Orrin Hatch: “there is an old saying, ``No good deed goes unpunished.'' And it applies only too well to those who tackle the job of…”

“there is an old saying, ``No good deed goes unpunished.'' And it applies only too well to those who tackle the job of shepherding the FDA legislation through Congress. The legislation we are debating today has its foundation in the last Congress. From my experience, I know that FDA bills are inherently contentious and complicated--and that would be true even if my friend from Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy, was not on the Labor Committee. Sometimes I believe that it was this FDA bill that drove our good friend Nancy Kassebaum out of the Senate. So we should all take off our hats and thank Jim Jeffords for his efforts in forging this important compromise bill. The overwhelming votes on cloture and on the motion to proceed are testament to the fact that S. 830 is a solid piece of bipartisan legislation that will benefit the American public for years to come. Every Member of this body understands only too well the necessity of having good staff. Our staffs work long hours in order to resolve very difficult issues. I commend the work of all of the staff involved in the development of this bill.”