Joe Lieberman: “as I set forth during the discussion of my amendment last Thursday, I do not believe it is appropriate to create a…”

“as I set forth during the discussion of my amendment last Thursday, I do not believe it is appropriate to create a presumption of 100-percent Federal payment in any case where a law applies in the same manner to both the public and private sector. But certainly where we have a committee finding that such a disadvantage to the private sector will be created, the presumption of 100-percent funding is totally inappropriate. Otherwise, what is the point of the committee stating whether or not there will be a competitive disadvantage created? The Levin amendment would make certain that the presumption does not apply in those circumstances. Mr. President, I strongly support the Levin amendment, but I want to emphasize that it does not go far enough. As Senator Roth indicated in the debate relating to my amendment: we know right now that the public and private sector compete in many areas covered by S.1. Let me take a few minutes to read from two letters I received on these issues after the debate on my amendment concluded. The first letter is from the International Association of Environmental Testing Laboratories dated Jan. 19, 1995, in support of the amendment I offered last Thursday. It states: S. 1 as currently written threatens public health and the environment and disadvantages commercial environmental testing laboratories that provide the same services as government laboratories.…”