Don Nickles: “the bill was introduced, I believe, on Monday. It was printed in the Record, I believe, on Tuesday or Wednesday. Many of…”

“the bill was introduced, I believe, on Monday. It was printed in the Record, I believe, on Tuesday or Wednesday. Many of us--most all Senators, including most on the Finance Committee--have not had a chance to look at the bill. I don't believe it dealt with the wage index for rural areas, at least satisfactorily to Senator Sessions and myself. I don't believe it dealt with outpatients. I know it didn't deal with prescription drugs, which Senator Sessions and others want to deal with this year. We may be willing to do something, but before we pass bills by unanimous consent--introduce bills on Wednesday and say we want to pass them Friday-- it is going to take a little more bipartisan work. There has not been enough of that. Maybe two Senators are in agreement on this bill in the committee. But other committee members are entitled to look at it and to have some input and have a little more of a chance to figure out what is in it. To introduce a bill or have it put on the calendar Wednesday and say we want to pass it on Friday by unanimous consent, I don't think is a proper way to legislate. Also, all of us have known October 1 was fast approaching. As I mentioned before, the House passed this months ago. There is no reason, in my opinion, to not have a markup in the full committee. There is no reason in my mind. We didn't have a markup on prescription drugs in the full committee.”