[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 797 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 797

Honoring the life and achievements of former United States Senator Paul 
Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condolences to the family of Paul Spyros 
                        Sarbanes on his passing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 8, 2020

 Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Schumer, 
 Mr. Alexander, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, 
  Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mr. 
Brown, Mr. Burr, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. 
  Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. 
Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Enzi, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Gardner, 
Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Harris, Ms. Hassan, Mr. 
  Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. 
Inhofe, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Jones, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
 King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lee, Mrs. Loeffler, 
  Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Ms. 
 Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Paul, Mr. Perdue, Mr. Peters, 
 Mr. Portman, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, 
Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sasse, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Scott of 
  Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Shelby, Ms. 
 Sinema, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, 
    Mr. Tillis, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Udall, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. 
    Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the life and achievements of former United States Senator Paul 
Spyros Sarbanes and expressing condolences to the family of Paul Spyros 
                        Sarbanes on his passing.

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was born on February 3, 1933, in Salisbury, 
        Maryland, to Matina and Spyros P. Sarbanes, who had emigrated from 
        Laconia, Greece;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes graduated from Wicomico High School and earned a 
        full scholarship and a bachelor's degree from the School of Public and 
        International Affairs at Princeton University in 1954;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes earned a Rhodes Scholarship and graduated from 
        Balliol College of the University of Oxford with a First Class degree in 
        1957, and then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960;
Whereas, in 1960, Paul Spyros Sarbanes married his wife, Christine Dunbar, who 
        was his partner in all his endeavors, in addition to being a wonderful 
        teacher of the classics, Latin, Greek, and French, an avid reader, and a 
        volunteer with the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Walters Art Museum, and 
        the Baltimore Volunteer Groups to the United States Fund for UNICEF;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes and his late wife Christine have--

    (1) 3 children, John, Michael, and Janet; and

    (2) 7 grandchildren;

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes drew inspiration and passion for public service 
        from the ancient Greeks, who said, ``those who lived only in private 
        life were falling short'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a member of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the 
        Annunciation in Baltimore, Maryland, and held the highest lay office of 
        the Church, ``Order of St. Andrew, Archon of the Ecumenical 
        Patriarchate'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 
        1966;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United States House of 
        Representatives in 1970, and in 1974, he introduced the first articles 
        of impeachment against President Richard Nixon for obstruction of 
        justice;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was elected to the United States Senate in 1976, 
        and served on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 
        Foreign Relations, and Budget of the Senate, and the Joint Economic 
        Committee;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes's long-time partner in the Senate, Senator Barbara 
        Mikulski of Maryland, jokingly referred to them as ``diner Democrats'' 
        in recognition of his parents, who owned a restaurant, and hers, who 
        owned a grocery store, and their dedication to the everyday concerns of 
        Marylanders and the people of the United States;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes developed a reputation for honesty, intellect, and 
        integrity, working cooperatively with his colleagues and preferring 
        results over credit;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a deep understanding of economic issues, honed 
        as an aide to Walter Heller on President John F. Kennedy's Council of 
        Economic Advisors, and was a leader on critical financial issues 
        including the Community Reinvestment Act, affordable housing, and anti-
        money laundering efforts;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as Chairman of the Committee on Banking, 
        Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and wrote the Sarbanes-Oxley 
        Act of 2002, which passed the Senate unanimously, to reform and 
        strengthen oversight of corporate governance and the accounting industry 
        in the wake of the Enron scandal;
Whereas President George W. Bush said the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 included 
        ``the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the 
        time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt'' and President Barack Obama called it 
        ``a towering achievement that will strengthen the American economy for 
        many years to come'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a champion of the Chesapeake Bay, working to 
        improve access through the Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Program 
        and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and to 
        improve the health of the Bay with the Chesapeake Restoration Act, 
        oyster restoration, and the Poplar Island project;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes had a reputation as a man of deep principle, which 
        led to his inclusion in the impeachment proceedings against President 
        Richard Nixon and the investigations into Iran Contra and Whitewater;
Whereas journalist and author Elizabeth Drew, writing about Watergate, wrote of 
        Paul Spyros Sarbanes, ``History and process lift people, and they have 
        lifted this group--and given the public a chance to see it. Paul 
        Sarbanes would not have looked at all bad at the Constitutional 
        Convention; he might have been one of the great ones'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was committed to the United States' leadership in 
        the world, sought peaceful engagement with our allies, played a key role 
        in the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties and anti-apartheid 
        laws, and voted against the authorization of use of military force in 
        Iraq in 2003;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes received numerous awards for his time in service, 
        including the Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award, the Rolfe 
        Award for Extraordinary Impact on Policy in Economics, Business, and 
        Finance, and the Cox, Coleman, Richardson Award for Distinguished Public 
        Service;
Whereas, in his farewell speech to the Senate, Paul Spyros Sarbanes said, 
        ``Throughout my years in public service, I have worked to the limits of 
        my ability to provide the people of Maryland and the Nation dedicated, 
        informed, and independent representation based on the fundamental 
        principles of integrity and intelligence. I have been guided in this 
        effort by a vision of a decent and just America, based on a strong sense 
        of community and offering fairness and opportunity to all its people'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes continued in his farewell speech that ``Service in 
        this body has reinforced, many times over, my understanding and 
        commitment to the institutions upon which our system of democratic 
        governance critically depends'' and ``So long as the vision of America's 
        promise continues to shine brightly in this body, I have every 
        confidence that our Nation will prevail in the face of great challenges 
        and that its future will be assured'';
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was the longest-serving Senator from the State of 
        Maryland when he retired in 2006;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes served as a mentor and friend to his colleagues and 
        the dedicated staff in his offices on Capitol Hill and in the State of 
        Maryland;
Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes will be remembered for--

    (1) his intellect, understanding of issues, and incisive questioning of 
witnesses before his committees;

    (2) the trust he built and wisdom and counsel he shared with his 
colleagues; and

    (3) his unwavering commitment to the people of the United States, and 
especially the people he served in Maryland; and

Whereas Paul Spyros Sarbanes was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and son 
        who passed away on December 6, 2020, at the age of 87: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the Senate--
                    (A) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret 
                the announcement of the death of the Honorable Paul 
                Spyros Sarbanes, former member of the United States 
                Senate;
                    (B) recognizes the life and achievements of the 
                Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes;
                    (C) expresses condolences to the family of the 
                Honorable Paul Spyros Sarbanes on his passing; and
                    (D) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the 
                Senate--
                            (i) communicate this resolution to the 
                        House of Representatives; and
                            (ii) transmit an enrolled copy of this 
                        resolution to the family of the Honorable Paul 
                        Spyros Sarbanes; and
            (2) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand adjourned as a 
        further mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable Paul 
        Spyros Sarbanes.
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