[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H641-H642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I have an inquiry of the distinguished 
majority leader about the schedule for next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

                              {time}  1115

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the House has 
completed its legislative business for the week.
  The House will next meet for legislative business on Tuesday, March 
5, at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. 
The House will consider a number of measures under suspension of the 
rules, a list of which will be distributed to Members' offices 
tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, Members should make special note that on Tuesday, 
recorded votes will be postponed until 6 p.m.; and that 6 p.m. is for 
next week only.
  On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will consider the following 
measures subject to rules:
  Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act; and
  The Department of Justice authorization conference report, if it is 
available.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also talking with Chairman Oxley about the 
possibility of moving H.R. 2604, the Multinational Bank Reauthorization 
Act, next week.
  I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the majority leader.
  I had some further questions about the schedule. Is there any Social 
Security legislation that will be scheduled on the floor next Tuesday 
or any other day next week?
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentlewoman for that inquiry.
  At this point, I see no legislation on that subject that would be 
available for the floor next week.
  Ms. PELOSI. It is my understanding that the Committee on Ways and 
Means today is holding hearings on Social Security certificates 
legislation. When would that legislation be expected to come to the 
floor?
  Mr. ARMEY. Again I thank the gentlewoman for her inquiry.
  I do know that the hearings were held today, but I have not been 
requested to provide floor time to the committee for any pending 
legislation.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Leader, once again I am disappointed that there is no 
legislation addressing unemployment assistance. We all know that there 
is an urgent need for that.
  Will we be appointing conferees on that legislation next week? If so, 
when might that occur?
  Mr. ARMEY. Again let me thank the gentlewoman for the inquiry.
  The Speaker and I have spoken about this only briefly, but at this 
point he has not asked me to schedule any appointment of conferees.
  Ms. PELOSI. I find that disappointing because, as the gentleman 
knows, we have people who are suffering in our country. We passed the 
airline bailout bill in a matter of days of September 11, and that was 
appropriate. We should have at that time passed unemployment benefits 
for those who are affected by September 11. Now we are 6 months later, 
and we still do not have the conferees appointed.
  Mr. ARMEY. If the gentlewoman will yield, and I do appreciate her 
concern. In fact, we, too, share this concern. The frustration that she 
feels is felt over here, too. Having passed unemployment insurance 
extensions three

[[Page H642]]

times through this body to the other body and having seen such a 
disappointing response by the other body, we do understand her concern 
and we are hopeful that we can work this out as well as opportunities 
to go back to work for most of these people.
  Ms. PELOSI. I appreciate the majority leader saying that, Mr. 
Speaker, because the American people expect and deserve for this 
Congress, in this House for us to work together in a bipartisan way to 
bring the same relief to the American workers affected by September 11 
as we did to bail out the airline industry only a few days after 
September 11, as I mentioned.
  Mr. Speaker, on the question of the schedule, as the gentleman knows, 
there are primaries beginning this spring. We have our own this Tuesday 
in California. Will there be any change in the vote schedule on 
Tuesdays with the primaries?
  Mr. ARMEY. Again I thank the gentlewoman for the inquiry.
  I know that, in fact, just a week later, we will have ours in Texas. 
Primary season this year does generally fall on Tuesdays. 
Unfortunately, it is our need to convene the body for work on Tuesdays. 
We try to have the votes later in the evening so that Members hopefully 
would be able to vote in their States in the mornings and return. It is 
a difficulty for California, but I believe we have done the best we can 
in terms of our accommodation for next week.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Leader, I assume that I should not take it personally 
that on the day of the California primary you have made the votes 
earlier rather than later.
  Mr. ARMEY. I thank the gentlewoman for the inquiry; but let me just 
say that this body, as the Nation, admires and respects California and 
can only hope for the best for your great State.
  Ms. PELOSI. I am certain of that. I thank the gentleman for the 
information.

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