Deborah Pryce

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Burton].

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me say the House needs to move ahead with the appropriations process. We are fast approaching the August district work period, and less than half of our 13 regular appropriations bills have cleared the Committee on Rules. This resolution will get us back on track. I believe it is an immensely fair deal for both sides of the aisle. I urge its adoption without further delay. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 187 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California, my friend, Mr. Beilenson, 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. (Ms. PRYCE asked and was given permission to include extraneous material.)

Ms. PRYCE. I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, in the immortal words of baseball great Yogi Berra, ``It's deja vu all over again.'' Less than 12 hours ago, the Rules Committee met to craft this second fair and responsible rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 1977, the Interior appropriations bill for fiscal year 1996. Having been a part of the discussions which led to this new and improved rule, I can say quite honestly that House Resolution 187 more than adequately addresses concerns which have been raised about certain unauthorized provisions which have been included in the bill, namely those sections dealing with funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. In response to these concerns, the rule provides for the automatic adoption of an amendment which makes the availability of NEA appropriations subject to passage of an authorization bill in the House. By including this language, we can ensure that these funds will not be appropriated unless properly authorized, while also giving the full House an opportunity to debate this important and controversial issue. Otherwise, Mr. Speaker, this rule contains essentially the same provisions as House Resolution 185, which we discussed on the floor of the House late last night. Specifically, this is another open rule. It provides for 1 hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations, after which time the bill will be open to amendment under the 5-minute rule. The bill shall be considered by title, rather than by paragraph, and each title shall be considered as read. As in the previous resolution, this rule waives clause 2, related to unauthorized appropriations and legislative provisions, and clause 6 of rule XXI (21), related to reappropriation in an appropriations bill, against provisions of this bill. Again, this is done as a precaution since the House, due to time constraints, has not yet approved authorizing legislation for all of the programs and activities contained in the bill. The rule also waives provisions of the Budget Act against consideration of the bill relating to new entitlement authority and to matters within the jurisdiction of the Budget Committee. Language to correct these Budget Act violations is also included in the self- executing set of amendments. In addition, the rule waives points of order against the amendment printed in the rule relating to the sale of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if offered by Representative Schaefer of Colorado or Representative Tauzin of Louisiana. Under the rule, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may give priority in recognition to Members who have pre-printed their amendments in the Congressional Record prior to their consideration, and such amendments shall be considered as read. As before, the rule waives clause 2(e) of rule XXI(21), relating to nonemergency amendments offered to a bill which contains an emergency designation. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. As I mentioned last evening, H.R. 1977 is a fiscally responsible bill which responds to the American people's clear mandate to reduce the size, scope, and cost of the Federal Government. The bill is more than $1.5 billion below last year's level--a full 11 percent cut from the 1995 spending level--and is consistent with the balanced budget resolution already adopted by the House. My good friend from Ohio, the distinguished chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, has done yeoman work on this legislation, and I congratulate him on working to reach a compromise which will enable the House to debate, and then pass, this essential funding bill in a timely manner. Those on both sides of the NEA funding issue owe Chairman Regula a great debt of gratitude for his strong leadership. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues, especially those who voted against the rule yesterday, to realize that this is a wide open, responsible, and reasonable rule. It will create the kind of healthy deliberation which should be the hallmark of this legislative body, and I urge its adoption without any further delay.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Gunderson]. (Mr. GUNDERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I differ with the Parliamentarian's interpretation of this and I think it is just a matter of how it comes down to interpretation in the long run. I am not sure the intention [[Page H 6927]] was there at the beginning. But the intention is to authorize in the amount that was provided for here.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this rule. It will get us back on track. It will give this body the healthy deliberation it needs on these issues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier], my colleague on the Committee on Rules.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella]. (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Claremont, CA [Mr. Dreier], vice chairman of the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Livingston], chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Ohio [Mr. Regula], chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior of the Committee on Appropriations.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut [Mrs. Johnson].

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon], the chairman of the Committee on Rules and the author of this most fair and open rule.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Torkildsen].

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Sanibel, FL [Mr. Goss], chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative and the Budget Process. (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring this rule to the floor of the House today. It is not an overly complex or unique rule, and I believe it keeps faith with the new majority's pledge to consider major legislation in a manner which is reasonable, open, and fair to both sides of the aisle. First, this rule is completely open. After an hour of general debate, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations, the bill will be open to amendment under the 5-minute rule. The rule provides that the bill shall be read by title, rather than by paragraph, and that each title shall be considered as read. Under this open rule, any Member can be heard on any germane amendment at the appropriate time, provided it is consistent with the standing rules of the House. I would point out to our colleagues that of the five regular appropriations bills which have come before the Rules Committee thus far, this is the fourth open rule granted by the committee. Second, the rule provides a limited, but necessary number of waivers which reflects the close cooperation between the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee and the proper authorizing committees. For example, since authorizing legislation for several programs within the bill has not yet been approved by the House, the rule provides the necessary waivers of clause 2 of rule XXI(21), which prohibits unauthorized provisions. Let me stress that this was done in close coordination with the will of the authorizing committees. The rule also waives provisions of the Budget Act against consideration of the bill which deals with new entitlement authority and with matters which are within the jurisdiction of the Budget Committee. To address these concerns, the rule provides for the automatic adoption of an amendment printed in the rule, which is included at the suggestion of the chairman of the Budget Committee. Finally, the rule waives points of order against the amendment printed in the rule relating to the sale of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve, if offered by Representative Schaefer of Colorado or Representative Tauzin of Louisiana. As in previous rules this year, priority in recognition is accorded to Members who have printed their amendments in the Congressional Record prior to their consideration. Giving Members the option of preprinting amendments for their colleagues to review in advance merely enhances the deliberative process, Mr. Speaker, and I hope Members will continue to take advantage of this useful tool in the future. One final note on amendments, the rule waives clause 2(e) of rule XXI(21), relating to nonemergency amendments offered to a bill which contains an emergency designation. We have also included one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, as is the right of the minority. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1977 is a very responsible piece of legislation, and I congratulate my colleague from Ohio, Chairman Ralph Regula, for his leadership in trying to balance the need for meaningful deficit reduction with the need to protect and enhance our Nation's natural and cultural resources. As we heard in the Rules Committee yesterday, this bill responds to the mandate of the American people to reduce the size and cost of Government by cutting overall spending by more than 11 percent from the 1995 spending levels. To achieve these savings, the bill recommends that a number of existing agencies or programs be terminated, consolidated, or funded at significantly lower levels on the assumption that they will be phased- out in the near term. H.R. 1977 is more than $1.5 billion below last year's level, and is consistent with the 7-year balanced budget resolution passed by the House this year. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I believe the rule before us today is both fair and open. House Resolution 185 was reported unanimously by the Rules Committee yesterday, and it will allow our Members to participate most fully in the deliberative process. I urge its adoption, and encourage our colleagues to use this open amendment process responsibly, and productively. Mr. Speaker, I include the following data for the Record: [[Page H 6886]]

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the 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 the purpose of debate only. (Ms. PRYCE asked and was given permission to include extraneous material.)

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 185 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Schaefer], chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the Committee on Commerce.

Ms. PRYCE

Ms. PRYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.