[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H693-H696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. CON. RES. 275, SENSE OF CONGRESS ON 
              HUNTING SEASONS FOR MIGRATORY MOURNING DOVES

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the 
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 353 and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 353

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 275) expressing the 
     sense of the Congress that hunting seasons for migratory 
     mourning doves should be modified so that individuals have a 
     fair and equitable opportunity to hunt such birds. The first 
     reading of the concurrent resolution shall be dispensed with. 
     All points of order against consideration of the concurrent 
     resolution are waived. General debate shall be confined to 
     the concurrent resolution and shall not exceed one hour 
     equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Resources. After general 
     debate the concurrent resolution shall be considered for 
     amendment under the five-minute rule. The concurrent 
     resolution shall be considered as read. During consideration 
     of the concurrent resolution for amendment, the Chairman of 
     the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition 
     on the basis of whether the Member offering an amendment has 
     caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional 
     Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. 
     Amendments so printed shall be considered as read. At the 
     conclusion of consideration of the concurrent resolution for 
     amendment the Committee shall rise and report the concurrent 
     resolution to the House with such amendments as may have been 
     adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered 
     on the concurrent resolution and amendments thereto to final 
     adoption without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) 
is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate 
only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hall), 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. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 353 is an 
open rule waiving all points of order against the consideration of H. 
Con. Res. 275, a sense of the Congress regarding hunting seasons for 
migratory mourning doves. The rule provides one hour of general debate 
to be equally divided between the chairman and ranking minority member 
of the Committee on Resources. The rule waives all points of order 
against the consideration of the concurrent resolution.
  The rule also authorizes the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole 
to accord priority recognition to Members who have preprinted their 
amendments in the Congressional Record.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, 
with or without instructions.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 275 is a sense of the Congress introduced 
by the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources, the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), and it expresses the sense of 
Congress that, one, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 should be 
modified to allow for mourning dove hunting during the last week in 
August in areas north of 37 degrees north latitude; two, that the 
United States should begin discussions with the appropriate parties to 
ensure that all Americans have an opportunity to harvest migratory 
mourning doves in an equitable manner; and, three, that hunters and 
wildlife management agencies in the States north of 37 degrees latitude 
should support an earlier opening date for the mourning dove season.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 275 was reported by unanimous consent of 
the Committee on Resources on February 27, 2002. Accordingly, Mr. 
Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support both the rule, H. Res. 
353, and the underlying bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Hastings) for yielding me the time, and I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  This is an open rule. It will allow for consideration of H. Con. Res. 
375 and, as we have heard, this is a resolution regarding hunting 
seasons for migratory mourning doves.
  As the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) has described, this 
rule provides for 1 hour of general debate that will be equally divided 
and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Resources. The rule permits amendments under the 5-minute 
rule. This is the normal amending process in the House. All Members on 
both sides of the aisle will have an opportunity to offer germane 
amendments.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916 be renegotiated to provide a longer 
hunting season for mourning doves above the 37 degrees latitude. If the 
hunting season were extended, that would affect 22 States where 
mourning dove hunting is permitted. It also includes my State of Ohio.
  Though this measure is important to many hunters and it is an 
important issue in many parts of this country, there is a far more 
important matter of legislation to extend unemployment insurance to 
out-of-work Americans that we are very concerned about. Many men and 
women have lost their jobs after the September 11 terrorist attack 
which was almost 6 months ago, and those benefits will soon run out 
unless we pass a bill to increase their unemployment insurance. We need 
to deal with this issue immediately.
  Therefore, I will oppose the previous question and, if the previous 
question is defeated, I will offer an amendment to the rule which will 
permit the House to take up the Senate amendment to H.R. 3090, which 
would extend unemployment insurance by 13 weeks.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such 
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources.
  (Mr. HANSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, this is kind of a cherished thing in 
America, the hunting of doves. Many of us who hunt have noticed in our 
younger years that dove hunting was not a big thing. Deer season was 
always such a big thing in the State of Utah that they closed the 
schools, the churches, and everything else at the opening of deer 
season. Fishing was always a mass exodus out of town to get to various 
mass areas. Dove season was never considered as much.
  I do not think people understand the importance of this little 
elusive bird

[[Page H694]]

that people call the mourning dove. Actually, there are millions of 
them. The problem we have on this particular bill is that when the days 
start getting shorter and when we have a cold snap, what happens is 
they go south because they are a migratory bird.

