[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 54 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H2718-H2719]
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 rise for the purpose of inquiring of the
deputy majority whip the schedule for the coming week.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Tuesday 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 the week. Any votes called on those
measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will convene at 10 a.m. for
legislative business. We may consider additional legislation under
suspension of the rules, as well as two bills under a rule, H.R. 1185,
the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act, and H.R. 366, the Vocational
and Technical Education For the Future Act.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the information.
Does the gentleman know which day we will consider the vocational
education bill?
Mr. CANTOR. We plan to consider the vocational education bill on
Wednesday, and the deposit insurance reform bill on Thursday.
Mr. HOYER. Can the gentleman tell me what type of rule is
anticipated? Will it be open or modified open rules on these two bills?
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would defer that decision to the Committee
on Rules, but believe they will make a number of amendments in order on
each bill.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information.
I note, Mr. Deputy Whip, that the supplemental is not on the
announcement, is apparently not on the calendar for next week.
Obviously this is a very important bill. It is a very important bill to
our country and our troops. We passed this bill some time ago. Can the
gentleman tell us when that bill might be before us?
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I tell the gentleman from Maryland, the
minority whip, that the conference committee has met a number of times
this week and I believe they are narrowing in on agreement. The
gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) has informed us that his
goal is to reach an agreement with the Senate in time to file a
conference report on Monday which would allow the House to consider it
as early as Wednesday.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information.
Before we conclude, I would like to ask a couple of questions. I
understand the gentleman may not know the answers.
Our side, as you probably know, is very concerned about what
transpired this week on the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.
We are very concerned because three Members on our side offered
amendments. Those amendments were pretty straightforward, subject to,
obviously, an up-or-down vote. They were allowed by the Committee on
Rules. But the report of the Committee on the Judiciary starkly
mischaracterized those amendments. As the gentleman knows, a motion has
been filed on those. A ruling was not made in order as to whether or
not that filing will be in order Tuesday or the next day. We raised
this issue at the time of the consideration of the bill. We raised it
again, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the ranking member on
the Committee on the Judiciary raised it.
Has the gentleman had an opportunity to discuss this, and does the
gentleman know whether or not there is a possibility or probability
that what we believe to be egregious language that was substituted for
a
[[Page H2719]]
straight definition, which, by the way, the Committee on Rules did
correctly, but which the Committee on the Judiciary did not, does the
gentleman know whether that is being corrected?
{time} 2045
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I tell the gentleman from Maryland that the
chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary takes a position that
everything was done correctly and in order and is looking forward to a
debate on the floor on the resolution late Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. HOYER. Late Tuesday afternoon?
Mr. CANTOR. Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman know how late that will
be? Of course, votes will not be scheduled until 6:30, so most Members
will not be back.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I think we can work that out, but I believe
around 5 or 5:30 the debate will take place.
Mr. HOYER. I appreciate that information, Mr. Speaker. I will
certainly notify the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), one of the sponsors; the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Nadler), another one of the sponsors; and the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), another one of the sponsors.
I regret that we need to go ahead with the issue of the privileges of
the House. I will tell the gentleman I do not know that I have seen an
amendment as mischaracterized as this amendment was, and I was hopeful
that we could simply resolve it. But if that cannot be done, then we
will have to have it subject to debate.
I thank the gentleman for his information.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I
will tell the gentleman, again, that the chairman feels that all was in
order and we will debate the question on the floor Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information.
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