[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 156 (Saturday, November 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10384-H10385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 
                                  1997

  The SPEAKER. The pending business is the question of suspending the 
rules and passing the bill, H.R. 2534, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and pass the 
bill, H.R. 2534, as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered.
  This will be a five-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 291, 
nays 125, not voting 18, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 618]

                               YEAS--291

     Aderholt
     Allen
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baesler
     Baker
     Baldacci
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Berry
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Bliley
     Blunt
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bono
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady
     Brown (CA)
     Bryant
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Canady
     Cannon
     Cardin
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins
     Combest
     Condit
     Cook
     Cooksey
     Costello
     Cox
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cunningham
     Davis (VA)
     Deal
     DeLay
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     English
     Ensign
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Everett
     Ewing
     Farr
     Fawell
     Foley
     Ford
     Fossella
     Fowler
     Fox
     Frelinghuysen
     Frost
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gilman
     Gingrich
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Granger
     Green
     Greenwood
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hamilton
     Hansen
     Hastert
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Hefner
     Herger
     Hill
     Hilleary
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Holden
     Hooley
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Houghton
     Hoyer
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jenkins
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson (WI)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennelly
     Kim
     Kind (WI)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Klink
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     LaFalce
     LaHood
     Lampson
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Linder
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Lucas
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Manzullo
     Mascara
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Minge
     Mollohan
     Moran (KS)
     Morella
     Nethercutt
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Oxley
     Packard
     Pappas
     Parker
     Pastor
     Paxon
     Pease
     Peterson (MN)
     Peterson (PA)
     Petri
     Pickering
     Pickett
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Pomeroy
     Porter
     Portman
     Poshard
     Price (NC)
     Pryce (OH)
     Radanovich
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Redmond
     Regula
     Reyes
     Riggs
     Rodriguez
     Roemer
     Rogan
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roukema
     Ryun
     Salmon
     Sandlin
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaefer, Dan
     Schaffer, Bob
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Sisisky
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (OR)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith, Adam
     Smith, Linda
     Snowbarger
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stabenow
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stump
     Stupak
     Sununu
     Talent
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Tauzin
     Taylor (MS)
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Thurman
     Tiahrt
     Traficant
     Turner
     Upton
     Wamp
     Watkins
     Watts (OK)
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     White
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wise
     Wolf
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)

                               NAYS--125

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Andrews
     Barrett (WI)
     Becerra
     Berman
     Blagojevich
     Boehlert
     Bonior
     Borski
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Campbell
     Carson
     Clay
     Conyers
     Cummings
     Danner
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     Dellums
     Deutsch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Fattah
     Fazio
     Filner
     Flake
     Forbes
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (NJ)
     Furse
     Gejdenson
     Gutierrez
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Hilliard
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kleczka
     Kucinich
     Lantos
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lipinski
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Maloney (NY)
     Manton
     Markey
     Martinez
     Matsui
     McCarthy (MO)
     McGovern
     McHale
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek
     Menendez
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (CA)
     Mink
     Moakley
     Moran (VA)
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Neal
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Paul
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Rangel
     Rivers
     Rothman
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce
     Rush
     Sabo
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sanford
     Sawyer
     Schumer
     Scott
     Serrano
     Shays
     Sherman
     Skaggs
     Slaughter
     Snyder
     Stark
     Stokes
     Strickland
     Tierney
     Torres
     Towns
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Waters
     Watt (NC)
     Waxman
     Wexler
     Weygand
     Woolsey
     Wynn

                             NOT VOTING--18

     Ballenger
     Blumenauer
     Cubin
     Foglietta
     Gillmor
     Gonzalez
     Kennedy (MA)
     Klug
     McDermott
     McIntosh
     Myrick
     Neumann
     Quinn
     Riley
     Schiff
     Taylor (NC)
     Walsh
     Yates

                              {time}  1540

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas and Mr. DAVIS of Florida changed 
their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mr. GREEN and Mr. LUTHER changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were 
suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take 
from the Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 1150), to ensure that 
federally funded agricultural research, extension, and education 
address high-priority concerns with national or multistate 
significance, to reform, extend, and eliminate certain agricultural 
research programs, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ewing). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Oregon?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I ask the 
gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith], is

