Orrin Hatch: “late last week the Senate Finance Committee completed work on one of the most significant and important pieces of…”

“late last week the Senate Finance Committee completed work on one of the most significant and important pieces of legislation considered in the U.S. Congress in recent memory. By a vote of 18 to 2, the Committee approved its portion of the Budget Reconciliation Act of 1997, S. 947, the bill we are debating today. As a member of the Finance Committee, I can vouch for the hard work that went into the development of this historic legislation. It has not been an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. The bill is not perfect. But it is a good start. And I hope it will get even better as it moves forward in the legislative process. And, I want to take this opportunity to commend the chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Roth, and the ranking minority member, Senator Moynihan, for their outstanding leadership in forging a consensus on what has been one of the most contentious issues presented to the committee since I have been a member. The committee was presented with budget reconciliation instructions earlier approved by both the House and Senate and tasked to provide for significant changes in federal spending and program authorizations principally in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”