Mr. President, I oppose the passage of House Bill No. 4344 for a number of reasons; so many that I don’t know that I’ll be able to express all of them. But, first of all, I oppose a bill that has absolutely no funding in it. I oppose a bill that does not provide care to poor people; no health care. I oppose a bill that provides no support for hospitals, no support for nursing homes, no support for in-home care for the elderly, no support for mental health clients, and no support for substance abuse services.

I understand that this body thinks that we have to pass this bill with nothing in it to move the process forward, but I say that I believe that I have some responsibility to represent the citizens who are in my district. I believe that each one of us is giving up that right if we pass this bill.

We have been talking about having to move the process forward for ten months and we have not done a thing. We had a lot of time to move this process forward and we have not done it. It is my belief that we should take the time that is necessary, put in a bill that shows what you stand for, and if you don’t think we need to be funding services and making cuts, then you should point out exactly where those cuts are going to be made. This is a coward’s bill.

I think that we are making a huge mistake. We are not representing the citizens of this state very well, and I don’t think that we are standing for anything at all. So I am voting "no."