[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 76 (Thursday, June 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3747-H3748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I take this time for the purpose of asking 
the majority leader about the schedule for the week to come.
  I yield to my friend, the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. DeLay).
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
Maryland for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. for 
morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider 
several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those 
bills will be sent to Members' offices by the end of this week. Any 
votes called on these measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m.
  On Wednesday and the balance of the week, we plan to consider several 
bills that respond to the urgent demand for national action on energy 
policy: The Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Security and Abandoned Mine 
Lands Reclamation Reform Act, The Renewable Energy Project Siting 
Improvement Act, The Energy Policy Act, The Energy Science Act and The 
U.S. Refinery Revitalization Act.

[[Page H3748]]

  I thank the gentleman for yielding and would be happy to answer any 
questions.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend for that information.
  First, if I can ask the leader, there are not bill numbers on the 
energy packages to which the gentleman referred. Have these bills been 
introduced, are there going to be hearings held on them, have hearings 
been held on them, will they be considered by committee? Can the 
gentleman fill us in on some of that information?
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, the bills are being worked on as we speak. We 
anticipate many of them being introduced today, if not today, tomorrow. 
Most of the bills have already been considered or voted on in the past 
on energy policies. We do not anticipate the need for any committee 
action on many of these bills. Some of them are suspension-type bills, 
and we anticipate bringing some on suspension calendar and then others 
by rule.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information.
  Let me clarify: Have some of these bills passed in perhaps the larger 
energy bill? Is that what the gentleman is saying?
  Mr. DeLAY. That is correct.
  Mr. HOYER. So the gentleman is taking segments out of that bill to 
put in separate pieces of legislation?
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, we are 
taking some of the bills and issues out of the House-passed energy bill 
that did not find their way into the conference report that is pending 
before the Senate that the House has already passed. So the major piece 
of legislation, the Energy Policy Act of 2004, is a restatement of the 
energy conference report that is pending in the Senate, the ANWR AML 
bill. There are amendments against ANWR that have failed, but we have 
had votes on ANWR in this House in the debate on the energy bill 
leaving the House. The U.S. refinery revitalization bill is a bill that 
we anticipate being on suspension. The ANWR AML bill will be under 
rule.
  Mr. HOYER. All right, that is the Arctic Coastal Plan Domestic Energy 
Security and Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Reform Act?
  Mr. DeLAY. That is correct. That is what we call the ANWR AML bill.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman.
  The gentleman anticipates some of these may be introduced today. When 
would Members be able to have copies of these bills to review, and have 
these bills been reviewed by the minority on the committees of 
jurisdiction?
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I am not privy to the work done by the 
relevant committees, the most relevant committees, the Committee on 
Resources and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as to what they 
have done or not done with the minority, but as far as the gentleman's 
question on when Members will be able to see those bills, obviously, as 
soon as they are introduced, they will be available.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information. Hopefully we 
will have an opportunity so that our Members, certainly on the 
committees of jurisdiction on the minority side, will have an 
opportunity to review them and advise our side of the aisle at least 
their views on those, in light of the fact they are not going to be 
considered in committee and some will be on suspension. Others will go 
to the Committee on Rules?
  Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield further, that is correct.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information.
  The FSC bill, there has been a lot of talk about the FSC bill. Can 
the leader tell me when we might anticipate a FSC bill being on the 
floor or being marked up in committee?
  Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield further, as we are doing this 
colloquy, the Speaker is contemplating how we can accommodate the 
ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means who is going with the 
Speaker over the weekend for the D-Day celebration. I think we have at 
least tentatively worked out a schedule whereby the Committee on Ways 
and Means could do their markup on Wednesday or Thursday and have the 
bill on the floor the first of the week following.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the leader. I want to, on behalf of the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Rangel), state our appreciation for that 
consideration. It is my understanding the gentleman is going to 
Normandy with the Speaker and they will not return until approximately 
5 or so Tuesday afternoon, so that meeting at 6 o'clock would have been 
difficult. We appreciate the consideration that has been given.
  Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield further, I might also add that 
the jobs bill contemplated by the chairman will probably be introduced 
by tomorrow. So Members will have at least over the weekend a chance to 
look at the bill before the markup of the committee.
  Mr. HOYER. You say the jobs bill; the American Jobs Creation Act?
  Mr. DeLAY. That is correct. Some people refer to that as FSC.
  Mr. HOYER. I see what the gentleman is saying. It is one and the 
same.
  Where are those jobs, Mr. Leader?
  Mr. DeLAY. They are all in that bill, thousands upon thousands of 
them.
  Mr. HOYER. Actually, I meant are they overseas or here in America?
  Mr. DeLAY. We are bringing them home, Mr. Whip.
  Mr. HOYER. I presume that will be part of our debate, Mr. Leader.
  Mr. Leader, lastly, the budget enforcement bill, is that going to be 
on the calendar at any time soon?
  Mr. DeLAY. As the gentleman knows, in March the Committee on the 
Budget passed a bill that would extend statutory pay-as-you-go rules on 
new mandatory spending to ensure that new programs are offset by 
spending reductions. In addition, the bill would instate statutory 
spending caps on statutory programs. Now that the House has passed the 
budget resolution conference report, we look forward to quick 
consideration of this bill.
  We have a very busy schedule planned for next week. We had planned on 
bringing this bill up next week and still may do so. But we may not be 
able to consider this bill next week; and, therefore, we most probably 
would schedule it for the following week.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information. 
As the gentleman knows, I am sure both sides of the aisle feel that is 
a critical piece of legislation, in light of the deficits that are 
confronting us, as to how we can get those under control. I know there 
are differences of opinion on that, but I know on our side of the aisle 
we believe that that is a very important step for us to take in light 
of the budget deficits.
  Lastly, Mr. Leader, if I can ask the leader, it was I think 
tentatively believed that we would be meeting next Friday. In light of 
the accommodation on the FSC or jobs bill, would Members be correct in 
thinking that Friday of next week may not be a legislative day?
  Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield further, that is very 
difficult to say. We do have a very ambitious schedule for next week. 
It could very likely take Friday to complete that schedule. However, we 
are going to work as hard as we can to get our work done as soon as we 
can; and, if we can get our work done, we may not have to work on 
Friday. But I would warn the Members that it is very possible that we 
would have to be here on Friday.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader for his information.

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