[Senate Document 109-30]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
From the Senate Documents Online via GPO Access
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From the Senate Documents Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
S. Doc. 109-30
TRIBUTES TO HON. MIKE DeWINE
Mike DeWine
U.S. SENATOR FROM OHIO
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
Mike DeWine
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Mike DeWine
United States Congressman
1983-1991
United States Senator
1995-2007
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2007
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Farewell to the Senate................................
ix
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
11
Allen, George, of Virginia.....................
12
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
37
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
14, 20
Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
23
Clinton, Hillary Rodham, of New York...........
22
Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
3, 20
DeWine, Mike, of Ohio
...............................................
......
3, 11, 19, 24
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
29
Dole, Elizabeth, of North Carolina.............
39
Durbin, Richard, of Illinois
...............................................
.....
4, 13, 26
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
34
Feingold, Russell D., of Wisconsin.............
16
Frist, William H., of Tennessee................
38
Hagel, Chuck, of Nebraska......................
5
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
30
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
38
Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
17
Kohl, Herb, of Wisconsin.......................
21
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
24
Landrieu, Mary L., of Louisiana................
22
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
33
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
25
Mikulski, Barbara A., of Maryland..............
28
Nelson, Bill, of Florida.......................
12
Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
11
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
24
Rockefeller, John D., IV, of West Virginia.....
27
Salazar, Ken, of Colorado......................
3, 14
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
36
Stevens, Ted, of Alaska........................
38
Voinovich, George V., of Ohio..................
6
Warner, John, of Virginia......................
18
Biography
Mike DeWine was born on January 5, 1947, and grew up in
Yellow Springs, OH. As the son of parents and grandparents
who ran a small agricultural business, he spent his youth
and early adult life working in the fields and in the
mill, learning the value of hard work and determination.
He carried these values with him first to Miami University
in Oxford, OH, where he graduated in 1969 with a degree in
education and then to Ohio Northern University Law School
in Ada, OH, where he graduated in 1972 with a law degree.
Soon afterward he began his career in public service--a
career that spanned more than 30 years and involved work
at all levels of government. Firm in his belief that
criminals should be brought to justice, Mr. DeWine--at the
age of 25--started working as the assistant prosecuting
attorney for Greene County, and in 1976 he was elected
prosecutor. What he learned during those years in the
prosecutor's office stayed with him and compelled him to
continue in public service in a variety of capacities. He
served as an Ohio State Senator, a four-term U.S.
Congressman, and as Ohio's 59th Lieutenant Governor. He
was sworn into the U.S. Senate on January 4, 1995, as the
first Republican U.S. Senator to represent the Buckeye
State in more than two decades. In 2000 he was the first
Republican U.S. Senator in nearly a half century to be
reelected to serve Ohio.
In his determination to get things done for those in
need, Mike DeWine has been dubbed the ``bodyguard of the
poor.'' He developed a reputation in Washington, DC, for
being hard-working, honest, and solution-oriented. He
immersed himself in issues that do not necessarily grab
headlines, but are vital to the well-being and prosperity
of Ohioans, Americans, and citizens across the globe. Mike
DeWine became a recognized national leader in efforts to
secure the health, welfare, and safety of children;
provide young people with the best possible education;
help ease humanitarian suffering and the spread of disease
around the world; and improve the Nation's ability to
gather intelligence to protect Americans from terrorists.
He also worked to protect and restore unique natural
areas, including the Great Lakes, for the enjoyment of
future generations; promote job opportunities through an
improved, user-friendly job training system; ensure law
enforcement officials have access to advanced technology;
stem the flow of drugs into the United States; and secure
a balanced budget, cut taxes, and promote economic
opportunities.
Mike DeWine and his wife Fran, who have been married
more than 37 years, are the parents of 8 children and
grandparents of 10 grandchildren. As a parent,
grandparent, and U.S. Senator, he knows that the safety
and security of American children extend beyond measures
to protect their immediate well-being. He knows that the
world he helped shape is the world these children and
grandchildren will inherit tomorrow, and he remains
vigilant in his work to secure the children's future
through the stabilization of countries around the world.
Through his membership on several Senate committees,
Mike DeWine was able to work on legislative efforts that
directly impact American's health, safety, and security.
Senator DeWine was the first Ohio Senator in nearly six
decades to serve on the Appropriations Committee--a
committee tasked with the responsibility of determining
the use and distribution of U.S. Federal tax dollars. He
was chairman of the Antitrust, Competition Policy and
Consumer Rights Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee.
As a member of the Judiciary Committee he worked on many
anti-crime initiatives as well as immigration and judicial
nominations. As chairman of the Retirement Security and
Aging Subcommittee of the Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions (HELP) Committee Mr. DeWine helped develop and
review legislation to modernize and strengthen America's
pension system and study the needs and concerns of the
aging U.S. population. As a member of the HELP Committee
he continued his work to protect the health and welfare of
children, adults, and the elderly, as well as his efforts
to limit drug and alcohol abuse and promote vital mental
health services for those in need.
Other committee work in the Senate included his
membership in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
where he helped lead the Joint House-Senate Intelligence
Committee investigation into U.S. intelligence lapses and
the events preceding and following 9/11. He understood
that the safety of Americans is intrinsically linked to
the quality of U.S. intelligence, and through his
membership on the Intelligence Committee he worked to
improve U.S. information-gathering capabilities and
protect Americans from terrorist threats. He also served
as cochairman of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force; the
Senate Caucus on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children;
and the Senate Global AIDS Crisis Working Group; and was a
member of the Senate Drug Task Force.
Farewell to the Senate
Friday, December 8, 2006
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, early on Thanksgiving day,
Mary Frances Darling was born. She is our 10th grandchild
and the 6th child of our daughter Jill and her husband
Bill. As I said on election night this year, I am a very
lucky man. I am blessed with a wonderful family.
I am also blessed because for the last 30 years--30
years--the people of Ohio have given me the opportunity to
represent them, first as Green County prosecuting
attorney, then as State senator, then as a Congressman for
four terms from the Seventh Congressional District, then
Lieutenant Governor, and now, for the past 12 years, in
this wonderful body as a U.S. Senator. For that
opportunity, I will be eternally grateful.
When I came to the Senate in 1995, it had been a little
over a year since our daughter Becky had been killed. I
was, quite candidly, still numb. We as a family had been
through a lot. But I knew that our time here on Earth is
short, and I wanted as best I could to spend my time in
the Senate, whatever time I had, working on tangible
things, getting concrete results that impact the lives of
families in Ohio and in our Nation. I have tried to do
that, but I have not done it alone. Whatever I have
achieved has been with the help of so many people.
Over the past 12 years, I have worked with every Member
of this Senate, and I consider each Member of this Senate
a friend. I have had the privilege to work with two
Republican leaders and one who in January will become the
Republican leader.
Trent and Tricia Lott were two of the first people Fran
and I met when we came to the House in 1983. Tricia is
Fran's best friend here in Washington, and Trent is my
dear friend. I have benefited from his counsel, from his
advice, and from his help, now for well over 20 years.
Bill Frist and I came to the Senate together in 1995.
Karyn and Bill are very good friends. Bill has been an
unbelievably accessible leader. We share a passion for
fighting the spread of AIDS. Bill's public role in that
cause is obvious and apparent to everyone. But what is not
so obvious and what is little known is what Bill Frist has
done behind the scenes, what his role has been in working
with so many people, working with the White House and
others to get this job done. No one has played a bigger
role. And when the history is written, Bill Frist's name
will be there in bold print as someone who has saved so
many, many lives.
