[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Pages 31851-31852]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




THANKING THOSE WHO WORKED ON THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND REFORM 
                                  BILL

  Mr. FRIST. Madam President, I, just very briefly, want to thank 
people for a lot of hard work over the last several months.
  Earlier today, we did pass a historic bill that is notable for the 
fact that it does help so many people in a very direct way. I think it 
is gratifying to all of us as U.S. Senators. But that outcome is made 
possible by a lot of hard work. I will be very brief, but I do want to 
thank the appropriate people. Again, I leave out so many people.
  But, first, I thank the President of the United States. President 
Bush does deserve credit for making this vision of being able to reach 
out and help people as soon as possible in a direct way with 
prescription drug coverage possible. That vision really did set the 
template for all of us. We pulled together and passed this bipartisan 
bill.
  Secretary Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
and Tom Scully, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services, spent literally hundreds of hours working on this 
legislation.
  I participated on the conference committee and had the wonderful 
opportunity of working side by side with them, consulting with them, 
seeking counsel, receiving their input.

[[Page 31852]]

  In the Senate, Finance Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, and 
ranking member, Max Baucus, really did put partisanship aside from day 
1, when we first started this Senate bill, and worked tirelessly from 
beginning to end to deliver on the promise that we all have to the 
American people. In large part it was accomplished because of their 
work and their partnership in many ways.
  Senator John Breaux deserves huge credit. I have worked with Senator 
Breaux over the last 7 years. There was a Breaux-Frist bill that came 
out of the Bipartisan Commission. He has demonstrated real leadership 
and, in my mind, has been at it in terms of the final product longer 
than anybody in the Senate, working together on the model we ended up 
with.
  All members of the conference committee showed a degree of dedication 
and resolve that is seldom seen in either Chamber. There were Senators 
Orrin Hatch and Don Nickles and John Kyl. We simply would not have 
reached this point if we had not worked together with strong leadership 
on the part of the conferees.
  In addition, there were people such as Senators Jeffords, Gregg, 
Hagel, Ensign, Wyden, and Snowe, who have focused on a tripartisan, 
bipartisan approach to health care reform, which has been instrumental 
in many ways.
  Senators Bunning, Thomas, Smith, Lott, and Santorum all made huge 
contributions working through the Finance Committee.
  Members of this body who voted against final passage also contributed 
in remarkable ways to this product.
  I do also want to mention, just in passing, the House leadership 
because the House leadership, especially Speaker Dennis Hastert and 
Leader Tom DeLay, deserve very special recognition. I worked very 
closely, and our leadership worked very closely with them, especially 
in the final 2 weeks of that conference.
  I had the opportunity to call yesterday Chairman Bill Thomas. He is 
really the mind behind what we accomplished. He was able to assimilate 
very complex policy and put it into a portrait that ultimately became 
the substrate for this bill. He demonstrated real leadership, real 
patience.
  Also, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman 
Billy Tauzin, we simply would not be here without his active 
participation as well.
  My dedicated staff--Dean Rosen, Elizabeth Scanlon, Rohit Kumar, and 
Craig Burton--put in hundreds of hours and poured over thousands of 
details. Lee Rawls, Eric Ueland, David Schiappa and his wonderful staff 
here really made it possible.
  So in closing, to everyone who worked so hard and have given so much 
of themselves, working hard on this effort, I thank them. I thank you, 
the Senate thanks you, America thanks you, and, most of all, America's 
seniors thank you.
  Madam President, I appreciate the Senator from New Jersey giving me 
the floor for those few minutes. I look forward to listening to what he 
has to say on a very important issue.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Madam President, first, I want to say thank you----
  Mr. CORNYN. Will the Senator yield for a brief UC?
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Sure.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that following 
the remarks of the Senator from New Jersey--I believe he told me he 
would speak for about 10 minutes or so--I be recognized for remarks 
that I might make at that time.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, reserving the right to object, and I will 
not object, I wonder if the Senator might add to that UC--about how 
long does the Senator plan to speak, so I could then try to amend that 
UC to place myself in order?
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I would make my remarks no longer than 
15 minutes.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I ask the Senator if he would modify his 
unanimous consent request to allow the Senator from Michigan, and then 
I believe the Senator from Washington, to each have 10 minutes 
following his remarks?
  Mr. CORNYN. That is acceptable.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. No objection, Madam President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Madam President, I would just note that the gracious 
statement of the Senator from Texas said ``10 minutes or so.'' I would 
hope, for clarification, if ``or so'' is 3 or 4 minutes longer, it will 
not be a violation of the unanimous consent agreement that we just 
heard.

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