[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 69 (Tuesday, June 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5564-S5565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL TOBACCO POLICY AND YOUTH SMOKING REDUCTION ACT

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.

[[Page S5565]]

                    Amendment No. 2446, As Modified

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is now on the McCain amendment 
No. 2446, as modified.
  Mr. LOTT addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, so Members will have some idea--maybe a 
little better than I do--as to exactly how we are going to proceed----
  Mr. FORD. May we have order, Mr. President, to listen to the majority 
leader?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Let's have order in the body, please.
  Mr. LOTT. I believe the pending business is the McCain amendment. 
Senator McCain had hoped he could have a recorded vote on his 
amendment, but I know it has unanimous support. Because a number of 
Senators are having problems with schedules, Senator McCain has agreed 
that we will go ahead and have a voice vote on his amendment. I thank 
him for that cooperation. I know he feels very strongly about it, and 
it is the right thing to do for the veterans of our country. So that 
will be then the next order, the voice vote.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the Senate is not in order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Can we please have order in the body? The 
majority leader has the floor and is discussing important business. May 
we please have order in the body?
  Mr. LOTT. After the McCain amendment is unanimously accepted, I am 
sure there will be some further general debate or discussion about the 
tobacco bill, and we will work then on exactly the time we will come in 
on Thursday and when the first votes will occur with regard to the 
Durbin amendment or the Gramm amendment, or if they agree to set them 
aside so we can go to other business we will make that announcement 
either later on tonight or tomorrow during the day, even though we will 
be out. We will put it on the recording so Senators will know.
  There will not be, it doesn't appear at this time, an early vote on 
Thursday, but we do hope to get a couple votes before noon on Thursday. 
We will be working on that. We will do this by voice vote, and that 
will be the last vote for the night.
  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I wonder, if I can ask the majority leader 
a question.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, just to make clear, that will be the last 
recorded vote for tonight. We may be able to do other business by 
unanimous consent. I didn't want to leave the wrong impression there.
  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, if I can ask the majority leader, it is my 
understanding that there will be an effort to hot line the technical 
corrections on the transportation legislation.
  Mr. LOTT. There certainly will be, Mr. President. It is very hot. We 
are trying to get it done before it gets worse. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the McCain 
amendment No. 2446.
  The amendment (No. 2446), as modified, was agreed to.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am pleased that my colleagues have 
agreed to secure a small piece of the tobacco revenue to improve 
veterans' access to health care. The amendment offered by my colleague, 
Senator McCain, is similar to an amendment I had planned to offer which 
would have set aside $2.7 billion for veterans health care; and I am 
delighted that he shares my views on this matter. In my view, given the 
significant increased costs of providing VA health care due to smoking-
related illnesses, it only seems fair to do something to fortify the 
veterans' health care system.
  Specifically, this amendment, Amendment No. 2446 to S. 1415, would 
dedicate $600 million per year of the spending included in the tobacco 
bill to help reimburse VA for their smoking-related expenses and expand 
access for direct smoking-related services to other veterans.
  I want to talk about the amount of funding for the moment. I arrived 
at this formula because the VA's increased costs due to smoking are 
about 7 percent of the estimated total federal health care costs due to 
tobacco-related illnesses.
  This amendment is really a modest one. I ask my colleagues to look at 
the estimates for VA's cost of providing smoking-related health care. 
In 1997, VA spent $3.6 billion, and over the next five years, will 
spend $20 billion.
  I believe many of my colleagues would be surprised to learn that VA 
spends so much. But it is true. Veterans have a very high prevalence of 
smoking-related diseases and illnesses, because as young 
servicemembers, they were encouraged to smoke by the military and 
became addicted. Let me remind my colleagues that the military 
distributed free cigarettes in C-rations and K-rations and sold tobacco 
products at vastly reduced prices to service members, a practice that 
continued until very recently.
  And in the aggregate, veterans are older, and, therefore, the long-
term effects of smoking are likelier to have taken a toll on their 
health status.
  To put it all in perspective, we are not asking our colleagues to 
approve an amendment to completely reimburse VA for their full health 
care costs--though many believe this would be justified. No, this 
amendment would be limited to just a fraction of VA's true costs--
approximately 15% of what they are actually spending taking care of 
veterans afflicted by diseases and illnesses caused by smoking.
  Quite obviously, providing tobacco-related health care places a 
tremendous financial burden on the VA health care system. I want to 
make one thing perfectly clear: because of limited resources, the VA 
health care system is not and has never been accessible to any veteran 
who walks in the door. There is no entitlement to health care for all 
veterans.
  Because all of the health care provided at VA hospitals and clinics 
is subject to the availability of funding, VA enrolls veterans 
according to certain priorities. Those veterans with service-connected 
disabilities, or low incomes, or those who are members of certain 
groups, like former prisoners of war, are enrolled first, and second, 
and third, and so on.
  With an essentially frozen budget, when VA covers the health care 
costs for smoking-related care, it means that other veterans are denied 
care.
  Though modest, the amendment would do wonders to VA's ability to 
provide more health care to veterans. Some 240,000 veterans who would 
not gain access to VA's health care system would now be able to see VA 
doctors and nurses. Veterans dying of smoking-related illnesses could 
spend their final days in VA hospices.
  Finally, Mr. President, I find it quite ironic that this amendment 
comes on the heels of the elimination of a $16 billion existing 
veterans' benefits to offset funding in the highway bill. That 
particular battle has been lost, and nothing can make amends for 
cutting an existing veterans benefit to pay for highways. Though the 
damage is done, I am pleased that my colleagues have chosen with this 
amendment to provide a measure of security for veterans and the health 
care system dedicated to serve their needs.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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