[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17027-17030]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IMPROPER PAYMENTS ELIMINATION AND RECOVERY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2012

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4053) to intensify efforts to identify, prevent, and recover 
payment error, waste, fraud, and abuse within Federal spending, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4053

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Improper Payments 
     Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act--
       (1) the term ``agency'' means an executive agency as that 
     term is defined under section 102 of title 31, United States 
     Code;
       (2) the term ``improper payment'' has the meaning given 
     that term in section 2(g) of the Improper Payments 
     Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note), as 
     redesignated by section 3(a)(1) of this Act; and
       (3) the term ``State'' means each State of the United 
     States, the District of Columbia, each territory or 
     possession of the United States, and each federally 
     recognized Indian tribe.

     SEC. 3. IMPROVING THE DETERMINATION OF IMPROPER PAYMENTS BY 
                   FEDERAL AGENCIES.

       (a) In General.--Section 2 of the Improper Payments 
     Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (g) as 
     subsections (c) through (h), respectively;
       (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b) Improving the Determination of Improper Payments.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget shall on an annual basis--
       ``(A) identify a list of high-priority Federal programs for 
     greater levels of oversight and review--
       ``(i) in which the highest dollar value or highest rate of 
     improper payments occur; or
       ``(ii) for which there is a higher risk of improper 
     payments; and
       ``(B) in coordination with the agency responsible for 
     administering the high-priority program, establish annual 
     targets and semi-annual or quarterly actions for reducing 
     improper payments associated with each high-priority program.
       ``(2) Report on high-priority improper payments.--
       ``(A) In general.--Subject to Federal privacy policies and 
     to the extent permitted by law, each agency with a program 
     identified under paragraph (1)(A) on an annual basis shall 
     submit to the Inspector General of that agency, and make 
     available to the public (including availability through the 
     Internet), a report on that program.
       ``(B) Contents.--Each report under this paragraph--
       ``(i) shall describe--

       ``(I) any action the agency--

       ``(aa) has taken or plans to take to recover improper 
     payments; and
       ``(bb) intends to take to prevent future improper payments; 
     and
       ``(ii) shall not include any referrals the agency made or 
     anticipates making to the Department of Justice, or any 
     information provided in connection with such referrals.
       ``(C) Public availability on central website.--The Office 
     of Management and Budget shall make each report submitted 
     under this paragraph available on a central website.
       ``(D) Availability of information to inspector general.--
     Subparagraph (B)(ii) shall not prohibit any referral or 
     information being made available to an Inspector General as 
     otherwise provided by law.
       ``(E) Assessment and recommendations.--The Inspector 
     General of each agency that submits a report under this 
     paragraph shall, for each program of the agency that is 
     identified under paragraph (1)(A)--
       ``(i) review--

       ``(I) the assessment of the level of risk associated with 
     the program, and the quality of the improper payment 
     estimates and methodology of the agency relating to the 
     program; and
       ``(II) the oversight or financial controls to identify and 
     prevent improper payments under the program; and

       ``(ii) submit to Congress recommendations, which may be 
     included in another report submitted by the Inspector General 
     to Congress, for

[[Page 17028]]

