adoption of the rule and of the conference report.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Burr].
Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule, even though some have
signed off on this crazy agreement. This rule waives all points of
order. Earlier this year as the Committee on Appropriations moved this
bill through this House, one section was struck. It was a section that
dealt with reauthorizing the fees that pharmaceutical companies pay to
have the approval process expedited for their drugs that are currently
under the approval process at FDA. It was struck because in fact it is
not the authority of the appropriators to authorize and extend that.
Today we are faced with a rule that waves the point of order, does not
allow us to strike from this conference report an issue that is clearly
the responsibility of the Committee on Commerce.
What are we in fact here to talk about? We are here on the brink of
the ability to for once help patients in America, because user fees are
great if in fact we have a process at FDA that works. For the first
time since I have been here, the Food and Drug Administration was
willing and has sat down and talked about real reform and real
modernization at the approval process, real reforms that mean quality
of care and better health for Americans.
In fact, with the passage of this, with this point of order not
having an opportunity to be raised, we put that in question. We put in
question, can we actually get modernization of the Food and Drug
Administration? Will the Bonnie Skylers of the world, who wait for
noninvasive glucose monitors so she will not have to prick her finger 4
times a day at 4 years old to check her blood sugar, will she still
have to do it with this? Probably so. Because we are so close but we
have allowed this to step in the way. I urge my colleagues in this
House to defeat this rule. Let us send it back to the Committee on
Rules. Let us do the work in a manner that we are supposed to.
Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests
for time. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous
question on the resolution.
The previous question was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a
quorum is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 367,
nays 34, not voting 32, as follows:
[Roll No. 490]
YEAS--367
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Aderholt
Allen
Andrews
Archer
Armey
Bachus
Baker
Barcia
Barrett (NE)
Barrett (WI)
Bartlett
Bass
Bateman
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berman
Berry
Bilirakis
Bishop
Blagojevich
Bliley
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonior
Bono
Borski
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady
Brown (CA)
Brown (OH)
Bryant
Bunning
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canady
Cannon
Capps
Cardin
Carson
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Chenoweth
Christensen
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Collins
Combest
Cook
Cooksey
Cox
Coyne
Cramer
Crane
Crapo
Cummings
Cunningham
Danner
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (VA)
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
DeLay
Dellums
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Dingell
Doggett
Doolittle
Doyle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
Engel
English
Ensign
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Everett
Ewing
Farr
Fattah
Fawell
Fazio
Filner
Flake
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fowler
Fox
Frank (MA)
Franks (NJ)
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Furse
Gallegly
Gejdenson
Gekas
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Goodlatte
Goodling
Gordon
Goss
Granger
Green
Gutierrez
Gutknecht
Hall (OH)
Hall (TX)
Hamilton
Hansen
Harman
Hastert
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Hefner
Herger
Hill
Hilleary
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoekstra
Holden
Hooley
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hoyer
Hulshof
Hutchinson
Hyde
Inglis
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Jenkins
John
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (WI)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnson, Sam
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kasich
Kelly
Kennedy (MA)
Kennedy (RI)
Kennelly
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kim
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
[[Page H8385]]
Kingston
Kleczka
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Lantos
Latham
LaTourette
Lazio
Leach
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
Livingston
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas
Luther
Maloney (CT)
Manton
Manzullo
Markey
Martinez
Mascara
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McCrery
McDade
McDermott
McGovern
McHugh
McInnis
McIntosh
McIntyre
McKeon
McNulty
Meehan
Menendez
Metcalf
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller (FL)
Mink
Moakley
Mollohan
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Murtha
Myrick
Nadler
Neal
Nethercutt
Neumann
Ney
Northup
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Oxley
Packard
Pallone
Pappas
Parker
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Paxon
Payne
Pease
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pickett
Pitts
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Rangel
Redmond
Regula
Reyes
Riggs
Riley
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogan
Rogers
Ros-Lehtinen
Rothman
Roukema
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Ryun
Sabo
Salmon
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sanford
Sawyer
Saxton
Schaefer, Dan
Schaffer, Bob
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Sisisky
Skaggs
Skeen
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith, Adam
Smith, Linda
Snowbarger
Snyder
Solomon
Spence
Spratt
Stabenow
Stark
Stearns
Stokes
Strickland
Stump
Stupak
Talent
Tanner
Tauscher
Tauzin
Taylor (NC)
Thomas
Thompson
Thornberry
Thune
Tiahrt
Tierney
Torres
Towns
Traficant
Turner
Upton
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Walsh
Wamp
Waters
Watkins
Watt (NC)
Watts (OK)
Waxman
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Wexler
White
Wicker
Wise
Wolf
Woolsey
Wynn
Yates
Young (FL)
NAYS--34
Baesler
Ballenger
Barton
Burr
Coble
Condit
Costello
Deal
DeFazio
Deutsch
Ganske
Goode
Graham
Jones
Klink
Klug
Largent
McHale
Miller (CA)
Minge
Norwood
Nussle
Peterson (MN)
Poshard
Rohrabacher
Scarborough
Shadegg
Souder
Stenholm
Sununu
Taylor (MS)
Thurman
Whitfield
Young (AK)
NOT VOTING--32
Baldacci
Barr
Becerra
Bilbray
Brown (FL)
Coburn
Conyers
Cubin
Dicks
Dixon
Dooley
Foglietta
Gephardt
Gilman
Gonzalez
Greenwood
Hefley
Hilliard
Hunter
Lewis (CA)
Maloney (NY)
McKinney
Meek
Owens
Pelosi
Pombo
Rahall
Royce
Schiff
Schumer
Smith (OR)
Weygand
{time} 1733
The Clerk announced the following pair:
On this vote:
Mr. Smith of Oregon for, with Mrs. Cubin against.
Messrs. GRAHAM, DEUTSCH, BAESLER, NORWOOD, KLINK, and SHADEGG changed
their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. SNOWBARGER changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid upon the table.
personal explanation
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained in getting back
from my district, and missed rollcall vote No. 490. But had I been
present and voting, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote No.
490, on the Rule House Resolution 232, calling up the Agriculture
Appropriations Act Conference Agreement for FY 1998.
The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Shaw]. Pursuant to House Resolution 232,
House Concurrent Resolution 167 is considered as adopted.
The text of House Concurrent Resolution 167 is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 167
``Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That in the enrollment of H.R. 2160 the Clerk of
the House shall, in title IV, in the item relating to
`Domestic Food Programs--Food Stamp Program', strike the
period and insert the following: `: Provided further, That
none of the funds made available under this heading shall be
used for studies and evaluations'.''
____________________