Deborah Pryce

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from California [Mr. Beilenson], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for purposes of debate only. general leave

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules and pursuant to House Resolution 297, I call up House Resolution 301 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms PRYCE

Ms PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. (Mr. LIVINGSTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the chairman of the subcommittee.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the floor today this rule providing for the consideration of the further conference report on H.R. 1977, the Department of the Interior and related agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 1996. This is a simple, fair rule which waives all points of order against the conference report, and against its consideration. The blanket waiver includes a waiver of clause 2 of rule XX, as well as a waiver of clause 3 of rule XXVIII, which will permit the House to discuss provisions which may exceed the scope of differences between the House and the Senate. Under the normal rules of the House, we will have one hour of debate on the conference report itself, in addition to the minority's traditional right to offer a motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, despite recent press reports to the contrary, we are making progress toward completing our work on the thirteen regular appropriations bills. Seven of the thirteen bills have thus far been enacted into law, and passing this bill, and this rule today will bring us one step closer to our goal of balancing the Federal budget and avoiding any unnecessary shutdown of the Federal Government. Clearly, the task of finishing all of the spending bills on time has not been easy, and the Interior appropriations bill is certainly no exception. Issues related to the development and stewardship of America's natural resources often spark great controversy, as we have seen with regard to mining patents and the management of national forests with this particular piece of legislation. But, under the leadership of my friend and colleague from Ohio, Mr. Regula, who is the distinguished chairman of the Interior Subcommittee, the conferees have reached a new a hopefully final agreement on these two very sensitive issues. First, the conference report continues the existing moratorium on issuing mining patents, and there is no trigger that would cancel the moratorium. Any repeal would be contained in separate mining law reform legislation. In addition, the conference agreement extends the schedule for processing grandfathered applications from 2 to 5 years. Second, with regard to the Tongass National Forest, it is my understanding that the conference agreement actually lowers the annual harvest ceiling in the forest's current management plan, and maintains the size of the current timber base for 2 years. I would also add, Mr. Speaker, that in response to the administration's request, conferees restored a significant amount of funding for Indian-related programs. The conference agreement restores a total of $137 million to these programs, which is $27 million above the administration's request. Other than these modifications, the conference report is essentially unchanged. It still provides funding for the core programs and missions of the agencies covered by this legislation, including funding to operate the National Park System and all of our public lands, and for the health care and education needs of native Americans. Overall, total spending in this year's conference agreement is more than one billion dollars less than the amount provided in last year's legislation. That is the fiscally responsible thing to do, and I commend Chairman Regula and members of the Appropriations Committee for crafting a bill that honors our commitment to the American people to achieving meaningful deficit reduction and a limited, but effective Federal Government. In closing Mr. Speaker, I believe it is only fair and proper that we do everything we can to move the budget and appropriations process forward--not only to keep the Government up and running, but to give future generations of Americans the kind of financial stability and economic prosperity that can only come from a balanced Federal budget. Finally, Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 301 is the customary rule granted by the Rules Committee this year for conference reports on general appropriations bills, and it is entirely appropriate for this debate. The Rules Committee reported this rule by unanimous voice vote earlier today. I urge my colleagues to adopt the rule and to pass the conference report without any further delay. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation under consideration.