Orrin Hatch: “the amendment rationalizes section 366, which provides for Defense Department support for major sporting events hosted…”

“the amendment rationalizes section 366, which provides for Defense Department support for major sporting events hosted in the United States. Since the DOD authorization bill for fiscal year 1997 was reported from the Armed Services Committee last month, there has been much attention given to the need to create a strong terrorism deterrent at the forthcoming Olympic games in Atlanta. I appreciate the concerns expressed and raised by my good friend, Senator McCain, and deeply respected his views throughout this process, although we disagreed on the language that was incorporated into the committee reported version of this bill. But, because we shared the same goal, it was only a matter of agreeing upon the means to that end, which this amendment represents. I, especially, want to thank Senators Nunn, Breaux, Craig, Coverdell, and Moseley-Braun; they were leaders among the nearly 65 Senators who joined in the effort to make certain that the Atlanta Olympic games-- and all other future sporting events held in this country--would be events that all spectators, American citizens as well as foreign visitors, could attend with an optimal sense of security.”