[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 96 (Thursday, July 20, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5531-H5532]
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 rise for the purpose of inquiring of the 
majority leader the schedule for the week to come; and at this time, I 
yield to my friend, the majority leader, Mr. Boehner of Ohio.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I appreciate my colleague from Maryland for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will convene next Monday at 12:30 for morning 
hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider a number of 
measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills 
will be sent to Members' offices by tomorrow afternoon.
  For the balance of the week, the House will consider on Tuesday H.R. 
1956, the business activity tax bill from the Judiciary Committee.
  On Wednesday morning at 11 there will be a joint meeting of Congress 
to receive His Excellency Mr. Maliki, Prime Minister of the Republic of 
Iraq. Also on Wednesday we will consider H.R. 5682, the United States 
and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act from the International 
Relations Committee.
  On Thursday, we will consider H.R. 5766, the Government Efficiency 
Act, and possibly H.R. 3282, the Abolishment of Obsolete Agencies and 
Federal Sunset Act from the Committee on Government Reform.
  At this point, Friday is still up in the air. Our goal is to finish 
on Thursday. It is not a commitment but it is my goal, and I am hopeful 
that we will be able to meet it. It really will depend on the number of 
conference reports that may or may not be completed and whether we can 
fit those in during the week, if they come inside, like the gentleman 
understands.
  I am hopeful that the Voc Ed conference report can be brought up. As 
the gentleman knows, we have been working on the pension conference. 
There is no agreement as yet, but I think we are moving toward one, and 
I am hopeful. But we will see.
  I also have an announcement about September votes, which is a change 
in the calendar. There will be no votes on Tuesday, September 5. I 
anticipate that we will consider H.R. 503, to amend the Horse 
Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, 
delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of 
horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. We 
expect that to be considered that first week we are back, and I just 
wanted Members to be aware of it.
  Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, I was very pleased to hear that we are 
going to be dealing with the Horse Protection Act. I am sure that all 
of us are concerned about that. I say that seriously.
  But can you tell me when we might be doing the Worker Protection Act, 
particularly those that are working at the lower end of the scale, the 
minimum wage act?
  Mr. BOEHNER. If the gentleman would yield.
  Mr. HOYER. I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. We are continuing to have conversations about that 
issue, but no decisions as of yet. If there is, I will make sure that 
everyone is notified.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman, and I meant that seriously on the 
Horse Protection Act. I am sure it is an important piece of 
legislation, but we are very concerned and continue to be concerned, 
many, many Members on your side of the aisle continue to be concerned, 
about the 9 years that have transpired since we adjusted the minimum 
wage, no cost of living attached to it, and we are very hopeful that 
the majority leader and your side of the aisle will see fit to bring 
that forward.
  We hope that you will bring it forward in a fashion that will not 
dilute the attention and focus on the workers, and by that I say 
attaching it to a tax bill or some other piece of legislation. We would 
hope that that would be a clean vote on the floor, and we think the 
majority of this House are for it. We think it is a very, very 
important piece of legislation, and we ask you to very seriously 
consider bringing it up next week if possible, but as early in 
September as possible.
  September 29 has been put in the press as the target date at least. 
You mentioned one of the pieces of legislation that might be on in 
September. Can you tell me how definitive or definite a date that 
September 29 may be for the possible adjournment prior to the election?
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. It is very definite.
  Mr. HOYER. That is going to be the date?
  Mr. BOEHNER. We are gone September 29. We will be back on November 
13.
  Mr. HOYER. November 13. There are all sorts of things I could say 
about post-election.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I am sure you could.
  Mr. HOYER. We will be happy when we get back here on the 13th.
  Mr. BOEHNER. And we will be happy, too.
  Mr. HOYER. To proceed with whatever legislation we decide ought to be 
considered, realizing we won't be sworn in until January as the 
majority party.
  Mr. BOEHNER. What we call the lame duck session.
  Mr. HOYER. Yes, it will undoubtedly be a lame duck session, I tell 
the majority leader.
  Mr. BOEHNER. The only question is who will be lame.
  Mr. HOYER. We could go on a long time on this. We probably ought to 
move along with the schedule because you and I have a different view as 
to who is going to be lame and who is going to be the duck and other 
issues of great importance to the American people.
  On the issues, the Labor-Health bill, obviously the minimum wage is 
one of the issues on that bill, but there are a lot of other issues on 
that bill as well. Do you have any expectation the Labor-Health bill 
will move either next week, I know it is not on the calendar, or in 
September?
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I appreciate my colleague for yielding. There are a 
number of issues related to that bill. I think it is doubtful that it 
will be up next week. I am hopeful that we will be able to consider it 
in September.
  Mr. HOYER. Moving on to the pension conference report, there have 
been some reports that there may have been some progress in the pension 
conference, but I want to tell the leader again, very seriously, I read 
in one of the journals that the conference, or a group, had been 
meeting. There had been five Republicans and two Democrats.
  I want to tell my friend, in all seriousness, and I have asked you to 
engage on this, not one Democrat from the House of Representatives has 
been engaged in these meetings. The two Democrats that are mentioned in 
that story are both Democratic United States Senators. They may be very 
fine United States Senators. This is a two-House, bicameral Congress.
  The gentleman made a representation to me, and I take him at his 
word, I believe he means it, that a conference is better or a 
discussion on where we are going on this pension bill, a critically 
important bill that has been pending now for almost half a year or 
longer, I suppose, the gentleman knows the exact date of that, and has 
not moved, and during that period of time, Democrats from the House of 
Representatives have not been included in the pension conference. I 
have been, I think, pretty polite on my request to you, Mr. Leader, but 
this is not the process that we ought to be following.
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. BOEHNER. I appreciate the gentleman's concerns, but I think the 
gentleman from Maryland understands that I am not the chairman of the 
conference. I don't decide when we meet, who meets or what room we meet 
in. I have expressed the gentleman's concerns, and hopefully we will 
have all of the Members together very soon.
  Mr. HOYER. I hope that is the case, Mr. Leader, and again, I take you 
at your word. While you are not the chairman of the conference, you are 
the majority leader of the majority party in the House of 
Representatives.
  Mr. BOEHNER. If the gentleman would yield, the other body is chairing 
this conference, and the gentleman has

[[Page H5532]]

been on a number of conferences over the years and understands this 
process, that the body who chairs the the conference makes those 
decisions.
  Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, one option, of course, is the 
Republican Members from the House of Representatives that are 
participating in these meetings indicate to our Senate colleagues that 
they are not prepared to proceed unless there are Members of the 
minority party present in those meetings to discuss issues of critical 
importance to literally millions of people in this country.
  Mr. BOEHNER. If the gentleman would yield, I will be happy to make 
that suggestion to Mr. McKeon and Mr. Thomas.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman.

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