[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 21, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H6026-H6027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2490, TREASURY AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill H.R. 2490, making appropriations for the 
Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive 
Office of the President, and certain independent agencies, for the 
fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes, with a 
Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree 
to the conference asked by the Senate.

                              {time}  1045

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burr of North Carolina). Is there 
objection to the request of the gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.


                Motion to Instruct Offered by Mr. Olver

  Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Olver moves that in resolving the differences between 
     the House and Senate, the managers on the part of the House 
     at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses 
     on the bill, H.R. 2490, be instructed to restore $50 million 
     in funding for the IRS to complete its Year 2000 compliance

[[Page H6027]]

     work to ensure that taxpayers receive their refunds in the 
     year 2000.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Olver) will be recognized for 30 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) will be recognized for 30 minutes.
  Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues can see, I have been filling 
in here. So I ask unanimous consent to hand the time over to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr.  Hoyer), my distinguished ranking member.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) will 
control the 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we have offered this motion to instruct conferees on the 
basis that the Y2K issue has been an ongoing issue government-wide as 
well as with the Treasury Department. We are very concerned.
  I want to make it clear that I believe that we need more than this 
restored; but at minimum, we need this money restored. That is why this 
motion to instruct has been offered.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not oppose this motion to instruct conferees. 
Obviously, at this moment we do not have an allocation that is 
sufficient to permit us to easily restore these Y2K funds without 
having to take it from some other place that might be even more 
detrimental. But I am certainly hopeful that it will be possible for us 
to restore at least this amount of the Y2K funding to the Internal 
Revenue Service and other Federal agencies.
  So, I have no objection to this motion to instruct. But I say that 
with the understanding that I can give no absolute assurances to my 
colleagues in this body that we can accomplish this in the conference, 
although I am hopeful that we would be able to.
  Mr. SANDERS. Madam Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I would urge the Members to have the courage to stand up to the 
pharmaceutical industry and support this amendment cosponsored by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Stark), the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), the 
gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Kucinich), the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Hilliard), the gentleman 
from California (Mr. George Miller), the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. 
Schakowsky) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry).
  Let us win this fight.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is 
ordered on the motion to instruct.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct.
  The motion was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and that I may include tabular and extraneous material on H.R. 2490.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will appoint conferees later 
today.

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