[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 72 (Friday, June 5, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4226-H4227]
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 consent to speak out of order to 
inquire of the distinguished majority leader the schedule for today, 
the remainder of the week and next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the distinguished majority leader from Texas 
to give us a little information on where we are headed here, this 
weekend and next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that we have 
concluded legislative business for the week. The House will next meet 
on Tuesday, June 9, at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and at 2 o'clock 
p.m. for legislative business. On Tuesday we will consider a number of 
bills under suspension of the rules, a list of which will be 
distributed to Members' offices this afternoon. After suspensions, the 
House will take up H.R. 2709, the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions 
Act under a closed rule. Members should note that we do not expect any 
recorded votes before 5 o'clock p.m. on Tuesday, June 9.
  On Wednesday, June 10, the House will meet at 9 o'clock a.m. and 
recess immediately for a joint meeting to receive the President of 
South Korea. Following the joint meeting on Wednesday and on Thursday, 
June 11, the House will consider the following legislation:
  H.R. 3150, the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1998 and H.R. 3494, the Child 
Protection Sexual Predator Punishment Act of 1998. Mr. Speaker, there 
is also a chance that we may consider H.R. 2888, the Inside Sales Act. 
The House will also continue consideration of H.R. 2183, the Bipartisan 
Campaign Integrity Act of 1997.
  Mr. Speaker, we hope to conclude legislative business for the week on 
Thursday, June 11, and I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would ask of my friend from Texas, and I 
thank him for his information for next week, and I would just note to 
the gentleman from Texas that also on the schedule for this week I 
noted that he had campaign finance on the schedule for next week. It 
was supposed to be on the schedule for this week, and of course we did 
not get to debate campaign finance. And in addition to that I note that 
the Committee on Rules has reported out the second rule making in order 
hundreds of nongermane amendments, and we are concerned on this side of 
the aisle that it appears that there is going to be or is in progress 
right now a filibuster by the majority on this piece of legislation.
  And my question to my friend from Texas is are we going to do 
campaign finance next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman for his inquiry, and if I may say to 
the

[[Page H4227]]

