[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H996-H997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING AMOUNTS FOR CONTINUING EXPENSES OF STANDING AND SELECT 
   COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE FROM APRIL 1, 2005 THROUGH APRIL 30, 2005

  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 133) providing amounts from the applicable accounts 
of the House of Representatives for continuing expenses of standing and 
select committees of the House from April 1, 2005, through April 30, 
2005, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 133

       Resolved,  That there shall be available from the 
     applicable accounts of the House of Representatives such 
     amounts as may be necessary for continuing expenses of 
     standing and select committees of the House for the period 
     beginning on April 1, 2005, and ending on April 30, 2005, on 
     the same terms and conditions as amounts were available to 
     such committees for the period beginning at noon on January 
     3, 2005, and ending at midnight on March 31, 2005, pursuant 
     to clause 7 of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
     Representatives (or, in the case of the Committee on Homeland 
     Security, on the same terms and conditions as amounts were 
     available to such Committee for such period pursuant to House 
     Resolution 10, agreed to January 4, 2005).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 133. It is a 
pleasure to be here today with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Holt); and I also want to mention our ranking member, the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald). As we go through the process 
here, it is going to be a privilege and a pleasure to work with her and 
all the Democrats and Republicans on the committee to provide for the 
funding resolution.

[[Page H997]]

  Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House Resolution 133, which 
provides interim funding for the standing select committees of the 
House from April 1, 2005, through April 30, 2005. The rules of the 
House provide interim funding for committees until March 31 of 2005. 
This resolution will extend that funding for an additional month, 
thereby allowing the Committee on House Administration the time needed 
to put together the committee funding resolution that will, once 
passed, fund the committees for the duration of the 109th Congress.
  This is nothing unusual. We have done this in the past. The committee 
chairmen and ranking members will appear Thursday of this week and the 
following Wednesday to present their budget requests to the committee, 
and that will be all the committee Chairs.
  As the House will be out of session for the final 2 weeks of March 
for the Easter district work period, floor consideration of the 
committee funding resolution really will not be practical or possible, 
therefore, before March 31; and, therefore, it necessitates passage of 
this interim funding resolution. That is why we are here today. I 
therefore urge my colleagues to support resolution 133; it is needed.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the distinguished gentleman from Ohio in 
supporting House Resolution 133, providing interim funding for standing 
and select committees of the House through April 30, 2005.
  As most chairmen and ranking members know, funding for House 
committees would expire March 31 without this resolution.

                              {time}  1415

  I would like to thank the chairman for ensuring the committees will 
have the resources to continue operating while the Committee on House 
Administration processes their funding requests for the 109th Congress.
  President Woodrow Wilson from my home State of New Jersey said it 
well when he said here on the floor, ``Congress in session is Congress 
on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee rooms is 
Congress at work.''
  Yes, we have to keep the committees going, and I support the chairman 
in this effort. The Committee on House Administration's ranking member, 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), who is 
returning from her district, has asked me to stand in for her and asked 
me to specifically relay that she is looking forward to working with 
the chairman on hearings this week and next week. She is especially 
keen to ensure that in this Congress committee minorities will receive 
at least one-third of all committee resources.
  Now, I, speaking as a member of the Commission on Congressional 
Mailing Standards, which is commonly known as the Franking Commission, 
am concerned about problems with the increased abuse of the frank by 
one or more committee chairs for blatantly, I would have to say, 
blatantly political purposes. And I am hopeful that the Committee on 
House Administration will address this issue through the upcoming 
Committee Funding Resolution and take appropriate action to stop any 
such abuses.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for supporting this 
resolution today and also look forward to working with the 
Congresswoman and ranking member.
  When the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) chaired the Committee 
on House Administration, he pushed towards the one-third and always 
provided one-third at that time to the ranking member, the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). We have kept in that tradition, together 
with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) and also with the 
current ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-
McDonald). I am very happy to say that last session, with the gentleman 
from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), we achieved the two-thirds/one-third, 
and we need to continue to do that. And I think that is the only fair 
way, and we need to evaluate how the two-thirds and one-third is split.
  Again, with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), we did that. 
It was a great achievement that was started by the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Thomas).
  As far as the issue of the committees, although I do not see any 
abuse that has occurred, as far as retooling the rules and regs of the 
House, we are always willing to sit and talk about that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would say many Americans wonder why the resources for 
the committees are not divided one-half/one-half. Well, they should 
understand that it is traditional, now that the majority party would 
have most of the committee staff, most of the committee resources, and 
so two-thirds/one-third division has become traditional and that is 
what the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) is hoping 
to achieve. I thank the chairman for his consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Boozman). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 133, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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