[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11975-11982]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6003, PASSENGER RAIL INVESTMENT AND 
                        IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 1253 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 1253

       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. 6003) to reauthorize Amtrak, 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 except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 
     XXI. 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 
     Transportation and Infrastructure. After general debate the 
     bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute 
     rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill 
     for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in 
     the bill. The committee amendment in the nature of a 
     substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order 
     against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     are waived except those arising under clause 10 of rule XXI. 
     Notwithstanding clause 11 of rule XVIII, no amendment to the 
     committee amendment in the nature of a substitute 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 except those arising 
     under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. 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. Any Member may demand a separate vote 
     in the House on any amendment adopted in the Committee of the 
     Whole to the bill or to the committee amendment in the nature 
     of a substitute. 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.
       Sec. 2.  During consideration in the House of H.R. 6003 
     pursuant to this resolution, notwithstanding the operation of 
     the previous question, the Chair may postpone further 
     consideration of the bill to such time as may be designated 
     by the Speaker.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). 
All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only.


                             General Leave

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous materials into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H. Res. 1253 provides a structured rule for consideration of H.R. 
6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The 
resolution provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and makes in order 8 of 
the 10 amendments submitted for consideration.
  From coast to coast we are seeing the effects of rising fuel prices. 
Energy prices have been a regular topic here in Congress, in the 
newspapers, and at family dinner tables.
  The average price of a gallon of gas in Sacramento just climbed to 
$4.41. My constituents are feeling this burden every single day. 
Driving to work and school is becoming more difficult and more costly 
for everyone.
  The City of Sacramento also just started a major construction project 
on I-5, which cuts through the heart of my district. The already 
congested streets are going to become even more crowded.

                              {time}  1045

  That is why I am glad we are here considering such an important bill 
to reauthorize and invest in Amtrak. Our constituents are in desperate 
need of alternative modes of travel to combat both increased congestion 
as well as rising gas prices. Now is the time to capitalize on the 
renewed interest in passenger rail.
  Millions of Americans from Atlanta to Sacramento are getting out of 
their cars and onto public transit. Many of these riders will be 
getting on rail for the first time. We must not let the opportunity to 
invest in our rail system pass us by.
  From Greece to Paris to Tokyo, we have seen the economic benefits of 
intercity rail. Let's now bring these benefits to our Nation, our 
States, and our hometowns.
  The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act takes great strides 
to improve Amtrak and give our constituents the flexibility they need 
to travel.
  Amtrak was created in 1970 to preserve and reinvigorate intercity 
passenger rail service throughout the country. Since 1981, it has been 
the Nation's sole provider of regularly scheduled intercity passenger 
rail service.
  In fiscal year 2007, Amtrak carried more than 25.8 million 
passengers, the fifth straight fiscal year of record ridership. 
Increased ridership numbers occurred across all of Amtrak's services in 
both corridor and long-distance routes. On average, more than 70,000 
passengers ride on Amtrak every day.
  Amtrak's financial performance has also improved in recent years, 
posting record gains in ticket sales. My region has seen the positive 
effects and benefits of having efficient transportation options. The 
Capitol Corridor line in California is showing that record numbers of 
Californians are choosing to use passenger rail. Ridership on the 
Capitol Corridor line is up 14 percent and revenue is up 21 percent 
from last year. On-time performance was also up from last year.
  We can all agree that Amtrak needs to be brought into the 21st 
century. This legislation provides a comprehensive framework to improve 
Amtrak across the country. It increases capital and operating grants to 
Amtrak, helps bring the Northeast Corridor to a state of good repair, 
and makes various capital improvements.
  H.R. 6003 also creates a new grant program for intercity passenger 
rail capital projects. Our urban centers will see tangible benefits and 
a commitment to getting cars off the streets by promoting alternative 
and efficient modes of transportation.
  H.R. 6003 takes great strides to relieve rail congestion. It provides 
important congestion grants and works to resolve disputes between 
commuter and freight railroads. It also provides significant funding 
for high-speed rail corridors, including $1.75 billion for construction 
and equipment.
  Simply put, this bill will reduce congestion and facilitate ridership 
growth.
  I want to thank Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica for coming 
together on this important bipartisan legislation. I am proud that this 
Congress is taking this important issue and tackling it, and look 
forward to supporting this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, passage of the Passenger Rail Investment and 
Improvement Act is an important step to demonstrating our commitment to 
infrastructure investment. This is long overdue, and I encourage 
everyone to support the rule and the underlying legislation to provide 
the country with a safe and alternative mode of travel.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today and want to thank my friend from California, a member of 
the Rules Committee, for yielding this time to me to discuss the 
proposed rule

[[Page 11976]]

for consideration of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
  I rise in opposition to this rule, and to the legislation, neither of 
which will meet the Democrats' campaign promises about how they said 
they would run the House in a fair and transparent manner, nor the 
American taxpayers' expectations how the Federal Government should 
manage tax revenues that it takes from hardworking Americans.
  The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 would 
reauthorize Government spending on Amtrak over the next 5 years at a 
cost of almost $15 billion without requiring any meaningful reforms in 
Amtrak's governance or operations and without allocating taxpayer 
dollars based on a demand for the service.
  As we know, Amtrak is a private corporation that continues to receive 
large Federal operating subsidies, despite laws passed by Congress 
requiring after 2002, over 5 years ago, that they should be able to run 
their operations without Federal grant funds.
  Despite the fact that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
approved this legislation, I am not alone in believing that Amtrak 
should conduct its operations without picking the pockets of American 
families who are already being asked to do this by the do-nothing 
Democrat Congress to pay for record prices for energy, and can little 
afford to subsidize the inefficiencies of a transportation system that 
many of them will never use.
  Like me and many of my Republican colleagues, President Bush has 
urged this Congress to pass legislation that would: (1) create a system 
driven by sound economics where services are provided based primarily 
on consumer demand; (2) promote competition; (3) focus Amtrak on core 
operating competencies; (4) establish funding partnerships with States; 
and, (5) improve investment in and management of the Northeast 
Corridor.
  I include for the Record the Statement of Administration Policy for 
H.R. 6003.

