[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H5970-H5971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4193, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
             AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the 
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 504 and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 504

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 1(b) of rule 
     XXIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 4193) making appropriations for the Department 
     of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes. The first 
     reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. Points of order 
     against consideration of the bill for failure to comply with 
     section 306 or 401 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 are 
     waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and 
     shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by 
     the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Appropriations. After general debate the bill shall be 
     considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. The 
     amendments printed in part 1 of the report of the Committee 
     on Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as 
     adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole. 
     Points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, 
     for failure to comply with clause 2 or 6 of rule XXI are 
     waived except as follows: page 88, line 10, through page 89, 
     line 6. If an unprotected provision is stricken on a point of 
     order, the Committee of the Whole shall immediately consider 
     the amendment printed in part 2 of the report of the 
     Committee on Rules if offered by Representative Johnson of 
     Connecticut or her designee. That amendment shall be 
     considered as read, be debatable for 30 minutes equally 
     divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
     shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
     to a demand for division of the question in the House or in 
     the Committee of the Whole. The amendment printed in part 3 
     of the report of the Committee on Rules may be offered only 
     by Representative Young of Alaska or his designee, may be 
     offered only at the appropriate point in the reading of the 
     bill, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 
     minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and 
     an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not 
     be subject to a demand for division of the question in the 
     House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of order 
     against the amendments printed in the report are waived. 
     During consideration of the bill for further amendment, the 
     Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in 
     recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an 
     amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the 
     Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 6 
     of rule XXIII. Amendments so printed shall be considered as 
     read. The chairman of the Committee of the Whole may: (1) 
     postpone until a time during further consideration in the 
     Committee of the Whole a request for a recorded vote on any 
     amendment; and (2) reduce to five minutes the minimum time 
     for electronic voting on any postponed question that follows 
     another electronic vote without intervening business, 
     provided that the minimum time for electronic voting on the 
     first in any series of questions shall be 15 minutes. During 
     consideration of the bill, points of order against amendments 
     for failure to comply with clause 2(e) of rule XXI are 
     waived. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for 
     amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill, as 
     amended, to the House with such amendments as may have been 
     adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered 
     on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without 
     intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or 
     without instructions.

                              {time}  1030

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ney). The gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Hastings) is recognized for one hour.
  (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, 
I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. 
Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for 
purposes of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 504 is an open rule which waives all points of 
order against consideration of the bill for failure to comply with 
section 306 or section 401 of the Budget Act of 1974. The rule provides 
one hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. The rule 
further provides that the amendments printed in the Committee on Rules 
report accompanying the resolution shall be considered as adopted.
  The rule also waives clause 2, prohibiting unauthorized 
appropriations and legislative provisions, and clause 6, prohibiting 
reappropriations in an appropriations bill, of rule XXI against the 
bill, except as follows: Page 88, line 10, through page 89, line 6.
  The rule makes in order those amendments printed in the Committee on 
Rules report, which shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 
the time specified in the report, equally divided between a proponent 
and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment. The rule also 
waives all points of order against amendments printed in the Committee 
on Rules report.
  Mr. Speaker, the rule permits the Chair to accord priority in 
recognition to Members who have preprinted their amendments in the 
Congressional Record. It allows the Chair to postpone recorded votes 
and reduce to five minutes the minimum time for electronic voting on 
any postponed votes, provided that voting on the first of any series of 
questions shall be not less than 15 minutes.
  The rule waives points of order against amendments for failure to 
comply with clause 2(e) of rule XXI, prohibiting non-emergency 
amendments to be offered to a bill containing an emergency designation 
under the Budget Act.
  Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or 
without instructions.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4193, the Department of the Interior and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1999 was reported by the 
Committee on Appropriations by voice vote. The bill appropriates a 
total of $13.4 billion for fiscal year 1999, which is roughly $800 
million less than the President's request and roughly $700 million less 
than what was appropriated last year.
  The bill's spending level is equal to the subcommittee's 302(b) 
allocation

[[Page H5971]]

for discretionary budget authority. Approximately one-half of the 
bill's funding finances Interior Department programs to manage and 
study the Nation's animal, plant and mineral resources. The balance of 
the measure's funds support other non-interior agencies that perform 
related functions. These include the Forest Service, conservation and 
fossil energy programs run by the Department of Energy, and the Indian 
Health Services, as well as the Smithsonian and other cultural 
organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the chairman of the Committee on 
Appropriations, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Livingston), for 
requesting an open rule on this important legislation. Recognizing that 
certain members have particular concerns about the bill, the Committee 
on Rules has reported a rule which permits those wishing to offer 
amendments to do so.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support both the 
rule and the underlying legislation, H.R. 4193.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.


                             Point of Order

  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, I make a point of order that a quorum is not 
present and move a call of the House.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under clause 6, rule XV of the House, the 
Chair cannot entertain a point of no quorum at this stage.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, at what stage then can the point of no quorum 
be made?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. At such time as the Chair is putting the 
question to a vote.
  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, we have a very important debate coming up on 
the rule itself, and I would think that this is the proper time for the 
Chair to consider that Members of the House ought to hear the debate. I 
respectfully ask the Chair to have that in mind when it makes the 
ruling.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Clause 6 of rule XV restrains the Chair from 
entertaining the point of order at this point in time.
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) is recognized for 30 
minutes.
  (Ms. SLAUGHTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) for 
yielding me the customary half hour.
  Mr. Speaker, this rule has many good features. It is an open rule 
that will allow Members to work their will. It self-executes important 
amendments that deal with vital issues, such as the wildland fire 
suppression, forest health and Indian health care. In fact, I would 
have been pleased to vigorously support this rule if it had protected 
all portions of the committee-reported bill from points of order and if 
it had allowed the precedents of the House to determine the order in 
which Members would be recognized to offer amendments.
  However, the rule reported by the Committee on Rules leaves 
unprotected a single provision of the bill, allowing that provision of 
the bill to be struck, but then the rule allows a specified majority 
member to offer an amendment to put the same provision back in the 
bill.
  Now, why do we go through this charade? Because apparently they 
wanted to mollify a segment of the conference while simultaneously 
allowing a majority Member, who is not a member of the Committee on 
Appropriations or the authorizing committee, to appear to take a 
leadership role on the arts.
  As the Chair of the Congressional Member Organization for the Arts, I 
encourage all Members to support the arts and welcome their active 
participation and leadership in the ongoing efforts to fund the 
National Endowment for the Arts at a reasonable level.
  However, this year in particular, the decision to award this 
important amendment to a majority Member is extremely unfortunate. This 
is the last year in which debate on Federal support of the arts will be 
led by the distinguished ranking member of the Subcommittee on Interior 
of the Committee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Yates). Known as the champion of the National Endowment for the Arts 
and credited for keeping it alive by the shear force of his will, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Yates) is retiring at the end of the year. 
Under the normal procedures of the House, the gentleman would have had 
the honor of offering amendments to strengthen the arts, but this rule 
deliberately snatches that honor from him, for purely partisan reasons.
  Of course, this disappointment can never obscure the debt that 
artists, arts, educators and arts institutions across the Nation owe to 
their long time champion.
  Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. SLAUGHTER. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

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