[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10195-10196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
     PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5521, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on 
Rules, I call up House Resolution 849 and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 849

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 5521) making appropriations for the 
     Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2007, and for other purposes. The first reading of the bill 
     shall be dispensed with. All points of order against 
     consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be 
     confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally 
     divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Appropriations. After general 
     debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 
     five-minute rule. The bill shall be considered as read. All 
     points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to 
     comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived. Notwithstanding 
     clause 11 of rule XVIII, no amendment to the bill shall be in 
     order except those printed in the report of the Committee on 
     Rules accompanying this resolution. Each such amendment may 
     be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be 
     offered only by a Member designated in the report, shall be 
     considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified 
     in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent 
     and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall 
     not be subject to a demand for division of the question in 
     the House or in the Committee of the Whole. All points of 
     order against such amendments are waived. At the conclusion 
     of consideration of the bill for amendment the Committee 
     shall rise and report the bill to the House with such 
     amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question 
     shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments 
     thereto to final passage without intervening motion except 
     one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern), 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.
  House Resolution 849 provides for a structured rule with 1 hour of 
general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. It waives 
all points of order against consideration of the bill, and provides for 
one motion to recommit.
  This rule also makes in order, as a structured rule, every amendment 
brought forward to the Rules Committee, so by anyone's standard this 
resolution would be designated as being very fair.
  Mr. Speaker, the underlying legislation, H.R. 5521, funds the 
legislative branch of our Federal Government, including Congress, the 
Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Architect of the 
Capitol, the Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress, the 
Government Printing Office, and the Government Accountability Office.
  As one wise Member of our body said, the $3 million provided in this 
bill to operate the legislative branch agencies under the jurisdiction 
of the House

[[Page 10196]]

seem straightforward and fiscally responsible. I think if we overlooked 
this appropriations bill, which was passed in a bipartisan way, the two 
words you would say are an increase close to the cost-of-living 
adjustment and always less than what was requested. We requested a 
fiscally responsible bill.
  For example, the overall budget is $230 million less than the 
President's budget. The House of Representatives is funded at $19 
million less than the budget request. The Capitol Police gets $12 
million more than last year, but $36 million below the request. The CBO 
is $1 million more than last year, but $1 million less than the 
request. The Architect's Office is $5 million more, but $114 million 
below the request. The Library of Congress is $15 million more than 
last year, but $18 million below the request. The GPO is $9 million 
more, but $21 million below the request. The Government Accountability 
Office is $10 million more than last year, but $14 million below the 
request.
  There are a number of other changes made within the bill that I think 
are also positive. One of the changes will be for the Members' 
allowances. If they are unspent, they will be used to reduce the budget 
deficit. For someone who has regularly returned back at least 10 to 20 
percent of my budget allocation, it is nice to know that it is also 
going to a worthy cause.
  In addition, this bill provides provisions for increased 
congressional oversight and accountability on the completion of the 
much-anticipated Capitol Visitor Center, as well as some very specific 
report language and an amendment that dealt also with the Architect's 
Office and the Government Accountability Office until the new Architect 
is provided.
  The underlying bill provides for full funding of staff COLAs and 
transit benefits, it bans smoking in the Rayburn cafeteria, and I 
understand on page 35 it says that the gentleman from Massachusetts 
will voluntarily give me his salary for the next year, or until my 
personal debt has been retired, whichever comes first, which will be 
the year.
  It also provides for 50 new investigators in the General Accounting 
Office to conduct increased oversight on government contracts issued in 
the wake of hurricane devastation in the gulf coast as well as in Iraq.
  Thus, Mr. Speaker, I think this underlying bill is fiscally 
responsible, provides modest increases in the essential legislative 
branch functions, but still provides less in almost every major 
category than the President's budget requested. So I urge adoption of 
this rule and its underlying legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah, my 
friend, Mr. Bishop, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot recall the last time I came to the House floor 
to say anything good about a rule, but the fact of the matter is this 
is a good rule. Every Member who brought an amendment before the Rules 
Committee, their amendment has been made in order. So this is a good 
rule.
  We have no speakers, we are not requiring any votes, and I want to 
thank the gentleman from Utah for bringing this to the floor.
  I rise today in support of the FY 2007 Legislative Branch 
Appropriations bill. I commend Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Obey, 
as well as the rest of the Appropriations Committee, for all their hard 
work on this legislation.
  Historically, the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill is not 
considered under an open process like the other appropriations bills. 
Instead, the House usually considers this bill under a closed process. 
However, even though the Rules Committee reported a restrictive rule 
again, this year every amendment offered in the Rules Committee was 
made in order.
  Mr. Speaker, it's refreshing that this bill is a bipartisan product 
of the legislative process, a true rarity under this Republican 
leadership. The Republican leadership should look to this bill as a 
lesson in how this body should be run. Sunshine should be let it. 
Amendments should be made in order. Mr. Speaker, as much as possible, 
the process should be open.
  The fact that Mr. Obey and others had questions regarding the 
operations at the Office of the Architect of the Capitol was valid and 
was heard. With unanimous support in Committee, Ranking Member Obey's 
amendment putting the Comptroller General in direct control over the 
office of the Architect of the Capitol and the establishment of an 
Office of the Inspector General in the Office of the Architect of the 
Capitol was offered and adopted. The rule protects that amendment from 
being struck from the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, with an ever growing deficit of $9 billion, I think even 
my good friend and colleague, Congressman Flake, would agree with me in 
the right to question where funds have been spent on the new Capitol 
Visitors Center. Now, I realize the cost is often never close to the 
estimate; however, this project was originally budgeted at $265 million 
and the new projected cost estimate is $556 million. That is $25 
million more than double the cost and we are not finished. Completion 
dates and costs seem to just be getting later and higher.
  The rest of the budget for the Legislative Branch seems to get it 
right. Small overall increases help keep Congress functioning. With a 
$110 million increase from FY06, this bill provides for 50 new 
Government Accountability Office, GAO, investigators to provide for 
increased oversight in gulf coast reconstruction and the war in Iraq. 
Providing for a strong and properly funded GAO is important, especially 
when considering that oversight is nonexistent in this Republican-
controlled House.
  Again, I would like to thank Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Obey 
for their hard drafting this legislation and for their commitment to 
this body.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of my 
colleague from Massachusetts, I will appreciate his check, and I look 
forward to passing this particular bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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