Providing amounts for interim expenses of the Select Committee on Homeland Security in the first session of the One Hundred Eighth Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to compliment Chairman Ney for bringing this important resolution to the Floor so expeditiously. I am also pleased that the Majority has agreed that the right of the minority members to control one-third of the select committee's staff and resources will be protected throughout the funding process.

I am pleased that we can act today to provide interim funding for this new select committee, which was created as a separate order of the House attached to the rules resolution, H. Res. 5, adopted on January 7.

The Select Committee on Homeland Security is charged with developing recommendations and reporting to the House by bill or otherwise on matters relating to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296). In other words, it is a legislative committee of the House for matters which fall within its sphere, with referral of legislation to be decided by the Speaker.

The resolution before us today would provide interim funding through March 31, 2003, to get it off the ground and running for a short time, by which time the House Administration Committee will have reported and the House adopted the biennial primary expense resolution providing funding for all committees and select committees of the House for the 108th Congress.

Both sides of the aisle have now named their members of the new select committee, to join the chairman, Rep. Cox, and the ranking member, Rep. Turner of Texas, so it is now ready to conduct business.

I also look forward to seeing the new chairman and ranking member appear in a few weeks to testify before the House Administration Committee about the committee's agenda for the next two years, as we prepare the biennial resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased that the Democratic Leader as appointed my good fried the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Turner, as the ranking member of this new committee. I serve with Rep. Turner on the Armed Services Committee, and am delighted that he will have the opportunity to lead our party in rising to the challenges of providing effective homeland security against the international threats facing us today and to expand on his past legislative accomplishments in the field of national defense. He is clearly the right person for a job like this.

Ths is a tremendous challenge. We must protect America from terrorism while defending the freedoms and liberties which are the foundation of our democracy. We must help organize and supervise a major new government department of historic size and responsibility. The House has made a good start with this select committee and its distinguished leadership on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, creation of the select committee will expand the House's ability to deal with these critical issues, but, as with any new entity in a legislative body, it may take some time to fully define its role and what its inter-relationships with the regular standing committees of the House will be. I and the other members of the House Administration Committee look forward to working on a bipartisan basis with the members of the select committee to help make that effort a success.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. Res. 163) providing amounts from the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives for continuing expenses of standing and select committees of the House from April 1, 2003, through April 11, 2003, and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut for yielding.

The Committee on House Administration in conjunction with the Speaker's office, our ranking member, and all the members of the Committee on House Administration continue to work towards a final resolution that will ultimately provide House committees with a permanent funding resolution for the 108th Congress. House rules contain an interim funding provision that provides a temporary funding mechanism to fund committees until a permanent committee funding resolution is passed. The deadline set by the House rules is March 31. However, negotiations on the 2004 budget resolution delayed work on the committee budget resolution which will make it impossible to pass this resolution by the March 31 deadline set forth in the House rules. As a result, we are seeking unanimous consent to pass a temporary funding resolution which would temporarily fund committees after the March 31 deadline and until a permanent funding resolution is passed.

I also want to thank the tremendous communication, cooperation of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), our ranking member, and the members of the committee who diligently worked together to achieve a funding document that will be able to allow the committees of the House to do their job, respond to the citizens of the United States, and carry on the very important work of the House committees.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, to answer the ranking member's question, it has absolutely zero impact. Our ranking member has made it crystal clear, and we understand that there will be the two-thirds/one-third. We appreciate that. We appreciate our Chairs cooperating fully on that and the ranking member. So there will be zero impact on the two-thirds/one-third ratio.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, the gentleman is correct. We have a very unique situation in this funding resolution; and I have been here 8 years, and for one of the first times we have a major committee, which is important, and has been created, and now we have to do the funding for it. So this year our ranking member and me and the members of the committee had even a bigger task to set up the funding, the process for that committee for the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), ranking member, and to make sure that important committee can function and that it really is considered absolutely outside the box.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 77) providing amounts for interim expenses of the Select Committee on Homeland Security in the first session of the One Hundred Eighth Congress, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman asks a very appropriate question. House Resolution 77 is necessary to provide the Select Committee on Homeland Security with the necessary funding to organize the committee.

House Resolution 77 authorizes $700,000 for use by the Select Committee on Homeland Security. Also know that we have communicated with the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut. It is interim funding.

Consistent with my discussions with the Ranking Minority Member, it is my understanding that the funds provided by H. Res. 77 will be distributed in a manner consistent with the ``Two-thirds, One-third'' goal for division of resources. I expect the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Select Committee to reach agreement on a division of the resources provided by this resolution that will reflect this goal and be to their mutual satisfaction.

Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Ney) to explain.

Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to

object, again let me applaud the chairman and the staff and the committee for their outstanding work in echoing the comments of our Chair, and if the Chair would engage me in a short dialogue, this extension has no impact on the well thought-out plan of the two-thirds/ one-third distribution in the committee that all the Chairs and ranking members had agreed to over the course; is that correct?

Mr. Speaker, continuing that dialogue, it is our understanding as well that as we proceed down this course that the Special Select Committee on Homeland Security has been treated outside of this process as well; is that correct?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for clarifying that. The distinguished chairman again has done an outstanding job in putting this together.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I would just like to ask the gentleman what the House is being asked to consider.

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.