[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H6723-H6725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 1501, JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM ACT OF
1999
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1501) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide grants to ensure increased
accountability for juvenile offenders; to amend the Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to provide quality prevention
programs and accountability programs relating to juvenile delinquency,
and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to
the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Motion to Instruct Offered by Mr. Conyers
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct conferees.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Conyers moves that the managers on the part of the
House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two
Houses on the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 1501, be
instructed to insist that--
(1) the committee of conference recommend a conference
substitute which--
(A) includes a requirement that background checks be
conducted on all firearms sales at gun shows so as to
effectively preclude criminals and other prohibited
purchasers (e.g. murderers, rapists, child molesters,
fugitives from justice, illegal aliens, stalkers, and
batterers) from obtaining firearms from non-licensed persons
and federally licensed firearms dealers at gun shows;
(B) does not include any measure that would weaken the
effectiveness of background checks currently conducted on
individuals seeking to purchase a firearm from a federally
licensed firearms dealer;
(C) does not include any measure that would otherwise
weaken or eliminate any other provision of Federal firearms
law or regulation; and
(D) includes provisions which would authorize funding for
school resource officers and school violence prevention
programs, including school counselors;
(2) all meetings of the committee of conference--
(A) be open to the public and to the print and electronic
media;
(B) be held in venues selected to maximize the capacity for
attendance of the public and the media; and
(C) be held during reasonable hours;
(3) the committee of conference allow sufficient
opportunity for all members of the committee of conference to
offer and debate amendments at all meetings of the committee
of conference; and
(4) the committee of conference recommend a conference
substitute before Congress adjourns for the August recess so
that Congress can pass reasonable gun safety measures before
children return to school.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers)
will be recognized for 30 minutes, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Hyde) will be recognized for 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H6724]]
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CONYERS. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Conyers) that I have no objection to the instructions proposed by
the gentleman from Michigan and we will accept them.
I just have one caveat, and that is putting time constraints on this
may make it more difficult to resolve. We will do our best. It would be
in an ideal world that we could finish this next week.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I say to the chairman,
it is not binding, that we are going to do our best to accomplish that.
Mr. Speaker, as disappointed as I have been about the senseless
delays that have prevented this Congress from sending to the
President's desk reasonable and moderate gun safety measures, I am
pleased that we are finally ready to appoint conferees.
{time} 0915
On August 16, in just a few weeks, the children who attended
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, will be returning to
school. It has been over 3 months since the tragedy in Columbine
occurred. But because of the delaying tactics by the National Rifle
Association and its allies, we have only 1 week to settle the gun
safety issues before we adjourn for the summer recess.
We should not delay longer. How can we do nothing when 13 children
are killed as a result of gun violence in this Nation every single day?
Nine people were shot to death in Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday, and 12
were wounded. We do not know all the facts, but this was clearly a
disturbed man who should not own a gun. We need a comprehensive system
of background checks to keep this kind of person from buying a gun. We
need to plug the loopholes.
We still have time to make this back-to-school season free from
worries about gun violence for our Nation's children and their parents.
Kids should not have unsupervised access to guns. Teachers and
parents should know that their children are carrying books, pencils and
paper in their backpacks, not guns.
No dangerous criminal should be allowed to buy a gun at a gun show.
That is all that we are asking for.
My motion to instruct conferees is simple:
Number one, it says that a conference report should include measures
that prevent criminals from getting guns at gun shows. A murderer,
rapist or batterer should not be able to buy a gun at a gun show. It
should not matter whether a murderer tries to buy the gun from a
licensed or an unlicensed dealer. The murderer should not get the gun.
This is common sense.
Number two, it says that a conference report should not weaken
current gun laws. After the tragedies in Littleton, Colorado, and
Conyers, Georgia, American parents cried out for measures that do more
to protect their kids from gun violence. How can we as a Congress do
less?
Number three, it says that a conference report should provide more
school resource officers and counselors for our schools. We need to
prevent gun violence in schools before it happens. We need to give
teachers, school administrators, and parents the tools they need to
make schools safer.
Number four, it says that we need to have a fair and open conference.
This House should be ashamed that so much of the House debate on gun
safety took place in the dead of night while American families were
sleeping and unaware that new loopholes that would give more criminals
access to guns were being written. The NRA and its allies should not be
allowed to hide any longer.
