[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10292]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to inquire about the 
schedule for next week.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from Missouri.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to the gentleman that 
the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 for morning hour and at 2 
p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under 
suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to 
the Members' offices by the end of this week. Any votes called on those 
measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m.
  On Wednesday we may consider additional bills under suspension of the 
rules, as well as H.R. 766, the Nanotechnology Research and Development 
Act. On Thursday and the balance of the week, we plan to consider H.R. 
1261, the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act and the 
President's economic growth and jobs package that the Committee on Ways 
and Means will mark up early next week.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for the 
information, but I would like to have additional information, and I 
will continue to yield for that information.
  Our side would be interested in knowing will the tax bill come up 
next week? The gentleman is calling the economic growth proposal the 
tax bill, right?
  Mr. BLUNT. The President's economic growth bill, which will do things 
that stimulate the economy and create jobs by reducing people's tax 
burden, will come up next Friday. My understanding is that the chairman 
and the ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means have reached 
an understanding and will be marking that bill up on Tuesday, file the 
report on Thursday, and we will have floor action on that bill on 
Friday.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, could the gentleman tell us 
whether the minority side will be allowed to offer a substitute on the 
floor?
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend's request. I think I 
should leave that up to the Committee on Rules, but tradition would 
certainly indicate that that would be normally the case.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. If we deal with the tax bill on Friday, does 
the gentleman think our work will be completed 2 p.m. on Friday?
  Mr. BLUNT. We would hope to be done by 2 p.m. I hope as the week 
progresses we may get agreement to start Friday an hour earlier, at 9, 
but that will be something we will work out with our friends on the 
other side during the week. And if that is the case, I do not see any 
reason to believe that we would not be done by 2 o'clock or so on 
Friday.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. On the Workforce Investment Act, will you allow 
a substitute on this bill on the floor?
  Mr. BLUNT. Again, I think that will be left up to the Committee on 
Rules. I think an announcement was just made about that Act by a member 
of Committee on Rules, and that will be a decision that they will make 
pursuant to the announcement that was just made.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I will continue to yield to the gentleman for 
additional information for the body. I notice the comp time bill is not 
on the schedule for next week in your announcement, but we keep hearing 
that this bill is coming. Can you tell us when the bill might come to 
the floor.
  Mr. BLUNT. My friend, it is one of those many things that are out 
there now. Our committees are doing their work. There are several bills 
that are ready through the committee process. We are trying to find 
time on the floor for several bills and that is one of them.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Whip.

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