mr. speaker , we have come to the conclusion , by looking at some recent history , that we can , within pretty close margins , measure what our likely allocations will be . 
the subcommittees are proceeding as though there are numbers , recognizing full well that we will have to respond to the final budget package as they have given it to us and as we have talked between subcommittee chairmen , but we can pretty well guesstimate . 
in the past , i believe that we have tended to delay our process because we decided we had to wait until the budget process was already complete , and we let supplementals interfere with that process , et cetera . 
so , in the past , we found ourselves sending our product to the other body just as we go past the end of the fiscal year , hardly giving them the time to do the kind of work that they would like to do , thus the omnibus , et cetera . 
the cooperation between the two bodies , i must say to my colleague , is better than i could ever have imagined . 
it is a fabulous , growing relationship , and i think it will benefit both of the bodies . 
