Herb Kohl: “Thank you Chairman Hatch for your kind words and all your help and the help of your staff in moving this important…”

“Thank you Chairman Hatch for your kind words and all your help and the help of your staff in moving this important legislation forward. Thank you as well to my fellow Senator from Wisconsin and Senators Wellstone and Grams from Minnesota. I am pleased that we were able to work together to reach a compromise and help give the Hmong veterans and their families the chance to become citizens. The Hmong community, particularly the Lao Veterans of America, have worked tirelessly to bring us to this point. As my colleagues have mentioned, no negative inference should be drawn from the compromise language. Last week, I was proud to participate in the Lao Veterans of America National Recognition Ceremonies with so many Hmong veterans from Wisconsin. With this bill, we are attempting to repay them for their tremendous sacrifices and courage. I hope that we can achieve the final steps and send this bill to the President's desk for signature as soon as possible.”