[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 127 (Thursday, October 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H9821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 111, FURTHER 
             CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2001

  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 627 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                               H. Res. 627

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order without intervention of any point of order 
     to consider in the House the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 111) 
     making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 
     2001, and for other purposes. The joint resolution shall be 
     considered as read for amendment. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the joint resolution to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations; 
     and (2) one motion to recommit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Linder) is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Moakley), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the 
purpose of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 627 is a closed rule providing for 
consideration of House Joint Resolution 111, a resolution making 
further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2001.
  H. Res. 627 provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and 
controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee 
on Appropriations. The rule waives all points of order against 
consideration of the joint resolution. Finally, the rule provides one 
motion to recommit, as is the right of the minority.
  Mr. Speaker, the current continuing resolution expires at the end of 
the day on Saturday, and a further continuing resolution is necessary 
to keep the government operating while Congress completes its 
consideration of the remaining appropriations bills.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. Speaker, House Joint Resolution 111 is a clean continuing 
resolution which simply extends the provisions included in House Joint 
Resolution 109 through October 20.
  Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, we have been working hard to pass 
remaining appropriations bills as soon as possible. Honest 
disagreements remain on both sides of the aisle.
  However, the House has made progress at resolving these differences 
over the past 2 weeks, passing the interior, agriculture, energy, and 
transportation conference reports. We are now very close to completing 
the appropriations process.
  I share the disappointment of many of my colleagues that the 
negotiations have stretched on this long. However, we have a 
responsibility to stay the course and pass sensible and fiscally 
responsible appropriations bills. So, because we refuse to bend our 
principles, we will stay here in Washington for another week, away from 
our families, our districts, and our homes.
  This fair, clean, continuing resolution will give us the time we need 
to fulfill our obligations to the American people and finish the 
appropriations process in an even-handed and conscientious manner.
  The rule was unanimously approved by the Committee on Rules 
yesterday. I urge my colleagues to support it so we may proceed with 
the general debate and consideration of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the third concurrent resolution we have done 
this year. It will push back the appropriations deadline once again for 
my Republican colleagues, and this time it will push it back to October 
20.
  The 1974 Budget Act requires that the 13 appropriation bills be 
signed into law by October 1. The beginning of the fiscal year. But 
despite repeated promises to the contrary by the Republican leadership, 
very little appropriation work is finished, even as we speak. Today 
only two out of 13 appropriation bills have been signed into law, 
Military Construction and Defense. Three more are on the way to the 
President, Transportation, Interior, and Agriculture. The others are in 
various stages of incubation.
  Part of the reason for the lack of progress, Mr. Speaker, is my 
Republican colleagues' budget, which did great things for the very rich 
and failed to set aside enough money for middle-class tax cuts or 
social security preservation or medical prescription drug benefits, or 
any of the other issues that are so important to the working American 
families.
  My Republican colleagues should have passed a minimum wage increase. 
They should have passed a bill to help us repair our schools, or passed 
a bill to hire new teachers. They should have passed the Patients' Bill 
of Rights, Medicare prescription drug benefits, gun controls, gun 
safety legislation.
  But Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues have had plenty of time to 
finish these appropriation bills and a lot more, but they did not. Now, 
in order to keep the Federal government open, we must pass this third 
continuing resolution.
  The administration asked for a shorter continuing resolution in order 
to get more things done. I believe they were right to do so. But 
nonetheless, I will support this longer continuing resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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