as I have said, I intend to come to the Senate floor each day this week part of an effort to help build bipartisan support in this body for Medicare reform. Not via an independent commission. Not in the next Congress. But now, and by us…

the process of making public policy, like much of life, is about opportunity, risk, and reward. That proposition is clearly demonstrated when the Senate looks at the critical issue of Medicare reform. I take the floor today, as I plan to…

my home State of Oregon has long been known for being innovative in a variety of important public policy areas. The Oregon Health Plan, for example, is a pioneering effort. We were the first State to protect our beaches, to go forward with…

I rise in support of S. 39, the Sustainable Fisheries Management Act. This bill is a good step forward in the management of our Nations' fisheries, addressing important areas of concern such as rebuilding over-fished stocks and collecting…

The Senator's case would be logical, in many respects, to my constituents, if my constituents were not acknowledging there does need to be change. The Senator mentioned the dams in Bonneville. We are now reinventing Bonneville. We have all…

I have been both as a Member of the House and in the Senate a member of the Commerce Committee a very strong supporter of Amtrak. I think that it is important to have a national rail program. It is important policy for our country. I have…

As Senator Gorton knows, in particular, the natural resources questions in the West are especially polarized. They are ones where so often there are very heated and controversial fights between groups, particularly industry groups and…

Well, the parts that protect the patient and protect Indiana physicians, those parts are in fact protected under my amendment. But if there are parts of the Indiana statute that do not adequately protect Indiana physicians and do not…

I want her to understand that it has not been particularly pleasant to spend the afternoon taking different positions with somebody I admire. We have my amendment which passed 51 to 48, but did not get 60 votes, on a proposal that keeps…

This is in fact a national standard. Yes, we do say-- because managed care plans, many of them, operate in more than one State, we have said, you bet, we have a national problem. It is a national standard. But there are a small number of…

the Senator from Alabama told me that he does not have an official report from the Congressional Budget Office with respect to revenue on it. The Senator has said that the majority staff projects that it will cost $85 million.

What I am seeking to do is to make sure that managed care plans, the fastest growing part of American health care today, are not allowed to impose gag rules that impede patients from getting all the information that they need with respect…

the Senator from Alabama is raising a point of order on a revenue issue that simply does not apply to this amendment. I believe the Senator from Alabama is talking about a Congressional Budget Office report that was done on the House…

No, that is not correct. In fact, we specifically protect the rights of States to go further.

first, I express my thanks to Senator Kennedy. He has done yeoman work on so many health issues over the years. He has just been so helpful to me as a new Member of the Senate. I thank him for all of his help and that of his staff in…

I think that is what Dr. Ganske did when he took this up in the House, a Republican physician, who said that what we need to do is help people. We certainly are not helping people by having these gag rules that keep people from knowing…

This is simply a matter of patients and managed care organizations not being subjected to these gag rules which keep them from having information. But I think that the request that the Senator from Alabama and the Senator from Nebraska…

At the end of the Committee amendment, insert the following new title: TITLE --PROTECTION OF PATIENT COMMUNICATIONS SEC. 01. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. (a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Patient Communications Protection Act of…

again, this amendment involves some very important rights with respect to consumer protection as it relates to health care practitioners, health care plans and the fact that it appears that some physicians are actually gagged in terms of…

let me also, in closing, quote briefly from a few of these endorsements. The Association of American Physicians writes: Restrictions on communication with our patients not only undermine quality of care, but [constitutes] a blatant…

I, too, rise to speak in support of the Bradley-Frist amendment. I am going to be very brief this afternoon, but I did want to take a minute or two and discuss a General Accounting Office report that I will have coming out next week. The…

I want to say first, I very much share Senator Hatfield's view with respect to the yeoman work that has been done by many parties, in terms of bringing this legislation together. I am especially pleased he has mentioned Ms. Buell and Mr…

Mr. President, there is a concrete reason for voting for this less-than-perfect bill. For millions of Americans, this legislation can be a tool for turning the welfare check into a trampoline for opportunity and independence. I know this…

I rise in support of S. 1959, the fiscal year 1997 energy and water development appropriations bill. I am particularly pleased that the Senate is restoring funding for renewable energy programs. A portion of the restored funds will go to…

I rise in support of the Coats-Wyden kinship care amendment, which was agreed to by the Senate last night. I would like to thank my colleague, Senator Coats, for his assistance with this important amendment. Grandparents caring for…