[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 135 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATING MASSACHUSETTS STATE SENATOR MARK MONTIGNY

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                       HON. JOSEPH P. KENNEDY II

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 30, 1997

  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
and congratulate Massachusetts State Senator Mark Montigny as a 1997 
recipient of the Dr. Nathan Davis Award in the category of Outstanding 
State Senator. The Davis awards, presented to local State, and Federal 
career and elected government officials, were established by the 
American Medical Association in 1989 and are truly one of the most 
prestigious forms of recognition for outstanding public service in the 
advancement of public health.
  The Massachusetts Senate president, Thomas Birmingham, and the 
Massachusetts Medical Society, nominated Senator Montigny for this 
award because of his effort as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on 
Health Care to protect the physician-patient relationship and to 
improve the health of our citizenry, particularly the working poor and 
their children.
  Senator Montigny's innovative legislative initiatives include a new 
Massachusetts State law that provides health insurance to most of the 
Commonwealth's uninsured children and a pilot prescription drug subsidy 
program for indigent seniors. He has also authored a bill to limit the 
use of pre-existing condition clauses and waiting periods in health 
coverage--virtually guaranteeing the right to obtain health insurance 
coverage. He has also championed a Physician Profiling bill that 
supports both consumer empowerment and the need for accuracy and 
fairness to physicians. In addition, Senator Montigny is working on 
legislation that would refinance Massachusetts' Uncompensated Care 
Pool, regulate the managed care industry, and preserve traditional 
values for community health care institutions in the State.
  Mr. Speaker, I have mentioned only a very short portion of a very 
long list of accomplishments that Senator Mark Montigny has contributed 
to the public health needs of Massachusetts residents. I am honored to 
congratulate him today for an award he undoubtedly has earned and 
deserves.

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