                              {time}  1100

  When they go south, the people who want to hunt in the northern areas 
do not get the opportunity to hunt, so they maybe can pick up a 
straggler here and there. But the folks from Florida, Texas, the 
southern States, Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, they have a 
heyday. The folks in Mexico really have a heyday because they do not 
have a limit on it, and they go down there and shoot them by the 
thousands. That I think is another issue, not one before us today, but 
possibly one that should be considered.
  So the people in the north who enjoy hunting, and hunting is one of 
the traditions of America which we all seem to enjoy, or many folks 
seem to enjoy, do not get the opportunity or privilege that people 
below the parallel that was mentioned before have.
  So with this bill we are not telling them what to do; we do not have 
that right. We cannot set the limit. What we are merely saying is the 
President of the United States will then urge the people in Canada and 
Mexico to renegotiate and start the limit above that parallel by 1 week 
earlier. That week seems to be critical, because for those of us who 
have hunted doves, they can see literally thousands of those birds in 
the area the last week of August. Where do they go the last week of 
September? As if they knew exactly, away they go, and the hunting is 
rather poor.
  So all this bill does is urge these countries to renegotiate. No one 
in this body or the other body has the privilege or the right to change 
the law. We can just urge that it be done, and this bill would urge the 
President of the United States to begin that type of a process.
  Mr. Speaker, I would urge a ``yes'' vote on this rule and a ``yes'' 
vote on the bill.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the 
great gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 275 expresses the sense of 
Congress that hunting seasons for migratory mourning doves should be 
modified so that individuals have a fair and equitable opportunity to 
hunt such birds.
  I think that the American people would have every right to ask the 
question: Why is Congress considering a resolution on mourning doves 
when 11,127,000 Americans have exhausted their unemployment benefits?
  The people of this country expect a sense of proportion about what we 
do here, a sense of priorities. When we are coming forward to this 
Congress with a bill that seeks to address the Migratory Bird Treaty 
Act of 1918 to try to modify that act to allow for mourning dove 
hunting during the last week of August, while over 1 million Americans 
are being deprived of an opportunity to receive income into their 
family because they are running out of unemployment benefits, and the 
Federal Government has not acted to extend those benefits, people have 
every right to ask, What are we doing here in this Congress? Why is 
Congress considering a resolution on mourning doves when the recession 
has lasted 52 weeks so far? Why is Congress considering a resolution on 
mourning doves when this week and next, persons who became unemployed 
after September 11 will exhaust their unemployment benefits?
  Now, if Members agree with many of us that this is an example of 
skewed priorities, it is an example of not being in tune with the real 
needs of the American people, then I want to ask them to join with us 
in opposing the motion on the previous question.
  The reason is this: if we are successful in defeating the motion on 
the previous question, we will then have a straight debate on 
unemployment insurance extension without any poison pills. I urge that 
we keep our priorities straight.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter).
  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington for 
yielding me the necessary time to at least express interest not only in 
the passage of the rule, which I think is an important rule to 
accompany this resolution, but the folks in my State and in the 
adjoining States, all those above the 37th parallel, do not enjoy the 
opportunity, as was stated by several of the speakers before myself, 
including the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Resources, to 
be able to hunt the mourning dove during our season because, as the 
treaty, which was established in 1916, states, we cannot open our 
season before September 1. All we need in Idaho and those States that 
are north of the 37th parallel is just a little bit of a cooling trend 
and all the doves immediately go south.
  It is a responsible thing to do, and it is a responsible thing to do 
because of some of the subject matter that has been brought up by the 
gentleman across the aisle, that there are a lot of folks that cannot 
afford to go to the southern States, cannot afford to go to Mexico, 
cannot afford to transport the weapons or the transportation, and these 
people then are denied the opportunity to hunt, as well.
  So I think this is an economic stimulus package, and it is also a 
package to help those folks who do not have the necessary resources to 
be able to enjoy hunting in their home State and be able to take the 
mourning doves, within a certain limit.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I join with the good gentleman from Washington and 
all those others who have spoken in hopes that we will vote for the 
rule, pass the rule, and then vote and pass the resolution.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).
  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, today we are here to vote on the fate of mourning doves. 
That may be a serious matter, and people may in fact cherish the 
opportunity to go and shoot these birds, and that would be appropriate 
at some other time, I might suspect.
  However, there are people mourning in America today because they are 
working families who have suffered record layoffs since the tragic 
terrorist attacks of September 11 and prior to that time.
  From September 11, the date after which people exhausted their 
benefits, the date they would get additional benefits under the 
bipartisan legislation passed in the Senate 100 to nothing through 
January of this year, more than 1.3 million people will have exhausted 
their regular employment benefits, and we are here talking about doves.
  In nine States, including my home State of Massachusetts, the number 
of unemployed workers exhausting their unemployment benefits from 
November to January more than doubled from the comparable period a year 
ago. On April 15, just a month from now, unemployed workers across this 
country will be paying their taxes, filing their returns to pay taxes 
for the money they made before September 11. Those tax dollars go to 
pay our salaries here in Congress. They expect us to work, and they 
expect us to set priorities.
  Long before the priority of shooting doves, we should be doing 
something about the unemployment insurance for people who are out of 
work. We were able to work to bail out the airlines. We promised to 
help the laid-off workers then, and we still have not done it. Instead, 
we have a tax package to help corporations. The majority in this House 
tried first to give a 15-year break of $25 billion back to Enron and 
other megacorporations, but did not do anything about unemployment 
insurance.
  They still are now trying to undermine that by taking that 100 to 
zero proposal from the Senate that would extend unemployment insurance 
and add another poison pill, this time shifting from the employer to 
the employee the cost of their basic health insurance, trying to 
undermine our employer-based health insurance system as the price for 
having unemployment insurance.
  Well, we have suspension of the rules for mourning doves, Mr. 
Speaker, and we should have suspension of the rules to deal with the 
unemployment insurance. Oppose the motion on the previous question, 
bring forward that Senate bill. No more poison pills. Let us

