S12778 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 18, 1999 A conference that produces legisla- The choice is clear. Prompt action to occurred to them that an American tion that looks like the Senate Repub- protect patients and their families—or outfit could challenge their yachting lican bill would break faith with the more delay and denial. Those who prof- dominance. American people, make a mockery of it from the status quo have delayed ac- In 1857, John Stevens decided that the overwhelming vote in the House of tion long enough. It is time for Con- the cup would be better in the hands of Representatives, and cause unneces- gress to provide every family the pro- the for safe- sary suffering for millions of patients. tection they deserve. keeping and for organizing challenges. That is why more than 300 groups Mr. President, Friday, we had the ap- The cup, which graced the halls of the representing patients, doctors, nurses, pointment of the conferees to represent New York Yacht Club, became known and other caregivers, and families sup- the Senate with the House of Rep- as the ’s Cup and this has con- port the Norwood-Dingell bill, but only resentatives on the HMO bill, the Pa- tinued for 145 years. Until 1983, the New the insurance industry supports the tients’ Bill of Rights legislation. York Yacht Club successfully defended Senate proposal. We want to let the Senate know we the cup in races off Newport, Rhode Is- For every patient right in the Senate are prepared to meet today, tomorrow, land, a venue which deservedly has Republican bill, there is an industry the next day, and every single day to come to be considered one of the sail- loophole. If the truth in labeling law try to get a resolution of that issue be- ing capitals of the world. applied to legislation, every page of the cause we know that every single day During these years, a great many bill would flunk the test, because every we do not act and have strong legisla- Rhode Islanders stood out and earned promise of patient protection comes tion, like the House of Representatives, outstanding reputations in this sport. with loopholes to protect HMOs and American families are endangered and Most notably, Nathanael Greene health insurers. The promise to pa- Americans are being hurt. That is Herreshoff, ‘‘The Wizard of Bristol,’’ tients is always broken. wrong. We have the chance to act. On joined his visually impaired brother in At its most basic level, the decision our side of the aisle, we are prepared to the manufacture of boats and went on before Congress is whether critical take action. We are prepared to meet. to design six successful America’s Cup medical decisions will be made by doc- We believe this is one of the most im- defenders— (in 1893), tors and patients, or HMO accountants. portant efforts we will have in this (1895), (1899 and 1901), It is time to protect families against Congress. (1903) and Resolute (1920). In addition, abuses by a faceless insurance bureauc- We will continue to challenge our the celebrated sailmaker and designer racy that can rob average citizens of colleagues on the other side to move Ted Hood had more to do with the de- their savings and their peace of mind, ahead and have a conference. We have velopment of the America’s Cup from and often their health and their very debated these issues. We have had a the 1950’s to the 1970’s than any other lives. long time to debate them. We have had person. Hood also won the Cup, For the millions of Americans who extensive debates in committee and for helming in 1974. rely on health insurance to protect over a week on the floor of the Senate. Today, Hood’s shipyard and many them and their loved ones when serious Let’s get about protecting the Amer- others in Rhode Island continue this illness strikes, the Norwood-Dingell ican citizens on that Patients’ Bill of proud tradition in the sailing world bill is a matter of life and death, and Rights—letting doctors make decisions and have made the state’s boatbuilding deserves to be passed by Congress. rather than accountants. Every day, as industry second to none. The east Every day we delay in passing these I mentioned, that we fail to do so, we shore of Narragansett Bay has 13 boat- reforms means that more patients will fail to protect American families. We yards representing some of yachting’s suffer and die. Congress has an obliga- want to go about America’s business most famous labels. In the words of one tion to act and to act now. and families’ business on health care. expert, ‘‘people across the world think The abuses that take place every day We are prepared to meet in conference of quality boats when they think of should have no place in American med- now and every day in the future. Rhode Island.’’ Combined with tourism icine. Every doctor knows it. Every I thank the Chair. from recreational boating, the state’s nurse knows it. Every patient knows it. f marine industry generates about $1.2 The American people know it—and it is billion annually and employees about time the Republican leadership heeded ON THE 1999–2000 AMERICA’S CUP 6,000 workers. Rhode Island yards built their views. Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, today I boats for three America’s Cup syn- The first test of the sincerity of the call to the attention of my colleagues dicates in 1995 and two more this year. Republican leadership will come this the battle for the America’s Cup, which One of the American challengers is of week when the House conferees are ap- begins this week in the Hauraki Gulf particular interest to me and to my pointed. Will a majority of the House off Aukland, New Zealand. Five Amer- constituents in Rhode Island. Young conferees come from those who sup- ican and six international challengers America, a two-boat syndicate put for- ported the Norwood-Dingell bill, not are competing for the right to face ward by the New York Yacht Club, is just on final passage, but on the crit- Team New Zealand in races beginning one of the strongest challengers in ical vote to replace it with the leader- next February. these races. The club has stated its in- ship-backed alternative? This competition, which promises to tent to bring America’s Cup back to The second test will come in the con- be a long, hard-fought affair, gives me Newport, Rhode Island if—or should I ference itself. The danger is that the an opportunity to share with my fellow say ‘‘when‘’—it dethrones Team New process will go into slow motion so Senators some thoughts on Rhode Is- Zealand next March. Many, many that nothing happens until Congress land’s celebrated history in yachting. Rhode Islanders eagerly look forward adjourns for this session. There is It began in London in 1851, when the to the return of this great tradition to ample time for genuine bipartisan ne- America’s Cup was designed and craft- Newport, where it had such an out- gotiations to produce a strong, bipar- ed as a trophy for a race around the standing record of success for one hun- tisan bill that Congress can pass and Isle of Wight. The cup was named after dred and thirty-two years. the President can sign before the ses- the yacht America which first won the Young America’s president, John sion ends. trophy by beating the British yachts at Marshall, has been long involved with The issues are well-known. There is Cowes. Yacht racing had only recently world-class sailing. Marshall won a no need for the conference to be time- begun in North America at the time; bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics, and consuming—no need unless the objec- John Cox Stevens had founded the New has been involved with eight America’s tive is to pass a watered down bill, or York Yacht Club in 1844 and in 1851 was Cups since 1974. Marshall is a former nothing at all. The Norwood-Dingell still its first Commodore. president of and serves on the Board of bill received overwhelming bipartisan But yacht racing was not so new in Directors for North Sails, the largest support in the House of Representa- Britain, where forms of yachting had sailmaker in the United States. tives. The Senate conferees should do been a sport for about 250 years. In the Young America is skippered by Ed the right thing and simply accept that mid-1850’s, Britannia ruled the waves Baid, who played a key role in winning bill. in all respects, and it would never have the 1995 America’s Cup as coach, trial

VerDate Mar 15 2010 22:03 Nov 01, 2013 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\1999SENATE\S18OC9.REC S18OC9 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY October 18, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S12779 horse skipper and sparring partner for Appropriations Act. This afternoon, June/July 1, 1999, Northern Cali- Team New Zealand. Baird was the 1995 Senate-House conferees will meet to fornia—Three synagogues in the Sac- World Champion of Match Race Sailing vote on a conference report that does ramento area were destroyed by arson. and placed second at the Worlds in 1997, not contain the hate crimes provision. Two brothers, who have links to an or- 1996 and 1993. He is the only American Behind closed doors, the conferees have ganized hate group, are suspects in the to ever reach No. 1 in the World. The tentatively decided to drop the provi- arson as well as the shotgun murders of 1995 Rolex U.S. Yachtsman of the Year, sion, and I urge them to reconsider. It two gay men in Redding, Calif., Win- Baird is a multiple world champion. is essential for Congress to take a field Scott Mowder and Gary Matson. Let me also pay tribute to the sev- stand against bigotry, and do all we July 4th weekend, 1999, Illinois/Indi- eral Rhode Islanders that have been can to end these modern-day lynchings ana—An indiviudal associated with a named to the Young America team. that continue to occur in communities racist and anti-Semitic organization, They include Newport sailors Ed across the country. Benjamin Smith, killed an African- Adams, Tom Burnham, Jamie Gale, Many of us are aware of the most American man, Ricky Byrdsong, and Jerry Kirby, Tony Rey and Joan highly-publicized incidents, especially wounded six orthodox Jews in Chicago Touchette. The shore support and tech- the brutal murders of James Byrd in before killing a Korean student, Won- nical team includes Stewart Wiley of Jasper, Texas, and Matthew Shepard in Joon Yoon, in Bloomington, Ind. Portsmouth; Ken Bordin, Steve Laramie, Wyoming. But these two July 24, 1999, San Diego, California— Connett, Matthew Gurl and Bernie killings are just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of people were tear-gassed Roeder of Newport; Wolfgang Chamber- Many other gruesome acts of hatred when a military style tear-gas canister lain of Bristol; and Michael Spiller of have occurred this year: was released near the Family Matters Jamestown. January 14, 1999, El Dorado, Cali- group at the San Diego gay pride pa- Young America’s two boats were fornia—Thomas Gary, 38, died after rade. The 70-person group included built by Bristol, Rhode Island’s Eric being run over by a truck and shot small children and babies in strollers. Goetz shipyard, recognized as one of with a shotgun. The assailant claimed August 10, 1999, Los Angeles, Cali- the world’s foremost manufacturers