[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2595]
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 take this time for the purpose of 
inquiring about the schedule for next week.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), the 
distinguished majority leader.
  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 its legislative business for the week. The House will next 
meet for legislative business on Monday, May 20, at 12:30 p.m. for the 
morning hour and two o'clock p.m. for legislative business.
  On Monday, I will schedule a number of measures under suspensions of 
the rule, a list of which will be distributed to Members' offices 
tomorrow. Recorded votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
  On Tuesday and the balance of the week, I have scheduled the 
following measures: H.R. 3994, the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 
2002, and the Supplemental Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2002.
  Conferees are also meeting today on H.R. 3448, the Bioterrorism 
Preparedness Act; and if they are able to complete the conference 
report, I will likely schedule it for consideration next week as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I might add parenthetically, we have a couple of other 
conferences that seem to be making progress; and should they complete 
any of their work, we would be advising people as soon as possible for 
any scheduling of that work, and I want to thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished majority leader 
for that report, and I just would like to inquire more specifically 
about the timing of some of these bills on the floor.
  When will the bioterrorism conference report and the Afghan 
assistance bills be considered on the floor, more specifically?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her inquiry, and 
if the gentlewoman would continue to yield, we would expect that, if it 
is all ready to go, on Wednesday morning.
  Ms. PELOSI. Wednesday morning for the bioterrorism conference report 
and then after that the Afghan aid?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman would continue yielding, I 
must caution her that that, of course, is assuming it is ready and 
then, of course, we would try to do Afghan as quickly thereafter as 
possible.
  Ms. PELOSI. And the Afghan bill, I am sorry I just did not hear the 
ending?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, we would try to do that on Tuesday. The 
Afghanistan relief bill would be on Tuesday.
  Ms. PELOSI. On what day would the supplemental appropriations bill be 
considered?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentlewoman for her 
inquiry, and if she would continue to yield, I just spoke to the 
chairman just minutes ago, and he has assured me he will be ready on 
Wednesday. We would expect it to be ready and expect it to go on 
Wednesday.
  Ms. PELOSI. Would the gentleman shed some light on the kind of rule 
that that supplemental might be considered under.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for that inquiry; and 
quite frankly, I have no particular insight to share with her at this 
moment. This is an important piece of legislation. I am sure we are 
going to want to work with everybody regarding the rule, and I will try 
to find out more and advise her as soon as I can learn some more about 
it.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman mentioned that there are some 
conferences going on now. Could the gentleman tell us what conference 
reports might also ripen by next week to come to the floor?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman would continue to yield, 
we have the State Department, bankruptcy, and there is one more from 
the Committee on Financial Services, the Ex-Im Bank; and I am told that 
it is likely the Ex-Im Bank might get completed.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, yielding further to the gentleman, I would 
like to know if there is any other legislation that the majority is 
considering for floor consideration next week.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentlewoman would yield, we are 
continuing to work with Members from both sides of the aisle on the 
Committee on Financial Services on the FDIC reauthorization bill. It 
does not seem to be controversial, and it is possible that could get 
scheduled for next week.
  Ms. PELOSI. Would the gentleman tell us if there are going to be 
votes next Friday.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her inquiry. 
Friday being, of course, as the gentlewoman knows, the day we begin a 
very important district work period, insofar as we are capable of 
completing our week before that, we would expect not to. We must be 
prepared to work on Friday; but right now, I would attach a high 
probability to our completing our work on Thursday.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information.

                          ____________________