[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 57 (Thursday, May 11, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H2552-H2553]
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.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire of the distinguished 
majority leader the schedule for the week to come, and I yield to my 
friend from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
  Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Next week, Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 
for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider 
measures under suspension of the rules. A 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 Tuesday.
  On Wednesday and the balance of the week, the House will likely 
consider the Ag, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which I anticipate will be 
scheduled for Wednesday, subject to change.
  We will deal with the Department of the Interior, Environment and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and the Military Quality of Life 
and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.
  The House will also consider H.R. 4200, the Forest Emergency Recovery 
and Research Act. The Committee on Resources, Ag, and Transportation 
and Infrastructure have all completed action on that bill.
  In addition to these bills, I continue to hope that we are able to 
bring a budget resolution to the floor. A lot of progress was made 
today, but that is an issue that I am hopeful we can deal with next 
week.

[[Page H2553]]

  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information. He has now 
said both initially and again about the budget. You have indicated 
there will be votes on Friday, obviously.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I am very sure that next week there will be votes on 
Friday.
  Mr. HOYER. So no doubt in your mind about that?
  Mr. BOEHNER. With three appropriations bills and several other bills, 
and the possibility of doing the budget, we will have our hands full.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank you for that. On the energy bills, do you expect 
any energy-related legislation on the floor next week, refinery siting, 
for example?
  Mr. BOEHNER. It is not likely we will have any energy bills up next 
week, but there are a number of energy bills that are in the pipeline 
with regard to the possibility of drilling in ANWR, the CAFE bill 
continues to move along, and the refinery legislation that did not 
receive a two-thirds vote under suspension is likely to be back in some 
form.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information. The telecom 
bill which was reported out of committee, I know it is not on this 
calendar for the coming week. Could you tell us your expectations of 
when that might be scheduled?
  Mr. BOEHNER. After that bill came out of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, the Judiciary Committee filed a request for a referral on 
that bill. It has been under consideration this week with the 
Parliamentarians, and we are hopeful that we will have an answer from 
the Parliamentarians about this jurisdiction which is holding up the 
consideration of the bill.
  Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, would it be your expectation then, 
once the Parliamentarians make their judgment, that the bill will then 
be referred to the Judiciary Committee, if that was their judgment, so 
that it might be some time before that bill came to the floor? I yield 
to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. It depends on the ruling of the Parliamentarians; and 
until they rule whether there is a jurisdictional claim or not, there 
is not much that we can do.
  Mr. HOYER. All right. Thank you very much for that.
  The Voting Rights Act reauthorization, quite clearly that got 
overwhelming bipartisan support. I know the chairman has worked very 
hard on that. Mel Watt and other members of the Judiciary Committee 
have worked very hard on that. Can you tell me when you expect that to 
come to the floor?
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I have talked to Chairman Sensenbrenner and others about 
the bill. We don't have it scheduled as yet, but we are hopeful that it 
will be coming to the floor in the near future.
  Mr. HOYER. If the budget does come to the floor next week, would you 
bring it in the early part of the week or the latter part of the week; 
do you know? I know you have had some hard work on this. I understand 
that.
  Mr. BOEHNER. As I have indicated, when we think we have the votes to 
pass the budget, we will bring it up, sooner rather than later, I hope.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. HOYER. That is such a pragmatic approach, and I thank the 
gentleman for that information.
  Mr. Leader, I don't want to end the week on an unhappy note, but you 
and I had discussions in these colloquies the last 2 weeks in a row. 
After the tax reconciliation bill was reported out, I asked Mr. Rangel 
had he been included in the conferences in any meaningful way. It was 
his view that he had not. You had made assurances that would happen; I 
don't mean that you could guarantee that it would happen.
  I will tell my friend that the ranking member of the committee does 
not believe there was meaningful participation by the minority in the 
consideration of that bill which obviously was a bill of some 
significant import.
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I thank my friend for yielding. You and I did have a 
conversation about participation. The conversation was centered around 
the pension reform bill, only because I am a conferee on the pension 
bill. What happens in other committees and some of these conferences, 
they all have their own style and own way of doing their conferences. I 
understand the gentleman's concern, but that was not the reference that 
I was making when you and I were having a discussion about the pension 
bill.
  Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, and I accept the gentleman's 
explanation. It was my thought that we were talking about both 
conferences that were then pending. I raised both conferences, but I 
take the gentleman at his word, he has always been truthful with me, 
that he was referring to the pension conference. I understand that.
  I also understand that he is not in control of everything any more 
than we are on this side. But I will again reiterate, Mr. Leader, your 
experience and your performance in terms of dealing in a bipartisan way 
has been different than some, and we appreciate your view on this.
  Whether it is the pension conference or any other conference, 
particularly bills of significance, we would hope that you would use 
your good offices to encourage and frankly request that the Chairs of 
the conferences make sure that the minority is included. After all, as 
I have said, we represent about 125 million people in this country, 
maybe more than that, and they should not be excluded.
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I appreciate 
your concern. As the gentleman is well aware, these conferences that 
occur between the House and Senate trying to resolve the differences in 
these bills are sometimes dealt with by the majority. I saw it when I 
was a minority Member of the House. I understand the gentleman's 
concern.
  I will urge my colleagues, my chairmen, to be more open. I share the 
gentleman's view that we all have a role to play in this institution 
and having people at the table gives usually a much better product and 
everyone has a right to voice their approval or disapproval of the 
actions that the conference is taking.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman. I think we certainly agree on that.

                          ____________________