| 00:00:00 | WELL, WE BETTER BRING IT UP OTHERWISE IT WILL BE DISCHARGED TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP'S SUPPORT. |
| 00:00:06 | BUT EVEN WHEN IT PASSED THE HOUSE, THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP MADE IT QUITE CLEAR THEY OPPOSED THE BILL BECAUSE WHEN WE HAD THE CONFERENCE WITH THE SENATE, EVERY ONE OF THE CONFEREES THEY APPOINTED ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, I THINK WITH ONE EXCEPTION, VOTED AGAINST THE BILL. |
| 00:00:19 | I'M ONE OF THE CONFEREES AND WHEN WE WENT TO THE CONFERENCE, NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS THERE BETWEEN THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE WERE AGAINST THE NORWOOD-DINGELL BILL. |
| 00:00:31 | MY COLLEAGUE FROM ARKANSAS KNOWS THAT'S A FACT BECAUSE HE'S ALSO BEEN PART OF THE CONFERENCE. |
| 00:00:36 | I THINK THE CONFERENCE MET OFFICIALLY ONCE AND THEN THERE WERE SOME, YOU KNOW, SMALLER MEETINGS AFTER THAT. |
| 00:00:42 | BUT THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE AND, CLEARLY, THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE SENATE MADE IT QUITE CLEAR THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO SUPPORT THE NORWOOD-DINGELL BILL. |
| 00:00:54 | AND ESSENTIALLY SUBTLED -- SCUTTLED THE WHOLE EFFORT. |
| 00:00:58 | IT'S NOWHERE NOW. |
| 00:00:59 | THE CONFERENCE HASN'T MET IN MONTHS. |
| 00:01:03 | I YIELD TO THE GENTLEWOMAN. |
| 00:01:05 | MRS. THURMAN: SO WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SAYING TO US TONIGHT, AND OBVIOUSLY I'VE BEEN HERE, TOO, BUT I THINK SOMETIMES WE NEED TO MAKE THESE POINTS VERY CLEAR, BECAUSE I THINK QUITE FRANKLY THAT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS TIRED OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED AS PHYSICIANS |
Mr. PALLONE. Basically as I think you remember, when we tried to bring up the patients' bill of rights, we were opposed by the Republican leadership; and we actually were only able to get it up because almost a majority of the House signed a discharge petition, including some Republicans. And as it got close to that magic 218 they decided we better bring it up, otherwise it is going to be discharged to the floor without the leadership's support.
But even when it passed the House, the Republican leadership made it clear that they opposed the bill because when we had the conference with [Page: H10896] the Senate every one of the conferees they appointed on the Republican side with one exception voted against the bill. I am one of the conferees. When we went to the conference, not surprisingly the majority of the Members there between the Senate and the House were against the Norwood-Dingell bill.
My colleague from Arkansas knows that that is a fact because he has also been part of the conference. I think the conference met officially once and then there were some smaller meetings after that, but the Republican leadership in the House and clearly the Republican leadership in the Senate made it quite clear that they were not willing to support the Norwood-Dingell bill and essentially scuttled the whole effort. It is nowhere now. The conference has not met in months. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.