[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 140 (Friday, September 30, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  COLLOQUY DURING SENATE FLOOR CONSIDERATION OF THE FISCAL YEAR 1995 
                      LABOR-HHS CONFERENCE REPORT

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would like to commend you and the members 
of your subcommittee on both sides of the aisle on the fiscal year 1995 
Labor-HHS appropriations conference agreement. You have crafted an 
excellent bill with the conferees from the other body involving many 
difficult issues. The bill represents a balanced set of decisions that 
meets the needs of our constituents while also observing the budget 
caps associated with deficit reduction objectives.
  In particular, Mr. President, I would like to utilize this colloquy 
to clarify and strengthen the congressional intent behind the resources 
provided for diabetes research and specifically diabetes-related eye 
research.
  Am I correct that your subcommittee received many requests for 
increased emphasis and increased resources on these two areas of 
diabetes research from Senators, experts in the medical community, and 
constituents suffering from diabetes?
  Mr. HARKIN. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. KERRY. Is it also true this support from both the Senate and the 
other body was largely responsible for the increased resources provided 
to NIDDK and the National Eye Institute within the fiscal year 1995 
conference agreement?
  Mr. HARKIN. The Senator is again correct.
  Mr. KERRY. And finally, Mr. President, is it also true that in the 
spirit of health care reform and the desire to see health care costs 
reduced, that the overriding purpose of providing resources for 
diabetes research in the fiscal year 1995 Appropriations Act lies in 
determining the cause and finding ways in which diabetes and 
complications from diabetes can be reduced and ultimately eliminated as 
the leading cause of blindness and third leading cause of death among 
Americans?
  Mr. HARKIN. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. KERRY. I thank the Chairman for his indulgence in this colloquy. 
I am personally interested in diabetes research, as are many of my 
constituents, and I intend to communicate my concerns to NIH in the 
hope that NIH will concentrate its efforts toward eliminating this 
source of death, disability, suffering, and expense by more closely 
focusing upon the critical diabetes research areas, particularly 
diabetes-related eye research.
  Again, I thank the Chairman for his assistance here and the 
outstanding leadership he has shown in constructing this bill.

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