Mr. Speaker, the young people are going back to school. It is time
for this Congress to get back to work and pass modest and reasonable
gun safety legislation. With nearly 5,000 of our children being killed
by gun violence this year, we certainly cannot afford to put this
legislation on hold any longer.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the motion to instruct
conferees. The gentleman from Michigan's motion makes several points
that I know we all agree with, and hence we need no instruction to do.
But I am concerned that the motion would also, or might also constrain
the work of the conferees in such a way that might well be
counterproductive.
The first instruction in the motion is that conferees craft the
conference report in such a way that no criminal will be able to buy a
gun, at a gun show or anywhere else. I know of no dispute on this
point.
The second instruction in the motion is that the conferees not weaken
any existing gun laws. I can assure you this side intends for that to
happen. In fact, a cursory review of H.R. 1501 as passed by the House
shows that the intent of this body is to strengthen the laws that
punish the illegal possession and use of a gun. We do not need to be
instructed to avoid doing the opposite.
The third point raised by the motion, to ensure that the conference
report addresses the issue of school resource officers, is one that can
be raised at conference certainly, and I am not aware of any
controversy on this point that requires a vote of the full House at
this time. I am certain we can address it at the conference itself
satisfactorily.
Mr. Speaker, if this motion instructed us to do only that which we
intend to do anyway, it would be superfluous and not needed. But I am
troubled by one aspect of it, and, that is, the time constraints. We
all want to move with expedition. There have been inordinate delays in
getting this to this point. But we all know the reasons for that. This
is a very contentious and volatile issue and there are diverse
interests tugging and pulling us in different directions. And so I
expect this to be a difficult but certainly not impossible conference.
But I am fully hopeful that we can emerge with a conference report that
can command the support of the majority of this House and a majority of
the other body.
I also note that next week is going to involve a number of important
measures that will be brought to the floor of this House and that of
the other body, all seeking to be reconciled and resolved before the
August recess. The interruptions that votes on these measures would
cause to a conference, were one to be held, might be enough to prevent
us from finishing within a week. Simply put, next week is not the
wisest deadline for the work of this conference to be completed. But we
are going to try. We are going to give it our very best effort.
And so I support the motion to instruct conferees, and I ask my
colleagues to support it. I give you in return my assurance that I
intend to complete the work of the conference as quickly and as
effectively as possible, while still doing all the work expected of us,
in as thoughtful and thorough a manner as possible.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). 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
offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 305,
nays 84, not voting 44, as follows:
[Roll No. 354]
YEAS--305
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Allen
Andrews
Baird
Baker
Baldacci
Baldwin
Ballenger
Barcia
Barrett (NE)
Barrett (WI)
Bateman
Becerra
Bentsen
Bereuter
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bilbray
[[Page H6725]]
Bishop
Bliley
Blumenauer
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonior
Bono
Borski
Boswell
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Bryant
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Campbell
Canady
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Carson
Castle
Chambliss
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Combest
Condit
Conyers
Cook
Cooksey
Costello
Coyne
Cramer
Crowley
Cunningham
Danner
Davis (IL)
Davis (VA)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
DeMint
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Dingell
Dixon
Doggett
Dooley
Doyle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehrlich
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Ewing
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Foley
Forbes
Ford
Fossella
Franks (NJ)
Frelinghuysen
Frost
Ganske
Gejdenson
Gephardt
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Gonzalez
Goodling
Gordon
Goss
Granger
Green (TX)
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hefley
Herger
Hill (IN)
Hilliard
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hobson
Hoeffel
Hoekstra
Holden
Holt
Hooley
Horn
Houghton
Hoyer
Hyde
Inslee
Isakson
Istook
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kasich
Kelly
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind (WI)
King (NY)
Klink
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kucinich
Kuykendall
LaFalce
LaHood
Lampson
Larson
Latham
LaTourette
Lazio
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Linder
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Maloney (CT)
Maloney (NY)
Martinez
Mascara
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McGovern