         Executive Office of the President, Office of Management 
           and Budget
                                     Washington, DC, June 9, 2008.

                   STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 6003--Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, (Rep. 
               Oberstar (D) Minnesota and 41 cosponsors)

       The Administration believes that a significantly reformed 
     intercity passenger rail system has the potential to play a 
     role of growing importance in providing transportation 
     options in the United States, including helping to reduce 
     congestion along heavily traveled intercity corridors. 
     However, the Administration strongly opposes House passage of 
     H.R. 6003, which would reauthorize the National Railroad 
     Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for five years, because it 
     would authorize an appropriation of more than $14 billion 
     without requiring any meaningful reforms in Amtrak's 
     governance or operations and without allocating resources 
     based on the demand for passenger rail service. For this 
     reason, and others set forth below, if the bill were 
     presented to the President in its current form, his senior 
     advisors would recommend he veto it.
       Amtrak is a private corporation that continues to receive 
     large Federal operating subsidies, despite longstanding 
     existing law requiring that, after 2002, ``Amtrak shall 
     operate without Federal operating grant funds appropriated 
     for its benefit.'' H.R. 6003 authorizes an unprecedented 
     level of funding but does not include basic measures to hold 
     Amtrak accountable to taxpayers for its spending decisions. 
     For example, H.R. 6003 provides scant opportunity for 
     competition on existing Amtrak routes and does not include 
     provisions that would condition Amtrak's funding based on 
     progress on reforms. Measures to address these areas are 
     included in S. 294 and should be adopted before Congress 
     completes its work on this measure.
       The Administration also would strongly object if bonding 
     authority were added to the bill. Language in the introduced 
     version of H.R. 6004, the Rail Infrastructure Development and 
     Expansion Act for the 21st Century, permits State issuance of 
     $24 billion in bonds, including but not limited to tax credit 
     bonds. In particular, the use of tax credit bonds to finance 
     the construction of high-speed rail capital projects would be 
     expensive and highly inefficient, and costs would be borne by 
     taxpayers, not system users.
       To move Amtrak towards a sustainable business model, the 
     Administration urges Congress to pass legislation that 
     reflects the following core reform principles consistently 
     articulated by this Administration: (1) create a system 
     driven by sound economics where services are provided based 
     primarily on consumer demand; (2) promote competition; (3) 
     focus Amtrak on core operating competencies; (4) establish 
     funding partnerships with States; and (5) improve the 
     investment in and management of the Northeast Corridor.
       The Administration appreciates that H.R. 6003 includes 
     measures to promote private sector development of the 
     Northeast Corridor and other potential high-speed routes. 
     Making use of the private sector's operational and financial 
     management capabilities could help new rail services to 
     perform at a high level for the traveling public. However, 
     the Administration is concerned that the authorized funding 
     levels for high-speed rail in H.R. 6003 send the wrong 
     message; any expansions of rail service should be based on a 
     sustainable business model.
       Titles III and V would establish certain capital grants 
     programs requiring workers employed with funds obtained under 
     these programs be paid pursuant to Davis-Bacon Act 
     requirements. Thus, Titles III and V would expand Davis-Bacon 
     Act coverage, which is contrary to the Administration's long-
     standing policy of opposing any statutory attempt to expand 
     or contract the applicability of Davis-Bacon Act prevailing 
     wage requirements. This expansion could undermine the 
     effectiveness of the enumerated programs.

     
                                  ____
  This statement, which outlines these goals for the improvement of 
Amtrak, makes clear that the President's senior advisers would 
recommend his veto of today's legislation that falls far short of this 
mark.
  During testimony in the Rules Committee last evening, it was 
represented to the committee that the legislation would allow some 
minimal privatization of a few routes, and that some additional studies 
and the rearrangement of some management duties at Amtrak were included 
in the bill to improve its efficiencies. I appreciate these efforts, 
and although I do not think that they go nearly far enough, because as 
we speak Amtrak continues to hemorrhage money due to labor disputes, 
energy costs, and the requirement that they maintain service on very 
lightly used, long-haul routes through rural areas of the country.
  Unfortunately, through their inaction, the Democrat majority has 
already demonstrated its lack of interest in doing anything serious to 
address this issue as well as soaring energy costs. Through its flurry 
of constant action on behalf of big labor bosses, they have 
demonstrated that they are equally unwilling to do anything to address 
that problem for Amtrak, its riders, or the American public.
  That means that the only opportunity that Members have to reform 
Amtrak in this bill is through cutting the fat from these underused, 
rural long-haul lines that are often subsidized at a cost of multiple 
hundreds of dollars per ticket by American taxpayers.
  To address this problem, I have offered an amendment that is very 
similar to my efforts in the past on this issue, but is this time even 
more direct in its approach.
  In March 2007, I offered an amendment to the Rail and Public 
Transportation Security Act that would have prohibited Amtrak from 
subsidizing its 10 worst revenue losing long-distance routes, as 
determined by its own September 2006 monthly performance report unless 
the Secretary of Homeland Security determined that the route was 
critical to our homeland security needs. Unfortunately, this 
commonsense and fiscally responsible amendment failed.
  So today, I will be offering an amendment that is even more direct in 
its purpose and even more clear in its intent, an amendment that will 
simply prohibit taxpayer subsidies from flowing to the absolutely 
worst, most wasteful, most expensive long-distance route that Amtrak 
runs, according to its own performance report as of March 2008, unless 
this route is deemed to be critical to our Nation's homeland security.
  My amendment simply seeks to prevent further good taxpayer dollars 
from being thrown after bad by limiting the cost of Amtrak's number one 
least profitable route; the number one least profitable route, that's 
all we are asking in this bill.
  Madam Speaker, if Members cannot support this simple, security-
conscious amendment on behalf of fiscal discipline, I don't know if 
there is anything that we can possibly do to help the American 
taxpayers any more.