Mitch McConnell. Mitch and Elaine are dear friends. When
I faced the tough challenge of getting a bill or amendment
passed, I went to Mitch. I have done it for 12 years. I
did it as recently as yesterday. Mitch McConnell is tough.
He is strong. He is wise. He will be a great leader. His
advice as to how to thread the legislative needle is
responsible for so much of what I have passed. He also has
a big heart, as was demonstrated time and time again when
I would go to him. He is chairman of the Foreign
Operations Subcommittee. After I talked to him, he would,
at my request, put money into things which saved
children's lives, child survival or to save little
children, little babies in Haiti. He did it. He got it
done. He made a difference.
I have been lucky enough to serve on the Judiciary,
Appropriations, HELP, and Intelligence Committees, and I
want to thank the chairmen who have led those committees
over the past 12 years. I was the first Ohio Senator to
serve on the Appropriations Committee since 1945. With the
help of Chairman Stevens, Chairman Cochran, and their
staffs, I was able to secure well over $1 billion for
projects throughout Ohio that make a difference.
I particularly thank Arlen Specter. I thank his clerk
and my good friend, Bettilou Taylor. They have both been
so helpful to me in securing millions of dollars for
programs through Labor-HHS appropriations. These two
dedicated public servants helped me provide funding for
important programs, things such as the Children's Hospital
Graduate Medical Education Program and projects in Ohio to
build facilities and provide services for people with
disabilities. They also helped me fund projects to help
meet the health needs of seniors and low-income
communities throughout the State. Because of them, I have
been able to secure over $12 million for Ohio's children's
hospitals.
Senator Specter, Bettilou, let me tell you from the
bottom of my heart and on behalf of Ohio's sick and poor
kids and their families, I thank you.
I also sincerely thank Judiciary Committee Chairmen
Specter and Hatch; HELP Committee Chairmen Enzi, Gregg,
and Jeffords; and Intelligence Committee Chairmen Roberts
and Shelby. I have been fortunate to have passed dozens of
bills and amendments in my career in the Senate, and most
of them were provisions that I worked along with these
chairmen to pass. It would never have happened without
them. I appreciate their help.
I appreciate all the help Finance Committee Chairman
Chuck Grassley has given me--a dear friend--especially
when it came to passing my bills to improve the foster
care and adoption system. I have worked with many Members
of the Senate on this very important issue, foster care
and adoption, including Senators Jay Rockefeller, Mary
Landrieu, Larry Craig, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, John
Chafee, Jesse Helms, Bill Roth, Jim Jeffords, Dan Coats.
They all shared a passion for foster care children. They
all shared a passion for the adoption issue.
I also thank my good friend from Pennsylvania, my friend
who keeps the candy drawer over there, Rick Santorum. Like
so many who spoke about him yesterday, I applaud Rick for
his passion and his absolute fearlessness in standing up
for what he believes. I recall being on this floor many
nights late at night during the debate over partial-birth
abortion. Some nights it was just Rick and me, and we
closed this place. He got it done. I thank him for that.
I also remember how Senator Santorum stood with Senators
Lindsey Graham and Sam Brownback to help me pass my unborn
victims of violence bill and see it signed into law. It
took several years to pass this legislation, and
Congressman Graham had been the sponsor and was the
sponsor of the bill in the House. I applaud his
determination to get this done. When it comes to foreign
policy issues, I share an interest in western hemisphere
issues with my friends Senator Norm Coleman, the chairman,
and Mel Martinez. Mel, thank you. Senator Coleman has
admirably served this body as chairman of the Western
Hemisphere Subcommittee. I sincerely enjoyed traveling
with him to Haiti.
I also enjoyed traveling to Africa with the good Senator
from Tennessee, Lamar Alexander. Lamar has contributed a
great deal to this body. He will contribute more,
especially in the area of education policy, where he is
clearly the expert.
Senator Judd Gregg and I also worked on a very important
education issue. He started it. He worked it. I helped
him. We got it done. That is the School Choice Program
here in Washington, DC. We broke the logjam. We got it
done. I applaud his commitment to the children of this,
our Nation's Capital.
I thank my friends Chuck Hagel and Lindsey Graham for
the good conversations they have shared with me on foreign
policy issues. Speaking of that issue, I thank my neighbor
on the floor and my neighbor to the west in Indiana, Dick
Lugar, for being the rock that he is on foreign policy and
for giving me good counsel and advice.
I want to thank my dear friend John McCain, with whom I
came to the House of Representatives in 1983 and who has
been my friend since. I thank him for his courage. I thank
him for his wise counsel on military and foreign relations
issues.
I also thank a dear friend of mine who does not now
serve in this body, former Senator and Secretary of Energy
Spence Abraham. He did a lot of things. One of the things
that took guts and courage is he fought with me and others
to protect legal immigration while he served in the
Senate. He took a lot of flack for it.
I was honored to work with Senator Gordon Smith,
Senators Harry Reid, Jack Reed, and Chris Dodd, to pass
the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. I applaud Senator
Smith and his wife Sharon for having the courage to take
the tragedy of their son Garrett's suicide and do so many
wonderful things with it. They are wonderful people.
Last year, I was extremely proud to be 1 of 14
bipartisan Members of this great body who decided to work
together to break what had become a gridlock in the Senate
over judicial nominations. In the grand tradition of the
Senate, individuals from both political parties came
together to solve a problem which threatened not only the
judicial nomination process but was threatening to shut
the Senate down completely. I want to thank my friends
with whom I was proud to stand in that effort: John
McCain, John Warner, Lindsey Graham, Olympia Snowe, Susan
Collins, Lincoln Chafee, Joe Lieberman, Senator Byrd, Ben
Nelson, Mary Landrieu, Daniel Inouye, Mark Pryor, and Ken
Salazar. They got it done.
I thank my friend, my colleague, my partner, Senator
George Voinovich. George and I have worked together in the
Senate on so many things for Ohio, from NASA Glenn to the
Great Lakes. We first got together in 1989. We joined up
as partners in 1989 when I decided to leave the U.S.
House--it was a tough decision for me--and join him as his
Lieutenant Governor candidate. I have not regretted it. It
was the right decision, and we have worked together ever
since then. I thank him and I thank his wonderful wife Jan
for their friendship and love.
I also want to thank all the members of the Ohio
congressional delegation with whom I have sincerely
enjoyed working over the years. I have worked with every
one of them. They have all made a difference. They are all
my friends, Democrats and Republicans. Specifically, I
extend my appreciation to my Congressman, my dear friend
Dave Hobson. He is a savvy man. I have gone to him many
times for advice, and I have gone to him to get things
done for Ohio.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank the wonderful staff
people in addition to my own staff whom I have had the
pleasure to work with in the Senate. I thank the
outstanding Senate floor staff: Dave Schiappa, Laura Dove,
and all the other floor staffers who are such wonderful
professionals and who serve us all so well. Thanks to the
staff of the Republican leadership: Eric Ueland; Bill
Hoagland, whom I talked about earlier today and whom I go
to for advice a lot; Kyle Simmons, Malloy McDaniel, Laura
Pemberton, and on and on.
I also thank all the committee staff with whom I had the
pleasure to work. They are too plentiful to name, but I
cannot leave this body without thanking my dear friend
Mary Dietrich, clerk of the DC Appropriations Committee. I
saw Mary on the floor last night. I so enjoyed working
with her. She is a pro. She is great. I also thank Paul
Grove, clerk of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, who
worked with me in helping increase funding for the various
humanitarian aid programs. I know he got tired of seeing
me coming, but he was always gracious and got the job
done.
