Nancy Kassebaum

I wish also to speak as chairman of an authorizing committee, the Labor and Human Resources Committee, about my frustration that we cannot act on a piece of legislation I think is very important. It deals with job training reform. It is…

The bill has been modified to ensure that this waiver will be in effect for the length of the community health center grant. Rural providers will not be required to repeatedly make their case to the Secretary over the period of the grant…

I understand how important the loan guarantee provisions of S. 1044 are to the health centers. The States are rapidly moving to managed care systems for Medicaid recipients. In order to continue serving these individuals and other…

I would also note that S. 1044 continues an authority in current law that permits the Secretary to designate a population as "medically underserved" if the chief executive officer of a State and local officials recommend that designation…

I agree, that requirement goes to the fundamental nature and purpose of these important safety net providers. All of the health centers must serve all residents of the area served by the center, regardless of an individual's ability to pay…

It just is not the case that education has been slashed by Republicans over the last 6 to 8 years, and I really find it very disappointing that somehow this keeps coming up. It is easy to make a statement saying education has been slashed…

I believe most Americans realize that is so. Federal dollars in education are less than 10 percent of the education dollars spent in this country. Local and State governments spend, I think, about $508 billion in education. I happen to…

My amendment is just saying that: It is the sense of the Senate that the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate, taking into account any relevant findings of the National Commission on Health Care Quality and other public and…

no, this is not another study. It is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution. So it does not have statutory authority as the language of the Senator from Oregon would have had. However, it does not call for another study. It simply says that the…

I care just as much as the Senator from Massachusetts or the Senator from Oregon about the quality of health care. We all do in this Chamber. There is a process, unfortunately--or fortunately--under which we operate around. That process…

I just visited with Senator Helms to ask him what he thought of the provision before us. He pointed out that his language is much more narrowly drawn. It applies only to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan and includes some specific…

I suggest that we have been in the 104th Congress for 2 years. This legislation was introduced in the House some time ago. It would have been useful to us here in the U.S. Senate if this legislation had been before us prior to July 31. We…

I would like to reiterate my opposition to the legislation before us. Last Friday, we had a thorough debate on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act during the course of which important arguments were made why it should not become law…

I have been speaking a number of times on why Africa matters to the United States. I spoke before the recess on infectious disease and environmental concerns and how what is happening in Africa can affect the rest of the world, and the…

first I would just like to say, it has been a year ago today that the health insurance reform legislation passed unanimously in the Labor Committee. So, it has been a bumpy road to achieve what has been achieved, and, I think, a very…

This legislation will clarify the intent of Congress that health risk pools should not be subject to taxation.

Without the dedicated efforts of our staff, it would not have been possible. I mention Dean Rosen, Susan Hattan of my staff, and David Nexon and Lauren Ewers of Senator Kennedy's staff, and many others who have spent countless time and…

early this week, the people of the Republic of Niger were denied their right to choose their own leadership and control their destiny. I want to express my deep disappointment in the Nigerian elections and in the military regime that chose…

regarding the Dorgan amendment, I would just say that I think we are better off the way things are than to try to develop a rigidity that I think would occur in the amendment offered by the Senator from North Dakota. It requires a…

I think the package that has been put together by the Finance Committee under the distinguished leadership of both the chairman and ranking member is an important package. I am particularly pleased that, for example, there has been…

If I may respond briefly to my good friend and colleague and member of the Labor Committee as well, some clarification on the Harris Trust. I have spoken earlier to it and I will not reiterate. I certainly agree, ERISA is complicated. It…

I would just like to give an example of why there is concern. A National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge has handed down a decision in the long-awaited Polaroid case. The Polaroid Co. has been heralded as one of America's…

I am going to speak for a moment about the full bill, the Teamwork for Employees and Management Act, which has been called the TEAM Act, and why I think this is an important piece of legislation. It is important because it improves the…

I wish I could support the amendment of the Senator from North Dakota. I think there is still some difficulty with it that we need to consider, however. But I want to assure you that the TEAM Act does nothing to change the ability for…