[[Page 11977]]

  I ask all of my colleagues to vote against this rule which does not 
match the Democrats' rhetoric about running the most honest, open and 
transparent Congress in history. I also ask them to oppose this 
underlying legislation which even if my amendment were included does 
not go far enough to protect the hard-earned money of American 
taxpayers from wasteful spending at Amtrak.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, before I yield to the next speaker, I just 
want to remind my colleagues that all of the Nation's major 
transportation systems receive significant Federal investment, with 
good reason. Investment in rail infrastructure creates jobs, helps with 
congestion, decreases our dependence on oil, and offers viable 
alternatives for many of our citizens, including the elderly and 
disabled.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Arcuri), a member of the Rules Committee and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar, 
Chairwoman Brown, and Ranking Members Mica and Shuster for their 
bipartisan leadership on the Amtrak legislation we will consider today, 
and as they showed yesterday in the Rules Committee, for their 
passionate advocacy on behalf of this great bill.
  There has been much discussion about the condition of our Nation's 
transportation system and the growing pressures it faces from all 
sides: skyrocketing costs of fuel and maintenance; increased congestion 
from growing demand; and global climate change.
  H.R. 6003 will take tremendous strides toward addressing these 
pressures by continuing our commitment to Amtrak and passenger rail 
service. Maintenance costs will continue to hinder us, but expanding 
and improving passenger rail service has the potential to relieve 
congestion both on our highways and in the skies by offering passengers 
a viable alternative. A shift toward rail can reduce the harmful 
CO2 emissions generated by the transportation system.
  For too long Amtrak has been the symbol of partisan politics in 
Washington. If we are to have a robust and successful system that users 
can rely on, then we must make a bipartisan commitment to supporting 
Amtrak. We cannot waiver on this commitment and expect to keep pace 
with the national rail systems of other developed countries around the 
world.
  Partisan bickering has hurt Amtrak's overall state of repair. In 
fact, the Department of Transportation's inspector general concluded 
that, ``Despite multiple efforts over the years to change Amtrak's 
structure and funding, we have a system that limps along, is never in a 
state of good repair, awash in debt, and perpetually on the edge of 
collapse.'' That must change.
  Amtrak's maintenance backlog is a major impediment to its success. In 
recent years, Amtrak's ridership has grown at a modest but continuing 
rate, and Amtrak's on-time performance has declined down to an on-time 
arrival rate of 67.8 percent.
  The Department of Transportation's inspector general has stated that 
Amtrak's continued deferral of maintenance increases the risk of a 
major failure on its system. Currently, Amtrak has an estimated $6 
billion in backlogged capital maintenance needs, including $4 billion 
on the Northeast Corridor, its most profitable line.
  I would gladly take the train home to my Upstate New York district, 
or from my home in Utica to New York City, but currently that is not a 
viable option because of the minimal Amtrak service. And even when 
there is service available, it is unreliable. Deferred track 
maintenance, especially in Upstate New York, has required lowering the 
speed limits on significant portions of the track. In addition, 
competition with freight carriers for priority on tracks causes Amtrak 
trains to become seriously delayed, to the point where train schedules 
are simply unreliable. The on-time arrival rate between Albany and 
Buffalo is a mere 42 percent, meaning that less than half of the trains 
arrive on time.

                              {time}  1100

  Unfortunately, for hardworking Americans, passenger rail is the only 
option for travel because of record high fuel prices, making air and 
car travel less viable.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from New York has 
expired.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional minute to the 
gentleman.
  Mr. ARCURI. I thank you for the additional time.
  Improving passenger rail service must be part of our long-term 
transportation strategy if we expect to effectively decrease our 
Nation's reliance on finite fossil fuels, and allow Americans to get to 
and from work on time without breaking the bank each month.
  The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act will aggressively 
address these concerns. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this rule 
and the underlying bill and continue to support the viable passenger 
rail option in our Nation.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from New York, my friend, 
really made a great argument on exactly what I've been trying to say. 
But we've got to get our friends to come around the corner and see that 
if we would get Amtrak to do the things that are in their mission 
statement, rather than running all across the United States trying to 
do things that are not cost effective, are not within their main core 
mission, then we could find the money that would be available for them 
to support, as the gentleman said, the Northeast Corridor, to spend the 
money within the corridor to make them safer.
  But, instead, what happens is Amtrak is not held accountable, not by 
this Congress. We tell them, just go ahead and do whatever you choose 
to do, rather than focusing on their mission which they have, which is 
that which is required for traffic on the coasts, the west coast and 
the east coast.
  So, Madam Speaker, once again, we can't expect Amtrak to do the 
things that would be in the best interest if they won't stick to their 
mission, if this Congress will not hold them accountable for the 
taxpayer dollars that they are utilizing.
  Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from South Carolina, the distinguished gentleman, Mr. Brown.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. I thank my great friend from Texas (Mr. 
Sessions) for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today in strong support of H.R. 
6003, the bipartisan Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 
2008.
  I want to applaud Subcommittee Chairwoman Brown and Ranking Member 
Shuster, along with Full Committee Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member 
Mica, for crafting a bipartisan reauthorization package that is focused 
on both improving Amtrak's capital assets, while also providing for 
development of new corridors in partnerships with States.
  I am most pleased to see a major commitment to high speed rail 
contained in this bill, something that is absent in the Senate's bill. 
This legislation calls for more than just paper plans for high speed 
rail projects; it actually calls for dedicated funding and private 
sector involvement to move these projects forward.
  Specifically, I am pleased that this legislation contains a provision 
that will improve the ability of future high speed rail corridors in 
the Southeast to best meet the changing population patterns and tourist 
demands along the cost.
  With America facing $4 gas and airlines seeing fuel costs 100 percent 
higher than last year, we must look to develop in ways that will ensure 
that new travel options such as high speed rail are directed where they 
are most needed.
  High speed rail can play an important role in reducing congestion in 
places like the Grand Strand in my State, which sees 14 million 
tourists a year, and Charleston, which is the

