To watch or listen to the Senate floor live please visit CSPAN2

The Focus of Today's Session will be
the Medical Malpractice Bill

5:50 P.M.

Senator Kyl of Arizona, a member of the Judiciary Committee, is speaking about the medical malpractice bill.  He is describing some of the negative affects that lawsuits are having both on the hospitals in his state and nationwide.  Senator Kyl has asked his colleagues to join him in supporting the legislation, to provide their constituents with the best health care possible by ending the debate on malpractice.

5:05 P.M.

Senator Collins of Maine is speaking on the misuse of prescription drugs.  She cited figures that show nationwide, emergency room visits from the inappropriate use of prescription drugs has risen in the past year and 1 in 5 teenagers has said that they have abused prescription drugs.  Senator Collins has just offered a bill to help prevent prescription drug abuse through monitoring systems and grant programs to states. 

4:05 P.M.

Displaying a creative chart showing a football field with a football labeled "JOBS bill" at the ten yard line, Senator Grassley is speaking about the importance of passing the JOBS bill.  Between the football and the end zone lies the "Euro Tax." Senators frequently use large charts, called floor charts, to illustrate their points. 

3:45 P.M.

Taking a quick moment out the debate over medical liability, Senators Frist and Alexander of Tennessee praised the Tennessee women's basketball team and their success in the NCAA basketball tournament.  Tennessee is playing Connecticut for the national championship this evening. 

3:15 P.M.

Saying that his state of Mississippi has sometimes referred to a "Hell-hole," when it comes to medical liability, Senator Lott has been speaking in support of the medical liability bill. 

3:15 P.M.

Senator Grassley, Chairman of the Finance Committee is speaking about the JOBS bill, that was passed out of his committee.  The Senate has worked on the JOBS bill periodically in the past two weeks, but could not come to agreement over an amendment proposed by Senator Harkin that would help protect the overtime pay of millions of workers. 

2:50 P.M.

Returning to a common theme in his speech, Senator Leahy concluded by saying that the Senate should take a hard look at its priorities.  He questioned whether we should be focused on finding six figure jobs for three of the President's most controversial judicial nominees, or is it more appropriate to focus on the millions of people that have not seen an increase in the minimum wage for eight years. 

2:40 P.M.

Senator Leahy is examining the accomplishments of the Senate this year, pointing out that many on the other side of the aisle have misplaced priorities.  Many Senators have focused on the confirmation of three judges, yet seem to have no concern for the millions of unemployed or under paid.  Illustrating his points with a floor chart, Senator Leahy is pointing out that the majority has refused to hold votes on extending unemployment insurance, protecting overtime pay and raising the minimum wage.  To see Senator Leahy's chart, click here.

2:25 P.M.

Continuing to speak about medical malpractice, Senator Leahy is relating the experience of a woman in Vermont, who was awarded $2.4 million for her past and future medical expenses and $5 million for the “daily pain she does suffer and for the lost of enjoyment of her life.” Under the proposed law, the victim would only get $250,000 for her pain, suffering, and economic loss. 

2:15 P.M.

Senator Leahy is on the Senate floor, remarking that in his 29 years in the Senate, he has never seen so little accomplished.  Rather, it seems that this year the majority is more interested in politics that the business of the American people.  The Senator cited this bill regarding medical malpractice as a prime example of a one size fits all approach that is written by the special interests. 

2:00 P.M.

Senator Hatch, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee is on the floor speaking about the "medical liability crisis," which he sites as restricting access to health care.  Senator Hatch likened the current liability system to a traffic cop that gives out more tickets to drivers that go through green lights than drivers that run red lights. 

1:45 P.M.

Senator Wyden of Oregon is speaking about unemployment among computer programmers.  Senator Wyden has been working with Senator Coleman of Minnesota on a bipartisan effort to offer assistance to displaced workers.  Their effort would open doors to trade adjustment assistance, a federal program, provides financial assistance to manufacturers affected by import competition, for technology workers that are displaced.

1:10 P.M.

Senator Enzi of Wyoming said that lawsuits about medical malpractice should help prevent mistakes in the health care system, but the current litigation system has failed to prove that this is true.  He continued to say that our current framework pits patients against doctors and there has to be a better, fairer way to compensate victims. 

12:30 P.M.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas is using a chart to show the number of states that are already in crisis mode or that are headed toward a crisis based on the rising costs of liability insurance and the effect those prices are having on doctors' practice. Concluding with "like it or not, we will all be patients at some time in the future," Senator Cornyn is urging his colleagues to pass the Medical Malpractice bill.

11:50 A.M.

While mentioning that he used to be a heart surgeon and describing a procedure he once performed when he was a surgeon, Senator Bill Frist is talking about how many medical specialists have stopped performing surgery in the emergency room since it results in their liability premiums increasing drastically. He is stating that neurosurgeons pay insurance premiums in excess of $400,000 a year.

11:35 A.M.

Moving on from morning business, the Senate is now resuming consideration of the Medical Malpractice bill. Senator Gregg, Chairman of the Health, Labor, Education and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is beginning the debate with pointing out the fundamental problem of doctors having to have adequate liability coverage in order to practice but that the prices for liability insurance has become so expensive.

11:30 A.M.

Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is discussing the importance of his overtime pay protection amendment and is urging the Department of Labor to crack down on unscrupulous corporations which unfairly take advantage of their workers. He is claiming it is the right of the American worker to be paid time-and-a-half for working more than 40 hours, and he would like that to be protected by the law.

10:55 A.M.

Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is responding to comments made earlier this morning by other senators concerning the JOBS bill.  He is asking that the Republicans allow a vote on Senator Harkin's amendment concerning overtime pay protection for workers, an amendment to the JOBS bill.

10:45 A.M.

Coming to the floor to speak in favor of passing the JOBS bill, Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire is voicing his frustration with the Democrats' filibustering this bill. Senate Democrats have wanted to debate this bill longer, because they would like to create solutions for matters such as the outsourcing of jobs to other countries and the protection of overtime pay.

10:15 A.M.

Senator Bob Bennett of Utah is responding to a speech that Senator Ted Kennedy made recently at the Brookings Institute, because he feels that this speech is an outline for the position that the Democrats will take during this year's election. Senator Bennett is claiming that people cannot criticize the President for both doing too much in Iraq and not doing enough before 9/11.

10:05 A.M.

Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is beginning today by discussing that he has filed for cloture votes to occur on both the Medical Malpractice bill and the JOBS bill. The Senate will vote tomorrow afternoon around 2:15 on whether to invoke cloture on the Medical Malpractice bill. Later in the week, there will be a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the JOBS bill. Senator Frist expressed his frustration with the Senate's consideration of the JOBS bill, because he feels that debate was "slowed because of unrelated amendments." An amendment concerning protection of overtime time for workers is one of the amendments being debated.

10:00 A.M.

The Senate convenes today at 10:00 am for a period of morning business. At 11:00, the Senate will resume consideration of S.2207, the Pregnancy and Trauma Care Access Protection bill, better known as the Medical Malpractice bill.  No votes have been scheduled for today.