[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR H.R. 2418, ORGAN 
       PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPLANTATION NETWORK AMENDMENTS OF 1999

  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon a ``Dear Colleague'' letter 
will be sent to all Members informing them that the Committee on Rules 
is planning to meet the week of March 27 to grant a rule which may 
limit the amendment process on H.R. 2418, the Organ Procurement and 
Transplantation Network Amendments of 1999.
  Any Member who wishes to offer an amendment should submit 55 copies 
and a brief explanation of the amendment by 12 noon on Tuesday, March 
28, to the Committee on Rules in Room H-312 in the Capitol. Amendments 
should be drafted to the text of the bill as reported by the Committee 
on Commerce.
  Members should use the Office of Legislative Council to ensure that 
their amendments are properly drafted and should check with the Office 
of the Parliamentarian to be certain their amendments comply with the 
rules of the House. Again, this is the Organ Procurement and 
Transplantation Network Amendments of 1999.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GOSS. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, we are talking about the organ transplant 
bill?
  Mr. GOSS. The gentleman is correct.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Is this the bill that we will eventually work on, unlike 
the budget that we are voting on today that was constructed at 3 
o'clock this morning without anybody testifying on it?
  Mr. GOSS. Reclaiming my time from the distinguished gentleman, the 
ranking member of the Committee on Rules, who I am delighted to see 
this morning again, I will assure the gentleman, to the best of my 
knowledge, this will proceed in the normal way of the Committee on 
Rules business and should be discovered on your desk at the Committee 
on Rules meeting time as we normally do at the daylight hour.
  We will hopefully proceed through a hearing process and hopefully 
proceed through the rulemaking process in a timely fashion with the 
cooperation of the gentleman's minority party.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GOSS. Of course, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I appreciate my friend yielding. I have not seen him 
since 3 o'clock this morning, and also the wonderful chairman we have 
here, I have not seen him since 3 o'clock this morning.
  Mr. DREIER. Why did the gentleman leave so early?
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I had to catch a bus, but the only thing I want to be 
sure is that all the efforts that we go to in getting ready for this 
piece, if this is going to be the bill that we are ultimately going to 
vote on, unlike the budget bill that was put before us at 2:30 this 
morning, after being constructed in the dark of night in some den by I 
do not know who, but that bill never saw a committee, and it was never 
voted on by a committee. I want to make sure that is the way it is 
going to go.
  Mr. GOSS. Reclaiming my time, I can assure the gentleman that is my 
understanding. We are fortunate to have the chairman of the Committee 
on Rules here who can give the gentleman further assurance. I shall 
yield to him.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. GOSS. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, let us not have a vote on his assessment.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding. Let me assure my 
colleague, who was in his office I know last night at 8:29 last 
evening, the gentleman received 99.9 percent of this budget package 
that we had. And I know that the gentleman spent the following several 
hours carefully scrutinizing this legislation. I think that he will 
find when we have this vote today it is a very responsible, appropriate 
way to move ahead with this.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. GOSS. Reclaiming my time from the chairman, I yield further to 
the distinguished ranking member.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, there was an additional $5 billion added 
that was not in the bill when we heard it.
  Mr. DREIER. I do not know about $5 billion that was added.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. The gentleman does not know that. Maybe we should take 
more time to look at it.
  Mr. DREIER. We looked closely at it.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I reclaim my time and assure the distinguished 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moakley) that the next piece of 
business we hope to see on the floor which I am about to call up will 
give us the opportunity to discuss further matters of interest that he 
has raised.

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