[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRIES

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, under House Rule 539, which governs the 
debate on prescription drug coverage that we will engage in today, is 
it in order to consider the text of our Democratic proposal, H.R. 4770, 
to provide affordable, voluntary, and guaranteed Medicare prescription 
drug coverage to all seniors?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will not respond to the content of 
a resolution before the House. That is determined during the course of 
the debate on the resolution.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I have another parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, is it a fact that in order to consider any 
substitute or alternative, Democratic or otherwise under this shutdown 
rule, that it would be impossible to do that?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would give the same response, and 
that information can also be discerned during the course of debate on 
the rule.
  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, that is my understanding of the situation; 
that we would not be able to offer our substitute or any substitute on 
the floor under this rule. With that, Mr. Speaker, I strongly object to 
the procedures that deny the American people a vote on any real plan to 
help with the soaring cost of prescription medicine, and I protest this 
shutdown procedure.

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