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119th CONGRESS
2d Session |
Honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
Mr. Peters (for himself, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Thune, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Armstrong, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Budd, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Husted, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Justice, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Luján, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Moran, Mr. Moreno, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Risch, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
Whereas Donald W. Riegle, Jr., honorably served the people of Michigan and the United States over a public career spanning nearly 3 decades;
Whereas Senator Riegle was born on February 4, 1938, in Flint, Michigan, and was 1 of 3 children of Dorothy Grace Riegle and Donald Wayne Riegle, who owned a printing business and was a mayor of Flint;
Whereas Senator Riegle was a graduate of Flint Central High School, attended Flint Junior College and Western Michigan University, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and economics from the University of Michigan–Flint in 1960;
Whereas Senator Riegle received a Master of Business Administration in finance from Michigan State University in 1961 and went on to pursue doctoral studies in business and government relations at Harvard Business School while working as a financial analyst at IBM;
Whereas Senator Riegle also served as a faculty member, teaching at Michigan State University, Boston University, and Harvard University before running for Congress;
Whereas Senator Riegle was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1966 at the age of 28, when he ran as a Republican in the traditionally Democratic 7th Congressional District of Michigan, and represented the District as a Republican from 1967 to 1973;
Whereas, having grown increasingly disenchanted with President Richard M. Nixon over the Vietnam War, civil rights, and other issues, Senator Riegle switched parties and represented the 7th Congressional District of Michigan as a member of the Democratic Party from 1973 to 1977;
Whereas, while in the House of Representatives, Senator Riegle was one of the co-sponsors of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.), which outlaws discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status in granting credit and was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on October 28 1974;
Whereas Senator Riegle was elected to the United States Senate in 1976 and served 3 terms, from 1977 to 1995;
Whereas Senator Riegle served as Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, where he played a leading role in shaping national policy on financial institutions, housing, and economic development, including the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–325; 108 Stat. 2160) that—
(1) established the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to seed and support financial institutions dedicated to supporting community development;
(2) increased consumer protections for high rate home equity loans;
(3) increased credit availability to small businesses;
(4) streamlined the regulation of depository institutions; and
(5) reformed the National Flood Insurance Program;
Whereas Senator Riegle also served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health for Families and the Uninsured of the Committee on Finance of the Senate and brought attention to, and encouraged policy discussion of, the growing number of people of the United States without health insurance due to rising costs, job loss, and gaps in employer-based coverage;
Whereas Senator Riegle was a steadfast advocate for Michigan’s manufacturing economy, took a lead role in passing legislation to rescue the Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy in 1979, and steadfastly championed issues in support of working families and the revitalization of communities across the State;
Whereas Senator Riegle led an investigation into the illnesses being experienced by veterans of the Gulf War and in 1994 released The Riegle Report to the United States Senate, which concluded that United States Gulf War veterans were likely exposed to low-level chemical and biological agents and called for further Government investigation into, and recourse for, war veterans suffering from Gulf War syndrome;
Whereas Senator Riegle was known for his independence, integrity, and willingness to work across party lines in the interest of the people of the United States;
Whereas, after leaving public office, Senator Riegle continued to contribute to public life through his work in academia, policy, and civic engagement;
Whereas Donald W. Riegle, Jr., passed away on Friday, April 24, 2026, at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated public service and commitment to the people of Michigan and the United States;
Whereas Senator Riegle is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Lori Hansen Riegle, 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandson; and
Whereas Senator Riegle is remembered by his family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who benefited from his leadership and service: Now, therefore, be it
(1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former member of the Senate;
(2) honors the life and legacy of former United States Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr., for his decades of service to the State of Michigan and the United States, and expresses its deep condolences to his family and loved ones;
(3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to communicate this resolution to the House of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Donald W. Riegle, Jr.; and
(4) when the Senate adjourns on the date of the adoption of this resolution, the Senate stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr.