Political Quotes

“Today I rise to keep a promise I made in November. On this, the very first day of the 108th Congress, I am introducing a bill that will remove the controversial vaccine component liability provisions from the Homeland Security bill. The Homeland Security bill, signed into law by President Bush in December, contains a provision that protects that financial security of pharmaceutical companies, not the homeland security of our Nation. The newly minted law contains a provision that expands the liability projections that currently exist for vaccines to include other vaccine components, such as vaccine preservates like Thimerosal. This provision was included in the bill, at the last minute, with no debate and no committee hearings. Thimerosal was the subject of several class action lawsuits based on increasing research connecting this preservative, which contains mercury, to the rising incidence of autism in children. Now that the vaccine component provision has been signed into law, all of these cases are expected to be dismissed. I urge my colleagues to join me and to remove the component provision from the law before it is too late.”