[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 15, 2000

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, May 10, 2000, I missed 
rollcall vote No. 154. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' 
on this procedural vote on H.R. 3709, the Internet Nondiscrimination 
Act.
  While I regret my absence from the floor, I was at the White House 
with the President and many of my Democratic colleagues speaking out on 
the need for prescription drugs for our seniors. Nearly every day I 
receive letters and calls from individuals in the North Bay who are 
worried if Medicare will be there when they need it. That's why I have 
consistently been pushing the Republican-led Congress to consider 
legislation to protect the future of the Medicare Program and expand 
Medicare to cover medications. It is my hope that the Republican 
leadership will open the debate so that we may consider meaningful 
health care reform for Medicare beneficiaries. With a projected Federal 
budget surplus, it only makes common sense to make the Medicare Program 
a top priority. I look forward to working with the President and my 
House colleagues to make this happen.

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