If there is one thing I have learned in the Senate, it
is that you must work together with members of both
parties, Democrats and Republicans. I see my friend on the
floor, Senator Paul Sarbanes, who will be leaving. I have
worked with him over the years. I have worked with many
Democratic Senators over the years. I want to take a few
minutes to thank them for their willingness to set aside
party politics to make a difference and to get tangible
results.
First, I thank my very good friend Senator Chris Dodd.
Senator Dodd and I have worked together on many bills that
have become law. We worked together--not once, not twice,
but three times--to pass three bills into law to expand
the research and testing of drugs prescribed for children.
Senator Hillary Clinton also joined us in this effort, and
I thank both of them for their dedication and dogged
determination in helping to ensure our children have
access to the medicines they need.
Senator Dodd and I also came together to create a
national toll-free poison control hotline--I will remind
my colleagues one more time of that number: 1-800-222-
1222.
Senator Dodd and I also share a commitment to providing
additional resources for our Nation's firefighters and
first responders. We know that these men and women have
the responsibility of looking out for us and our families,
and we, in turn, have a responsibility to provide them
with the resources they need to do their jobs. Together,
Senator Dodd and I passed the FIRE Act in 2000, and that
law has provided over $3.1 billion for grants to fire
departments around the Nation for needed equipment,
training, and communications technology. I am proud of the
over $100 million in FIRE Act grants that my home State of
Ohio has received.
Finally, Senator Dodd and I worked together with a
wonderful American statesman--Senator Daniel Patrick
Moynihan--to pass the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act,
which has led to the declassification of countless U.S.
Government files containing information about Nazi war
criminals. The American people deserve to have access to
this information. For all of our work together, Senator
Dodd, thank you.
Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Jay Rockefeller
for joining me in fighting to make our adoption system
work better for children around the country. My good
friend Senator Rockefeller was the lead cosponsor of two
of my bills that we got signed into law, and I was the
lead cosponsor of one of his bills that also became law.
These laws have helped minimize the amount of time
children spend in foster care and increased the number of
adoptions across the country.
Those laws are making a difference every day. They are
changing children's lives.
As members of the Senate Steel Caucus, Senator
Rockefeller and I also worked successfully together to
impose tariffs against foreign countries that were dumping
steel in the United States. The dumping by these countries
was hurting our steel industry and, therefore, it was
hurting families throughout Ohio and West Virginia.
Senator Rockefeller and I also teamed up to increase
automobile and highway safety. He is a champion there,
too.
Last year, Senator Rockefeller was the lead cosponsor of
several bills with me that will save lives on our roads.
Together, we passed these bills into law as part of the
last highway bill. We will never know the names or faces
of the people whose lives will be saved by these laws, but
it is enough for both of us to know those men, women, and
children are out there. Senator Rockefeller--it has been a
pleasure to work with you. Thank you.
Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Mary Landrieu.
Senator Landrieu and I share a profound concern for low-
income students around the country and for the welfare of
young people here in the District of Columbia. In 2001, we
worked together to amend the No Child Left Behind Act to
make sure that additional funding went toward low-income
schools and the students who attend those schools. Since
passage of our amendment, low-income schools in Ohio have
received $259 million. I applaud Senator Landrieu for her
commitment to these children.
I also want to thank Senator Landrieu for the excellent
work we did together on the District of Columbia
Appropriations Subcommittee. We worked together on this
subcommittee from 2001 to 2004, and again, our focus was
on improving the health and well-being of children. We
improved the city's long-troubled foster care system and
helped fund various improvements to children's hospitals
in the District. It was truly a pleasure working with the
good Senator from Louisiana.
Mr. President, I have had the great fortune to work
closely on the Judiciary Committee with my friend Senator
Pat Leahy. I am proud of the many things that we worked on
together. Specifically, we both know that our State and
local law enforcement officers need to have the best
technology available to protect our families and loved
ones. I thank Senator Leahy for working with me in 1998 to
pass the Crime Identification Technology Act, known as
CITA. We worked together to develop, pass into law, and
provide funding for this critical bill, which has included
over $500 million to help law enforcement officials
purchase cutting edge forensic and communication
technology and improve their crime labs--all in an effort
to help local law enforcement fight crime and make our
communities safer.
I also appreciated working with Senator Leahy to pass my
bill in 2003 that eliminated the statute of limitations
for child abduction and sex crimes, and required child
pornographers to register as sex offenders. Finally,
Senator Leahy and I worked together, along with
Congressman Ted Strickland in the House, to pass my
mentally ill offenders bill and get it signed into law in
2004. This law goes a long way toward providing mental
health services for criminals desperately in need of those
services. Thank you, Senator Leahy. And, of course,
neither of these laws would have happened without the help
of Judiciary Chairmen Specter and Hatch.
Mr. President, since 1997, I have been a member of the
Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. During my time in the
Senate, sometimes I chaired the subcommittee, and
sometimes my friend Senator Herb Kohl chaired the
subcommittee. But no matter who had the gavel, we ran it
the same way--as a bipartisan committee, which shined a
light on competition issues and helped consumers and
businesses get a fair shake in the marketplace. Both of
our staffs planned the subcommittee agenda together,
organized hearings together, and held meetings together.
That is exactly the way it should be, and I am proud that
Senator Kohl and I were able to achieve and promote a
bipartisan consensus on important antitrust issues in many
critical parts of our economy.
Senator Kohl and I also worked together to write and
pass into law the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act in
2000. We worked on this bill after learning that many law
enforcement agencies did not have the funding to process
DNA material from crime scenes and those DNA samples ended
up just sitting on shelves and not getting analyzed. Our
law provides funding to process these samples, identify
criminals--such as rapists--and get them off the streets.
It has truly been an honor and a privilege to work with
Herb Kohl.
Mr. President, I also have had the distinct pleasure to
work together with Senator Mikulski on the Retirement
Security and Aging Subcommittee. I always knew that my
good friend from Maryland was a tough negotiator, but over
the last Congress, I was reminded of just how determined
and tough she can be when she knows she's right. Thank
heavens, she and I were on the same side.
Senator Mikulski and I worked together this year and in
2000 to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, and we also
joined forces to fight against efforts to weaken the
pension plans of millions of manufacturing retirees and
employees. It was during these negotiations that I was
glad to have a partner as tough as Senator Mikulski, and I
thank her.
Since 1999, I have been the cochairman of the Senate
Great Lakes Task Force with the senior Senator from
Michigan, Carl Levin. Together, Senator Levin and I have
fought side by side to pass laws and increase funding to
help restore and protect the Great Lakes. We passed the
Great Lakes Legacy Act, which has brought over $60 million
to clean up contaminated rivers flowing into the lakes,
including $25 million to clean up the Ashtabula River.
Senator Levin and I also recently won Senate passage of
the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act to
increase the authorization of grants to protect the Great
Lakes, and we worked together to prevent invasive species
from entering the Great Lakes by authorizing and funding a
barrier in Chicago, where Asian carp might enter the
lakes. I thank Senator Levin for his dedication to this
unique natural resource.
I have spent a great deal of my time here in the Senate
fighting for those who are less fortunate and who cannot
fend for themselves--not only here in the United States,
but also throughout the world. Over the years, I have
sponsored and passed several provisions that have
increased funding for humanitarian programs.
I want to thank my good friend Senator Dick Durbin for
working with me to increase funding by $100 million for
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and to increase funding by
over $60 million for the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV/AIDS. Senator Durbin has also worked
with me to help provide assistance to the poorest nation
in our hemisphere--and that is Haiti. Dick, Fran and I
traveled together to Haiti and I thank him for joining me
in efforts to provide a better life for the people of
Haiti. He is a good and compassionate man, and I thank him
for his work and for his friendship.
