[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10316-H10317]
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 ask for this time for the purpose of 
inquiring of the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], 
as to the schedule for this evening and for the remainder of the 
weekend.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. 
Bonior] for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that we have had our last vote 
for the evening. We will continue with the bill making continuing 
appropriations through Sunday. As my friend, the gentleman from 
Michigan [Mr. Bonior], has pointed out, we have agreement on both sides 
that we will be able to do this without another recorded vote. I would 
like to express my appreciation for that consideration.
  The House will meet at noon tomorrow to consider the following 
suspensions: H.R. 2534, agriculture research bill; House Resolution 
122, visually-impaired currency; H.R. 2614, Reading Excellence Act; S. 
813, Veterans Cemetery Protection Act; S. 1377, a bill making technical 
corrections to the American Legion Act; S. 1139, Small Business 
Administration reauthorization; S. 713, Homeless Veterans Act; H.R. 
2513, line item veto fix; H.R. 2813, waive time limitation on awarding 
Medals of Honor; H.R. 2631, a bill regarding military construction 
appropriations line item vetoes; H.R. 1129, the Microenterprise Act; 
and House Concurrent Resolution 22, a resolution regarding religious 
persecution in Germany.
  Of course, other suspensions may be added with the required 1-hour 
notice from the floor.
  I should mention to the Members that we hope to have additional 
appropriations work before us tomorrow. And while we are here, we would 
obviously work as late as is necessary for the necessary work to be 
completed that we have before us tomorrow while we wait for 
appropriations conference reports.
  I cannot tell my colleague with any degree of certainty how late we 
will be tomorrow night, certainly no later than is necessary to 
complete the work. We would reconvene at 2 on Sunday, and we would 
expect on Sunday before we adjourn to have completed our work so that 
we might adjourn sine die.
  Mr. BONIOR. Reclaiming my time, could the distinguished majority 
leader, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey], tell us when he 
anticipates the fast track legislation to come before this body?

                              {time}  1845

  Mr. ARMEY. I would expect that to be sometime on Sunday.
  Mr. BONIOR. I also might ask the gentleman if it is indeed possible, 
as many Members have requested the opportunity to have a chance to 
speak at special orders this evening, if special orders will be part of 
the day's proceedings.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman for that request. That one has been 
a difficult one. I have thought on this throughout the day off and on, 
understanding the gentleman's desire. I also

[[Page H10317]]

have been concerned and am concerned for the staff of the House. It has 
been a tough week, it will continue to be, their working on Saturday 
and Sunday, and it had been my intention to adjourn the House in their 
interest and that of their families.
  Mr. BONIOR. Let me, if I might, ask the gentleman from Texas to 
reconsider that, because let me make the case that with respect to fast 
track, a highly controversial, momentous piece of legislation, probably 
one of the most important bills that we will have faced, certainly in 
this Congress, the Committee on Rules has only allowed 2 hours of 
debate on this bill. We have hundreds of Members who want to speak on 
this issue. We are boxed in a situation which the gentleman knows is a 
difficult situation. People need to be able to express themselves on 
this, and so we ask the opportunity on this side of the aisle to engage 
in special orders this evening for those who want to discuss this or 
any other issue.
  We even ask that the Committee on Rules, which we understand will go 
back and come out with another rule, expand that debate time. It is not 
only on our side. The gentleman is going to have tens, if not hundreds 
of Members on his side of the aisle, certainly 100 members on his side 
of the aisle, who will not have an opportunity to speak on this. We 
cannot put together a cogent argument, we cannot put together a 
rational debate when we are given 30 seconds or a minute. I would ask 
my friend from Texas to reconsider the time on the bill in general 
debate, and I would also ask him to allow special orders without going 
ahead and adjourning this evening.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Michigan knows, I am 
sympathetic to his cause, but let me just cite to the gentleman the 
traditional rule that has been made in order on other GATT agreements. 
In 1988 there were 2 hours of debate only. In 1993 there was 1 hour of 
debate only. With the 1 hour that will be extended on the rule and 2 
hours of general debate, it gives 3 hours on the issue. I know that 
there are some on the gentleman's side that thought that that was not 
enough. There were also a number, including some Democrats on the 
Committee on Ways and Means, that thought that that was ample time. But 
traditionally that is the amount of time.
  Keep in mind this is not the agreement. When the agreement comes 
back, the gentleman and I and others will probably have about 8 hours 
to debate that agreement and even to amend it, as the gentleman knows.
  Mr. BONIOR. The gentleman from New York to whom I will yield in a 
second, the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Ways and 
Means, requested 8 hours. I think the gentleman understands quite well 
that it is not just Members on our side of the aisle. We are going to 
have many Members on his side of the aisle who are going to want to 
speak and who will not be able to speak on this issue.
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will yield further, perhaps I could offer 
something on this.
  I do appreciate the gentleman from Michigan's point about the special 
orders. I am sure the gentleman from Michigan would understand the 
natural concern I have had with respect to the members of the floor 
staff and their families, but I understand the gentleman's point, there 
are some folks on this side of the aisle who are interested, and I 
would not preempt their right to have the special order opportunities 
this evening.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a special appeal to my 
friend, the leader of the New York delegation, a leader in the House, 
and the chairman of the Committee on Rules. Under the rule, the 
Democrats that are in opposition to the fast track would have only 30 
minutes. I know that the gentleman wants to stick by the tradition in 
how they have handled these things before, but I cannot begin to tell 
him the number of Members that are asking just to be heard to express 
themselves. There is a frustration that exists in the House where I 
truly believe that people do want to hear the debate. But in addition 
to this, I think that people want to explain their vote. Whether they 
vote for it, whether they vote against it, they want to have an 
opportunity to explain through whatever way to their constituents why 
they are voting that way on a subject matter which I truly do not 
believe is that well known to the American people. I know it is 
extraordinary action to take a review of the decision that the full 
committee has made, but in view of the fact that he has said more than 
once that senior members of the Committee on Ways and Means have said 
this is appropriate time, I can tell the gentleman that senior members 
of the Committee on Ways and Means have asked for a half-hour 
themselves to be able to debate. I hope whomever they are, they will 
stand up, because we are catching the devil trying to allocate time. 
The gentleman would do this House a great service if he could be more 
flexible in tradition of the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. PEASE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. PEASE. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding. As the 
majority leader and minority leader are aware, the leadership of the 
freshman Democrats and the freshman Republicans, once the schedule for 
the weekend was announced, conferred and would like to offer as a 
service to our colleagues, in light of the fact that most of us return 
home on weekends and do not have a church home here in Washington, a 
joint service provided by the freshman Democrats and the freshman 
Republicans at 1 o'clock Sunday in 1100 Longworth for Members and their 
families.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from California, the Caucus 
chair.
  Mr. FAZIO of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I simply 
wanted to add my voice to those on this side who have a desire to have 
more time to debate this issue. There is no question that both 
caucuses, the caucus and the conference are divided on this but Members 
feel deeply about it and want to be able to make their case directly to 
their colleagues and to their constituents. I do not think the rule, as 
I have heard it described, is an adequate amount of time, and so I want 
to make that statement, because I support the request that has been 
made by the whip.

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