[[Page 11978]]

most congested small city in the country. And I am glad that this bill 
takes the next step towards addressing the transportation needs of 
these communities.
  Another important element of this bill moves us towards planning for 
rail transportation the same way we plan for highways. Again, as we 
face historically high gasoline and diesel fuel costs, we must ensure 
that our transportation system is planned out to provide the 
connectivity that we need for increased passenger rail use and to take 
advantage of freight rail's ability to move a ton of freight 436 miles 
on a gallon of fuel. When combined with the investment this bill makes 
in high speed rail, and by allowing freight and passenger railroads to 
negotiate access to freight-owned tracks, the Committee's 
reauthorization proposal will go a long way towards an improved rail 
system in the future.
  But that future may not be possible, Madam Speaker, if America 
continues to face $4 gasoline at the pump. I urge the majority to bring 
to the floor one of the many pieces of legislation introduced to open 
up domestic sources of energy, or else we won't be able to catch even 
an on-time train.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I'd just like to say that this bill 
creates a new State Capital Grants program for intercity passenger rail 
projects. These grants will help fund new facilities and equipment for 
intercity passenger rail and help move commuters off the roads and 
pollution out of the air.
  The bill also authorizes $1.75 billion to develop 11 high-speed rail 
corridors. These corridors will help remove cars from the highway and 
reduce pollution.
  With that, I would like to reserve my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 5 
minutes to the ranking member of the subcommittee, the Republican from 
Pennsylvania, the gentleman, Mr. Shuster.
  Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I want 
to start today by saying that it's a shame that this Congress and that 
the majority party, for 18 months, has failed to do anything to 
alleviate our energy problems in this country. We've had ample 
opportunity to pass legislation that will deal with this rising cost of 
energy this country, and as I've said, we've done nothing. The American 
people are crying out for us to do something.
  And what we can do, it's obvious, in the short-term it's supply. It's 
look for new sources of oil, explore in different parts of this 
country, offshore. That's the answer in the short-term.
  The long term-we have other technologies, clean coal technology, 
nuclear energy. We have to start doing something here. The American 
people, as I said, are crying out.
  Gas in my district is $4 a gallon. In my 7 years in Congress, I've 
been approached by people to tell me they disagree with me on this 
issue or that issue. But I've never had people come up to me and at the 
gas pump and yell at me publicly about this Congress doing absolutely 
nothing.
  The time is now. We have to act. We've already, 7, 15 years ago we 
should have been acting. But we have to move today. As I said, it's 
just a shame that we haven't done anything sooner.
  That being said, I think that this bill that we have before us today, 
The Passenger Rail Investment Improvement Act, does something positive 
when it comes to energy in this country. It's a small step. It's a 
positive step, but it's a step I think it's important for us to take 
today.
  The last time that we authorized Amtrak was 1997. Gas was $1.27 a 
gallon, and today, as I said, in Central Pennsylvania it's hovering 
around $4 a gallon.
  We also have, in this country, in 2005, we passed the 300 million 
mark in population. It took us 65 years to go from 200 million to 300 
million. It's only going to take us 35 years to go from 300 million to 
400 million. And that population isn't all going to move out into the 
West and to the middle of the country. That population will move around 
some, but those corridors around the country that are densely 
populated, the Northeast Corridor, Chicago, the west coast, throughout 
Texas, Florida, up and down the east coast, those corridors are going 
to become even more, the population is going to become denser.
  So it's important that we do things to encourage people to use other 
forms of transportation, and passenger rail is one of those modes of 
transportation. It is one of the, if not the most efficient modes of 
transportation to move people, move large quantities of people. And I 
think that that's an extremely important reason for us to move forward.
  As we watch fuel prices escalate, as we watch the population continue 
to grow, and as I said, the American people are desperate to escape gas 
prices, long commutes that define their work days, and I think this is 
a way for us to move forward.
  Now, in the bill there are some important provisions, and one of the 
reasons that myself and the Ranking Member Mica signed on to it, and 
there are some private sector initiatives. First, we authorize in this 
bill for Amtrak, the IG and the Department of Transportation to 
identify the least of the underperforming, significantly 
underperforming lines in this country; identify at least two of them. 
That we then turn to the private sector and allow them to bid to take 
those lines over, and to allow them to run them and see if we can't 
turn them into efficient operations.
  The second privatization initiative is to take a line in this country 
that Amtrak has stopped using, has abandoned because of high cost or 
whatever reason, and allow the private sector to take it over, re-
establish it and run it efficiently and profitably, we hope.
  And third is the Northeast Corridor. It is the most used corridor in 
the country. We need to establish high speed rail in this country, and 
the Northeast Corridor is where we need to do it, from Washington to 
New York; to get private sector companies to come to the table to give 
real bids on how much it's going to cost to establish high speed rail 
in this country. Not pie in the sky, not throwing darts, as we've done 
over the years, but to have real numbers, if it's $10 billion, $20 
billion, $60 billion, how much is it going to cost us to have true high 
speed which we need in this country, because of the population growth, 
because of energy costs that we have in this country.
  High speed rail is extremely important in this authorization. And for 
the past 20 years we've had a theoretical debate on this floor about 
can the private sector run a railroad, can the public, is it the public 
responsibility, and can the public do it better than the private 
sector?
  Well, I believe that the private sector can run a passenger rail 
system. And I just have to look back to history. From 1850 to 1950 the 
private sector ran a profitable passenger rail system.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. SHUSTER. For 100 years the private sector operated passenger rail 
profitably. But what happened to it wasn't mismanagement, it was 
aviation, the airplane that came about. It was the interstate highway 
system that we built in this country. So people got off the trains and 
got into their cars and into airplanes. That's what happened to 
passenger rail.
  And for the last 30 some years, as the government's tried to run it, 
it's not done it efficiently. So this is an opportunity for us to have 
some real successes, some private sector successes, and we can end this 
debate.
  Is the private sector able to run a railroad, a passenger rail 
system? I believe they are, and I believe that these initiatives are 
extremely important for us to have some successes to point to as we 
move down the road and give the American people something they need, a 
passenger rail system that is profitable, that is successful.
  And I want to end as I started. We need to do something on energy. 
This is one small step in the right direction. We can do more to solve 
our energy problems in this country. We should do more, and we must do 
more. The American people deserve that.

