I will help write the Senate's transportation appropriations bill.

I will be working on that along with Representatives Baird, Blumenauer and DeFazio.

I want to ensure that whatever we do, we are meeting the region's highest transportation priorities.

The information that we gather today will help me and the subcommittee assemble the Senate's transportation budget for fiscal year 2004.

Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith have submitted a joint request for planning dollars as part of the 2004 transportation appropriations bill.

I want to ensure that those Federal efforts meet the needs here from this community.

I am wondering why the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has devised a plan that they do not have the statutory authority to implement without the approval of Congress.

Nor should management councils get in the habit of choosing to ignore Congressional instruction.

If done fairly, the assigning of quotas within a fishery can lead to both a safer fishing season and a more sustainable fishery.

I share the concerns of Oregon fishers about the assigning of processor quota shares particularly if they are done in a manner that will benefit a few processors at the expense of many fishers and other processors.

I am not sure Congress wants or should get into the habit of debating individual management plans and making what should be regional decisions at the national level.

We are going to do everything we can to find the cures, because there are too many people in this country suffering and hurting, and we owe it to them.

I would also put into the record at this point, Mr. Chairman, a piece in The Wall Street Journal, by Virginia Postrel, that talks about why it would be a mistake to impede medical progress.

I think it is absolutely critical if we are to unlock the next generation of life-saving medical treatments.

I just hope that Congress will follow the route of careful science here, rather than create roadblocks of resistance.

I think is very unfortunate.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Dr. Kass.

What we would have said to our citizens here is that we did not make the effort. We did not try.