Tom Harkin: “I want to join with Senator Durbin, Senator Coleman, and Senator Dayton, who also spoke on this topic today, in…”

“I want to join with Senator Durbin, Senator Coleman, and Senator Dayton, who also spoke on this topic today, in recognizing the contribution of our former colleague, Paul Wellstone, and to rededicating ourselves in his memory to trying to get this mental health parity bill passed once and for all. It almost seems impossible that it was almost 4 years ago this next month when we tragically lost our friend and colleague, Paul Wellstone, and some others--his wife and others--in that tragic plane crash in Minnesota. He was a very special individual to all of us. He was one of the best friends I ever had. Of course, I think he was to millions of other people around America. They thought he was one their best friends also because of what he stood for and what he fought for. He was always sticking up for the kind of little person--people who didn't have much voice or power around here. Paul had one burning goal during his all-too-short tenure in the Senate, and that was to get mental health put on the same parity as physical health.”