[[Page H695]]

get our business done for America's working families.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rehberg).
  Mr. REHBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the State of 
Washington for yielding time to me.
  While I am a freshman, I hope I never get to the point on this House 
floor in my time as a United States Congressman to belittle the 
opportunity or attempt of any other Member in the United States 
Congress to do something for their constituency.
  Within the State of Montana, this is an important issue. Fish and 
game can be debated for many hours and many days in Montana because of 
not only the hunting experience, but the economic benefit that it 
provides to my residents. On my own ranch we have dove hunting. 
Unfortunately, because of the dates that are included here, sometimes 
it can only last 3 days because, as the light hours change in the day 
and the temperature changes, these migratory birds move south.
  This is an opportunity to create some economic development for my 
State, a State that has been gripped for 3, 4, 5, and sometimes 6 years 
by drought, now. We have a new term in Montana. It is called 
``continuing drought.''
  So I will not belittle their opportunity or attempt to do something 
for their constituency, and I hope they will not continue to do that in 
this particular case, because this is an important piece of legislation 
for my constituency.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).
  (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, by a vote of 100 to nothing, the other body voted for a 
13-week extension of unemployment benefits. The purpose of our act 
today is we want to bring that same proposal to the floor so we can 
vote on it as well, and extend unemployment benefits.
  We are going to hear that there will be an effort to do that later in 
the day put forth by the majority, and they have some things added on 
to it. What is wrong with that? Let me tell the Members what is wrong 
with the majority's health care scam that is added to the unemployment 
benefit extension.
  A person who has been out of work for 6 months and is about to lose 
his or her benefits, who has $1,000 in his or her checking account, 
here is how they get health care under the Republican plan. They are 
supposed to go out and pay $7,000 or more in premiums to buy a health 
insurance policy, and then wait until next year, when they file their 
income tax return and get $4,200 back as a credit.
  The Republican health insurance scam requires people to use dollars 
they do not have to pay a premium they cannot afford to get a tax 
credit they will not use until more than a year from now. That is a 
hoax, not a plan. The majority should join with us and defeat this 
previous question.
  Let us have a clean up-and-down vote on whether or not to do as 100 
Senators did and extend unemployment benefits for America's unemployed 
for 13 weeks. Vote ``no'' on the previous question.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to our great 
leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge our colleagues to vote against the 
previous question. Here we are on the floor of Congress at a time when 
our country is in a very difficult place economically. This month, a 
record number of people have exhausted their unemployment benefits, a 
record number of people. Here we are on the floor of the House; and 
instead of addressing that very pressing need for all of those 
families, we are taking up suspensions, a second day of suspensions.
  I have no quarrel with our dealing with certain issues, like 
extending the hunting season for mourning doves, if that is necessary 
and that is our jurisdiction. That is something that should be a small 
part of what we do.
  But the American people see us on TV. They see the irrelevance of 
what is going on on the floor of the House of Representatives. Can we 
not give to the workers of America the same due that we give to 
mourning doves, to extend, to extend the time frame? Why does that not 
have at least as high a priority to the Republican majority? Why do not 
unemployed workers receive the same priority as hunting season for 
mourning doves?
  There was a proposal that was supposed to come to the floor today 
which would have extended the benefits but would have a poison pill, a 
very unwise provision in terms of health benefits. The Democratic 
proposal would have been very smart: extend the benefits at least 13 
weeks, hopefully 26 weeks, again, recognizing that record numbers of 
Americans are exhausting their unemployment benefits, and couple that 
with a plan to make the COBRA benefits available to these unemployed 
workers.
  When we had the tragedy of September 11, we immediately moved to bail 
out the airline industry, and we had to do that. But that happened with 
the promise that we would shortly be addressing the needs of those 
Americans who lost their jobs because of September 11.
  Six months later, we are still waiting for the Republican majority to 
bring a bill to the floor that adequately addresses those concerns. 
Instead, we are here this morning talking about extending the hunting 
season for mourning doves.
  I urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kleczka).
  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me.
  We do have with us today, Mr. Speaker, a group of students. I think 
they are probably sitting up there wondering, what is the Congress 
talking about today? The issue before the House is to extend the 
hunting season for mourning doves, little mourning doves that go whoo, 
whoo, whoo. In the winter they are at the bottom of the feeder. For the 
most part, they are ground feeders. They are pretty little birds, very, 
very peaceful. What we are doing today is extending the season so we 
can kill them.
  Well, the students probably know or have talked to their folks who 
have indicated this is a bad economy. Maybe one of the parents is laid 
off, or a neighbor or an uncle or aunt; and it is Congress's authority 
and it is in our power to give them unemployment compensation benefits.