[[Page 11979]]


  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I just want to point out that one of the 
ways we are addressing gas prices is by giving constituents alternative 
modes of transportation, thereby reducing the number of cars on the 
road. Passenger rail will reduce our demand on foreign oil and help us 
become more energy independent.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 
minutes to the gentleman from Illinois, the MVP of the Republican 
baseball championship team, the gentleman, Mr. Shimkus.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I appreciate Congresswoman Matsui 
managing the time. We've worked very hard on clean diesel issues and 
the like, so this is really appropriate to this debate though, because 
Amtrak uses big diesel engines. And what's happened in the Amtrak 
debate that we haven't heard yet, hopefully we'll hear it later on is, 
like, one of the biggest threats to Amtrak is the high cost of diesel 
fuel. In fact, the fiscal year 2007 budget for fuel was $125 million 
for Amtrak. The fiscal year 2008 budget for fuel for Amtrak is $215 
million.
  Now, how are we going to pay for that? I know how they're going to 
pay for it. They're going to raise prices on these commuters. And there 
are some commuters who use Amtrak. But again, I'll quote the New York 
Times article that says ``the counties where motorists spend the 
highest percentage of their income on gasoline tend to be in poor, 
rural areas.'' Amtrak doesn't go there. We don't have commuter rails. 
We have working trucks. We have big trucks. We haul feed. We haul beef. 
We haul pork. We need working trucks and they drive a large distance.
  That's why this energy debate is critical. And here's the problem. 
All we're trying to do is bring, what's the problem, what's the 
solution. What's the problem. What's the solution.
  Here's the problem. January 2001. $23 a barrel. January 2006, after 
the Democrats took control and promised to lower fuel prices, that's 
right here, where are we today? $123 a barrel.
  What does that do for gas prices? From $1.45 to $2.33 to over $4 a 
gallon for gas hurts rural America, hurts my district.