Once again, these things would not have happened but for
Mitch McConnell, Pat Leahy, and the people on the
subcommittee who provided the money.
While I am talking about Senator Durbin, I also want to
thank him for joining me in passing legislation that
guaranteed that the children of service members who die in
service to their country don't lose their free health care
coverage. Before our law, children of service members who
died serving their country would lose their free health
care after 3 years. But, children whose parents were in
the military and did not die would receive health care
until they turned 21. That just wasn't right, and Senator
Durbin agreed with me. Together, we changed that law. I
thank him for working with me on that effort, and I thank
Chairman Warner for working with us on this bill. It could
not have happened without him.
Mr. President, I also had the pleasure of working with
Senators Durbin, Corzine, Biden, and Brownback, as we have
tried to help bring a stop to the terrible genocide that
is occurring in Darfur.
Together, we have increased funding for humanitarian
relief and security efforts in this war-torn region, where
so many innocent victims continue to suffer. I was proud
to join my friends in this effort, and I know they will
continue this fight.
Mr. President, none of these important increases to
these HIV/AIDS and humanitarian aid programs could have
happened without the help of the chairman and ranking
member of the Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations
Subcommittee--Senators McConnell and Senator Leahy. To
both of them and to their able staffs, thank you.
I want to thank Senator Frank Lautenberg for working
with me to set a national 0.08 blood alcohol content
standard for alcohol-impaired drivers.
This was a tough fight, and Senator Lautenberg is a good
man to have with you in such a fight. I am proud to say
that in 2000 we successfully got our bill passed and
signed into law.
Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Byrd, not only
for the legislation that we have worked on together, but
more important for the outstanding service he has given
this body and this country. Senator Byrd and I worked
together years ago to pass the Continued Dumping Subsidy
Offset Act--a law that helped bring hundreds of millions
of dollars to U.S. manufacturing companies that were the
victims of illegal dumping by foreign companies. This law
brought over $315 million to manufacturers in Ohio. Thank
you Senator Byrd for the work we've done together and for
your outstanding service to this Senate and to this
Nation.
Mr. President, I want to wish the best to all of my
fellow Senators who were defeated this fall or who are
retiring this year--Senators Frist, Santorum, Talent,
Burns, Allen, Chafee, Dayton, and Jeffords. They are all
good people and all good friends. I wish them well.
Mr. President, I want to take a moment to say that I
still miss my good friend Senator Paul Wellstone. Senator
Wellstone was a determined and outstanding public servant.
In 1998, Paul and I worked closely together to write the
law that reformed and improved the effectiveness of job
training programs. It was always a pleasure to work with
Paul Wellstone--such a passionate and committed and
dedicated public servant.
Mr. President, as my colleagues all know, none of us
could get anything done here in this body if it were not
for the extremely dedicated, hard-working people on our
staffs. I am grateful for the men and women who work for
me now and those who have worked for me all through my
time in the U.S. Senate. I didn't say thank you often
enough, but I want each of you to know how much I
sincerely appreciate all you have done for me--all you
have done to help the people of Ohio and the people of
this Nation. I say to them: You have done such great work.
You have helped people. You have improved their lives and,
in some cases, you have saved lives through your efforts.
You have made a difference, and you all should be very
proud. I know I am proud of each and every one of you.
I have been so fortunate to have had so many qualified,
talented people working for me over the years. Time will
not permit me to name each one, but I thank all of them
collectively for their efforts.
Thank you to all the schedulers who through the years
got me where I needed to go and kept me on track. I would
be lost, literally, without you.
Thank you to all my personal assistants and executive
assistants. You all have taken such good care of me,
which, admittedly, has been tough to do. I have not made
it easy.
Thank you to my press team--all my past press
secretaries and press assistants. You have helped spread
the word about the good things this team has done for the
people of Ohio. I thank you for your diligence and
dedication.
I thank my legislative staff--all my legislative
assistants, professional committee staff, legislative
aides, legislative correspondents, researchers, and
writers. You have been the best team any Senator could
ever ask for. I am proud of you. You have worked so hard,
so tirelessly, and with such commitment. You got things
done. You have made a difference.
Thank you to all my current and past staff assistants,
receptionists, and interns. You have been on the front
lines every single day. You have heard a lot. You manned
the phones. You greeted all of our constituents. You have
helped me in countless ways. You have done your job so
well with great respect, grace, and patience.
Thank you to our mail team. One thing is certain in this
business: the letters and e-mails never stop coming. That
is a good thing. Thank you for opening all the
correspondence, sorting it, taking care of it, and making
sure responses got out. I bless you for that.
Thank you to all my past office managers and system
administrators. You have kept my office running. Without
each of you, we couldn't open our doors each business day.
You are great.
Thank you to my entire team in Ohio--to all my current
and past regional directors, district representatives,
staff assistants, and caseworkers. You are the best Ohio
has to offer. I am proud to have worked with each one of
you. I couldn't have done my job without you. You all know
our State so very well. You have been so caring and kind
to our constituents. Thank you from the bottom of my
heart.
While it would be impossible for me to talk about each
of my past staff members individually, I would like to
take a moment to say a few things about some of my key
advisers over the years. I will dearly miss working with
each one of you. Bluntly, I don't know how I am going to
get along.
Thank you to my past and present finance team. They are
the ones who got me here: Mary Sabin, Rachel Pearson, Amy
Ford Bradley, and last, but certainly not least, Brooke
Bodney, who has taken me through the last few years. You
all have amazed me over the years. You have pushed me,
prodded me, you made me do something I don't like to do:
make phone calls and ask people for money. Please know how
grateful I am to each one of you. Your jobs were not easy,
and you did a phenomenal job.
Thank you to my past campaign managers--Curt Steiner in
1992, Laurel Pressler Dawson in 1994, Josh Rubin in 2000,
and Matt Carle from my 2006 race. Curt has been my friend
for over a quarter of a century. He is smart and
politically savvy. Laurel was a great campaign manager in
1994. I will have more to say about her in a minute. Josh
has been a permanent fixture in the DeWine family since
the early 1990s. I have always appreciated his advice and
wise counsel. Matt did a fine job this past election
cycle. He knows Ohio very well.
I would also like to mention my friend Chuck Greener who
has been a friend for over 25 years. I am grateful for his
friendship and wise counsel. He always takes my calls. He
always calls back. He is there for me. He is there for
Fran.
Thank you to each of the individuals who have served as
staff directors of my subcommittees. Louis Dupart served
as staff director for our Antitrust Subcommittee. Louis
always came to me with such great legislative ideas. He is
the one who came to me with the idea of the Nazi war crime
legislation. I will forever be grateful for that.
Pete Levitas also served for several years now as staff
director for the Antitrust Subcommittee. Pete is a
brilliant lawyer. He has been one of my most dedicated
staff members, and he is one of the funniest people I have
ever met. He can always make me laugh, and we always need
people around us, Pete, to make us laugh.
Dwayne Sattler served as staff director for our
Employment and Training Subcommittee. He worked tirelessly
to help reform this country's job training program. A lot
of the bill was his work product. I thank him for that.
Last, but certainly not least, Karla Carpenter, who has
served as the staff director for three of my
subcommittees: Aging, Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services, and Retirement Security. What in the world will
I do without her? She has been with me since 1994. She is,
as she likes to say, ``the smartest person she knows.''
Mr. President, let me tell you, she is certainly one of
the smartest persons I know. She got our Adoption and Safe
Families Act signed into law, as well as the Older
Americans Act and pensions bill. Thank you, Karla.
