[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 164 (Thursday, November 18, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H12833-H12834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MAKING FURTHER CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
consider and pass House Joint Resolution 84, making further continuing 
appropriations for fiscal year 2000.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I think the 
House needs to understand exactly what it is we are doing, and I yield 
to the gentleman for the purpose of explaining what is happening again.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Earlier this afternoon, we passed a continuing resolution taking us 
to December 2, 1999. Our colleagues in the Senate have asked that we 
extend that by one day, mainly because they need a clean vehicle over 
there, and that is exactly what this is, it extends continuing spending 
authority from December 2 to December 3, and it gives our colleagues in 
the Senate a clean vehicle that they need to conduct their business.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation, I would 
simply note two things and then ask a question.
  When we were debating how dairy would be handled, we were told that 
it had to be on the budget because we did not have any other vehicles. 
Now, in the space of about 15 minutes, the House has created two 
additional vehicles. I am beginning to think that we are making the 
keystone cops look like Barishnikov.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not understand what the magic difference is between 
December 2 and December 3. Perhaps we could reach a compromise on 
December 2\1/2\. I do not know what is going on.
  I mean, I have heard of continuing resolutions for a year, an hour, 
but not

[[Page H12834]]

10 minutes, which is what it has been since we passed the last one. How 
many more are we going to have to pass before we get our act together 
tonight?
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield 
further, my response to his question is rather simple. I have been 
advised that if we do not provide an extra vehicle for the Senate, it 
may be necessary for the House to either stay in session or reconvene 
tomorrow or the next day in order to complete legislative business. I 
am also advised that if they have a clean vehicle, it is very likely 
that we would not have to be back here sitting as the House.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation, I would say I 
thought that is what we were told a few minutes ago, that we needed to 
pass the last one so we would not be in session.
  I hope that sooner or later, we get things right.
  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield 
further, I would like to say to my friend and my colleague with whom we 
have worked so well together throughout this year that in my opinion, 
we have done things right here; and I cannot answer for any other 
venue.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, continuing under my reservation, I do not 
quarrel with that statement with respect to the committee, but I do 
think that this process, I have to say, has been the most chaotic that 
I have seen in the 31 years that I have been privileged to be a Member 
of this body. I do not think what is happening is the fault of the 
gentleman from Florida, it certainly is not mine, but I would hope that 
when we return in the first of the year in the next millennium, we will 
have a different set of arrangements that will enable us to do things 
in a quite different fashion.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the joint resolution, as follows:

                              H.J. Res. 84

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That Public 
     Law 106-62 is further amended by striking ``November 18, 
     1999'' in section 106(c) and inserting in lieu thereof 
     ``December 3, 1999'', and by striking ``$346,483,754'' in 
     section 119 and inserting in lieu thereof ``$755,719,054''. 
     Public Law 106-46 is amended by striking ``November 18, 
     1999'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``December 3, 1999''.

  The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third 
time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider 
was laid on the table.

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