                              {time}  1115

  Don't come to the floor without a solution. The Outer Continental 
Shelf, trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, billions of barrels of 
oil. We have in this Congress and Congresses of the past said ``off-
limits.'' We're not going to explore this area. We're not going to 
recover.
  Very similar to our position on ANWR. A position a size of the State 
of South Carolina. A drilling platform the size of an airport. And we 
are not going to drill there for billions of barrels of oil. President 
Clinton vetoed that in 1995. Had he not, that oil would be flowing to 
our country today. 1995 he vetoed the bill. President Carter put it 
off-limits for oil and gas exploration. That's why ANWR was originally 
set aside, but, no, we have that off-limits.
  What is another solution? Coal-to-liquid technologies, diesel fuel 
that could help lower the price for Amtrak can be produced by taking 
U.S. coal, American energy, and turning it into fuel.
  We're going to come to this floor talking about, oh, unemployment 
compensation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 
minute.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. We're going to come to this floor saying, Oh, we've got 
to do something because energy heating costs are high; oh, we need to 
do something because people are losing their jobs.
  I will tell you how we can get jobs back into the economy. Let's use 
American-made emergency. Let's open up the coal fields. Let's get mine 
workers the jobs. Let's build a coal-to-liquid refinery. Good building 
trade jobs. Let's have high-paying jobs operating those refineries. 
Let's build pipelines to get this fuel to the Amtrak station to put in 
the diesel engines, and let's help our budget airlines not go bankrupt 
because of the high cost of fuel. Not just our budget airlines. Here is 
one on Continental: Continental joins cut-back frenzy. Soaring fuel 
prices.
  Why do we have a job problem in this country? Because we have an 
energy problem. Until we come to this floor to debate on bringing more 
supply to the American public, our economy is always going to be 
struggling. We're the only country that looks at energy resources not 
as an economic advantage but as an environmental disaster.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, first of all, at the end of the Clinton 
administration, oil was $27 a barrel. It is now $134 a barrel. A 
significant increase. And my friends on other side of the aisle are 
attempting to blame this newly elected Democratic Congress--I think 
someone on the other side said we have been here for 18 months--for 
this increase.
  Furthermore, every bill that the Democrats bring before this Congress 
that attempts in any way, shape, fashion, or form to reduce the use and 
therefore the price of oil, the other side of the aisle votes ``no.''
  The response to high oil prices was to give the big oil companies tax 
breaks. Well, that's not the priority of this Democratic Congress.
  I want to talk about alternative energy. We want to invest in 
alternative modes of transportation like passenger rails which would 
take 8 million cars off the road. We want to reduce the dependence on 
foreign oil, the dependence on gas and on fossil fuels thereby making 
our country stronger both domestically and internationally.
  The other side wants to talk about tax breaks for oil and gas 
companies. We're talking about investing in Amtrak and making our 
streets less congested, our skies cleaner, and our country less 
reliable on oil and gas.
  What that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, if I could inquire how much time 
remains.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 10 minutes. The 
gentlewoman from California has 18\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I reserve my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) for 3 minutes.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Madam Speaker, 50 years ago President 
Eisenhower created the national highway system which changed the way we 
travel in this country. Today, we need to do the same thing with 
passenger rail and make the level of investment necessary for us to 
become the most successful in the 21st century. That is why I am so 
excited about House bill 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and 
Improvement Act, which was introduced by Mr. Oberstar, Ranking Member 
Mica, subcommittee Ranking Member Shuster, and myself.
  Amtrak is extremely valuable to our country. It takes cars off the 
road that are already congested. It reduces congestion in the sky, and 
it's better for the environment.
  In many areas of the country, Amtrak is the only mode of 
transportation available. They have shown major increases in ridership, 
too, as ridership has increased in 8 of the 9 last years and reached a 
record level of 25.8 million passengers just last year. And with the 
cost of gas potentially rising to $5 a gallon, there would be even more 
riders lining up for Amtrak.
  Unfortunately, for many years Amtrak had been given just enough money 
to live alone, never getting the necessary funding to make serious 
improvement in the system. The hydraulic electric system is 70 years 
old, 65 percent of the bridges were built in the 1920s, and several 
tunnels which trains travel through every day were built in the 1800s.
  In 2005, Amtrak conducted a comprehensive review of its capital 
needs. The review determined that Amtrak should invest $4.2 billion to 
bring their infrastructure to the state of good repair. Today, with the 
backlog of major bridges and tunnel work, the necessary investment 
capital has approached an estimated $6 billion.
  As other countries continue to invest tens of billions of dollars 
each year to

[[Page 11980]]

improve their passenger rail system, we are falling further and further 
behind by deferring much-needed improvements to our system. We must 
find a way to speed up Amtrak bylaws of repair work and bring its 
assets to a good state of repair so that Amtrak can concentrate on 
increasing capacity, increasing speed, developing new facilities, and 
planning for the future.
  These major infrastructure improvements are also necessary to improve 
the safety and security of the system and its passengers and workers. 
Amtrak has and will continue to play a critical role in evacuation and 
transportation systems during national emergencies. Unfortunately, it 
is also a prime target for those who wish to harm us, and we must 
provide resources to make the system less vulnerable.
  I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues in the House and 
the Senate to pass important legislation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman's time has expired.
  Ms. MATSUI. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. The United States used to have a strong 
passenger rail system. Now we're at the caboose, and they don't even 
use cabooses anymore.
  The American people deserve better, and I believe that the Amtrak 
reauthorization bill will go a long way to bring the use to its 
rightful place as the world leader in passenger rail.
  In closing, I went from downtown Brussels to downtown Paris, 200 
miles, 1\1/4\ hours; downtown Barcelona to downtown Madrid, 2\1/2\ 
hours.
  We will move forward with high-speed rail in this country.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, you know, I think we've forgotten it's a 
private corporation, not a government entity, that we're attempting to 
help here.
  Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
  Mr. McHENRY. I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding the time.
  We're debating Amtrak. Well, certainly Amtrak's important for a lot 
of folks in the Northeast, but I will tell you as far as my 
constituents in western North Carolina, we can't commute to our jobs 
using Amtrak. This is not a solution for American energy independence 
that is being offered here on the House floor.
  What is outrageous is as gas prices go above $4, all they have is 
blame rather than action. My Democrat colleagues are simply passing 
blame rather than trying to act in a constructive way. And there is a 
way for us to act as a Congress to bring down gas prices. It is not by 
lawsuits, which is what the Democrat majority wants; it is not by more 
taxation on those driving cars, those using energy resources, those 
producing resources.
  You know, there is a way that we can act. The American people 
understand it. This is a question of supply and demand. Seventy percent 
of the price of fuel comes from the price of crude oil. The American 
people understand this as gas is over $4 a gallon, as a barrel of oil 
is over $130 a barrel. And I will tell you, we must act.
  In order to lower gas prices, this Congress must act to increase 
supply. We have to increase refining capacity, and we have to do this 
in a constructive, reasonable, proper way. One day we will end our 
dependence on foreign oil. We will end it and we will use our 
alternative sources of energy. We will use domestic production. We will 
use refining capacity here in the United States. But let's talk about 
some important statistics here.
  Seven hundred days ago the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said, 
Democrats have a commonsense plan to bring down skyrocketing gas 
prices. What is the plan? Where's the action? We've seen nothing. The 
Democrat Whip, Jim Clyburn, said, Democrats have a plan to help curb 
rising gas prices. What have we seen? Nothing. Steny Hoyer, the 
Democrat leader, said, Democrats believe that we can do more for the 
American people who are struggling to deal with high gas prices. Now, 
all of this was said in an election year. What have we seen in the last 
2 years from this Democrat Congress? Nothing.
  Now, I will tell you it is not perfect. Not all Republicans support 
opening up ANWR. Not all Republicans support oil shale. Not all 
Republicans support increasing refinery capacity, but roughly 91 
percent of Republicans support those issues while 86 percent of House 
Democrats oppose those actions.
  I think it's time that we come together for a commonsense solution to 
reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Conservation is a sign of 
personal virtue but is not a means to energy independence. We must act 
together.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I want to remind everybody that investing 
in Amtrak is an energy-efficient way to decrease our dependence on 
foreign oil. One rail line can carry the equivalent of 16 highway 
lanes, and Amtrak uses 50 percent less energy per passenger than air 
travel.
  I will reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, if I could inquire on the time 
remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 7 minutes. The 
gentlewoman from California has 15 minutes.
  Mr. SESSIONS. If I could inquire of my colleague if she has 
additional requests for time.
  Ms. MATSUI. I have no additional speakers, and I will close.
  I would yield to the gentleman to use his time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the gentlewoman for saying she has no 
additional speakers, so I will continue.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
  Mr. THORNBERRY. I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, whatever the outcome of this debate on Amtrak today 
is, it is not going to affect my constituents very much. What does 
affect them every minute of every day is the price of energy. I would 
suggest that we should defeat the previous question on the rule so that 
the gentleman, Mr. Sessions, can offer an amendment to this bill that 
would bring to the floor a bill that has provisions that will do 
something about energy, that will do something on the issue that 
affects every American every moment of every day.
  That amendment would bring to the floor H.R. 3089, the No More 
Excuses Energy Act, and at the same time, a discharge petition today is 
being filed to require the House to vote on that bill.
  The philosophy of that bill is that we need to produce more energy of 
all kinds here at home, and we have run out of time to make excuses on 
why we can't do that. And you have heard some of those excuses and some 
of the political blame game already today during the debate. Some 
people want to blame China and India for using too much oil. Some 
people want to blame big oil companies. Other people want to blame OPEC 
for not producing enough. Some people even want to blame suburban moms 
for using too much energy as they drive their kids to sporting events 
in their minivans.