I would also like to thank my able Intelligence
Committee designee, John Pack, and my excellent former
designees Jack Livingston and Jim Barnett. You have been
great advisers.
I have been most fortunate to have had the chance to
work with three of the smartest, hardest working
legislative directors around. My first Senate legislative
director and chief counsel was Nick Wise. He was also
legislative director for me in the House of
Representatives. Nick always had a unique ability to
analyze an issue and drill it down to the essence of the
matter, and then explain it to me. Unique talent.
My next legislative director was Robert Hoffman. He came
to my office from Senator Larry Pressler's office, where
he was the Senator's legislative director. Robert did a
fantastic job for me. He has an unstoppable work ethic. He
was so dedicated and had such a solid understanding of the
legislative process. I thank Robert.
My current legislative director is Paul Palagyi. What
will I do without Paul, who is my go-to guy on so many
things? He has been my LD for nearly 6 years and has built
an extraordinary legislative team. Paul has put up with a
lot. He is also an adviser on my two dogs at home.
During my time in the Senate, I have had two
speechwriters. My first Senate speechwriter was Mike
Potemra. I can say with honesty Mike is one of the most
intelligent people I know. He is just so knowledgeable. In
his own words, Mike is an ``unusual guy.'' That he is, but
he is also deeply endearing, and I am fortunate to have
had the opportunity to work with him. I thank Mike.
Now, Mr. President, I come to the point in my speech
where it is not scripted, and that is because it is about
Ann O'Donnell. Ann O'Donnell has been my speechwriter. Ann
O'Donnell has been someone who has made an unbelievable
difference in my life. She is a tireless worker. She is a
compassionate person. Fran and I have traveled with Ann to
Haiti. I have seen her compassion for the children of
Haiti. She is someone who never stops working.
During this past week, because I am leaving the Senate,
because I would not be here in January, I have tried to
finish giving tribute speeches to all soldiers and troops
who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was an unbelievable
task. Ann put it together. She got it done. We did 75
speeches this week. It wouldn't have happened without her.
A lot of things I have done would not have happened
without her. I thank her. I thank her for being who she
is.
I have had two communications directors during my time
in the Senate. First was Charlie Boesel. Everyone loves
Charlie. His personality is as flamboyant as his taste in
colorful clothes. Charlie was a pleasure to work with and
did a fine job for us. I will tell you, it was great fun
to have Charlie join us for a few days on the campaign
trail. Fran and I were so happy to see Charlie back.
My current communications director is Mike Dawson. I
first met Mike when I was running for Governor in 1989.
Mike, whom I did not know, came to me and kept coming to
me and said: ``Hey, I want to work for you, I want to help
you on your campaign.'' We finally said yes, and he was on
the campaign. He worked on my Governor's race and then my
Lieutenant Governor's race when I joined George in his bid
for Governor. Mike worked in the Voinovich administration,
he worked for Senator Voinovich, and he has been my
communications director for the last 5 years. I am
grateful for his wise counsel. He is my friend. I will
always remember what he has done for me.
I have had one State director while I have been in the
Senate. That has been Barbara Schenck. Barbara worked with
me when I was Lieutenant Governor. She is truly one of the
finest individuals I have ever known. She is smart; she is
articulate; she is spirited; yes, she is feisty; and she
is passionate. She is also extremely compassionate. She
has been my right hand in Ohio. I talked to her many days
six, seven, eight times. I can't imagine not working with
her in the days ahead, but I know she is going to do some
amazing things. Barbara, you are the greatest. Thank you.
Finally, my chief of staff, Laurel Pressler Dawson. I
truly believe-- I have not checked this--that she has been
chief of staff to a Senator and a Congressman probably
longer than anybody in this body. Laurel has been my chief
of staff since January 1983 when I entered the U.S. House
of Representatives. We have seen and been through so much
together in our personal lives, as well as professional.
She has been there during the great tragedies in my
family. She has always been there. When our daughter Becky
died, she was at the hospital. She was the one who came.
She was the one person who had the ability to tell me
no, and I would listen to her. Everybody needs someone who
tells them ``no'' and listens to them. I have been
privileged to have her be my most trusted adviser for over
two decades. She always just got it done. She managed my
organization with great skill. I cannot thank her enough
for all she has done for me and for my family.
As my colleagues in the Senate are well aware, Fran and
I have a big family. We are blessed. We are parents of 8
children, now the grandparents of 10 grandchildren. I
would like to take a couple minutes to talk about my
family before I end.
First, I thank my oldest child, my son Patrick. I always
turned to Pat for his thoughts on policy and politics and
have so appreciated his help in my campaigns and his keen
advice and his input. Pat's three boys--Michael, Matthew,
and Brian--are a delight. They are a delight every day.
They were a delight to have on the campaign trail. I thank
each of them for all their hard work and their efforts.
I thank my daughter Jill, her husband Bill, and their
children, Albert, Isabelle, David, Caroline, Justin, and
newborn Mary Frances. Jill and Bill and the kids walked in
so many parades this summer and fall and throughout the
years, as all our kids have. I can count them. They have
always been so helpful and supportive. I thank Bill for
his expertise on issues regarding persons with
disabilities. He has helped me understand the needs of
those with disabilities. He has helped me do more to help
them.
Our son John recently completed his Ph.D. in ecology.
Fran and I are so proud of him. He and his wife Michele
and their sweet little daughter Josie Jean have recently
moved to West Virginia, where John is now working on river
restoration.
Our son Brian is engaged to Kalie Spink. They are
planning their wedding for this coming April. Fran and I
are so looking forward to that and looking forward to
having Kalie join our family. Brian works in the best job
probably in the family. He works for a minor league
baseball team, the Carolina Mudcats. I envy him every day.
I thank my daughter Alice for the sacrifices she made
this year to help with our campaign. She is a law student
at Ohio Northern University--my alma mater--and took the
fall semester off to work on the campaign where she was in
charge of coalitions. Thank you, Alice. You did a great
job.
Our son Mark is a sophomore at the College of Wooster,
where he runs cross-country and track. Mark is a good
person, a person who is very compassionate. For his Eagle
Scout project, he traveled to Haiti, a place my colleagues
know is very important to Fran and myself. He planted
trees there. He worked with Father Tom Hagan and helped
with the reforestation project.
Our daughter Anna is a freshman in high school. She is a
runner like all her brothers and sisters. She is a sweet,
quiet, caring young woman. She has put up with a lot this
past year with her mom and dad being gone quite a bit of
the time, going back and forth between Washington and
Ohio. But she has handled it so well. We are very proud of
her.
To each of my children and grandchildren, Mr. President,
I simply want to say thank you and I love you.
As an only child growing up, I was dating Frances in
high school and I used to love going over to her house
because she had a big family. There was always something
going on. I want to thank Fran's brothers and sisters and
their families for all they have done for us over the
years, their friendship and love and help and support. We
are so very fortunate to have all of them in our lives. I
want to thank Fran's parents especially, Bill and Mary
Struewing. You are great. No one could have a better
mother-in-law and father-in-law. You have put up with me
since Fran and I started dating in high school, for a long
time, and for that I am very grateful.
Of course, I want to thank my parents, Dick and Jean
DeWine. I have talked about my dad on the Senate floor
many times in regard to the K-Company and what he did
during World War II. I could not have asked for two more
wonderful parents. They always believed in me. They gave
me my interest in politics. They gave me their values.
They gave me their work ethic, and I owe them everything,
and I love them very much.
