[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        PATIENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I wish to commend the distinguished senior 
Senator from Illinois for his statement. The Senator from Illinois 
represents one of the greatest States of our country, a significant and 
very large State, with millions of people, ranging from one of the best 
known, most dynamic cities not only in this country but in the world, 
and also with very small rural areas. I, in turn, represent a very 
small State, where the largest city is 40,000 people. We go down to a 
town of 40 people. But I couldn't help but think, while listening to 
the statement of my good friend from Illinois, about some of the 
letters he read. The names of the towns might be different, but we 
might have heard similar letters from Vermont. Sometimes the problems 
are compounded by the fact that we are a rural State. As he knows, in 
the rural areas of his great State the problems are even worse because 
of the distances they have to travel and the lack of choices they may 
have. I hope he will continue to speak because he speaks not just for 
the people of Illinois, but for the people of Vermont and everywhere 
else.

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