Barbara Boxer: “Clearly, we are trying to get an in-depth knowledge of the issues and the challenges. We want to make sure the bills we…”

“Clearly, we are trying to get an in-depth knowledge of the issues and the challenges. We want to make sure the bills we present to the full Senate, or the full House on the other side, are carefully thought out; they make sense; there are no unintended consequences that could occur. It is for all of those reasons. Of course, it becomes a place for the public to get involved, because right now--Senator Frist, who is a doctor, his expertise is heart surgery and transplantation--we do not have anyone in the Senate who is an OB/GYN. The other point I want to make while my colleague is in the Chamber, in addition to the fact that there is no health exception, is to bring out one of the things Senator Nickles said last year about bypassing the committee. This is a statement made by Don Nickles when a bill bypassed the committee of jurisdiction and came straight to the floor. He said: I am very disappointed in this process. This process should not be repeated. It should not be repeated by Democrats or Republicans. We have committees for a purpose. We have committees for a purpose: So we can have bipartisan input, so we can have the legislative process work, so we can have hearings on legislation so people can know what they are voting on, to where they can try to improve it, to where any member of the committee has an opportunity to read the bill and to amend it, to change it--win or lose, at least they have the opportunity to try.…”