[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 127 (Friday, October 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9007-H9008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    WAIVING REQUIREMENT OF CLAUSE 6(a) OF RULE XIII WITH RESPECT TO 
                  CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN RESOLUTIONS

  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 832 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 832

       Resolved, That the requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII 
     for a two-thirds vote to consider a report from the Committee 
     on Rules on the same day it is presented to the House is 
     waived with respect to any resolution reported on the 
     legislative day of October 8, 2004, providing for 
     consideration of disposition of a conference report to 
     accompany the bill (H.R. 4837) making appropriations for 
     military construction, family housing, and base realignment 
     and closure for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2005, and for other purposes.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. 
Myrick) is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost), 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. Speaker, last night the Committee on Rules met and passed this

[[Page H9008]]

resolution, waiving clause 6(a) of rule XIII (requiring a two-thirds 
vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules 
Committee) against certain resolutions reported from the Rules 
Committee. The waiver authorized by this resolution applies to any 
special rule reported on the legislative day of Friday, October 8, 
2004, providing for the consideration or disposition of a conference 
report to accompany the bill, H.R. 4837, making appropriations for 
military construction, family housing and base realignment and closure 
for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2005, and for other purposes.
  Mr. Speaker, I would advise my colleagues that adoption of this 
resolution is made necessary because the work of the conferees has 
taken longer than anticipated. To that end, I urge my colleagues to 
support the rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FROST. I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding 
me time, and I yield myself such time as may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in our rush to finish our legislative work in Washington 
and return to our districts before the election, I fear we are jumping 
the gun by taking up this rule. While I realize that time is running 
short and that the House is likely to adjourn today or tomorrow, it is 
premature for the House to consider a martial law rule for a bill that 
has not even been completed. Why we are passing a rule to expedite 
passage of a bill for which we do not even have the final language, I 
cannot understand.
  I am fully aware of the importance of sending as many of the 13 
appropriations bills as possible to the President before we adjourn. 
But it is only reasonable to wait to bring up a martial law rule to 
expedite the consideration of a conference report, that may or may not 
be ready today, until we actually have that conference report filed and 
in hand.
  However, given the magnitude and importance of this appropriation for 
military construction funding, I am not going to oppose this rule. I 
simply think that it would serve regular order to bring it up when we 
actually have a final conference report to read.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, 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.

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