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, the nay-sayers said it could not be done, but they told Lindberg the same thing. Well, nobody is saying it was easy, but through the years of hard work and dedication of the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Kasich] and many others on both sides of the aisle, we have done it. We have produced a balanced budget in 7 years. So, Mr. Speaker, as the old saying goes, ``the proof is in the pudding,'' and the proof is in the conference report which we are about to consider under the terms of this rule. Today, as the national debt soars to nearly $5 trillion, we have learned a painful lesson that our short-term fixes have become long- term burdens for our children and grandchildren. I would ask my colleagues who might be thinking of voting against this rule and the underlying legislation to consider the children of our country. They are the Nation's most precious resource, and without a balanced budget, we will surely be robbing them of the kind of prosperous, productive, and financially secure future which we have enjoyed and which surely they deserve. Unfortunately, the nay-sayers will be at it again, telling us that we are going too far, too fast. But this conference report offers solutions no more complicated or profound than those used every day by hardworking taxpayers and their families who play by the rules, who work to pay the bills, and who watch their spending in order to make ends meet. We cannot go on blaming others for the fiscal mess we face when we have the golden opportunity today to vote for a plan that will make the American dream a reality for so many. The choice is ours, Mr. Speaker. We can either vote ``yes'' for the dream of a brighter future, or ``no'' for a long, painful slide into third world economic status. Adopt this rule for our kids. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this sensible and completely appropriate rule so that we may begin to build a better future for the children and grandchildren of this great country.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague from Sanibel, Florida, Mr. Goss, in supporting this wide-open rule providing for the consideration of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Requiring greater disclosure of lobbying activities in Congress on the executive branch is one of the most important elements of our bipartisan reform agenda, and I congratulate my chairman and colleagues on the Committee on Rules for bringing this bill to the floor under an open amendment process. I also want to congratulate our leadership for allowing the House to consider lobby reform legislation while we are working very hard to resolve differences over the budget and annual appropriations process. It should be very clear to the American people and to the guardians of the status quo that this Congress is firmly committed to changing the institution. Under the terms of this fair resolution, any Member can be heard on any germane amendment to the bill at the appropriate time. Almost all of the amendments we discussed in the Committee on Rules yesterday appeared to be germane to this debate and can be offered while the bill is open to amendment under the 5-minute rule. Mr. Speaker, for nearly 40 years of being in the minority and having very little control over the agenda, Republicans in the House are understandably anxious to press ahead with our agenda. Last year the Republican freshman class put together a bold comprehensive list of congressional reforms, and, despite being in the minority at that time, we were successful in many of our commonsense proposals. This year sophomore Members, as we are, together with the very active reform minded freshman class and with the help of many of our Democratic colleagues we have continued to fight for real change and reform. As our colleagues will recall, in the first day of the new Congress the House passed a sweeping set of reforms that included everything from banning proxy voting, cutting committee staffs and overhauling the committee system. Following that, we had the first-ever vote on congressional term limits. We passed two very important budget process reform items, a balanced budget constitutional amendment and a workable line-item veto proposal. Today we are about to add to our list of promises kept by passing legislation which requires the full disclosure of efforts by paid lobbyists to influence the decisionmaking process of both executive and legislative branches of government. Disclosing the activities of those who want to influence the Federal Government is simply a public right-to-know issue. Our constituents want nothing more than to know who is getting paid to lobby their elected Members, how much they are receiving in compensation and who the clients are. Mr. Speaker, a lot of bipartisan work has gone into crafting this bill. The fact that the Committee on the Judiciary reported it by an overwhelming vote of 30 to zero reflects strong support on both sides of the aisle for enacting meaningful lobby reform this year. We should not miss the opportunity to give the American people what they want, what they deserve and what they are entitled to. That is more openness and accountability in government. Together with the new gift restrictions that the House overwhelmingly adopted bipartisanly today, this legislation will help reassure the American people that their leaders in Congress are getting the job done without undue influence from special interests. Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me say that all of us here would like to improve public confidence in government and their elected officials and representatives. The bill soon to come before us will give us the opportunity to do just that by increasing Congress's accountability to the people that we serve. I urge my colleagues to adopt this fair and open rule and pass this legislation.