[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 9, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8060-H8062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of
Friday, July 25, 2003, and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the
further consideration of the bill, H.R. 2765
{time} 2012
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of
the bill (H.R. 2765) making appropriations for the government of the
District of Columbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in
part against the revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2004, and for other purposes, with Mr. Bass in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Friday,
September 5, 2003, amendment No. 2 offered by the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Hefley) had been disposed of and the bill was open for
amendment from page 12, line 23, through page 52, line 12.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
Mr. Chairman, I take this time to advise the House that this vote
that we will take soon on the D.C. bill is the end of the 13 regular
appropriations bills for fiscal year 2004. This does the job.
We have had some interesting times, Mr. Chairman; but in this
calendar year starting in February, the Committee on Appropriations
concluded 11 of last year's bills, two major supplementals, and 13
regular bills once we have the vote on the D.C. appropriations bill.
I want to say thank you to all of the Members of the Committee on
Appropriations on both sides. I want to say thank you to the Members of
the House that gave us some spirited debate in amendments but also some
very strong votes.
Mr. Chairman, we are prepared then to move on to our conferences with
the other body, which should prove to be very interesting.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
Mr. Chairman, this House has a proud bipartisan record of reserving
scarce Federal funds for public education. We cannot convincingly make
the District of Columbia an exception to that record.
The majority of the city council, the majority of the elected members
of the school board, and as the member who has represented the city for
13 years, the majority of the residents of the city are just like your
districts and overwhelmingly oppose vouchers. Hundreds of them, led by
the clergy of our city ministers and rabbis, came to fan out to tell
the Congress that just last week.
{time} 2015
If you are willing to vote to give public money to private schools
this year, you better be prepared to answer back home. Of course you
can say, well, the District of Columbia is different; you know, the
schools are so bad. There are school districts exactly like the
District of Columbia in every State of the Union. Those of you from
Michigan know about Detroit. If you come from Georgia, you know about
Atlanta. If you come from Connecticut, you know about Bridgeport. If
you come from Texas, you know about Houston and Dallas. And I do not
know all of your rural districts, but I am sure they will match the
District in test scores and all the rest of the deprivations that lead
to bad schools.
So you go home, if you will, and tell them that in the year when the
unkept promise of special education remains outstanding, while the
schools in your district are being called shortchanged, that is okay;
there was one district in the United States that I was willing to give
private money for public schools.
So you go home and tell them, well, I am not for it here, because
that is the hypocrisy I hear time and again, but this is one district
in the whole United States that I was willing to dig in my Federal
pocket and draw out some public money for private schools and it will
never happen again. There is a 5-year appropriation here. You will be
doing it year after year. And you go home and tell them, when there is
a backlash now developing against the bipartisan No Child Left Behind,
that that $9 billion unfunded mandate, that is okay, we are taking care
of that. Meanwhile, we had some private schools in the District of
Columbia that we simply had to fund this year.
This is a voucher-only bill. If you vote for the Davis amendment, you
are voting for vouchers for our country. If you vote ``yes'' on final,
you are voting vouchers if the Davis amendment is in the bill. Vote
``no'' on Davis. Vote ``no'' on final passage. Do not flip-flop on
vouchers. You will pay the price. We will try to see to it that you do.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
Mr. Chairman, I would say to my colleagues that I will not use the 5
minutes, but we need to understand that the Davis proposal that the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen) and I have cosponsored is
supported by the Mayor and supported by the President of the school
board and other members of the city government. It is also
overwhelmingly supported by the people of D.C.
But do not take my word for this, because this is really not about
the politicians and it is really not about us; it is about poor kids in
poor schools who are being denied an education. We hope, we hope that
the Mayor and the school board do a great job trying to improve the
city schools. But while they are out there working, trying to improve
the city's schools, why should we not take the chance, why should we
not take the chance of offering 2,000 children a chance to go to a
better school? Because in the end, that is what this is about, these
kids. And these kids today are going to have no future if we do not
stand up and begin to help them.
So I would ask all of my colleagues today, when you vote, think about
these children and think about their future. All of their parents want,
and what these kids want is the same
[[Page H8061]]
things that we want for our children, and if we stand up here today and
vote ``no,'' I want you to look into their parents' eyes and say, I am
not going to help you, and your children are not going to have the same
opportunity as ours. Please vote for Davis.
Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
I come from the great city of Cleveland where the voucher program was
upheld by the Supreme Court, and I look in the eyes of the parents of
every one of those children everyday and say to them that public
education is what we ought to be supporting. Let us put some of that
$87 billion we are getting ready to send to Iraq into public education.
Let us put some of these dollars that we are setting aside into public
education. Let us reduce student-teacher ratio. Let us increase the
opportunity for our children to do well.
I am not going to take 5 minutes either, but I could not let you
leave with saying you could not look into eyes of the parents. I look
in their eyes everyday, and they say, Stephanie, send me more teachers,
send me more money for our schools, and give our children an
opportunity.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will read the last 2 lines of the bill.
The Clerk read as follows:
This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia
Appropriations Act, 2004''.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further amendments to the bill? If not,
under the order of the House, the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Thornberry) having assumed the chair, Mr. Bass, Chairman of the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2765)
making appropriations for the government of the District of Columbia
and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against the
revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2004, and for other purposes, pursuant to the previous order of the
House of July 25, he reported the bill back to the House with an
amendment adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is
ordered.
