[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 185 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H10695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0915
                         PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise for a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Curbelo of Florida). The gentlewoman 
will state her parliamentary inquiry.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is facing a 
dire economic crisis, and our fellow Americans who live there need our 
help.
  Just now, I introduced the Puerto Rico Emergency Financial Stability 
Act, a bill that provides Puerto Rico some critical, temporary 
breathing room from creditor lawsuits until Congress acts.
  Puerto Rico urgently needs this respite while Congress considers 
restructuring legislation--legislation to provide the 3.5 million U.S. 
citizens that call Puerto Rico home the tools they need to 
comprehensively address the territory's unsustainable debt burden.
  Mr. Speaker, my parliamentary inquiry is: Is it in order for this 
bill to be considered and voted on by this House right now by unanimous 
consent?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under guidelines consistently issued by 
successive Speakers, as recorded in section 956 of the House Rules and 
Manual, the Chair will not entertain a unanimous consent request for 
the consideration of a measure unless it has been cleared by the 
bipartisan floor and committee leaderships.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, that only adds to the urgency of our acting 
by March 31, 2016, as the Speaker indicated. He also indicated that 
hearings on this important legislation would begin on our first day 
back.

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