Finally, every day I think of our daughter Becky who
died in 1993. Becky was a compassionate, honest, caring
young woman who would have done so much with her life. I
think of her every day. The things that Fran and I do for
children, we do in her memory.
In conclusion, I love Ohio. I love our country. I see a
great future for both my State and for America. I am an
optimist. My wife Fran says that anybody with 8 kids by
definition is an optimist, and I am an optimist.
Throughout my career in the Senate and after I leave, I
will continue to care about the health, education and
welfare of our kids. I will continue to care about
stopping the spread of AIDS around the globe. I will
continue to help improve the lives of our world's most
impoverished men, women, and children. I will continue to
care about highway safety and the importance of making our
cars and roads safer. I will continue to care about making
our communities safe for our families, safe from crime,
safe from terrorism.
As I leave the Senate, however, I leave behind
unfinished business, as we all do, and I encourage my
colleagues to continue the work we shared on so many
different issues.
Just this week I introduced the Pediatric Medical Device
bill with Senator Dodd, a bill that will help ensure that
our children have access to lifesaving medical devices
that are designed specifically for small bodies. I hope
someone will take up that cause.
I thank my colleague Ted Kennedy for working with me,
and I was working with him, on the bill to give the Food
and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco.
It is long past due. It needs to happen. It has not
passed, but it will. I know it will pass. I know it will
pass, because it is the right thing to do.
Two days ago I introduced a bill to make cars and roads
safer for our families, especially our children. That bill
would simply direct the National Highway Traffic and
Safety Administration to research new ways to keep
pregnant women and their unborn children safer in our
cars. I hope someone will take that up as well.
I will finally conclude my remarks by thanking the most
important person in my life, my bride of 39 years, Fran.
As most people know, I would be literally lost without
her. She takes care of me. She takes care of our family.
She is our rock. Fran is my partner in all things. She is
my best friend. She is the passion of my life. She is my
love. She is everything to me. We met in the first grade.
It took me until the seventh grade to talk her into going
out on a date with me, and it took me 7 more years to
convince her to marry me. I am a persistent man. We got
married between our sophomore and junior years at Miami.
We tell people it was a productive 4 years at Miami. We
ended up with two degrees and two children by the time we
left. I could not have done any of this without her by my
side.
She has been through every one of my campaigns. She has
done everything. Thirty ice cream socials for 2,500 people
who just dropped by her house on a Sunday. She has done
that for 30 years. She does anything and everything. She
is smart, she is witty, she is organized, and she is very
compassionate. She accomplishes more than anyone I know,
and she never stops working. I love her more than anything
else in the world. Someone said to me earlier this year
that if I lost my reelection bid, it wouldn't be so bad,
because even if I lost my Senate seat, Fran would still be
there by my side. They were right. And for that, I am very
fortunate.
Mr. President, my colleagues, my friends, come visit us
in Ohio. That is where we will be. After this month, we
will be in our home in the county where we grew up, the
county where we were born, the county where we live. We
will be home in Greene County. Come see us. You are always
welcome.
I thank the Chair for his indulgence, and my colleagues.
I yield the floor.
TRIBUTES
TO
MIKE DeWINE
Proceedings in the Senate
Monday, November 13, 2006
Mr. SALAZAR. ... I will say this as well. In the days
ahead, we will hear many things about some of our
colleagues, some of whom are newcomers to our institution,
the U.S. Senate, and some of them who are leaving. For me,
it is a sad day that Senator Chafee and Senator DeWine,
who were members of the Gang of 14, will not be around to
be a part of that future bipartisan coalition that we are
going to have to have in the Senate. But I hope, on the
side of both the Democrats and the Republicans, that there
is a great number of Members of the Senate on both sides
of the aisle who will come together to address those
significant issues that face us as a country. ...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I say to my colleague,
Senator DeWine, those have been very moving tributes to
fallen soldiers from his State of Ohio. He has set a good
example for all of us in recognizing the service and
sacrifice of those from his home State. I find as I listen
to those tributes that they are extremely well done. I
thank the Senator for that.
I also wish to acknowledge that the Senator from Ohio
will be leaving at the end of this term and that I have
very much appreciated working with him. He has been one of
the very serious Members of this body, and we are going to
miss him. I wanted to say to him that I certainly
appreciate his service in the Senate. He has always been a
constructive colleague, somebody who was working
diligently to try to solve problems facing the country. We
very much appreciate his dedication to the country.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank my colleague and tell
him that I have enjoyed working with him very much. We
have worked on things together. You can work across the
aisle in this body and get things done. I thank him for
his very kind and generous words.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, a few moments ago, our
colleague from the State of Ohio, Senator Mike DeWine,
gave tribute to three Ohioans who lost their lives in
Iraq. I listened to these carefully and I hope others did
as well. They were beautiful life stories, beautifully
written, beautifully spoken by the Senator. I went up to
him afterward and asked him how many Ohioans had lost
their lives in Iraq. He said the number was 140. He has
given 90 tributes on the floor and hopes before he leaves
the Senate in a few weeks to finish the last 50. He is
determined to get it done as a tribute to these families.
He said: It is about all we can do, isn't it? He is right.
It says a lot about Mike DeWine, a lot that many of us
already knew.
I came to Congress with Mike in 1982. I recall we were
both elected to the House of Representatives. I was from
the central part of Illinois and he was from Ohio. We had
a dinner at the White House. I recall that his wife Fran,
who had just had a baby a few days before, came in her
beautiful gown with her husband Mike in a tuxedo, carrying
a basket with their baby in it. They sat down next to
Loretta and myself for dinner with President Reagan that
night. I have joked about that because I met that little
girl recently. She has grown up now, and we remembered the
first time we ever laid eyes on her.
Mike and I have worked on so many things--the global
AIDS epidemic. He has been my go-to guy on the Republican
side of the aisle. When I had absolutely given up any hope
of passing legislation for hundreds of millions of dollars
to save hundreds of millions of lives, Mike managed to
help out in many different ways.
He invited me once to travel to Haiti with him. Haiti is
a DeWine family project. Mike and Fran have made over 15
trips to that poor island and have met with so many people
there in orphanages and on streets trying to help them.
There is a little school in Port-au-Prince, the Becky
DeWine School, named after Mike and Fran's late daughter.
They have poured more love and resources into that school
for some of the poorest kids on this planet than we could
ever count. They worked together with Father Tom of Hands
Together and so many other great charities that have done
such work.
As I listened to Mike tonight give his tributes to these
Ohio soldiers, I was reminded what a quality individual he
is. Elections come and go. People win and people lose. But
the quality of Mike DeWine's service to the Senate on
behalf of the people of Ohio is written large in the
history of this institution.
I thank him for his friendship and for his leadership. I
wish him, Fran, and the entire family the very best in
whatever their future endeavors might entail.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I have listened carefully to
our colleague from Ohio [Mr. DeWine], spending his few
minutes in the Senate talking about brave men and women
who serve our country. It is the mark of our colleague
from Ohio, the kind of person he is--not just the kind of
Senator he is--that he would come to the floor of the
Senate in his last few days as a Member of this
institution and focus on others, focus on those who have
given the ultimate sacrifice for their families, for our
country and for our future. It shows us, once again, that
Senator DeWine is the consummate Senator.
I am here this afternoon to recognize and thank and pay
tribute to our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate.
They are a varied group. Again, I can think of no finer
example of this group of public servants than one of
Senator DeWine's last speeches in the Senate to recognize
others.
I thank you, Senator DeWine, for your service.
