[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 99 (Thursday, July 11, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H4475-H4476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1545
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 I yield to my
friend, the majority leader, Mr. Cantor.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland, the
Democratic whip, for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, on Monday the House will meet in pro forma session at 10
a.m. No votes are expected.
On Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning-hour and 2 p.m.
for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for
morning-hour and noon for legislative business.
On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business.
Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a few bills under suspension of
the rules, a complete list of which will be announced by the close of
business tomorrow.
The House will also vote to delay, for a year, both the employer
mandate and the individual mandate under ObamaCare. As the Speaker and
the gentleman know, the administration declared last week that they
would delay the enforcement of the mandate on businesses for a year,
but not the mandate on working families and individuals. We will
respond next week to correct this injustice.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, the House may consider H.R. 5, the Student
Success Act authored by Chairman John Kline. The bill represents a
solid, commonsense approach to education to provide our next generation
with the education they need to keep America competitive in the world
economy.
Finally, the House may consider the Department of Defense
appropriations bill for fiscal year 2014 drafted by Representative Bill
Young for the resources necessary for our troops.
I thank the gentleman.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for his information on the schedule.
As the gentleman knows, we just passed a farm bill and I'm wondering
how soon he might expect to move to go to conference on that bill.
I yield to my friend.
Mr. CANTOR. I would say to the gentleman, the chairman, the Speaker,
and other members of leadership are in discussions about how to
expedite an agreement on the farm bill. Certainly it is our intention
to act with dispatch to bring to the floor a bill dealing with the SNAP
program, that portion of what was traditionally the farm bill. We
intend to be bringing that vehicle to the floor at some time in the
near future. It is our intention to do so.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information, and I am glad
to hear that we will go to conference as soon as possible so we can
consider that important piece of legislation. As the gentleman knows,
there are substantial differences between the House and the Senate, and
the sooner we get that bill done and whole, I think the better we will
be.
You mentioned the Defense appropriations bill is coming to the floor.
Does the gentleman expect that to be coming to the floor with an open
rule?
And I yield to my friend.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I will respond to the gentleman, as he
knows, this Congress, as was the last Congress, has been a Congress
that is as committed to the open process as any in recent history. I
would say to the gentleman that the Speaker continues to insist that we
strive toward that open process to allow for as much debate and
exchange of ideas as possible to benefit the American people as well as
the outcome of legislation.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman. Was that a ``yes''?
Mr. CANTOR. I would tell the gentleman again that the Rules
Committee, as the gentleman knows when he was in the position of
majority leader, determines the structure of debate, and I would remind
the gentleman that the discourse and debate on this floor has been a
lot more open than in years past, and I would remind him of that.
Mr. HOYER. Well, the good news is I don't have time to discuss that
today, but perhaps at some time we will.
Immigration. Obviously, the Senate, as the gentleman so well knows,
has passed a major piece of legislation, passed it 68-32. That bill is,
I believe,
[[Page H4476]]
now with us. Can the gentleman tell us when we might be expecting
immigration legislation on the floor?
Mr. CANTOR. I'd say to the gentleman, it is not correct to say that
we have that bill. There was a tax, I believe, that was added to the
bill so we do not have that. I would say to the gentleman, though, as
he knows, our conference members met yesterday to discuss the path
forward so far as immigration reform is concerned. I would say to
characterize the agreement on our side, we all believe we need to fix a
broken system of immigration and we need to rebuild the trust of the
American people and the operation of government in terms of securing
our borders and enforcing the law, at the same time balancing that with
the history and tradition of our country as one that is built on
immigrants.
Mr. HOYER. I'm pleased to hear that. Of course, former President
George Bush said, as the gentleman knows, just a few days ago, that we
have a problem. The laws governing the immigration system aren't
working, the system is broken, and he urged us to pass a bill. The
chairman of the Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, has said the same thing
that I think the gentleman just said. We are very hopeful that we will
bring a comprehensive, which we believe is absolutely essential,
immigration bill to the floor and to realization so we can fix a broken
system. And, yes, give a pathway to citizenship for those who meet the
criteria that we would set forth.
But I thank the gentleman for his comments; and if he would like to
respond further, I'd yield.
If not, I yield back the balance of my time.
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