John W. Olver: “As a new member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, I rise to support this bill, but particularly to commend…”

“As a new member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, I rise to support this bill, but particularly to commend the gentleman from California, Mr. Packard for his very effective leadership, and then also to commend both Chairman Packard and the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hefner, the ranking member, for their very bipartisan working relationship which was indeed, as the previous speaker said, a joy to work with. The fiscal 1998 MILCON appropriations bill continues to focus on the quality of life for servicemen and women. Improving quality of life for those who serve in the Armed Forces and for their families is critical if we are going to retain our best personnel beyond their minimum service requirements. We are spending billions on new weapons, and we ought to spend enough to ensure that the servicemen and women who operate those sophisticated weapons are not left in substandard and in some cases deplorable living conditions. To that end, this bill provides funding, in some cases above the Pentagon's request, for new child development centers; new hospital and medical facilities, including treatment centers and medical research facilities; and for cleanup at military bases where contamination sites that are in violation of either Federal or State environmental protection laws do exist. The report which accompanies this bill contains initiatives that should be supported by all Members.”