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives will take another important step toward fulfilling our promise to the American people to change the status quo by voting on gift reform legislation. Now, this is personally satisfying, Mr. Speaker, because many of us in the [[Page H 13072]] sophomore class worked very hard since we arrived to bring about meaningful congressional reform, and now we finally have the strength of numbers to do it. I commend my colleagues and the new freshman class for all the hard work they have done to keep this important issue on the front burner, for working with our leadership to bring this to the floor this year. Mr. Speaker, before I ran for Congress I was a judge, and when I decided to run for this seat, I called my mother and told her. And there was a long silence on the other end of the phone. And I said, ``Mother, what do you think?'' and she finally said, ``Deborah, how could you leave the bench to go to that sleazy place?'' Now, this was my own mother. I have since convinced her that things are not all that bad, but, unfortunately, I do not believe my mother is the only person in America who held this institution in such low esteem. Now, for too long our constituents have believed that well-funded special interest groups have maintained undue influence over the legislative process. While I firmly believe that the Members and staff of this body conduct the people's business every day with honesty, integrity, and with high ethical standards, there is still a perception, much like my mother's, that Members' decisionmaking is often clouded by acts of generosity extended to them. As a result, public confidence in this institution has steadily declined and the taxpayers have issued a renewed challenge to make Congress more open and accountable. As Members of Congress, we have the obligation to respond by setting higher standards for ourselves. Mr. Speaker, this is a fair and balanced rule. It calls for honest debate on three very different proposals to strengthen current gift restrictions. Each proposal represents its own priorities and represents much hard work and sincere thought and all improve the status quo. I urge adoption of this rule and adoption of pursuant legislation to reform gift reception in this body.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Klug].

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior of the Committee on Appropriations. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of our time to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula], the chairman of the Committee on Resources.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California [Mr. Beilenson], my good friend, pending which time I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. (Ms. PRYCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks and to include extraneous material.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 253 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula].

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Regula]. (Mr. REGULA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring to the floor today this rule providing for the further consideration of the conference report H.R. 1977, the Department of the Interior and related agencies appropriations bill for the fiscal year 1996. This is a simple, fair rule which waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. The blanket waiver includes a waiver of clause 2 of rule XX as well as a waiver of clause 3 of rule XXVIII which permits the House to discuss provisions which may exceed the scope of differences between the House and Senate. Under the normal rules of the House, we will have 1 hour of debate on the conference report itself in addition to the minority's customary right to offer a motion to recommit with or without instructions. Considering the serious fiscal situation which our country now faces, I am hopeful that the House will accept the work of the conferees so that we can send this important legislation on to the President for his signature. Every step we take to pass these important appropriations bills brings us one step closer to restoring stability to our Nation's budget and finances. As my colleagues will recall, the House first considered the conference report on the Interior bill on September 29. By a vote of 277 to 147, the House voted to send the bill back to conference with instructions to reinstate the House-passed moratorium on issuing mining patents. Although the House passed a separate motion instructing conferees to stand by the moratorium language, the conference agreed, the conference agreement dropped this provision and instead replaced it with the Senate language essentially requiring payment of fair market value. This new conference agreement continues the existing moratorium on issuing mining patents until mining law reform is enacted either as a part of reconciliation or if it is passed by both the House and Senate in a freestanding identical bill. Under the compromise agreement, the Interior Department is required to process within 3 years at least 90 percent of grandfathered claims which are exempt from the current moratorium. In addition to addressing the moratorium issue, the conference report provides funding for the core program and missions of the agencies covered by this legislation including funding for operating the national park system and all of our public lands and for the health, care and education needs of Native Americans. Although the bill represents less spending than last year's level, funding for the operations of the Nation's national parks and monuments, national forests and grasslands, public lands and national wildlife refugees has been maintained. The bill also provides for basic energy research with an emphasis on industry cost sharing, and it funds research programs which focus on protecting human life and property from earthquakes and similar natural hazards. Funding for the repair and maintenance of the various Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art has actually been increased, and the bill continues