                              {time}  1115

  What is happening is they are running out of their original natural 
allotment. The U.S. Senate, your Senators, passed a bill providing a 
13-week extension for unemployment compensation benefits to help people 
who are laid off. It is in the House, but the Republicans in this House 
do not want to take it up and instead bring before the House today, we 
have nothing else to do today, they bring before the House today a bill 
to extend the season on killing these little, whoo, whoo, whoo, 
mourning doves.
  Let me tell you about the mourning dove. I come from the State of 
Wisconsin. When I was in the State legislature a couple years ago, back 
in 1971, the State legislature passed a bill naming the mourning dove a 
bird of peace, a bird of peace. How noble. It was befitting this little 
bird. Well, then the legislature and the Natural Board of Resources 
last year voted to open the season. It is bugging some people that this 
little bird which mates for life is at the bottom of some people's bird 
feeders cleaning up the seeds that have been knocked out of the feeder 
and so the response for Wisconsin is kill them. So Wisconsin says let 
us kill them. They are bugging someone. But then those who want to kill 
them are saying, Oh, but are they good eating.
  Listen, after we take the feathers off that little guy, it is about 
this big and 4 ounces. Is that a meal? To hear the Republicans come up 
and say we need to kill these birds because of economic stimulus or 
because we need it to provide some economic development, how hungry can 
you be?
  We know full well the bad news is the bird of peace in the State of 
Wisconsin is now being killed because it provides such great meals. I 
guess it is something like a turkey.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fossella). Members are reminded not

[[Page H696]]