McHugh
McInnis
McKeon
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Metcalf
Mica
Millender-McDonald
Miller (FL)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Minge
Mink
Moakley
Moore
Moran (KS)
Moran (VA)
Morella
Myrick
Napolitano
Neal
Nethercutt
Northup
Norwood
Nussle
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ose
Oxley
Packard
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pease
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Petri
Phelps
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Price (NC)
Pryce (OH)
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Rangel
Regula
Reyes
Reynolds
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roemer
Rogan
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Rothman
Roukema
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Rush
Ryan (WI)
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sandlin
Sawyer
Saxton
Schakowsky
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Shaw
Shays
Sherman
Sherwood
Shuster
Simpson
Skeen
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Spratt
Stabenow
Stenholm
Strickland
Stupak
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tanner
Tauscher
Terry
Thomas
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thurman
Toomey
Traficant
Turner
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Upton
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Walden
Walsh
Watt (NC)
Waxman
Weiner
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Wexler
Weygand
Wilson
Wolf
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
Young (FL)
NAYS--84
Aderholt
Archer
Armey
Bachus
Barr
Bartlett
Bass
Bilirakis
Bonilla
Boucher
Brady (TX)
Callahan
Cannon
Chabot
Chenoweth
Coble
Coburn
Collins
Deal
DeLay
Doolittle
Emerson
Everett
Fletcher
Gibbons
Goode
Goodlatte
Graham
Hall (TX)
Hansen
Hayes
Hayworth
Hill (MT)
Hilleary
Hostettler
Hulshof
Hunter
Jenkins
Jones (NC)
Kingston
Largent
Lewis (KY)
Lucas (KY)
Lucas (OK)
McIntosh
McIntyre
Mollohan
Murtha
Ney
Paul
Pickering
Pickett
Pitts
Pombo
Rahall
Riley
Rogers
Ryun (KS)
Salmon
Sanford
Scarborough
Schaffer
Sessions
Shadegg
Shimkus
Shows
Sisisky
Souder
Spence
Stump
Sununu
Talent
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Thornberry
Thune
Tiahrt
Vitter
Wamp
Watkins
Watts (OK)
Whitfield
Wicker
Wise
NOT VOTING--44
Barton
Blagojevich
Brown (FL)
Burr
Burton
Cox
Crane
Cubin
Cummings
Davis (FL)
Deutsch
Dicks
Ehlers
Engel
English
Fowler
Frank (MA)
Gallegly
Gekas
Gutierrez
Hall (OH)
Hutchinson
Johnson (CT)
Johnson, Sam
Kleczka
Lantos
Luther
Manzullo
Markey
McCrery
McDermott
Nadler
Ortiz
Owens
Peterson (PA)
Skelton
Stark
Stearns
Tauzin
Tierney
Towns
Waters
Weller
Young (AK)
{time} 0954
Messrs. COBURN, COLLINS, STUMP, HAYES, PICKERING, PICKETT, HILLEARY,
WHITFIELD, BACHUS, WAMP, CALLAHAN, ROGERS, HALL of Texas, TAYLOR of
Mississippi, HULSHOF, McINTYRE, PITTS, SISISKY, WISE, RAHALL,
BILIRAKIS, DEAL of Georgia, SPENCE, COBLE, RYUN of Kansas, SUNUNU,
ARCHER, ARMEY, MOLLOHAN, TALENT, DeLAY, SOUDER, MURTHA, GRAHAM, and
BARTLETT of Maryland changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. ROEMER changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to instruct was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 354, I was inadvertently
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted, ``yea.''
Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 354, I was inadvertently
detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''
Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from the Chamber
today during rollcall vote No. 354. Had I been present I would have
voted ``yea.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). Without objection, the Chair
appoints the following conferees:
From the Committee on the Judiciary, for consideration of the House
bill and the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to
conference: Messrs. Hyde, McCollum, Gekas, Coble, Smith of Texas,
Canady of Florida, Barr of Georgia, Conyers, Frank of Massachusetts,
Scott, Berman and Ms. Lofgren.
Provided, that Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas is appointed in lieu of Mr.
Frank of Massachusetts for consideration of sections 741, 1501, 1505,
1534-35, and titles V, VI, and IX of the Senate amendment.
Provided, that Mr. Meehan is appointed in lieu of Mr. Berman for
consideration of sections 741, 1501, 1505, 1534-35, and titles V, VI,
and IX of the Senate amendment.
From the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for consideration
of the House bill, and the Senate amendment (except sections 741, 1501,
1505, 1534-35, and titles V, VI and IX), and modifications committed to
conference: Messrs. Goodling, Petri, Castle, Greenwood, DeMint, Clay,
Kildee, and Mrs. McCarthy of New York.
From the Committee on Commerce, for consideration of sections 1365
and 1401-03 of the House bill, and sections 1504, 1515, and 1523 of the
Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Mr. Bliley
and Mr. Dingell.
Provided, that Mr. Bilirakis is appointed for consideration of
section 1365 of the House bill and section 1523 of the Senate
amendment.
Provided, that Mr. Tauzin is appointed for consideration of sections
1401-03 of the House bill and sections 1504 and 1515 of the Senate
amendment.
There was no objection.
____________________