Joe Barton: “I want to read a part of a letter. It is dated February 8, 2007. It is to myself. It is from Congressman Norwood. It is…”

“I want to read a part of a letter. It is dated February 8, 2007. It is to myself. It is from Congressman Norwood. It is the last official correspondence that I received from him. It says: ``Dear Joe. ``When you receive this letter, you will know of my return to Georgia after my decision to forego further medical treatment in the Washington, D.C., area for my ongoing battle with non-small-cell cancer. Needless to say, I hope things turn out for the best. ``I expect to be unavailable for my duties for the foreseeable future. I do, however, expect my staff to continue working on several issues, even if I can't be there in person. ``I will have my staff working on the Living Organ Kidney Donation Clarification Act (H.R. 710). This bipartisan, bicameral bill addresses the issue of paired transplantation, which is a way to solve the dilemma faced by people who want to become living organ donors for a family member or friend, but are unable to do so because they are biologically incompatible. In the process of kidney-paired donor transplants, a pair consisting of a kidney transplant candidate and an incompatible living donor is matched with another such incompatible pair to enable two transplants that otherwise would not occur. This bill is widely supported, has no known opposition, doesn't cost a dime, will save Medicare money, and will save thousands of lives. I urge you to work with Mr.…”