Announcement By Committee on Rules Regarding Amendments to H.R. 3030, Improving the Community Services Block Grant Act of 2003

ANNOUNCEMENT BY COMMITTEE ON RULES REGARDING AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 3030, IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 2003 -- (House of Representatives - January 28, 2004)

(Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Rules may meet next week to grant a rule for the consideration of H.R. 3030, Improving the Community Services Block Grant Act of 2003, which may require that amendments be printed in the Congressional Record prior to their consideration on the floor.

The Committee on Education and the Workforce ordered the bill reported on October 1, 2003, and filed its report with the House on October 10, 2003. Members should draft their amendments to the bill as reported by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Members should use the Office of Legislative Counsel to ensure that their amendments are drafted in the most appropriate format. Members are also advised to check with the Office of the Parliamentarian to be certain their amendments comply with the rules of the House.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
As the gentleman was on the floor when the majority leader and I had our weekly colloquy, and he said I was going to be very pleased, I was pleased to hear the information, of course, as to how one perfects an amendment that needs to be made in order, but I did not hear anything about whether or not the Committee on Rules is going to grant, as I asked the leader, the ability of the minority to offer any substitute and/or offer substantive amendments.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I would say to the gentleman that the Committee on Rules, as this announcement stated, may meet, I believe may very likely meet on this, and the Committee on Rules will obviously consider any request from any Members with regard to amendments. If the gentleman from Maryland or any other Members have amendments, we will be more than glad to listen to them and will give them all the merited courtesies.

Mr. HOYER. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate very much that warm assurance that the gentleman from Florida will be glad to listen to me or to others.

I am a big fan of Martina McBride. I do not know if the gentleman is familiar with her. She is one of the great country music singers in America, and she has a song, the title of which is "I know you can hear me, but are you listening." And I know you may hear me, but I want you to be listening as well.

As the gentleman knows, as he is a long-time distinguished member of the Committee on Rules, we are very hopeful we will start this session off on the right foot and that the minority will be given, as your minority asked when you were in the minority, for the opportunity to offer amendments and substitutes so that our perspective can be considered as well as the majority's perspective. We think that serves the American people well. We think it is what you asked for when you were in the minority. We believe we gave it to you most of the time. You are correct, not all the time.
But we would hope, and this bill I think is not one of the very contentious bills that we will take up perhaps during the session, but we would hope that that opportunity would be afforded the minority.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Once again reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for his comments and concerns, and as I stated before, what we are asking at this point, precisely because we will be looking very much forward to amendments, is that if any Members have ideas for such, is to please be ready with them because there may be a requirement that amendments be printed in the Congressional Record prior to consideration on the floor.

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