[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18260-18261]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2985, 
              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the 
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 396 and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 396

       Resolved,  That upon adoption of this resolution it shall 
     be in order to consider the conference report to accompany 
     the bill (H.R. 2985) making appropriations for the 
     Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2006, and for other purposes. All points of order against the 
     conference report and against its consideration are waived. 
     The conference report shall be considered as read.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart) is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of 
debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Matsui), pending which I yield myself such time as I 
may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded 
is for the purpose of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 396 is a traditional, standard rule for 
consideration of the conference report for the fiscal year 2006 
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. The rule provides 1 hour of 
general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.
  The legislation before us appropriates $3.084 billion for operations 
of the legislative branch. The bill is fiscally sound. It includes a 
modest increase from the bill of fiscal year 2005.

[[Page 18261]]

  In accordance with long practice, Mr. Speaker, each body determined 
its own fiscal requirements. As such, the conference report includes 
$1.1 billion the House of Representatives originally appropriated for 
its operations earlier this year. It also includes the $759 million the 
Senate appropriated for its operations. The appropriations for both the 
House of Representatives and the Senate includes funds for Members' 
representational allowances, leadership and committee offices. These 
funds will help Members fulfill their duties to legislate and to 
oversee.
  These funds also help Congress complete the vitally important task, 
as I have just mentioned, which is the oversight of the executive 
branch. The Constitution grants Congress broad powers that include the 
extraordinarily important power of oversight. This includes obviously 
getting to know what the executive is doing, how programs are being 
administered, by whom and at what cost, and whether officials are 
complying with the law, with the intent of the law.
  For the Capitol Police, who each and every day protect us, our 
staffs, and our constituents visiting the Capitol, the bill 
appropriates over $249 million. This level of funding will support the 
current staffing level of 1,592 officers, an additional 43 officers for 
the Library of Congress and 45 new officers for the Capitol Visitors 
Center. Also included is an inspector general for the Capitol Police to 
help the Capitol Police with administrative operations such as 
financial management and budgeting.
  The bill also includes an important piece of legislation, the 
Continuity in Representation Act of 2005. As we all know, Mr. Speaker, 
on September 11, 2001, flight 93 was headed toward us here. If it were 
not for the heroic acts of the passengers on flight 93, we could very 
well have faced a situation where Congress may not have been able to 
function. We cannot allow this to happen. We certainly have to do 
everything we can to not allow it to happen.

                              {time}  1115

  H.R. 841 would accelerate elections in case a terrorist attack leaves 
the House of Representatives with over 100 vacancies. It provides for 
the expedited special election of new Members to fill seats left vacant 
in ``extraordinary circumstances.''
  The House passed this bill earlier this year by an overwhelming 
bipartisan margin of 329 to 68. In the 108th Congress, the House passed 
a similar bill by a vote of 306 to 97. Each time the Senate has failed 
to consider this vital piece of legislation; so the Speaker wisely 
asked that this very important legislation be included in this process.
  We must not ignore the threat to our constitutional duty. It is time 
that we have legislation such as this that can handle such an 
inconceivably horrible possibility and does not leave our duty to 
legislate and oversee in limbo.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, essential to our continued ability 
to legislate, to our power of oversight and the continuity of 
government.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) 
and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), ranking member, for their 
leadership on this. And I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from 
California for her hard work and friendship.
  I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for 
yielding me the customary time, and I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule for the Fiscal Year 2006 
Legislative Branch Appropriations conference report, and although I 
support this report, I would just like to express my general concerns 
over the exorbitant cost overruns of the Capitol Visitors Center. 
Funding contained in this report is based on the GAO's assessment of 
needs, and I truly hope that this will be the last installment needed 
to get the center completed.
  Through this measure, we will also fund the operations for our 
institution and the many supporting bodies that we rely upon daily, 
like the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the 
Congressional Budget Office, and the Capitol Police.
  I would just like to take this opportunity to draw attention to those 
who help keep Congress running. There is a tremendous operation that 
helps my colleagues and me do the business of the American people, from 
the personnel at the Congressional Research Service that aids our 
offices in keeping up with the latest issues, to the Clerk's staff that 
records every word we speak, tracks each bill introduced, and, no 
matter the hour, is here to support us as we debate the priorities of 
the Nation. It is also the curators who impart the history of this 
great Capitol Building to visitors every single day, and painters and 
archivists that maintain the historical integrity of the buildings. It 
is not without the maintenance crews, food service workers, and so many 
that I cannot even begin to name that keep the trains running smoothly 
on the Capitol complex. I thank them all for their service.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing one of the first appropriations 
conference reports move forward today.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the 
resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

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