Jim Walsh

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. I do, Mr. Chairman.

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

Mr. WALSH. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at this time that the Ney amendment No. 40, the Guttierez amendment No. 28, and the Tancredo amendment No. 26 be considered en bloc. I further ask unanimous consent that after disposition of these amendments, that the House return to the reading of the bill on page 9, line 8.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. WALSH. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I do. I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI. Mr. Chairman, there are any number of Members who sympathize with the intent of this language. The problem is it is unauthorized. This decision needs to be determined in the committee of authorization, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, not in the context of an appropriation. And, therefore, I insist on my point of order.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, our intention is not to preclude anyone's ability to comment on these amendments or offer amendments.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I would, then, amend that we return to reading of the bill on page 9, line 4.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, may I restate my unanimous consent request?

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I would ask that I may offer Ney amendment No. 40, Gutierrez amendment No. 28, and Tancredo amendment No. 26, and that they be considered en bloc; and I further ask that after disposition of the amendments the Committee return to the reading of the bill on page 9, line 4.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I offer amendments.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tancredo).

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I am from the State of New York.

Mr. WALSH. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I was city council president in the city of Syracuse, and I served on the city council for 8 years.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, we have a public housing authority, one of the best run housing authorities in America.

Mr. WALSH. I do, Mr. Chairman. I insist on my point of order.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, as I stated earlier, I have a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill, therefore violating clause 2 of rule XXI. It also provides no offsets for the expenditures that are proposed, as called for under section 302 of the Budget Act.

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I would just respond to the gentlewoman that the reason for this is because it is clearly the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, and we cannot usurp that jurisdiction. It would be a problem. I have listened to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) speak and listened to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) speak. I am a supporter of empowerment zones and enterprise zones. I am a former city council president. I am a city person. I know the need and I know they are needed in rural areas too. But we just cannot encompass that in this bill. It would also put us over our allocation in violation of the Budget Act. So, reluctantly, I have to insist on the point of order. Point of Order

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. WALSH. I yield to the gentleman from West Virginia.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, H.R. 4635, and that I may be permitted to include tables, charts, and other extraneous material.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. WALSH

Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that during further consideration of H.R. 4635 in the Committee of the Whole, pursuant to House Resolution 525, no further amendment to the bill shall be in order except: (1) Pro forma amendments offered by the chairman or ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees for the purpose of debate; (2) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 10 minutes: Ms. Kaptur regarding VA Mental Illness Research; Mr. Pascrell regarding VA Right to Know Act; Mr. Saxton regarding EPA Estuary Funding; Mr. Roemer regarding Space Station; and The amendments printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII and numbered 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 17, 33, 41 and 43; (3) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 20 minutes: Mr. Edwards regarding VA Health and Research; and The amendments printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII and numbered 23, 34, and 35; and (4) The following additional amendments, which shall be debatable for 30 minutes: Mr. Obey regarding National Science Foundation; Mr. Collins regarding Clean Air; Mr. Boyd regarding FEMA; Mr. Olver regarding the Kyoto Protocol; and The amendments printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII and numbered 3, 4, 24, 25, and 39. Each additional amendment may be offered only by the Member designated in this request, or a designee, or the Member who caused it to be printed, or a designee, and shall be considered as read. Each additional amendment shall be debatable for the time specified equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent; shall not be subject to amendment; and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan agreement was joined with the proviso that we complete our work on the bill by 9:00 p.m. tomorrow evening.