of that Mr. Gary had made a pass at him. fornia—A former security guard for a racing sailboats. I had the pleasure of January 17, 1999, Texas City, Texas— white supremacist organization, Buford visiting and touring the Goetz shipyard Two black gay men, Laaron Morris and O. Furrow, wounded five individuals, last April, and was greatly impressed Kevin Tryals, were shot to death and including young children, at a Los An- with what I saw. one of the men was left inside a burn- geles Jewish community center, and Goetz has built seven America’s Cup ing car. later killed a Filipino-American postal contenders for the last two series of February 7, 1999, Miami, Florida— worker, Joseph Illeto. America’s Cup races—including boats Three young women stalked, beat and Clearly, the federal government commissioned by competing U.S. rac- stabbed a gay man while yelling anti- should be doing more to halt these vi- ing teams. This year’s boats, which gay epithets. cious crimes that shock the conscience cost about $3 million each, are the February 19, 1999, Sylacauga, Ala- of the nation. product of a first-rate team of techni- bama—Billy Jack Gaither, a gay man, Dropping the bipartisan Senate pro- cians and employ the most modern de- was abducted, beaten to death with an visions from the DJS conference report sign and technology. Included is a keel ax handle, and set on fire on burning is a serious mistake. For too long, the developed by one of Rhode Island’s tires in a remote area. federal government has been forced to most storied companies, Browne & February 24, 1999, Ft. Lauderdale, fight hate crimes with one hand tied Sharpe Manufacturing. The competi- Fla.—A black woman, Jody-Gaye Bai- behind its back. Congress must speak tors in New Zealand are no doubt fix- ley, died after being shot in the head with a united voice against hate-based ated on the technological advance- by a self-proclaimed skinhead. Minutes violence. All Americans deserve to ments being introduced by Young before the shooting the perpetrator re- know that the full force of federal law America. portedly boasted of wanting to go out will be available to punish these atroc- Three sets of round robin races begin and kill a black person. Bailey and her ities. this week and end on December 14. The boyfriend, who is Caucasian, were Congress has a responsibility to act challenger semifinals and finals take stopped at a red light when the killer this year. The continuing silence of place next January 2 through February fired at Bailey seven times. The boy- Congress on this festering issue is deaf- 4 to determine which syndicate will friend was uninjured. ening, and it is unacceptable. We must face the defending New Zealanders. The February 1999, Yosemite National stop acting as if somehow this funda- Finals of this grueling competition do Park, California—An individual mental issue is just a state and local not end until March 4. charged with the murder of four problem. It isn’t. It’s a national prob- So I hope all Senators can take a mo- women—one of whom was a 16-year old lem, and it’s an outrage that Congress ment today to recognize the com- girl—in Yosemite National Park told has been missing in action for so long. mencement of one of the world’s most police investigators that he had fanta- I urge the conferees to reconsider their prestigious sporting traditions, the sized about killing women for three action, and include a strong provision America’s Cup. I wish good luck to all decades. on hate crimes in the conference re- eleven competitors, but particularly to March 1, 1999, Richmond, Virginia—A port. the Young America syndicate. For gay, homeless man was killed and his Mr. President, I make these remarks many of my state’s enthusiasts, it has severed head was left atop a footbridge because the timeliness of them is so been a long sixteen years waiting for in James River Park near a popular important. I see my friend and col- this moment. meeting place for gay men. league from Oregon, who shares these f May 1999, Kenosha, Wisconsin—A 27- concerns. Again, we wanted to address year-old man intentionally swerved his this issue, which will be before the con- HATE CRIMES car onto a sidewalk to run over two Af- ference committee on the State-Jus- Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, vio- rican-American teens. After hitting the tice appropriations this afternoon. We lent acts of bigotry based on race, reli- two cyclists, he left the scene and kept will be faced with this issue in a con- gion, ethnic background, sexual ori- driving until stopped by police. Eight ference report in these next 2, 3 days. It entation, gender, and disability con- years earlier the same man rammed his is regarding the inclusion or exclusion tinue to plague the nation. These vi- car twice into a stopped van carrying of the hate crimes legislation. cious crimes are a national disgrace five African-American men and drove We passed hate crimes legislation as and an attack on everything this coun- away. part of the State-Justice-Commerce try stands for, and it is essential for June 2, 1999, West Palm Beach, Flor- appropriations. It is in conference at a Congress to act against them. ida—Two teenagers admitted that they time when this country has been faced Earlier this year, the Senate added beat a gay man, Steven Goedereis, to with a series of acts that have been important provisions to combat hate death on April 27, 1998 because he violent on the basis of bigotry—based crimes to the Commerce-Justice-State called one of them ‘‘beautiful.’’ on race, religion, ethnic background,

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