to demand Outer Continental Shelf offshore oil and gas leasing. The conference report also includes a reduction in the funding for the naval petroleum reserve need today ensure that the outlays in the conference report match the subcommittee's 602(b) outlay allocation and a provision permitting the National Park Service to spend up to $100,000 to develop a management plan for the Mojave National Preserve. The conference report total is more than 10 percent below the amount provided in last year's legislation. Savings have been achieved by eliminating redundant management layers, reducing grants programs and doing away with functions which the subcommittee believes are not inherent Federal responsibilities. Chairman Regula and the members of the Committee on Appropriations have made some very difficult choices in writing this year's bill, and I applaud them for their hard work and dedication. The chairman's system of prioritizing the must-do's, the need-to-do's and the nice-to-do's reflects the kind of fiscal restraint and responsibility we need to keep this Nation firmly on the road to a balanced budget. So I commend Chairman Regula for his leadership and for his patience in crafting a bill that avoids unnecessary earmarks and that honors our fundamental commitment to the American people to achieve meaningful deficit reduction and to create a smaller, more efficient Federal Government. In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me say that I look forward to hearing from my good friend from Ohio and from other Members who played a role in shaping this final conference agreement. House Resolution 253 differs very little from the kind of rule granted by the Committee on Rules this year for conference reports on other appropriations bills. It is entirely appropriate for this debate. I urge my colleagues to adopt this rule and to pass the conference report without any further delay. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I hope the mothers of America are watching what is going on in Washington. As a mother, do you know that your child will have to pay $187,000 during his or her lifetime just to pay for interest on the national debt? As a mother, do you know that interest payments on the national debt eat up one-third of the entire Federal budget? As a mother, do you know that generational accounting indicates that your children will face lifetime tax rates of more than 80 percent in order to pay off the debt? Well, as a mother, I know I will not stand for this. As a mother, I believe it is time to get our Federal house in order. As a mother, I believe it is immoral to continue to saddle my children and all American children with the national debt. I hope the mothers of America will join me. Call the President. Tell him it is time to get down to the people's business. It is time to stop politicking, pass a balanced budget, and save our children's future. Come on, Moms, keep the pressure on.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of this open rule for the consideration of H.R. 2539, the ICC Termination Act. Under the terms of this very fair rule, the House will have ample opportunity to debate the major issues surrounding the closure of the Interstate Commerce Commission. First, we will consider the managers amendment, which, if adopted, will become part of the base text. Then, through the open amendment process, any Member can be heard on any germane amendment to the bill, as long as it is consistent with the standing rules of the House. As we have done in the past, this rule also accords priority in recognition to Members who have preprinted their amendments in the Congressional Record. H.R. 2539 abolishes the ICC while preserving its most important functions within an independent panel at the Department of Transportation. This Congress has already determined that the Interstate Commerce Commission, [[Page H 12253]] which was created in 1887 to regulate interstate commerce, is no longer needed. The ICC will run out of money in December, and without this needed legislation, the Interstate Commerce Act will still be on the books without an agency to administer it. There are several functions of the ICC which are essential and must be transferred, including authority over line sales, mergers, abandonments, maximum rate regulation, and interchange agreements. Failure to pass this legislation would be extremely detrimental for the 600 cases pending at the ICC. Shippers, carriers, and States will be ill-served if this happens. This legislation reduces many of the burdensome regulations on shipping, truck, and rail companies. Retained regulatory functions are transferred to a three member independent board within the Department of Transportation. Terminating the ICC and transferring its remaining functions to the Department of Transportation is critical to our efforts to downsize and streamline the Federal Government. A year ago, we pledged to the American people that we would reduce the size and cost of Government, and this legislation brings us a step closer to a smaller, more effective Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, this fair, open rule was reported unanimously by the Rules Committee last week. I urge my colleagues to give it their full support, and to pass this important legislation without any delay.