     modifying any plans of the agency relating to the program, 
     including improvements for improper payments determination 
     and estimation methodology.'';
       (3) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by paragraph (1) of 
     this subsection), by striking ``subsection (b)'' each place 
     that term appears and inserting ``subsection (c)'';
       (4) in subsection (e) (as redesignated by paragraph (1) of 
     this subsection), by striking ``subsection (b)'' and 
     inserting ``subsection (c)''; and
       (5) in subsection (g)(3) (as redesignated by paragraph (1) 
     of this subsection), by inserting ``or a Federal employee'' 
     after ``non-Federal person or entity''.
       (b) Improved Estimates.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall provide guidance to agencies for 
     improving the estimates of improper payments under the 
     Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 
     note).
       (2) Guidance.--Guidance under this subsection shall--
       (A) strengthen the estimation process of agencies by 
     setting standards for agencies to follow in determining the 
     underlying validity of sampled payments to ensure amounts 
     being billed, paid, or obligated for payment are proper;
       (B) instruct agencies to give the persons or entities 
     performing improper payments estimates access to all 
     necessary payment data, including access to relevant 
     documentation;
       (C) explicitly bar agencies from relying on self-reporting 
     by the recipients of agency payments as the sole source basis 
     for improper payments estimates;
       (D) require agencies to include all identified improper 
     payments in the reported estimate, regardless of whether the 
     improper payment in question has been or is being recovered;
       (E) include payments to employees, including salary, 
     locality pay, travel pay, purchase card use, and other 
     employee payments, as subject to risk assessment and, where 
     appropriate, improper payment estimation; and
       (F) require agencies to tailor their corrective actions for 
     the high-priority programs identified under section 
     2(b)(1)(A) of the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 
     (31 U.S.C. 3321 note) to better reflect the unique processes, 
     procedures, and risks involved in each specific program.
       (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The Improper 
     Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (Public Law 
     111-204; 31 U.S.C. 3321 note.) is amended--
       (1) in section 2(h)(1), by striking ``section 2(f)'' and 
     all that follows and inserting ``section 2(g) of the Improper 
     Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note).''; 
     and
       (2) in section 3(a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``section 2(f)'' and all 
     that follows and inserting ``section 2(g) of the Improper 
     Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note).''; 
     and
       (B) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) by striking ``section 2(b)'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``section 2(c)''; and
       (ii) by striking ``section 2(c)'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``section 2(d)''.

     SEC. 4. IMPROPER PAYMENTS INFORMATION.

       Section 2(a)(3)(A)(ii) of the Improper Payments Information 
     Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note) is amended by striking 
     ``with respect to fiscal years following September 30th of a 
     fiscal year beginning before fiscal year 2013 as determined 
     by the Office of Management and Budget'' and inserting ``with 
     respect to fiscal year 2014 and each fiscal year 
     thereafter''.

     SEC. 5. DO NOT PAY INITIATIVE.

