Joe Barton

Mr. BARTON

Mr. BARTON. Yes, ma'am.

Mr. BARTON. No. You have got my word. I will be on the conference committee if we have one. Your amendments will be in the conference report that goes to the President if we get that far.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise in, as I just said I would, double enthusiastic support of her amendment, but I am going to be looking on that board when it comes time to vote. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), which couldn't exceed 5 minutes because that is all I have.

Mr. BARTON. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record on the bill, H.R. 702.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. BARTON. My understanding, in general debate, the majority, or proponents, have 30 minutes, and then the opponents have 30 minutes; is that correct?

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), the original Democrat sponsor, have 6 minutes of the proponent's time to control as he sees fit.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I have an additional parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. BARTON. Could the Chair educate the illiterate Member from Texas on how I could give Mr. Cuellar time that he may control on his side? If I can't yield it unanimously, how can I do that?

Mr. BARTON. Continuing the parliamentary inquiry, if I do that, can he reserve part of that time, or does he have to use it all in one slot?

Mr. BARTON. He could not reserve any of it?

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Mimi Walters), a cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. BARTON. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds on behalf of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds to respond to what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) just said. The whole concept of this bill is to let willing buyers interact with willing sellers in a free market, transparent fashion. If you subject the bill to some sort of a discretionary permitting requirement, as one of Mr. Gene Green's amendments would have done, you gut the bill. You destroy the entire purpose of the bill. So as much as I respect my good friend from Houston, Texas, I respectfully have to object to that amendment. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), a member of the committee.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), one of our original cosponsors and a strong proponent of this bill.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, we will put the gentleman from Illinois down as undecided on the bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Flores), who is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee and a member of the committee. He is from the home of the Fightin' Texas Aggies.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), from the energy capital of the world, Houston, Texas.

Mr. BARTON. Could we ask what the time differential is, Mr. Chairman?

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), from District One of the great Pelican State, the distinguished Republican whip.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I just want to say ``amen'' to what the gentleman from Georgia just said. Mr. Chairman, what time is remaining on each side?

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the entire delegation from the great State of North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the original cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. BARTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), on behalf of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).