[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 90 (Thursday, July 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     OPPOSITION TO LANGUAGE PERMITTING LARGER MICROENTERPRISE LOANS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 12, 2000

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, the following is an explanation of the 
purposes of a point of order I made relative to legislative language on 
microenterprise loans that I did not have the opportunity to deliver in 
full on the floor. I include it here so that my purposes in making the 
point of order are clear.
  Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the language appearing 
in the bill beginning with ``Provided'' on page 11, line 23, through 
page 12, line 8, on the ground that it violates clause 2 of Rule XXI.
  The Rule prohibits changes to law on general appropriations bills. 
This language imposes conditions on the microenterprise program and 
clearly changes existing law by relaxing minimum lending provisions.
  The House considered the issue of microenterprise lending in 1999 
when it passed H.R. 1143. A counterpart to that bill has been reported 
by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and is awaiting floor 
action, I hope we will be able to complete our consideration of it 
before long.
  If the Administration, which has historically wanted to relax these 
standards, wished to engage further with the Congress on this issue, 
they should have approached the Committee with legislative 
jurisdiction, the Committee on International Relations.
  That is an unfortunate attitude that we have seen from time to time 
in this and other Administrations and I regret that we have to consume 
the time of the Committee in dealing with this sort of matter in this 
way.
  Accordingly, Mr. Chairman, I must respectfully insist on my point of 
order.