       (a) Prepayment and Preaward Procedures.--
       (1) In general.--Each agency shall review prepayment and 
     preaward procedures and ensure that a thorough review of 
     available databases with relevant information on eligibility 
     occurs to determine program or award eligibility and prevent 
     improper payments before the release of any Federal funds.
       (2) Databases.--At a minimum and before issuing any payment 
     and award, each agency shall review as appropriate the 
     following databases to verify eligibility of the payment and 
     award:
       (A) The Death Master File of the Social Security 
     Administration.
       (B) The General Services Administration's Excluded Parties 
     List System.
       (C) The Debt Check Database of the Department of the 
     Treasury.
       (D) The Credit Alert System or Credit Alert Interactive 
     Voice Response System of the Department of Housing and Urban 
     Development.
       (E) The List of Excluded Individuals/Entities of the Office 
     of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human 
     Services.
       (b) Do Not Pay Initiative.--
       (1) Establishment.--There is established the Do Not Pay 
     Initiative which shall include--
       (A) use of the databases described under subsection (a)(2); 
     and
       (B) use of other databases designated by the Director of 
     the Office of Management and Budget in consultation with 
     agencies and in accordance with paragraph (2).
       (2) Other databases.--In making designations of other 
     databases under paragraph (1)(B), the Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget shall--
       (A) consider any database that substantially assists in 
     preventing improper payments; and
       (B) provide public notice and an opportunity for comment 
     before designating a database under paragraph (1)(B).
       (3) Access and review by agencies.--For purposes of 
     identifying and preventing improper payments, each agency 
     shall have access to, and use of, the Do Not Pay Initiative 
     to verify payment or award eligibility in accordance with 
     subsection (a) when the Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget determines the Do Not Pay Initiative is 
     appropriately established for the agency.
       (4) Payment otherwise required.--When using the Do Not Pay 
     Initiative, an agency shall recognize that there may be 
     circumstances under which the law requires a payment or award 
     to be made to a recipient, regardless of whether that 
     recipient is identified as potentially ineligible under the 
     Do Not Pay Initiative.
       (5) Annual report.--The Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall submit to Congress an annual 
     report, which may be included as part of another report 
     submitted to Congress by the Director, regarding the 
     operation of the Do Not Pay Initiative, which shall--
       (A) include an evaluation of whether the Do Not Pay 
     Initiative has reduced improper payments or improper awards; 
     and
       (B) provide the frequency of corrections or identification 
     of incorrect information.
       (c) Database Integration Plan.--Not later than 60 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
     Office of Management and Budget shall provide to the Congress 
     a plan for--
       (1) inclusion of other databases on the Do Not Pay 
     Initiative;
       (2) to the extent permitted by law, agency access to the Do 
     Not Pay Initiative; and
       (3) the data use agreements described under subsection 
     (e)(2)(D).
       (d) Initial Working System.--
       (1) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall establish a working system for 
     prepayment and preaward review that includes the Do Not Pay 
     Initiative as described under this section.
       (2) Working system.--The working system established under 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) may be located within an appropriate agency;
       (B) shall include not less than 3 agencies as users of the 
     system; and
       (C) shall include investigation activities for fraud and 
     systemic improper payments detection through analytic 
     technologies and other techniques, which may include 
     commercial database use or access.
       (3) Application to all agencies.--Not later than June 1, 
     2013, each agency shall review all payments and awards for 
     all programs of that agency through the system established 
     under this subsection.
       (e) Facilitating Data Access by Federal Agencies and 
     Offices of Inspectors General for Purposes of Program 
     Integrity.--
       (1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``Inspector 
     General'' means any Inspector General described in 
     subparagraph (A), (B), or (I) of section 11(b)(1) of the 
     Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) and any 
     successor Inspector General.
       (2) Computer matching by federal agencies for purposes of 
     investigation and prevention of improper payments and 
     fraud.--
       (A) In general.--Except as provided in this paragraph, in 
     accordance with section 552a of title 5, United States Code 
     (commonly known as the Privacy Act of 1974), each Inspector 
     General and the head of each agency may enter into computer 
     matching agreements with other inspectors general and agency 
     heads that allow ongoing data matching (which shall include 
     automated data matching) in order to assist in the detection 
     and prevention of improper payments.
       (B) Review.--Not later than 60 days after a proposal for an 
     agreement under subparagraph (A) has been presented to a Data 
     Integrity Board established under section 552a(u) of title 5, 
     United States Code, for consideration, the Data Integrity 
     Board shall respond to the proposal.
       (C) Termination date.--An agreement under subparagraph 
     (A)--
       (i) shall have a termination date of less than 3 years; and
       (ii) during the 3-month period ending on the date on which 
     the agreement is scheduled to terminate, may be renewed by 
     the agencies entering the agreement for not more than 3 
     years.
       (D) Multiple agencies.--For purposes of this paragraph, 
     section 552a(o)(1) of title 5, United States Code, shall be 
     applied by substituting ``between the source agency and the 
     recipient agency or non-Federal agency or an agreement 
     governing multiple agencies'' for ``between the source agency 
     and the recipient agency or non-Federal agency'' in the 
     matter preceding subparagraph (A).
       (E) Cost-benefit analysis.--A justification under section 
     552a(o)(1)(B) of title 5, United States Code, relating to an 
     agreement under subparagraph (A) is not required to contain a 
     specific estimate of any savings under the computer matching 
     agreement.
       (3) Guidance by the office of management and budget.--Not 
     later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     and in consultation with the Council of the Inspectors 
     General on Integrity and Efficiency, the Secretary of Health 
     and Human Services, the Commissioner of Social Security, and 
     the head of any other relevant agency, the Director of the 
     Office of Management and Budget shall--
       (A) issue guidance for agencies regarding implementing this 
     subsection, which shall include standards for--

[[Page 17029]]

