On the recordMarch 31, 2003
Let me address the two principal objections to this bill. The first is that some of the first responders would like more coverage. They would like more coverage than we currently provide for police officers and firefighters who take the chances to go out and fight fires and sacrifice their lives, to go out and fight the criminal elements on the street and take the bullets and sometimes die and sometimes end up disabled and have a lifetime of lost wages. They would like to have more benefits than those individuals. But this is not a management-labor union discussion. This is an emergency. When the other side asked for time, for 2 weeks to work with us in a bipartisan fashion to up the benefits comparable to what police and firemen have, we did that. It is now in the bill. The other objection they raise is that, well, this is not due process. We have taken this bill to the floor under suspension.
Source
govinfo.gov