[[Page H10385]]

this on the bill we just passed? I voted for the bill that we just 
passed. But there is a lot of concern, as my colleague knows. And I 
presume we are going to conference on this bill.
  Is that correct, Mr. Chairman?
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I cannot hear the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Hoyer]. How did he vote?
  Mr. HOYER. I voted ``aye'' on the bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Good.
  Mr. HOYER. I know the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith] thinks that 
is good. The chairman or the ranking member of the Committee on 
Appropriations does not think it is good. The reason he does not think 
it is good is because we on the Committee on Appropriations are 
concerned that there is already a done deal and the Committee on 
Appropriations is going to be in a bad strait as a result.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. I say to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] 
that there has been no negotiation with the Senate, the other body. 
There has been not one word from me or anyone in the House or on the 
Committee on Agriculture or by the staff. We have been awaiting the 
passage of a clean bill, which all should support. We have heard the 
questions raised from some as we debated the bill.
  I understand the issues. Both parties will be, of course, represented 
in the conference. And I understand the concern of the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Hoyer].
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith].
  Under those circumstances, I will not object.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I would like 
to yield to the chairman, the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith], to ask 
a couple of questions with regard to the conference that the committee 
would have on this bill.
  The question I have is, if we are going to conference, my 
understanding is there is a large difference between the Senate version 
and the House version in one critical respect, that the Senate version 
extracts $1.2 billion in savings from food stamp programs through 
administrative accounts, and my understanding from the Senate bill is 
that none of that money was put back into food stamps.
  On this side, some of my colleagues are concerned that none of the 
money, that $1.2 billion, will be used to restore food stamp programs, 
$27\1/2\ billion that was cut last year.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BECERRA. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California is 
correct, the House bill is an authorization of $2.8 billion to various 
States regarding agricultural research, which has come unanimously from 
the Committee on Agriculture.

                              {time}  1545

  The Senate bill has an additional $1.25 billion, and frankly I am not 
exactly sure how they want to distribute it. But I have heard, as I 
mentioned, from many people, including the gentleman from California, 
regarding his concern. He will have representatives on the conference 
committee. So will we. To try to suggest to him what will be finally 
decided by the conference committee, I cannot. All I can say to the 
gentleman is if this bill does not pass and the gentleman objects, then 
he has no possibility of gaining anything that he wants out of the 
conference committee.
  Mr. BECERRA. Reclaiming my time, my understanding is we are operating 
under martial law which allows any bill to come to the floor under a 
unanimous-consent request. Most of us who opposed the bill right now on 
suspension are not opposed to this House bill. What we are opposed to 
is the preconferencing that we are aware of that has already been 
undertaken on this bill with the Senate which did not include funding 
for food stamps, at least not to any measurable degree. The concern on 
the part of a number of us is that the $1.2 billion that will be taken 
out of food stamps will not be used to any measurable degree to go back 
to food stamps. Otherwise, I think he would find that virtually with a 
unanimous vote, this bill would go through if there were some assurance 
that there would be money invested in food stamps to restore some of 
the $27.5 billion that we cut from food stamps last year.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. If the gentleman will yield further, I am sorry 
the gentleman missed the debate. He could have responded in exactly 
that way instead of at this late date. But let me say to the gentleman 
as I have responded to the gentleman from Maryland, there has been no 
preconferencing of this bill. Beyond that, it is very difficult for me 
to predict what will occur in a conference committee. I can tell the 
gentleman that his side will be represented and I have heard his 
concerns. I reiterate. If the gentleman does not allow this bill to 
pass, he will have no chance to increase funding for his concerns at 
all. If he allows this bill to go forward, he will have a chance in the 
conference, and if he does not like it, he merely defeats the 
conference report.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BECERRA. I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I voted for the bill 
but I also support the cause for I know why 125 did not. I voted for 
the bill because nothing in the bill itself says it is going to take 
any of that money to use it in any way. But because people have the 
lack of trust in the conferencing process, they are now expressing 
their will now. Not because of the bill. I guess if the chairman and 
the ranking member could assure that in that process that those moneys 
that have been allocated to food, $1.2 billion, would not be deviated 
or given to other things, I think that kind of advocacy or opportunity 
for advocacy would reassure people here that what is now clean would 
later become convoluted and taking away much needed resources from 
people who need it who are hungry.
  Mr. SMITH of Oregon. If the gentleman will yield further, just as I 
have not preconferenced with the Senate nor do I want to preconference 
with this body, the point is that I have listened, as has the ranking 
member on the Committee on Agriculture who no doubt will be on the 
conference committee. We understand the gentlewoman's concerns and we 
will take them to the conference.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BECERRA. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to arbitrarily cut this off, but 
at the same time I do not want the House to engage in needless 
conversation when this proposition is going to be objected to, and I am 
going to object. The fact is that we have been told by a lobbyist on 
good authority that he has already been told what number he is going to 
get under the conference agreement. It seems to me that there may not 
have been a preconference, but it appears to me that there is a pretty 
good idea of what is likely to happen once that conference takes place.
  I do not want this House to be in a position where Members, 
regardless of which side of the issue they are on, find the committee 
coming back in the dead of night with a done deal and having this bill 
pass with virtually nobody on the floor.
  To try to help save Members from that, I do object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ewing). Objection is heard.

                          ____________________