       (i) reimbursement of costs, when necessary, between 
     agencies;
       (ii) retention and timely destruction of records in 
     accordance with section 552a(o)(1)(F) of title 5, United 
     States Code; and
       (iii) prohibiting duplication and redisclosure of records 
     in accordance with section 552a(o)(1)(H) of title 5, United 
     States Code;
       (B) review the procedures of the Data Integrity Boards 
     established under section 552a(u) of title 5, United States 
     Code, and develop new guidance for the Data Integrity Boards 
     to--
       (i) improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of the 
     Data Integrity Boards;
       (ii) ensure privacy protections in accordance with section 
     552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
     Privacy Act of 1974); and
       (iii) establish standard matching agreements for use when 
     appropriate; and
       (C) establish and clarify rules regarding what constitutes 
     making an agreement entered under paragraph (2)(A) available 
     upon request to the public for purposes of section 
     552a(o)(2)(A)(ii) of title 5, United States Code, which shall 
     include requiring publication of the agreement on a public 
     website.
       (4) Corrections.--The Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget shall establish procedures providing for the 
     correction of data in order to ensure--
       (A) compliance with section 552a(p) of title 5, United 
     States Code; and
       (B) that corrections are made in any Do Not Pay Initiative 
     database and in any relevant source databases designated by 
     the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under 
     subsection (b)(1).
       (5) Compliance.--The head of each agency, in consultation 
     with the Inspector General of the agency, shall ensure that 
     any information provided to an individual or entity under 
     this subsection is provided in accordance with protocols 
     established under this subsection.
       (6) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
     be construed to affect the rights of an individual under 
     section 552a(p) of title 5, United States Code.
       (f) Development and Access to a Database of Incarcerated 
     Individuals.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall submit to 
     Congress recommendations for increasing the use of, access 
     to, and the technical feasibility of using data on the 
     Federal, State, and local conviction and incarceration status 
     of individuals for purposes of identifying and preventing 
     improper payments by Federal agencies and programs and fraud.
       (g) Plan To Curb Federal Improper Payments to Deceased 
     Individuals by Improving the Quality and Use by Federal 
     Agencies of the Social Security Administration Death Master 
     File.--
       (1) Establishment.--In conjunction with the Commissioner of 
     Social Security and in consultation with relevant 
     stakeholders that have an interest in or responsibility for 
     providing the data, and the States, the Director of the 
     Office of Management and Budget shall establish a plan for 
     improving the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of death data 
     maintained by the Social Security Administration, including 
     death information reported to the Commissioner under section 
     205(r) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(r)).
       (2) Additional actions under plan.--The plan established 
     under this subsection shall include recommended actions by 
     agencies to--
       (A) increase the quality and frequency of access to the 
     Death Master File and other death data;
       (B) achieve a goal of at least daily access as appropriate;
       (C) provide for all States and other data providers to use 
     improved and electronic means for providing data;
       (D) identify improved methods by agencies for determining 
     ineligible payments due to the death of a recipient through 
     proactive verification means; and
       (E) address improper payments made by agencies to deceased 
     individuals as part of Federal retirement programs.
       (3) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall submit a report to Congress on 
     the plan established under this subsection, including 
     recommended legislation.

     SEC. 6. IMPROVING RECOVERY OF IMPROPER PAYMENTS.

       (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``recovery 
     audit'' means a recovery audit described under section 2(h) 
     of the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 
     (31 U.S.C. 3301 note).
       (b) Review.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
     Budget shall determine--
       (1) current and historical rates and amounts of recovery of 
     improper payments (or, in cases in which improper payments 
     are identified solely on the basis of a sample, recovery 
     rates and amounts estimated on the basis of the applicable 
     sample), including a list of agency recovery audit contract 
     programs and specific information of amounts and payments 
     recovered by recovery audit contractors; and
       (2) targets for recovering improper payments, including 
     specific information on amounts and payments recovered by 
     recovery audit contractors.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous materials on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Federal agencies made an estimated $108 billion in improper payments 
in fiscal year 2012, and that is the estimate from the Office of 
Management and Budget. Many programs maintain an alarming rate of 
improper payments--some programs above 8 percent. This is an 
unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars.
  I appreciate my colleague, the departing gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Towns), for sponsoring this piece of legislation because here we are 
fighting for fiscal sanity in this country, and we have $108 billion 
estimated in improper payments.
  These improper payments occur when Federal funds are paid out that 
should not be paid out. In many instances, Federal funds are going out 
to ineligible recipients. Last year, the Inspector General of the 
Office of Personnel Management found that Federal retirement and 
disability benefits totaling $600 million were paid out to deceased 
individuals over a 5-year period.
  The Oversight Committee and its subcommittees have held a series of 
hearings in this Congress on the issuance of improper payments, and I 
thank Chairman Issa for his leadership in holding these hearings and in 
encouraging this piece of legislation to be brought to the floor. The 
legislation introduced by Mr. Towns will help to address the concerns 
identified at those hearings. H.R. 4053 builds on prior legislation to 
reduce and prevent improper payments.
  A decade ago, the Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 was 
signed into law, compelling agencies to identify payment errors in 
specific programs. That 2002 law was updated again in 2010 by the 
Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, which required the 
better identification and estimation of improper payments. The bill 
before us today goes even further, primarily by harnessing improved 
information technology to reduce improper payments. It requires the 
administration to implement a do-not-pay initiative, and it enables 
Federal agencies to enter into multilateral data-sharing agreements.
  I commend Mr. Towns for offering this important piece of legislation 
and for helping to advance the effort to reduce waste in the Federal 
Government.
  I urge the passage of H.R. 4053, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First of all, I would like to thank the Members who worked very hard 
to make this a reality, and I want to take the opportunity to applaud 
the leadership and its commitment to the Members of Congress who have 
worked so hard on this legislation--Senator Carper and Senator Collins 
and, of course, Congressman Issa and Congressman Cummings from 
Maryland. They have all worked very closely with us, along with my good 
friend Congressman Platts, to make this day a reality.
  Through its stewardship, the Subcommittee on Government Organization, 
Efficiency and Financial Management has conducted a series of hearings 
on the problems of improper payments, and this legislation is the 
result of our findings on those hearings.
  I also want to thank the staff who worked very hard on H.R. 4053. Of 
course, it is a proud accomplishment when you listen to the stories of 
people who are in the military and when you hear how they go months and 
months without their families getting paid, that they are transferred 
from one base to another and, as a result, the families do not get paid 
because they're saying they cannot locate where they are. Of

