[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10135-H10137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   LIMITATION OF TIME FOR DEBATE ON CERTAIN AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 4274, 
  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during 
consideration of H.R. 4274 that debate time allotted to amendments 
numbered 2 and 3 in House Report 105-762, pursuant to H. Res. 584, be 
limited to 16 minutes each, equally divided.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  Mr. OBEY. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Speaker, I just want to 
make certain that I understand what the last two words mean.
  It is my understanding that if the time is equally divided, that 
means

[[Page H10136]]

that each party will have 8 minutes of time on each amendment.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. As I understand it, there are 2 amendments. Each 
amendment would be divided equally between the majority and the 
minority or in some such fashion according to the proponent and the 
opposition. The proponent would get 8 minutes, the opposition would get 
8 minutes on each amendment; so, for a total of 16 minutes on each 
amendment.
  Mr. OBEY. But the question, Mr. Speaker, is will the minority party 
have 8 minutes on each amendment? On each proposition, I mean.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. If the gentleman would continue to yield, I would 
suggest to the gentleman that the way that the amendment has been 
propounded that that would be up to the managers of the amendment and 
the manager in opposition to the amendment.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I just need to have the assurance, and I want 
to cooperate on this, but I need to have the assurance that our side 
will be yielded 50 percent of the time on each of the two propositions.

                              {time}  1845

  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, I 
understand that there is no certain way to guarantee that it is equally 
divided on each side of the aisle. However, I understand that there 
appears to be no opposition from the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Greenwood), who would be one of the proponents of an amendment.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, further reserving my right to object, that 
means that we would only have 4 minutes out of all of the debate time.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I do not 
think that that is the case.
  If the gentleman will yield further, would he tell me who would claim 
time in opposition to the Istook amendment?
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, further reserving my right to object, as the 
gentleman knows, I am trying to get to a meeting to help facilitate the 
moving of the budget forward, so what I would like to do is have the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) on this side manage the time for the 
entire bill, including the two amendments.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, if the 
gentleman would advise us that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) 
would rise in opposition to the amendment, it would be the intention of 
the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) to yield 8 minutes for the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) to control on the Istook amendment.
  Mr. OBEY. We would also have 8 minutes on the Greenwood proposition.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman reserves the right to 
object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaTourette). The reservation is 
presently held by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). The 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) may yield on his reservation if he 
so chooses.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. We 
have two issues before us, one which the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. 
Istook) supports, one which many people oppose; and we have the 
amendment of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) which he 
supports, but many on our side oppose. If we divide the time as the 
gentleman has suggested, those equally opposing each amendment will not 
have equal share of the time.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I do not want to do that.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to amend my unanimous 
consent request which apparently was unclear and unintentionally 
unclear.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, on each amendment, those 
in favor of the amendment be allotted 8 minutes, and those opposed be 
allotted 8 minutes and that, to as great a degree as possible, the time 
in each instance be shared on both sides.
  It may well be that nobody on the gentleman's side of the aisle would 
like to claim time in one of those categories or another, but at least 
people will have the opportunity within that time frame to make their 
comments and be heard.
  Mr. OBEY. Well, continuing under my reservation, Mr. Speaker, I am 
still trying to figure out what that means. We are not trying to hold 
anybody up. There are people on this side who want to speak as well. We 
just want to make certain that we will have an equal amount of time 
that will be yielded on both propositions. That is all.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield further?
  Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, we have two amendments. We have the 
Istook amendment, and we have the Greenwood amendment. According to my 
unanimous consent request, I have asked that, on each, there be 8 
minutes allotted for and 8 minutes allotted against.
  I guess it would be a little bit simpler if we simply decided right 
now within the context of this unanimous consent who will represent 
those for and who will represent those against on each amendment.
  In the instance of the Greenwood amendment, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) would have the time for 8 minutes. I am 
asking the gentleman's statements, I assume that the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) could be recognized in opposition to the 
Greenwood amendment.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation, let me 
explain to the gentleman, I am sure that, on our side of the aisle, the 
preponderance of the speakers will be against the Istook amendment. I 
do not want us to have all the time against the Istook amendment.
  I think that, if there are 8 minutes against the Istook amendment, 4 
ought to be reserved for the majority party if they want them. If they 
do not want them, I do not think we ought to have them anyway.
  But we would like at least 4 minutes on the Istook amendment and 4 
minutes on the Greenwood amendment. If the gentleman do that, I do not 
care how he works out the time.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield further?
  Mr. OBEY. Absolutely. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like my unanimous consent 
request to be amended so that, on the Greenwood amendment, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) be allotted 8 minutes to be 
divided as he sees fit.
  Mr. OBEY. That is fine so far.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. That 8 minutes be allotted to the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) to be divided as he sees fit.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Wisconsin will yield, 
which I would be happy to share with those who feel that position from 
your side of the aisle.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, so what the gentleman is saying, the gentleman 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) will have 8 minutes and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Greenwood) will have 8 minutes, and he has agreed to 
yield 4 of it to us.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, that is on 
Greenwood.
  Mr. OBEY. On Greenwood.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will further yield, on 
Istook, that the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) will be allotted 
8 minutes to be divided as he sees fit, and that the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Stokes) will be allotted 8 minutes in opposition to be 
divided as he sees fit.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, further reserving my right to object, we would 
agree that the time of gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stokes) would be split 
evenly between the parties if there are persons on the gentleman's side 
who want to argue against that amendment.
  Mr. LIVINGSTON. Correct.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, with that understanding, I withdraw my 
reservation of objection.

[[Page H10137]]

  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request by the gentleman from 
Louisiana?
  There was no objection.

                          ____________________