Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, we can work together on this.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, we are supposedly addressing the Chair on the point of order only, is that not correct?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I have a further point of order.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4690, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations may have until midnight tonight, June 23, 2000, to file a privileged report on a bill making appropriations for energy and water development for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I would remind the Members of the procedures we will be following in the continued consideration of H.R. 4690 when we resume consideration of the bill on Monday. I want to make it clear, last night's unanimous consent agreement outlined the procedures for the amendments to be offered. Today's unanimous consent agreement provided for a time agreement on those amendments. The amendments must be offered in regular bill order. Points of order against the amendments have not been waived.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. I think that we are going to have to address the problem that is being talked about here in some fashion in the procedures under which we operate. I think the Committee on Rules is going to have to look at perhaps time limitations so that everyone is entitled and given some degree of protection that their amendment will receive adequate time and not be hogged, if you will, by the early risers on a bill. It is not fair. The only way I think we can address it is for the Committee on Rules to come up with some procedure that guarantees that if you are at the end of the bill, you can get the same kind of attention that the people at the beginning part of the bill get. I think the gentleman makes a real legitimate point, as does the ranking member.

Mr. ROGERS

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, the point I want to make was that there is $523 million in this bill for local law enforcement block grants that goes to local police forces, that goes to local sheriffs, that goes to community police forces, that they can use for whatever purpose they want. Prosecute gun violence. The money is there. Why do they need more money?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. ROGERS. Nevertheless, Mr. Chairman, regardless of this question, the fact remains that we have funded the Boys and Girls Clubs generously in the bill, and we have funded the drug courts generously in the bill, and the cuts that the gentleman is proposing would come from programs that are desperately needed and underfunded as they are. Mr. Chairman, I would urge a rejection of the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. ROGERS. Reclaiming my time, I am sure the intent is as the gentleman has said, but the earmark increased the amount for Boys and Girls Clubs, which is an earmark within the local law enforcement block grant program, but they did not increase the local law enforcement block grant program by that amount, which means that the money is coming out of the local law enforcement block grant program. So that is the effect of the amendment.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I am constrained to object.

Mr. ROGERS. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Chairman, I am not sure which amendment it is we are being asked to consider.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire which amendment we are discussing?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, we were happy to work with the gentleman. He has been very persistent in trying to solve this problem. I think we have been successful, and we look forward to working with the gentleman further on it as the need may arise.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's interest in this issue. We have not had time to fully study the issue, but I would be happy to work with the gentleman on this important issue in the hopes that he would be able to withdraw the amendment at this time.

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Chairman, let me congratulate the gentleman. He has been so persistent on this issue, and he has been heckling this committee for a long time on this subject, and I can assure the gentleman that we will continue to work with him. We have made a little progress at his request, and we will continue to do that, and we will continue to work with the gentleman next year, even, on dealing with the problem.