[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H6867-H6868]
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 and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the distinguished 
majority leader if he would outline the schedule for the remainder of 
the day and for next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that we have concluded 
legislative business for the week. The House will next meet on Monday, 
August 3rd, at 10:30 a.m. for morning hour, and at 12 o'clock noon for 
legislative business. We do not expect any recorded votes before 5 
o'clock p.m. on Monday.
  On Monday, August 3, we will also consider a number of bills under 
suspension of the rules, a list of which will be distributed to 
Members' offices this afternoon.
  After suspensions, Mr. Speaker, the House will continue consideration 
of H.R. 2183, the Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act of 1997. Following 
wrap-up

[[Page H6868]]

debate, we will vote on final passage of the Shays-Meehan substitute on 
Monday. Mr. Speaker, we also plan to continue consideration of H.R. 
4276, the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act on Monday, August 
3.
  On Tuesday, August 4, the House will take up several bills under 
suspension of the rules. Following suspensions on Tuesday and 
throughout the balance of the week, the House will consider the 
following legislation: continuing consideration of H.R. 4276, the 
Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act; H.R. 4274, the Department 
of Labor Appropriations Act of 1999; the District of Columbia 
Appropriations Act of 1999, and House Resolution 507, the Workforce 
Improvement and Protection Act of 1998.
  Mr. Speaker, Members should be prepared to work late next week on 
these appropriations bills. We hope to conclude legislative business 
for the week by 2 o'clock p.m. on Friday, August 7.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague.
  If the gentleman would entertain one question to him this afternoon, 
on several occasions the majority leader has repeated the commitment 
that the House will complete the campaign finance reform bill by the 
recess. As the gentleman knows, once we complete the vote, as the 
gentleman has indicated, on Monday on Shays-Meehan, we still have left 
in that bill 9 more substitutes, and an unlimited number of amendments 
to those substitutes.
  My question to my friend, the gentleman from Texas, is since we only 
have 5 more days left before the recess, I want to make sure that the 
gentleman's commitment to finish this by the recess is firm, and that 
we will have this bill finished and back to the Senate so they can make 
a decision on what they want to do with it.
  We are certainly hopeful that Shays-Meehan, on our side of the aisle, 
passes. We have sent it over there to defeat the other substitutes that 
are being offered, and we hope we get some action this year. But we 
know we cannot get any action out of the Congress unless we do this in 
a timely fashion.
  Would the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey) like to make a comment 
with respect to the commitment to finish by this recess?
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, I 
thank the gentleman again for that inquiry. It is a matter of important 
concern. It weighs heavy on my heart.
  Let me just encourage the gentleman from Michigan to understand that 
I do not know how, but we will have this completed before we leave town 
by 2 o'clock next Friday.
  Mr. BONIOR. That means the bill?
  Mr. ARMEY. I will get back with the gentleman later with the details, 
but we will have it done before we leave town; this bill, all 
consideration and final action on this bill will be done before 2 
o'clock on Friday.
  Mr. BONIOR. I thank my colleague for his reassurance.
  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BONIOR. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to address a 
question to the majority leader.
  Yesterday in the Committee on Agriculture we had extensive hearings 
on the crisis that is occurring in many regions of the country as it is 
affecting farmers. Three weeks ago I joined with a bipartisan group of 
Members and the gentleman from Georgia (Speaker Gingrich) on outlining 
some relief measures that we can move through Congress in order to 
address and minimize future damage to the agriculture sector.
  On one of those which I think is most important to the agricultural 
sector, in fact, we have a coalition of 75 organizations that signed a 
letter supporting the funding of the International Monetary Fund. I did 
not hear, in the leader's identification of legislative action next 
week, any mention of the IMF.
  I was hoping that the leader could shed some light on when we would 
consider funding of the IMF, in order that we might prepare and be able 
to assure the farmers that we are continuing to provide the export 
opportunities that are needed.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the inquiry. The 
gentleman may know, the consideration of the IMF is in the Foreign 
Operations appropriations bill. I understand that the committee has 
determined that they will take that bill up for full committee markup 
when we return from the August work recess period.
  Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I would just hope that we 
would not delay any longer. Obviously, that is of critical importance 
to the ag sector, the funding of the International Monetary Fund.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me reiterate one 
more time about finishing campaign finance by the end of next week. May 
I also ask the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), on Monday, what time 
do we expect to have the vote on Shays-Meehan? Will it be before the 
suspension votes are taken, or after?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would again yield, the vote 
will be taken after the suspension votes, and I would guess that the 
vote on Shays-Meehan would be, if the gentleman will give me a large 
latitude on the ``more or less,'' 8 o'clock, depending on how many 
votes are ordered.
  Of course, the proponents on that bill want to have a little bit of 
time for wrapup debate. So, I would say probably between 8:00 and 9:00, 
is my best estimate.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this information 
and for his courtesy.

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