to introduce or bring to the attention of the House an occupant in the 
galleries.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I frankly believe that this 
legislation of the mourning doves will not help those Texans in my 
State. But I do know what will help them and that is a concern about 
unemployment benefits that need to be extended.
  If you want to know what unemployment is about, just come to my home 
town of Houston. Although we are the can-do city, we fought against the 
stress of Tropical Storm Alison, the number of layoffs of our corporate 
friends like Continental and the disaster of Enron with some 4,500 
employees being laid off, we know we can pull ourselves up by our boot 
straps when people are hurting. It is time for this Congress to address 
the question of the devastation of extended unemployment just like we 
went to the aid of many of those corporate friends who were devastated 
after September 11. Thirteen weeks, I will support that; but I also 
believe 52 weeks of extension because in April my State will see an 
exhaustion of unemployment benefits of some 175,000 individuals.
  I have heard the stories of individuals who cannot pay for health 
coverage, cannot provide the dollars that allow them to have the COBRA. 
We need to respond to the crisis of Americans right now and need to 
talk about unemployment to the extent that we provide the bridge and 
support for those who are in need.
  I have my constituents talking to me about saving Social Security and 
the prescription drug benefit, but there are working families now who 
have contributed to this economy and through no fault of their own they 
are no longer working. I think we are wasting America's time by not 
coming to this floor, extending unemployment benefits like the Senate 
did for 13 weeks; and if we can do more we should do more. My advocacy 
is for the extended 52 weeks because I know in April and May there will 
be people in my home town who will be hurting.
  We have to face reality, Mr. Speaker. Legislation that does not help 
all of us maybe should be reconsidered. I will be voting against this 
rule because I want to vote for extended unemployment benefits for 
Americans. I want them back on their feet. I want them to pay for 
tuition for the young people going to college. I want them to have 
health care. I want to make sure they pay their mortgages. I want them 
to be proud to be an American. I want to thank those men and women who 
are fighting in Afghanistan to help free us and free Afghanistan. Let 
us do something for the people here in the United States and extend the 
unemployment benefits.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman 
from New York (Ms. Slaughter), a very much-distinguished member of the 
Committee on Rules and of this body.
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, this morning the morning news from Rochester tells me 
that this year my district has lost 12,400 jobs. That is almost unheard 
of in Rochester, New York.
  In 1929 when the crash came, we hardly noticed it up there. Our 
unemployment rate has been always steady and very good, but we are 
bleeding jobs. I suspect for many of you, your mail must reflect mine, 
Can you do something about unemployment? I have lost my unemployment. 
My unemployment is running out. Now to add to the rest of our woes, we 
also have a lot of people employed by Global Crossing.
  I am embarrassed that the people in my district are seeing this 
morning that what we are most concerned about is the shooting of 
mourning doves, as the previous speaker said, the peace bird of the 
State of Wisconsin. I do not know if enough people in my district will 
be able to shoot enough birds to feed their family, but it does not 
look like we will be able to do much here on extending their 
unemployment benefits.
  I am sure they understand that we do not control the agenda of this 
House, or it would have been done a long time ago; and we should have 
been taking up the Senate bill. I urge Members to vote against the 
previous question and the rule to try to get some unemployment 
insurance up here.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the time, I would just like to say 
that it has been nearly 6 months since the tragic events of September 
11. Millions of American jobs have been lost since then. The 
unemployment benefits for 1.3 million Americans have already expired. 
Millions more will be losing benefits in the coming weeks. We must act.
  Last month the other body passed a very clean extension of these 
critically needed benefits. Every day we fail to act means economic 
hardship for more and more Americans. In a bipartisan fashion we should 
not be wasting time and be together on this and vote to extend 
unemployment benefits.
  As far as the rule is concerned, the rule is okay and it is open. We 
have no problem with it.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind Members because there is a lot of 
concern on both sides of the aisle regarding the unemployment benefits 
for those who were adversely harmed by what happened on September 11 
and because of the economy, we intend to take that up and we will take 
that up; and I just wanted to remind my colleagues of that.
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, this rule would clear the way for 
the House to debate a nonbinding resolution about changing the hunting 
seasons for migratory mourning doves.
  That is an interesting resolution, and it could make for an 
interesting debate. But the fact that it is proposed for debate today 
on the House floor is little short of a disgrace because of what it 
says about the priorities of the House's Republican leadership.
  In short, they have made it a priority to debate this nonbinding 
resolution, instead of trying to help people who have lost their jobs 
and are in an economic bind.
  I know we are all encouraged by the signs the economy is recovering 
from recession. But the recovery is far from complete, and unemployment 
insurance is running out for thousands of people who have lost their 
jobs.
  Extending those benefits is something they need and something that 
will help the economy because it will enable them to continue paying 
their bills. And it is what we should be doing today instead of 
debating whether Congress should go on record with some opinions about 
changing a hunting season.
  There should not be any partisan disagreement about this. That is why 
the Senate has already twice unanimously approved bills that would 
extend unemployment compensation benefits for 13 weeks.
  And that is what we should be doing today, instead of debating 
hunting seasons. We should be passing that bill--the bill supported by 
every Senator, regardless of party--and sending it to the President so 
he can sign it into law.
  It's too bad the Republican leadership does not think that should 
have priority over this resolution. I don't share that view, and so I 
cannot support this rule.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests 
for time, 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.

                          ____________________