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Madam Speaker, President Clinton has said that he would present a 5-year, a 10-year, an 8-year, and a 7-year balanced budget plan. Obviously, the President has a problem being committed to one particular course of action. It is really difficult to know where he stands. Well, the American people do not need this kind of indecision. The national debt stands at $4,985,913,011,032.65. Republicans in Congress are not backing down from the promise we made a few months ago, to balance the budget and give our children a brighter future. Madam Speaker, when it comes to the budget, the President has offered no leadership, has given us no plan, and has left us no choice.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 262 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 262 is a very simple, but very necessary, resolution providing for the further consideration of H.R. 2586, legislation which temporarily increases the statutory limit on the public debt. Specifically, the resolution provides for the consideration in the House, without any intervening point of order, of a motion if offered by the majority leader or his designee to dispose of any Senate amendments to H.R. 2586, the debt ceiling extension bill. The rule also provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled between the majority leader and the minority leader, or their designees. The rule further provides that the previous question is ordered to final adoption without intervening motion or a demand for a division of the question unless such a demand is made by the majority leader or his designee. Mr. Speaker, those of us on this side of the aisle cannot overstate the importance of passing this legislation and ensuring the continued confidence in [[Page H 12099]] our Government's ability to meet its most fundamental financial obligations. No one likes the idea of extending or increasing the limit on public debt. It means simply that the Federal Government must be given new authority to borrow additional money in order to meet its obligations. For some on our side, that is a tough proposition to swallow, especially since we have seen the buying power of millions of American workers' paychecks decline in the past as Washington piled up higher and higher debt. That is why it is so important to the future of this Nation and its economy that we get our fiscal house in order, and take the steps needed today to reverse the trend of spiralling Federal debt. H.R. 2586, as it returns to the House from the other body, preserves much of what was included in the House-passed version, in addition to the debt limit increase. There is the provision authored by Chairman Solomon which commits Congress and the President to enacting legislation this year to achieve a balanced budget no later than the year 2002, before the debt limit is increased any further. This is the crux of the whole debate. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be as forthright as possible on such an important goal. There is also coverage of certain anticancer oral drug treatments for both prostate and breast cancer. There is badly needed habeas corpus reform taken from the Senate-passed antiterrorism bill which changes the seemingly endless appeals system that prevents swift and certain justice. And, finally, there is long-overdue language aimed at bringing commonsense relief to entrepreneurs, businesses, and consumers all across America who are unfairly saddled with costly, often duplicative Federal regulations. One key item which was removed by the Senate last night is legislation to abolish the Department of Commerce. This would be a major step toward downsizing and streamlining the Federal Government, and I am hopeful that the House can revisit this critical issue again soon. The bill soon to be before us is not just about temporarily increasing the debt limit. And it is not about political brinkmanship, as so many of our critics have written. What it is about is making a serious, meaningful downpayment on our commitment to balancing the budget in 7 years. With this legislation, and the changes made to it by the other body, we have the opportunity to cut spending, to shrink the size and reach of the Federal bureaucracy, and to give the American people new hope in our ability to do more with less. This is an opportunity we simply cannot afford to miss, Mr. Speaker, and we invite the President and our friends in the minority to join us in this historic effort. Unfortunately, as today's Washington Post describes, the President seems focused instead on preparing for a Governmentwide shutdown. I believe the dedicated Federal workers, who keep the Government running day-in and day-out, deserve much better than that. Instead of preparing for a shutdown, we are doing our best to put this country on a sound financial footing--something that will benefit all Federal workers, whether they live and work in the Washington area, or Columbus, OH, or anywhere else. Mr. Speaker, we do not want to see the lives of Federal workers and their families disrupted by a completely unnecessary shut down of the Federal Government. Under the terms of this simple and fair rule, which was adopted unanimously by the Rules Committee last evening, there will be ample time to debate the merits of any motion if offered by the majority leader to dispose of Senate amendments to H.R. 2586. As our colleagues know, time is getting short, and we must act responsibly and expeditiously to pass both the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling extension. Anything less would clearly show that we have abandoned our promise to the hard-working taxpayers of this country to govern sensibly and with a firm commitment to fiscal responsibility. I urge my colleagues to adopt this rule and to get on with the business the people sent us here to conduct. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.