S7422 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE July 21, 2000 If a country doesn't have an adequate are located in today's RECORD under were made, I got the office that was physician corps, it makes the dispensa- ``Statements on Introduced Bills and left, and it turned out to be a great of- tion of these drugs extraordinarily dif- Joint Resolutions.'') fice in disguise. My staff and I moved ficult, if not impossible. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- in, added a few touches to make it Because of these experiences, I be- ator from Wyoming. more like home, and then greeted our lieve it is critical that the United Na- f neighbors. Paul Coverdell was the tions and the national governments neighbor, along with his staff. He was TRIBUTE TO SENATOR PAUL concerned work with the pharma- right next door, so we got to see him COVERDELL ceutical companies to make sure that often. He and his staff were always any future efforts, including Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it has been walking by or on their way out, and I Boehringer Ingelheim's offer on a difficult week working in the Senate. would see Paul as he left to go home. Nevirapine, do not include hidden con- All of us have had a heavy heart, miss- He was a regular and a welcome sight ditions which may serve to undermine ing Paul Coverdell. My office is in the to all of us. these important initiatives. immediate vicinity of his, and I keep When the bells would ring for us to Nevirapine, given in tablet form, as I thinking he will pop out the door on vote, we seemed to answer that call at understand it, does not have a lot of my way to a vote or back. the same time. We often came out of side effects and can be given in a way In the Bible, there is a famous story our doors at the same time and walked that encourages pregnant women about a man named Paul. God had a over together. We had a lot of inter- throughout the continent to use it, and special mission for him. Though Paul esting discussions about politics and thereby in 90 percent of the cases pre- was not aware of it, God made His pres- legislative strategy. I lapped it all up. vent the transmission of the HIV virus ence known when He needed him and I was an eager and ready student, and to the unborn child. called him into service. That Paul had he was a tremendous mentor. In addition, I believe alongside ini- no choice. He answered the call and did Our staffs seemed to bond, too. We tiatives by the pharmaceutical indus- as he was asked. God calls us all like were all in this together, and the cama- try, access to low cost and/or generic that, though some of us never hear it. raderie that developed among us helped drugs embodied in the President's May God called Paul Coverdell like that, us take on some issues that needed to 11 Executive Order is still very impor- too. When Paul heard the call, he lis- be addressed. It is a tradition I have adopted from him that I hope to con- tant. The few developing countries that tened and he answered. tinue through my years of service in have significant access to medicines First, He called him to work in the the Senate. for people with HIV/AIDS gained access Peace Corps, as there was a need and someone had to fill it. During his serv- Through the years, I remember the by aggressively pursuing generic strat- times we spent in difficult meetings egies. In Brazil, 80,000 people have been ice there, he made a difference in a lot of lives. God must have been very with emotions running high and pres- treated with generic drugs that have sure coming down from all sides to get brought the cost of triple drug therapy pleased with him because then He de- something done. That is when TRENT down to approximately $1,000 a year. cided to put him in charge of greater LOTT would say: ``Let's let Mikey do While in Uganda, where the Govern- things. Those greater things led him to serve it.'' I was always relieved to see that ment was working with brand name he was talking about Paul. I never drugs through a U.N. AIDS initiative, in the Senate. Again, there was a need and, again, Paul was there to answer knew Trent was making a reference to fewer than 1,000 people have been treat- an old-time television commercial, but the call. He was a remarkable force ed, due to cost constraints. I knew he meant Paul and not me, here, an incredible powerhouse of prin- Bringing the HIV/AIDS pandemic which was a relief because Paul always ciples and ideas, and they were all in under control in sub-Saharan Africa got the job done. and preventing HIV/AIDS from becom- motion whenever he would speak. He Paul Coverdell had a lot of jobs to do ing a pandemic in other regions of the had an infectious enthusiasm that in the Senate, and he took them all on developing world is one of the great seemed to emanate from every fiber of eagerly and with enthusiasm because moral tests of our time. If govern- his being as he made his points. His he loved legislating; he loved serving ments, nonprofits, and the pharma- gestures and his facial expressions al- the people of Georgia, the people of ceutical industry work together, I be- ways drew the listener in and caught this Nation, and his neighbors around lieve we can control what will other- their attention as he spoke with pas- the world because he cared so very wise be the greatest preventable hu- sion about his philosophy and his poli- deeply about each and every person. manitarian catastrophe in history. tics. I heard it said that there is no higher Government and nonprofits are now He was a great strategist because he calling than public service. It must be beginning to take this crisis seriously. could put himself in someone else's true because it caught Paul Coverdell's So are the pharmaceutical companies shoes and understand how someone else attention. In all he did in his life, there that produce drugs to treat HIV/AIDS. thought and felt about the issues that is no question that he was a remark- The offer by Boehringer Ingelheim to came up for debate and discussion. He able public servant by any standard. provide free Nevirapine to developing could see many perspectives, and all at Unfortunately, he will not get to a countries for 5 years to prevent moth- once he had an innate sense of how lot of the landmarks we cherish around er-to-child transmission of HIV, and they would all interplay, how they here, like casting 10,000 votes, but the creation of a coalition of five major would connect and collide. That was every vote he did cast was with the manufacturers of HIV/AIDS drugs to why he always seemed to have the an- greatest thought, consideration, and work with the United Nations to de- swers. He knew what his opponents reflection, and that is the true mark of liver drugs to victims of this crisis, are were thinking before they were even a legislator. major steps in the effort to control the thinking it. He lived every day with great enthu- HIV/AIDS pandemic. But the biggest reason for his suc- siasm, energy, focus, concern, and I just want to say I am very grateful. cesses in the Senate was his great de- imagination. In fact, I think of him as I believe this Senate should also salute votion to the principles of common an ``imagineer.'' That is someone who this action. I would like to encourage sense. He knew that the best answer can see a problem as a challenge and other pharmaceutical companies to fol- was the one that made the most sense. then use a great reservoir of talent, low the example these five companies All of his hard work and determined ef- skill, and a little luck to solve it. That are setting. fort was aimed at one target: finding is the true mark of a great human Mr. President, I yield the floor. common ground, working with his col- being and great friend. Someday when The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. leagues, and creating a consensus that we leave the Senate and return home FRIST). The Senator from New Mexico led to a solution to the problem. to begin another adventure in each of is recognized. When I arrived in the Senate, I found our lives, I have no doubt we will take Mr. BINGAMAN. I thank the Chair. myself on the last rung of the seniority with us at least one or two special (The remarks of Mr. BINGAMAN per- ladder, No. 100. I did not know how memories of Paul that we will cherish taining to the introduction of S. 2905 lucky I was. After the room selections for a lifetime. VerDate 21-JUL-2000 01:06 Jul 22, 2000 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G21JY6.033 pfrm01 PsN: S21PT1 July 21, 2000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE S7423 As mortals we cannot see the great portant as I stand here today, Mr. ters. We would hold joint hearings on plan of the Master's hand for the uni- President.