[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H1325-H1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I take this time to ask the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) about the schedule for next 
week.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, as Members have noticed, we have completed 
our legislative work for the week, and the House will convene on Monday 
at 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 on those 
measures that are debated on Monday will be taken at 6:30 p.m. on 
Monday.
  On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the House will convene at 10 
a.m.; it is important to know that it is 10 a.m. on Tuesday, for 
legislative business. We expect to consider two bills under a rule, the 
Emergency Wartime Supplemental and the Budget Resolution for Fiscal 
Year 2006.
  Finally, I would like to remind all Members that next week is a 5-day 
work week. We will have votes on Monday, and it will be a very, very 
active week as we head into the recess. We may work some late nights 
next week. It is quite possible that there will be votes; Members 
should expect them on Friday as we head into the spring district work 
period.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like for my friend, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), if he could, to be a little 
more definite about next Friday.
  Mr. DREIER. As the gentleman knows, we have these two critically 
important measures that need to be considered next week, the 
supplemental appropriations bill, which is a very high priority to 
ensure that our men and women in uniform in Iraq have the resources 
necessary to complete their very important job over there. We all know 
there is strong bipartisan support for our troops. And of course, 
making sure that we complete the important budget resolution.
  In light of the fact that we have those two priorities that need to 
be addressed next week, I am saying I think it is quite possible that 
Members could anticipate votes on Friday.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Is the gentleman telling us that the 
supplemental appropriations will come up next Tuesday?
  Mr. DREIER. I would say we anticipate that we will see the 
supplemental bill considered before we consider the budget resolution. 
And the Committee on Rules is planning to meet Monday evening for 
consideration of the supplemental appropriation bill. We cannot say 
with absolute certainty when exactly it will come up, but it is the 
first thing scheduled legislatively beyond the measures that we will 
consider under suspension of the rules. I think it is quite possible it 
will be on Tuesday.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. What kind of rule will we have? Will it be an 
open rule or a restricted rule?
  Mr. DREIER. I am privileged to serve as chairman of the Committee on 
Rules, but it is impossible for me at this juncture to predict exactly 
what this 13-member committee that spends hours deliberating over major 
public policy issues will do at the end of the day on this. I can 
assure the gentleman it will be a fair and balanced rule. But I will 
oppose putting it out unless it is a fair and balanced rule that allows 
for consideration of very important measures.
  I know my colleague joins me in wanting to ensure that we get the 
resources necessary to our men and women in uniform who are having such 
great success in Iraq. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I ask my friend from California which day would 
he expect us to consider the budget and what type of rule would he 
anticipate for considering the budget?
  Mr. DREIER. I am happy to say that, again, that we anticipate that 
the first major measure of the week that we will consider, following 
suspensions, will be the supplemental appropriations bill. And the 
budget itself will likely be considered in the Committee on Rules on 
Tuesday evening. And again, I cannot predict exactly what shape the 
rule will take. In fact, when we are completed here, I will be making 
an announcement for the deadline for consideration of amendments. I 
will tell the gentleman, as in the past, the Committee on Rules has had 
a tendency, and I hope to continue that pattern, for actually showing 
preference for substitute packages that would be offered by Members. 
And we want to encourage Members who would like to offer budget 
substitutes to get those to us just as quickly as we possibly can.
  Again, it is difficult to say at this moment exactly what that rule 
will consist of.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. If we have consideration of the rule on 
Tuesday, what day does the gentleman expect the budget to come to the 
Floor?
  Mr. DREIER. Well, again, the supplemental appropriations bill is the 
first item that we will be working on, and then it will be some time 
later in the week. Obviously, if we do as I suspect, the Committee on 
Rules will make in order different substitutes; we will need to have 
time for that. So it will be later in the week next week. So I cannot 
tell the gentleman exactly what day it will be, but it will be into the 
week. And again, quite possibly, it could extend until Friday.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Ms. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, I would ask if my friend from California 
expects the rule to be on the floor Wednesday of next week?
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say to the distinguished 
ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget that it is our 
plan to consider the rule on the budget in the Committee on Rules 
probably late Tuesday afternoon. So depending on exactly what happens 
time-wise on consideration of the supplemental appropriations bill, it 
is quite possible that we could begin work on this on Wednesday, but I 
am not absolutely certain at this juncture what day it would be.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, will the deadline for filing proposed 
substitutes or amendments be 5 o'clock on Monday?
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would say that it is our intention in 
light of the fact that we are discussing this Thursday afternoon that 
the announcement that I plan to make when we complete this colloquy is 
that we will ask for the amendments to the budget to be submitted to 
the Committee on Rules by 10 a.m. on Tuesday which will allow us to 
meet Tuesday afternoon. So I would encourage, we are now before 3

[[Page H1326]]

o'clock on Thursday; I would encourage Members to begin looking at 
budget substitutes that they may want to offer and fashion those.
  I understand it will be tomorrow before they have access to the full 
text, but I would encourage them tomorrow and over the weekend and on 
Monday to assemble those substitutes or proposed amendments that they 
would have, and our deadline is intended to be 10 o'clock on Tuesday 
morning.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California 
(Mr. Dreier) for being so helpful in providing us the information.

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