                              {time}  1130

  They want to say they're using too much oil. But the point is, we've 
had enough of this blame game. The point is, it's time for this 
Congress to act and actually do something. And the way to act today is 
to vote down the previous question so today we can do something about 
the cost of energy throughout the country.
  The No More Excuses Act takes the approach that we need to do more of 
everything. Yes, it allows drilling in Alaska and off our coasts, but 
it also encourages companies to take the CO2 that goes up 
the smokestacks and put it back in the ground to flush out all of the 
oil on existing wells so that we can get every drop we can out of the 
ground.
  This bill encourages the building of more refineries. It encourages 
the building of nuclear power plants. It encourages more wind energy. 
There is a lot of wind energy activity in my district, but what I hear 
from all of those involved is, when Congress just extends the tax 
credit 1 or 2 years at a time, there is no way that we can make the 
financial decisions we need to make.

[[Page 11981]]

  So this bill that ought to come to the floor today would extend it by 
10 years so that we can have a major investment in wind, as well as all 
the other forms of energy that we can produce here at home, because 
every bit of energy we produce here at home is one less barrel of oil 
we have to buy from overseas. And that makes sense.
  What we're trying to do is to force some action that will make things 
better, not worse. Unfortunately, what the public and what the markets 
hear from this Congress so far the last 18 months are ideas that make 
things worse. They want to put a windfall profits tax on ``Big Oil'' so 
that they are discouraged from producing more oil. They may not know by 
the way, Madam Speaker, that 90 percent of the wells drilled in the 
continental United States are drilled by independent companies, not Big 
Oil. But what people hear from this Congress is we want to take away 
the incentives that encourage us to drill the Deepwater in the gulf. So 
other countries are there drilling, but we want to tie our hands and 
not produce the energy we have; we'd rather buy the oil from Saudi 
Arabia or Venezuela or Nigeria. That makes no sense.
  There is no one perfect answer, but Madam Speaker, my argument is 
that rather than pointing the fingers of blame, it's time for no more 
excuses. It's time for action today, and that action can come by voting 
down the previous question so that the rule can be amended and we can 
take action today that produces more energy of all kinds here at home. 
That will matter to my constituents, and that will matter to all 
Americans.
  Ms. MATSUI. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Thornberry, said it 
best: no excuses. It's time for us to get our work done, and the bottom 
line is is that the supply side of the equation is the problem. If we 
had lots of supply, prices wouldn't be what they are. We need to bring 
to the table American energy for America's independence, but quite 
frankly, we're not only tired of paying higher prices, we're also tired 
of building new Dubais across the world. And that rests at the feet of 
our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has a policy that restricts Americans 
from drilling for oil and having energy independence. Today is no 
excuses.
  Madam Speaker, since taking control of Congress in 2007, this 
Democrat Congress has totally neglected its responsibility to do 
anything constructive, constructive, to address the domestic supply 
issues that have created the skyrocketing gas, diesel and energy costs 
that American families are facing today.
  So, today, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so 
this House can address the real solutions to energy costs. That's the 
supply side. By defeating the previous question, I will move to amend 
the rule to allow for consideration of H.R. 3089, the No More Excuses 
Energy Act of 2007, introduced by my friend Mac Thornberry of Texas, 
that he introduced back 1 year ago in July 2007.
  This legislation would reduce the price of gasoline by opening new 
American oil refineries; investing in clean energy sources such as 
wind, nuclear and captured carbon dioxide; and making available more 
homegrown energy through environmentally sensitive exploration of the 
arctic energy slope and America's deep sea reserves.
  Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have the text of this 
amendment and extraneous material inserted into the Record prior to the 
vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SESSIONS. I urge all of my colleagues to take this attempt to 
spend almost $15 billion of taxpayers' money on subsidized trains and 
turn it into something positive about energy prices for all of America 
and for American independence so that we can say we are finally working 
together and doing something positive about the rising price of fuel. 
By defeating the previous question, we can do that.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, and I 
yield myself the balance of my time.
  The rule before us today is a fair rule that allows us to highlight 
transportation challenges and our vision for a better tomorrow. It is 
Congress' responsibility to provide our constituents with alternative 
modes of transportation, especially as we see increased congestion and 
ever rising gas prices.
  The Democratic majority is fighting to reduce our dependence on 
foreign oil and bring down gas prices and launch a cleaner, smarter 
energy future for America that lowers costs and creates hundreds and 
thousands of green jobs. This is a marked change from the 7 years of 
the current administration's energy policies of simply drilling for 
more fossil fuels and providing even greater taxpayer subsidies to big 
oil companies already earning record profits.
  The underlying bill, H.R. 6033, the Passenger Rail Investment and 
Improvement Act of 2008, takes huge steps to modernize Amtrak and give 
it the tools it needs to operate effectively and efficiently.
  By giving this Nation viable passenger rail, we will be able to 
decrease our dependence on foreign oil and give commuters options to 
get to work and school. In fact, Amtrak takes 8 million cars off the 
road.
  We have a commitment to maintain and improve the backbone of our 
Nation's transportation infrastructure system. This bill does just 
that, and I urge its adoption.
  Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on 
the rule.
  The material previously referred to by Mr. Sessions is as follows:

