Frank Lautenberg: “I was heartened at the beginning of the remarks by my colleague from Oklahoma and couldn't wait to hear the rest of it.…”

“I was heartened at the beginning of the remarks by my colleague from Oklahoma and couldn't wait to hear the rest of it. Then I realized I could have waited. My colleague is an adventurous fellow who sometimes flies airplanes without fuel. He is quite a daredevil. I support some of the enthusiasm he has for a chance-taking. It is amazing I got as far as I did in life, but here I am with a few broken things here and there. In all seriousness, there is no transfer of funds; there is no loss of funds. Any money that is not used to promote helmet wearing is used for motorcycle safety within that same State. I was pleased to hear there is a way to protect lives besides using helmets. But when we saw what happened when the helmets came off, they were not blinded by any helmet problems for the most part, they were just killed. The United States DOT has a helmet design that will not impair vision but will promote safety. That is the critical issue. I hope between now and the time a vote occurs that the intelligent leader of the committee, who cares about people, will see a difference in view than that which was initially expressed. I yield the floor.”