The question is on the amendment.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 209,
noes 208, not voting 17, as follows:
[Roll No. 490]
AYES--209
Aderholt
Akin
Bachus
Baker
Ballenger
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Bereuter
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burns
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chocola
Coble
Cole
Collins
Cox
Crane
Crenshaw
Cubin
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeLay
DeMint
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doolittle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Ehlers
Everett
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Goode
Goodlatte
Goss
Granger
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Hall
Harris
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hostettler
Houghton
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Isakson
Issa
Istook
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Latham
LaTourette
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
Lucas (OK)
Manzullo
McCotter
McCrery
McInnis
McKeon
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Nethercutt
Neugebauer
Northup
Norwood
Nunes
Nussle
Ose
Otter
Oxley
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Regula
Rehberg
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Schrock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Toomey
Turner (OH)
Upton
Vitter
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NOES--208
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Alexander
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Ballance
Becerra
Bell
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boehlert
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Burr
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Case
Clay
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Cramer
Crowley
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley (CA)
Doyle
Edwards
Emanuel
Engel
English
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green (TX)
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley (OR)
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
Kleczka
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lynch
Majette
Maloney
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McHugh
McIntyre
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Ney
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Osborne
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Payne
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Platts
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Ramstad
Reyes
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sabo
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Sandlin
Saxton
Schakowsky
Schiff
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sherman
Simmons
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Stenholm
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Turner (TX)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Wu
Wynn
NOT VOTING--17
Cummings
Emerson
Ford
Fossella
Gephardt
Graves
Hoekstra
Janklow
Keller
Kucinich
Rangel
Serrano
Simpson
Towns
Udall (CO)
Velazquez
Woolsey
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry) (during the vote). Members
are advised that 2 minutes remain in this vote.
parliamentary inquiries
Mr. HOYER (during the vote). Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). The gentleman may state a
parliamentary inquiry pertaining to the vote.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, under regular order, we were told at the
beginning of this session that the leadership of the House and the
message from the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, was that we were
going to allot 15 minutes for votes with only 2 minutes, and that at 17
minutes, the voting tally would close, and we were all urged to be on
time so that the work of the House could be done efficiently and
effectively.
Mr. Speaker, my inquiry is, is that regular order still in place? Is
that still the policy of the leadership of this House?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would respond to the gentleman
from Maryland that clause 2 of rule XX states that the minimum time for
a recorded vote or quorum call by electronic device shall be 15
minutes.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his further
parliamentary inquiry.
[[Page H8062]]
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, was that the rule that the distinguished
Robert Walker of Pennsylvania raised such cane about and was so angry
about and felt that Jim Wright was so out of order about when he held
the vote open? Is that the rule, Mr. Speaker?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman did not state a further
parliamentary inquiry.
The Chair would further note, from House Practice, chapter 58,
section 20, that the Chair has the discretion either to close a vote
and to announce the result at any time after 15 minutes have elapsed or
may allow additional time for Members to record their votes before
announcing the result.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland may state his
further parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, listening to the Chair's recitation of the
rule, would that mean that the Chair now has the authority to close
this vote and express the will of the House of Representatives as
reflected on the board?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would again state to the gentleman
that the Chair has the discretion either to close a vote and announce
the result at any time after 15 minutes have elapsed or to allow
additional time for Members to record their votes before announcing the
result.
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. For what purpose does the gentleman from
Massachusetts rise?
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. The question is not whether the Chair has
the discretion but whether or not he has the integrity and courage to
do so.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Wisconsin may state his
parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire if anyone from the attending
physician is present? I understand someone's arm is being broken.
{time} 2101
So the amendment was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). The question is on the
engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
Under clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 210,
nays 206, not voting 18, as follows:
[Roll No. 491]
YEAS--210
Aderholt
Akin
Bachus
Baker
Ballenger
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Bereuter
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burns
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chocola
Cole
Collins
Cox
Crane
Crenshaw
Cubin
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeLay
DeMint
Diaz-Balart, L.
Diaz-Balart, M.
Doolittle
Dreier
Dunn
Ehlers
English
Everett
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Goode
Goodlatte
Goss
Granger
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Harris
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hostettler
Houghton
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Isakson
Issa
Istook
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Latham
LaTourette
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
Lipinski
Lucas (OK)
Manzullo
McCotter
McCrery
McHugh
McInnis
McKeon
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Nethercutt
Neugebauer
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nunes
Nussle
Osborne
Ose
Otter
Oxley
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Regula
Rehberg
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Saxton
Schrock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tauzin
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Toomey
Turner (OH)
Upton
Vitter
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
NAYS--206
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Alexander
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Ballance
Becerra
Bell
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Biggert
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boehlert
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Burr
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Case
Clay
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Cramer
Crowley
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley (CA)
Doyle
Duncan
Edwards
Emanuel
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green (TX)
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hall
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hooley (OR)
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
Kleczka
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Leach
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
LoBiondo
Lofgren
Lowey
Lucas (KY)
Lynch
Majette
Maloney
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Paul
Payne
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Platts
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Ramstad
Reyes
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sabo
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Sandlin
Schakowsky
Schiff
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Sherman
Simmons
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Stenholm
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Taylor (MS)
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Turner (TX)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Wu
Wynn
NOT VOTING--18
Coble
Cummings
Emerson
Ford
Fossella
Gephardt
Graves
Hoekstra
Janklow
Keller
Kucinich
Rangel
Serrano
Simpson
Towns
Udall (CO)
Velazquez
Woolsey
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry) (during the vote). Members
are advised 2 minutes remain in this vote.
{time} 2117
Ms. KILPATRICK changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. MILLER of Florida changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________