       Amendment to H. Res. 1253 Offered by Mr. Sessions of Texas

       At the end of the resolution, add the following:
       Sec. 3. Immediately upon the adoption of this resolution 
     the House shall, without intervention of any point of order, 
     consider in the House the bill (H.R. 3089) to secure 
     unrestricted reliable energy for American consumption and 
     transmission. All points of order against the bill are 
     waived. The bill shall be considered as read. The previous 
     question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and any 
     amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion 
     except: (1) one hour of debate on the bill equally divided 
     and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of 
     the Committee on Natural Resources, the chairman and ranking 
     member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and the chairman 
     and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce; 
     and (2) an amendment in the nature of a substitute if offered 
     by Representative Rahall of West Virginia, which shall be 
     considered as read and shall be separately debatable for 40 
     minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and 
     an opponent; and (3) one motion to recommit with or without 
     instructions.
                                  ____

       (The information contained herein was provided by 
     Democratic Minority on multiple occasions throughout the 
     109th Congress.)

        The Vote on the Previous Question: What It Really Means

       This vote, the vote on whether to order the previous 
     question on a special rule, is not merely a procedural vote. 
     A vote against ordering the previous question is a vote 
     against the Democratic majority agenda and a vote to allow 
     the opposition, at least for the moment, to offer an 
     alternative plan. It is a vote about what the House should be 
     debating.
       Mr. Clarence Cannon's Precedents of the House of 
     Representatives, (VI, 308-311) describes the vote on the 
     previous question on the rule as ``a motion to direct or 
     control the consideration of the subject before the House 
     being made by the Member in charge.'' To defeat the previous 
     question is to give the opposition a chance to decide the 
     subject before the House. Cannon cites the Speaker's ruling 
     of January 13, 1920, to the effect that ``the refusal of the 
     House to sustain the demand for the previous question passes 
     the control of the resolution to the opposition'' in order to 
     offer an amendment. On March 15, 1909, a member of the 
     majority party offered a rule resolution. The House defeated 
     the previous question and a member of the opposition rose to 
     a parliamentary inquiry, asking who was entitled to 
     recognition. Speaker Joseph G. Cannon (R-Illinois) said: 
     ``The previous question having been refused, the gentleman 
     from New York, Mr. Fitzgerald, who had asked the gentleman to 
     yield to him for an amendment, is entitled to the first 
     recognition.''
       Because the vote today may look bad for the Democratic 
     majority they will say ``the

[[Page 11982]]

     vote on the previous question is simply a vote on whether to 
     proceed to an immediate vote on adopting the resolution . . 
     .[and] has no substantive legislative or policy implications 
     whatsoever.'' But that is not what they have always said. 
     Listen to the definition of the previous question used in the 
     Floor Procedures Manual published by the Rules Committee in 
     the 109th Congress, (page 56). Here's how the Rules Committee 
     described the rule using information from Congressional 
     Quarterly's ``American Congressional Dictionary'': ``If the 
     previous question is defeated, control of debate shifts to 
     the leading opposition member (usually the minority Floor 
     Manager) who then manages an hour of debate and may offer a 
     germane amendment to the pending business.''
       Deschler's Procedure in the U.S. House of Representatives, 
     the subchapter titled ``Amending Special Rules'' states: ``a 
     refusal to order the previous question on such a rule [a 
     special rule reported from the Committee on Rules] opens the 
     resolution to amendment and further debate.'' (Chapter 21, 
     section 21.2) Section 21.3 continues: ``Upon rejection of the 
     motion for the previous question on a resolution reported 
     from the Committee on Rules, control shifts to the Member 
     leading the opposition to the previous question, who may 
     offer a proper amendment or motion and who controls the time 
     for debate thereon.''
       Clearly, the vote on the previous question on a rule does 
     have substantive policy implications. It is one of the only 
     available tools for those who oppose the Democratic 
     majority's agenda and allows those with alternative views the 
     opportunity to offer an alternative plan.

  Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous 
question.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam 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.

                          ____________________