[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             MORE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF THE 106TH CONGRESS

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago I counted down 
the hours that we had remaining in this session, and I asked the 
question of what we could do for our young people in providing them 
safe schools. And I ask now the question with maybe less than 24 hours 
in this session, at least as we know it, whether or not this Congress 
is going to be known as having done good or having harmed the American 
people.
  The question is, are we going to pass what the American people have 
asked us to, which is a patients' bill of rights, so that we can stop 
once and for all drive-by emergency rooms, so that we can give women 
the right to have their OB-GYN as their primary provider, so that we 
can have second opinions, so that we can reestablish the patient-
physician relationship. While all of our loved ones are under the care 
of a physician, how tragic it is for them to have to call for a 
procedure and someone at a phone who does not even know who they are 
says no, you cannot have it.
  We need a patients' bill of rights.
  I did a study in my district, and how unfortunate it is that my 
seniors are having to pay light bills and having to pay rent, but 
cannot buy their prescriptions, of having to cut their prescriptions in 
half. What a tragedy. Yes, Mr. Speaker, is it not unfortunate that we 
do not have real gun safety in America when 80 percent of the American 
people say we want reasonable gun safety and we want our children to be 
safe in schools.

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