Tom Harkin: “As chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee…”

“As chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am very pleased to bring before the Senate the 2002 appropriations bill for the Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and related agencies. I am also pleased to report that the bill was approved on a unanimous bipartisan vote on October 11. I begin by thanking my good friend and partner in this effort, Senator Specter, and his excellent staff for working with me and my staff to put together this bill on a bipartisan basis. This is always one of the most difficult bills to put together, and it is certainly one of the most important. Our Nation's health and the strength of our tomorrow are shaped by the critical health, education, and labor investments made by this bill. I also thank Chairman Byrd and Senator Stevens for their steadfast support and guidance throughout the year and for their good work in helping us get an enhanced allocation. The bill we are putting forward today obviously is not perfect, not by a long shot, but given the limited resources with which we had to work, I think it is a very strong bill and one I can strongly recommend.”