[[Page 17030]]

course, many times when soldiers are transferred from one base to 
another, you'll find that they are not able to get paid. I think that 
that's something that we should abort because here they are defending 
this country in a magnificent way, and we cannot find a way to get them 
paid. This legislation points out how important it is to be able to get 
them paid.
  On that note, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Altmire), who is very interested in this and who has expressed 
over and over again how important it is to make certain that our 
military people are paid and are paid on time.
  Mr. ALTMIRE. I thank the gentleman, my good friend from New York.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Improper Payments Elimination 
and Recovery Improvement Act, a bill that will help the Federal 
Government better protect taxpayer dollars against waste, fraud, and 
abuse.
  According to the Government Accountability Office, as my friend from 
Utah just said, the Federal Government made $108 billion in improper 
payments during fiscal year 2012 alone, which is unacceptable. This 
bill will increase transparency while eliminating and recovering these 
improper payments through the creation of a government-wide do-not-pay 
list. This list will prevent improper payments, such as Social Security 
checks for deceased Americans, before that payment ever goes out.
  The national deficit remains one of the biggest challenges facing 
this country, and I am proud to cosponsor this bill because it protects 
taxpayer dollars by forcing the Federal Government to scrutinize every 
dollar spent--just like every American family does. I urge my 
colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I 
continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TOWNS. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, in closing, first let me just thank and 
commend my colleague Mr. Towns. This very well might be the final bill 
that he will introduce and that will pass this body. He is a good and 
decent gentleman. When I came here 4 years ago as a freshman, he was 
one of the most gracious and great people to work with. He was the 
chairman of our committee. I was a fresh newbie there; yet he helped me 
in every way while showing a great deal of respect across the aisle.
  I congratulate him on an amazing experience here in the Congress. 
This is another example of a good bill that this gentleman is putting 
forward. I wish him nothing but the best with the rest of his career 
and life and everything else. We need more good people like Mr. Towns 
participating in this Congress. So I congratulate him on this bill, 
urge the passage of this bill, and thank him for his great work.
  Mr. TOWNS. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. TOWNS. Let me just say, too, that you're right, this is probably 
my final bill, and it has been great serving here in this Congress for 
30 years. You've taught me a lot, too, and let me just tell you the 
latest thing that you taught me.
  We were having a hearing with all of these professional football 
players in terms of how they performed on the field and regarding 
enhancement drugs and all of that. When they turned to you--because we 
were saying that you were the only football player on the committee--
you said that you were not a football player but that you were a 
kicker. I thought that that was a very interesting comment because I'd 
just assumed all of these years that you were a football player since 
you set all those records.
  I want to thank you so much for your kind words. It has been a 
delight to work with you as well.

                              {time}  0920

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Reclaiming my time, again I commend the gentleman for 
this bill and his great career, and I urge passage of this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4053, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. TOWNS. 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.

                          ____________________