As we recognize, it is a distinct privilege and high
honor to serve our country in any capacity, and certainly
none higher than in uniform. But it is especially
important that we recognize those who have given years of
their lives, sacrificing their families, their own time,
to help make a better world for all of us. I know of no
capacity in which we serve our country that has given
those who have had this rare opportunity to serve in the
Senate anything more noble than trying to shape a better
world from this Senate.
These individuals who will leave the Senate, some on
their own terms, some on the terms of the election, but,
nonetheless, in their own specific way have contributed a
great deal to this country.
I take a few minutes to recognize each. I start with our
colleague, your dear friend, former Lieutenant Governor,
the senior Senator from Ohio. I need not tell the
distinguished Presiding Officer what Senator DeWine has
meant to his State and to this country. I had the
privilege of serving on the Intelligence Committee with
Senator DeWine for 4 years. I have teamed up with Senator
DeWine over the years on many legislative matters. I don't
know of an individual who cares more, contributes more, to
what they believe, than Senator DeWine. His years of
service in the House, the Senate, and as Lieutenant
Governor are to be recognized. We should thank him and
tell him that we will miss him and we will especially miss
a friend. ...
Mr. President, in conclusion, it is not easy to put
one's self on the firing line and offer one's self as a
candidate for any office. It takes a certain amount of
courage and, I suspect, a little dose of insanity. But
nonetheless individuals who believe deeply enough to
commit themselves to a cause greater than their own self-
interests need to be recognized. Having nothing to do with
me or you or any one individual, but it is the essence of
our country, it is the very fabric of our democracy that
makes it all work and probably gives rise to, more than
any one reason, why we have been such a successful nation
for over 200 years--because people from all walks of life,
in every community, in every State, offer themselves for
office. Whether it is a mayor, a Governor, city
councilman, county official, a sheriff, these individuals
deserve recognition.
We all make mistakes. That is who we are. But in the
end, it is not unlike what Teddy Roosevelt once referred
to in his magnificent quote about the man in the arena.
And it is the man and the woman in the arena who change
our lives. It makes a better world that shapes history,
that defines our destiny. And for these individuals who
will no longer have that opportunity to serve our country
in the Senate, we wish them well, we thank them, and we
tell them we are proud of them and their families and wish
them Godspeed.
Mr. President, I thank you for the time and yield the
floor.
Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise to speak about our
senior Senator from Ohio, Mike DeWine. Let me begin by
saying this is a speech I hoped I would never have to
give. For many in this Chamber, winter came a little early
this year. A blizzard of political change swept through
the country and, unfortunately, many were unable to
weather the storm; in my particular case, in our State,
through no fault of their own.
Mike DeWine was one of the most effective legislators we
have in the U.S. Senate. He was a victim of this storm. I
am deeply saddened that our respective colleagues will not
be joining us when we congregate again for the 110th
Congress. Mike's tireless commitment to legislating, his
willingness and ability to work with both parties, and his
ingenuity will be sorely missed by everyone in the Senate
and the State of Ohio.
Mike has served the people of Ohio for more than 30
years, beginning as an assistant county prosecutor in
1976. He served as Green County prosecutor for 4 years,
State senator for 2 years, Congressman for 8 years, and he
was my Lieutenant Governor for 4 years when I was Governor
of Ohio. And, of course, he has served us for 12 years as
our U.S. Senator. He is one of the most effective and
least partisan Members in this body.
During campaign season, some of our colleagues on the
other side of the aisle kept asking me: How is Mike doing,
how is he doing? Frankly, I think they were secretly
hoping his poll numbers would be strong enough that he
would not become a target. Unfortunately, those numbers
never got up to that place, and he ended up being a
target.
Far too many Members see differences between Republicans
and Democrats as an unsurpassable deep divide. Not Mike
DeWine. Over and over again, Mike built bridges between
our parties, and he got things done for America and for
Ohio. Janet and I feel like Mike and his wonderful wife
Fran are part of our family. After working with Mike for
the past 16 years, I can tell you that there is something
special about him. In fact, right from the start, I knew
there was something refreshingly different about Mike
DeWine.
The inception of our friendship came in 1990, when Mike
and I were both running in the Republican primary for
Governor of Ohio. It was a crowded field with Mike, Bob
Taft, and me vying for the Governor's slot. It was then we
really got to know each other. We talked about what would
be the best for Ohio and for the Republican Party and,
quite frankly, for our respective political futures. We
decided to combine our efforts as running mates, and Mike
agreed to run as my Lieutenant Governor.
I knew this was a very tough decision for Mike because
he wanted to be Governor and was giving up a very safe
congressional seat to run for State office. At that
moment, I knew I had a first-rate partner, a man with
great character and humility as well as unique political
poise and promise. Both of us knew we had a long, tough
race ahead of us with no guarantees. This was not a layup
shot. There was a real question of whether we were going
to be successful. He had given up a safe seat in the U.S.
Congress, with a big family. But we had a great time
running for State office. Mike had an opportunity to
connect with the State as a whole. I remember when he and
Fran packed the kids in the van and traveled every inch of
Ohio, becoming intimate with the Appalachian east, its
manufacturing north, and its interior farmland.
We went on to win the general election and, as I like to
say, together we did it. Together we won the election, and
together we charted a new course for Ohio.
As Lieutenant Governor, Mike took over the State's
criminal justice agencies, where he led the fight against
crime and illegal drugs. It was a relief to have Mike as
my partner when we had the Lucasville riots which broke
out on Easter Sunday in 1993. It was the largest prison
disturbance in the history of the United States,
generating a great deal of national tension. Mike's
background in criminal justice and his close relationship
with law enforcement helped us respond quickly and
effectively. It could have been a tragedy, but
fortunately, together, and with the help of the Holy
Spirit, we made it through.
In 1992, when the Ohio Republican Party needed a
challenger to run against the famous astronaut and giant
in Ohio politics, John Glenn, Mike was the obvious choice.
He and Fran worked tirelessly to win that seat.
Unfortunately, victory was not in the cards that year but
triumph was imminent. Two years later, Mike became a U.S.
Senator and our party swept the State, just as the
Democrats did this year in Ohio. Mike returned to
Washington as a U.S. Senator with more perspective, more
experience, and more insight into the challenges facing
Ohio than when he left the Congress as a Member of the
House of Representatives. Without a lot of fanfare, he
quietly went to work.
Of course, Mike has been shaped by many things. It is
impossible to talk about his achievements in public
service without mentioning the terrible misfortune he and
Fran experienced back in 1994. I will never forget the day
Mike and Fran lost their daughter Becky. I am familiar
with the tremendous pain they suffered. The day that
changed their lives sticks in my memory, much like the day
Janet and I lost our daughter Molly. Mike translated the
love he and Fran had for Becky into his work in the
Senate. He became a champion for our youth and for those
who cannot represent themselves. That is why today I am
hard pressed to think of anyone who has not been helped by
Mike DeWine.
His legislative achievements, which span both domestic
and foreign policy, reflect his effectual and
compassionate nature. Mike has shown tremendous dedication
toward improving the safety of our highway system. He not
only amended the 2005 highway bill to make preferences for
highways noted as being unsafe, but he also allocated more
than $56 million of SAFETEA-LU, intended for improving
highway safety.
He succeeded in getting further testing and approval of
medications for children. He helped establish a national
toll-free poison control hotline. He acted on behalf of
the children of U.S. service members to make sure they had
access to affordable health care. And he has stood up for
foster children to make sure they are protected and to
help them find adoptive parents.
Time after time, Senator DeWine has protected Ohio. He
was a critical voice in passing the Senate pension bill
which helped ensure that workers' futures in Ohio are on
better footing. He is a cosponsor of the Health
Partnership Act because he understands how important
health care reform is to Ohioans and to this country. He
helped ensure that our fire departments are better
equipped to fulfill their missions as first responders.
