[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H1452-H1453]
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.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring about 
the schedule of next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. PELOSI. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the House has 
completed recorded votes for the week.
  The House will next meet for legislative business on Tuesday, April 
23 at 12:30 p.m., that is for morning hour, and at 2 o'clock p.m. for 
legislative business. On Tuesday I will schedule a number of measures 
under suspension of the rules, a list of which will be distributed to 
Members' offices tomorrow. The House will also take any recorded votes 
on motions to instruct conferees offered later today. On Tuesday, 
recorded votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.
  For Wednesday and Thursday, I have scheduled H.R. 3763, the Corporate 
and Auditing Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency Act of 
2002, reported out of the Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday, 
and H.R. 3231, the Immigration Reform and Accountability Act of 2002, 
reported out of the Committee on the Judiciary last week.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman 
for informing us of the days for the INS restructuring bill and the 
Committee on Financial Services accounting bill.
  While I have the floor, Mr. Speaker, may I say to the distinguished 
majority leader, I wish to register a point of deep concern to our side 
of the aisle. There seems to be a recurring pattern this year where 
there are no substitutes or alternatives allowed on major, major bills. 
Today, the procedure did not even permit a motion to recommit to 
protect Social Security. Despite repeated promises to always guarantee 
the motion to Democrats, today it was denied on one of the most 
important votes in this Congress. I want to register objection and 
disappointment to this and ask the leader if he wishes to comment.
  Mr. ARMEY. Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her 
inquiry. I do appreciate the concerns expressed by the gentlewoman. The 
parliamentary rules between our two respective bodies on an exchange 
between the two bodies do not allow for motions to recommit on 
legislation action taken today. The action we took today, of course, 
was to advance the work that was sent to us by the other body with 
respect to adoption of the tax credit, a very important objective of 
all of the body, and we were able to in this way manage all three 
things.
  But I want to appreciate again the gentlewoman's concerns, her 
expression, and say that it is indeed something that we pay most 
concern and credibility to.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, there were those among us who would have 
tried

[[Page H1453]]

to, by procedure, hold up the proceedings of the House; but we wanted, 
such as it was, to have as much of a debate as we could on an issue of 
major concern to the American people. I think that we all recognize 
that we come to this floor with differences of opinion, or range of 
opinion, on issues. Sometimes we can act in a bipartisan way, and that 
is great for the American people. They expect and deserve us to try and 
seek a common ground.
  Where we do not have it, though, we must stand our ground; and I do 
not see why we could not have an opportunity to have a fuller debate on 
the subject. I do not understand why the Republicans would be afraid of 
a motion to recommit to save Social Security; and I hope that this does 
not proceed, because I think it could be very damaging to our 
relationships in this House; and I know that we want to proceed in as 
much of a bipartisan fashion as possible.
  I thank the gentleman for the information.

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