gentleman, I too appreciate and share his disappointment about our 
having not gotten back to this subject this week, and let me assure the 
gentleman that it is my intention that we will be able to spend time on 
that, and it is my intention to move forward as expeditiously as we 
can. We had such a broad-based expression of interest on the part of so 
many Members with so many different points of view on this matter that 
the Committee on Rules did in fact act as inclusively as possible, and 
that clearly, as said, as the gentleman has identified, is a job that 
is going to take a great deal of floor time, and if I may assure the 
gentleman it is my commitment to get that floor time, make it available 
and to have this debate on an orderly continuing basis until we 
complete the work.
  Mr. BONIOR. I would say to my friend from Texas, having served on the 
Committee on Rules for 14 years, that the gentleman from Michigan is 
well aware of how not to bring a bill up, and how to bring a bill up 
and never get to a bill, and how to bring a bill up and never get to 
the bill, and try and get to the bill and talk it to death. And it 
appears in this case that all three techniques are in play. I am very 
concerned that we may not reach a conclusion on this bill, and I want 
to assure my friend from Texas and my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle, those who are in fact not interested in this bill are 
getting and reaching a conclusion on this bill that we are going to do 
all that we can to make sure that the debate is orderly, timely, that 
we come to some closure on the bill, and we have been very disappointed 
so far this session in the progress or lack of on this legislation. It 
was not brought up, it was brought up under a procedure several months 
ago that I think most folks who follow this bill considered, and if my 
colleague will pardon the strong language, a sham, and now we are in a 
process of a very inclusive and open procedure, as my friend has 
mentioned, but one which will, in fact, if pursued to its ultimate, 
lead to no conclusion at all, and this again will not have happened.
  So it is with great concern that I rise to express my concern and 
disapproval of how this has been handled so far, and I hope that we 
have an orderly, fair debate so all sides can be heard, that we can 
reach a conclusion and come to closure on the important questions 
surrounding the issue of campaign finance reform.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentlewoman from New York.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. I rise really in support of Mr. Bonior's 
statement and would like to add to it that it has been indeed a very 
long time since that historic handshake of the Speaker in New 
Hampshire, where there was a promise to bring campaign finance reform 
before this body. Again we were promised that it would be brought 
before this body in May. We were told that it would be brought before 
this body in June. We are now in the second week of June, and it seems 
to be a continuing case of promises, promises, promises, yet never a 
reality.
  And I would like to ask the gentleman, to underscore the question 
that Mr. Bonior asked, is this a new form of filibuster? Or are we 
going to have debate and a vote in this body, specifically where we 
have a vote before July 4th of this year so we can get it to the House, 
so it can get to the President's desk?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey).
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for continuing to 
yield, and I want to thank both the gentleman from Michigan and the 
gentlewoman from New York for this affirmation of commitment. It is not 
often I find myself with a shared sense of commitment with the 
gentleman from Michigan, the gentlewoman from New York.
  Let me say it is my intense purpose to work with the legislative 
schedule in such a manner as to make all the time that I can find 
available for the purpose of carrying on this important debate, with 
ample notice for all parties at each point of resumption, to 
consistently and completely and comprehensively cover this subject, 
have all the votes and move it forward.
  And I do not know how I can emphasize in more emphatic terms my 
conviction to get this done, and I appreciate so much the gentleman 
from Michigan and the gentlewoman from New York's willingness to work 
with me towards that end.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend from Texas (Mr. 
Doggett).
  Mr. DOGGETT. I am greatly encouraged by the gentleman's comments in 
this regard and would just want to be sure I understood them correctly.
  As you know, the Committee on Rules, in addition to any germane 
amendments that Members might have, has approved the consideration here 
on the floor by special rule of 259 nongermane or irrelevant 
amendments, which I think is more nongermane amendments than they have 
accrued on all of the bills that have been considered while the 
gentleman has been majority leader.
  Is it the gentleman's intent then when we begin consideration of this 
bill next week to work through to the end rather than to start stop, 
start stop, start stop, as we have done today in an effort to kill the 
bill?
  Mr. ARMEY. I appreciate the gentleman's observation of the sequencing 
of events. I am afraid I have to disagree with the gentleman's 
characterizations of the motive. Nevertheless, so many of those 
amendments that were offered, so many of the substitutes that were 
offered, come from the gentleman from Texas' side of the aisle, germane 
or nongermane. The Committee on Rules was very generous and 
accommodating to all Members of the Congress. We have before us a very 
large task, and I will and do have a high priority of returning to that 
work as frequently and for as extended periods of time as I can manage 
in coordination with the other legislative business before this body. 
It is a priority of mine, and I will emphasize that in every planning 
session I have, and I certainly appreciate again the willingness of the 
gentleman from Texas to work with me on this, and I am looking forward 
to everybody feeling confident that they were treated fairly under the 
rule, they were included, and they do have their opportunity to present 
their ideas and enter this debate.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. DOGGETT. I thank the gentleman very much. Does the gentleman 
believe then, as the gentlewoman from New York asked, that we can see 
this work completed before July 4?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield further, I would 
hope so. I cannot guarantee. As the gentleman from Texas knows, it is 
very difficult to guarantee anything in terms of a date certain time-
line and so forth. But let me just say to the gentleman, if I can say 
it in perhaps the most colorful way that is allowable within the rules 
of discourse under debate, it is my intent to have this done, 
completed, thoroughly giving everybody their opportunity, and out of my 
life by July 4, if at all possible.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would ask one other question to my friend. 
Does the gentleman expect late nights next week, and, if he does, will 
there be accommodations for the White House event that is scheduled for 
Thursday evening?
  Mr. ARMEY. Again, I thank the gentleman. If the gentleman would yield 
further, we would try to hold it to no more than moderately late 
evenings, but the White House event of which you speak, of course, is 
something that we will accommodate to the maximum of our ability in the 
schedule.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. ARMEY. Since the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) has the 
time, I wonder if the gentleman from Michigan would be willing to yield 
time to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) for an announcement that 
I think of great interest to this body.
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to my friend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Stump).

                          ____________________