[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1730
THE OMNIBUS BILL: WHERE IS IT, WHAT DOES IT CONTAIN, WHO IS WRITING IT, 
             AND WHEN WILL MEMBERS GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hansen). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, do we remember the movie Roger and Me, where 
producer Roger Moore attempted to find Roger Smith, the President of 
General Motors? He looked everywhere for him. He looked in Detroit, he 
looked in Boca Raton. He could not find him, as Roger dutifully avoided 
the camera lens.
  In Congress this month and last, we are producing a sequel to Roger 
and Me. It is called the Omnibus and Me. Let me ask, where is the 
omnibus bill? We know it is a large bill. We know we cannot find it. We 
know it is looking more and more like one of those dreaded 
congressional Christmas tree bills. No one seems to know in which room 
it is being written. No one knows exactly who is writing it. In fact, 
we are told three or four staffers are actually in charge. So who 
exactly are these unelected people? Where can Members go to read the 
bill?
  Most importantly, Members do not know what is in the bill. We are 
told one-third of $1 billion is being slipped in to bail out poultry 
traders, get this, in Russia. That issue never came up during House 
consideration of the agricultural appropriation bill, which passed here 
overwhelmingly. It never came up in the Senate, either.
  According to Sect. 201(f) of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978; 
``The Commodity Credit Corporation may not make export sales financing 
authorized under this section available in connection with sales of an 
agricultural commodity to any country that the Secretary determines 
cannot adequately service the debt associated with such sale.'' 
Currently, Russia is ineligible for the program.
  So why is regular order being violated for certain special interests 
who can gain access to the corridors of this Congress very late in the 
year?
  In fact, every piece of legislative business not completed during 
this Congress, now famous as the do-nothing Congress, the 105th 
Congress, is now being put on the table as bargaining chips among a 
very few players. Why? Because this Chamber and the other have not 
completed their business on time. The fiscal year began October 1. 
Everything happening here in Congress is being played actually in 
overtime, simply because every single congressional deadline under 
regular order has been missed by the group in charge.
  What about the budget? There is no approved budget resolution for 
1999, the fiscal year. We are already into that year. Some Committee on 
the Budget Members in leadership positions here in the House want to 
run for president, but they have not even completed the 
responsibilities of their committee work here in the House.
  Look at the appropriation bills. A majority of them, eight of 13, 
have not been completed on time. Now they are being picked apart by a 
very few folks around here, without the sunlight of regular order and 
regular committee oversight.
  Why is Congress here in October, at the end of a fiscal year? There 
is no budget. A majority of appropriation bills for fiscal year 1999, 
which has already begun, are not completed, a majority. Congress is 
operating in a stop-start knee-jerk operation actually not worthy of 
those that we represent.
  For the record, let me point out again, there is no completed budget 
for the fiscal year we are already in because Congress did not finish 
its legislative business by passing its 13 appropriation bills by 
September 30.
  On September 25 the first continuing resolution was offered that 
extended the congressional session 14 days overtime, as a handful of 
Members began drafting the omnibus bill that I have been looking for 
for several days. They are doing so in secret. Members, find the room 
and tell me where all this is being done.
  Then, when they still did not finish after 2 more weeks, a second 
continuing resolution passed the House on October 9. They said they 
needed 4 more days to add more to the Christmas tree bill. That did not 
work, so then a third continuing resolution was offered on October 12, 
Columbus Day, somewhat historic, I suppose, for 2 more days, until 
October 14. Now today, a fourth overtime resolution was offered for 3 
more days until Friday, the end of this week, October 16.
  I sure would not put those manipulating this hit and miss scheduling 
in charge of anything after this Congress is over.
  So I ask, where is the omnibus Christmas tree appropriation bill? 
Where can Members read it? Where, more importantly, can the public read 
it? Is it going to be put on the Internet, so the American people can 
read it before we have to vote on it, whenever that is?
  I would say to Members, and I have been here a few years, I can tell 
Members with absolute certainty, if Members are not able to read this 
bill before it comes to the floor, Members have only one choice: Vote 
no.

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