During the BRAC process, he worked to keep Federal
facilities, such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in
Dayton and the Defense Finance and Accounting Center in
Cleveland and Columbus, open and operating. And he led a
new mission for Ohio's NASA-Glenn in Cleveland. Today
these facilities are thriving and contributing to Ohio's
aerospace industry and national defense. I don't think
there was a State in the country that benefited more from
the BRAC process than Ohio, and it is attributable to the
outstanding leadership Mike DeWine gave all of us in terms
of that BRAC process.
Mike has also been a friend of the Jewish community and
has made it a priority to help stamp out anti-Semitism and
intolerance in America. He played a pivotal role in
helping disclose previously classified documents about
Nazi aggression, legislation that made those records
available to the public through the National Archives and
Records Administration. Today, thanks to Mike, doctors,
nurses, and aid workers are more prepared to confront the
global AIDS epidemic.
Mike has carried a heavy burden while he has been in the
Senate. He sits on the Judiciary Committee, the HELP
Committee, and the Intelligence Committee. He also sits on
one of the most prestigious committees in the Senate,
Appropriations. In fact, Mike was the first Ohioan in 50
years to sit on Appropriations. His position of
leadership--and the resources he has been able to bring
back to Ohio--has made a tremendous difference for our
State and a tremendous difference in the lives of the
people of our State. I used to joke with Mike that my job
as the debt hawk was to make sure we didn't spend the
money. But once we decided we were going to spend it, his
job was to make sure Ohio got its fair share. And boy, did
he do a good job.
These are just a handful of examples where my close
friend and colleague Mike DeWine has made a difference.
His legislative accomplishments and his legacy of
principled public service have had a deep impact on all of
our lives. The Senate will suffer a loss without Mike. But
he will not slip out of the Senate. He will walk out these
doors with his head held high because he can feel good
about all he has given to the people of Ohio and to the
United States of America. He has truly made a difference
in their lives.
Married for more than 39 years, Mike and Fran are
parents to 8 children and grandparents to 10. They have
been blessed with much happiness and success, and they
have carved out many meaningful paths during their life
together.
While Mike will be missed, I am confident that he and
Fran will begin something new in this next chapter of
their lives. They have both been given so much. I believe
that God does have a plan. Sometimes we are not sure about
what it is, but God does have a plan.
I am reminded of one of my favorite verses from the
Bible, Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and learn not
unto your own understandings. In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will direct your path.
Mike will be missed. But I know the Holy Spirit will
continue to inspire Mike and Fran as they embark on a new
journey together.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Thune). The Senator from
Ohio, Mr. DeWine, is recognized.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank my dear friend--the
now junior Senator from Ohio, who in January will become
the senior Senator from Ohio--for those very generous and
kind comments.
George Voinovich and I first got to know each other in
1989. I will not repeat the story the Senator recounted,
but we got together and formed a partnership that has
lasted until today. I gave up my run for Governor and
joined with George as his Lieutenant Governor candidate.
We won and, as they say, the rest is history. George was a
great Governor for 8 years. I was his Lieutenant Governor
for the first 4 of those years. We worked very closely
during that period of time, of course, and after I went to
the Senate, when he was still Governor. We have worked
even closer since he has been a Senator from Ohio. So I
thank him. George Voinovich and Janet are dear friends.
They are people whom we care very much about. George is a
great public servant, and I appreciate him very much and
am touched, frankly, by his very kind comments.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Mr. REED. Mr. President, this is an opportunity to
recognize the service of several of our colleagues who are
departing from the Senate. To Senator Jeffords, Senator
Frist, Senator DeWine, Senator Talent, Senator Santorum,
Senator Burns, and Senator Allen, let me express my
appreciation for their service to their States and their
service to the Nation and wish them well. ...
To all my colleagues who served and conclude their
service, let me once again express deep appreciation for
their friendship and for their service to the Nation.
I yield the floor.
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, we are coming to the end
of the session and 10 of our colleagues are retiring. I
want to say a word about them ...
Or Mike DeWine, with his 8 children and 10th grandchild,
whose heart is nearly as big as he is. He lost a child,
and he and Fran have gone to Haiti time after time after
time to help people there who need help. ...
When the most recent class of Senators was sworn into
office nearly 2 years ago, in the gallery were three
women. One was the grandmother of Barack Obama. She was
from Kenya. One was the mother of Senator Salazar, a 10th
generation American. One was the mother of Mel Martinez,
the new Republican National Committee chairman, who, with
her husband, put her son on an airplane when he was 14
years old and sent him from Cuba to the United States, not
knowing if she would ever see him again.
In a way, each one of us who is here is an accident.
None of us knew we would be here. Each of us is privileged
to serve, and one of the greatest privileges is to serve
with our colleagues. We will miss them and we are grateful
for their service.
I yield the floor.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, as the time for my departure
from the Senate draws near, on behalf of the greatest
blessing in my life, my wife Susan, and on behalf of
myself, I thank all of my colleagues for their many
courtesies and friendships that have been forged during
the past 6 years. I offer a few concluding reflections
about our time here together, as well as about the future
of our Republic. ...
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I see others who
wish to speak, and I will make a couple of brief comments.
In the comments of the Senator from Virginia [Mr.
Allen], his final couple of comments recalled for me a
statement made in the closing of the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia, when on the back of the chair
of the presiding officer was a sunburst. Someone opined in
that Constitutional Convention: Dr. Franklin, is that a
rising sun or is it a setting sun? And Franklin ventured
to say that with the birth of the new Nation, with the
creation of the new Constitution, that he thought it was a
rising sun.
Indeed, it is that hope of which the Senator from
Virginia has just spoken that motivates this Senator from
Florida to get up and go to work every day, and to look at
this Nation's challenges, not as a Democratic problem or a
Republican problem, but as an American problem, that needs
to be solved in an American way instead of a partisan way.
We have had far too much partisanship over the last
several years across this land, and, indeed, in this
Chamber itself. And of the Senators who are leaving this
Chamber, I think they represent the very best of America,
and on occasion have risen in a bipartisan way. It has
been this Senator's great privilege to work with these
Senators: Allen of Virginia, Burns of Montana, Chafee of
Rhode Island, Dayton of Minnesota, DeWine of Ohio, Frist
of Tennessee, Jeffords of Vermont, Santorum of
Pennsylvania, Sarbanes of Maryland, Talent of Missouri.
As the Good Book in Ecclesiastes says: There is a time
to be born and a time to die. There is a time to get up,
and a time to go to bed. There is a time for a beginning,
and there is a time of ending.
For these Senators who are leaving, it is clearly not an
ending. It is an ending of this chapter in their lives,
but this Senator from Florida wanted to come and express
his appreciation for their public service, to admonish
those where admonishment is needed when this Chamber,
indeed, this Government, has gotten too partisan, but to
express this Senator's appreciation for the quiet moments
of friendship and reflection and respect in working
together, which is the glue that makes this Government
run.
Whether you call it bipartisanship, whether you call it
friendship, whether you call it mutual respect, whatever
you call it, the way you govern a nation as large and as
complicated and as diverse as our Nation is--as the Good
Book says: Come, let us reason together--that is what this
Senator tries to be about. And that is what this Senator
will try to continue to do in the new dawn of a new
Congress. So I wanted to come and express my appreciation
for those Senators who will not be here, for the great
public service they have rendered.
Mr. President, I am truly grateful for their personal
friendship and for their public service.
I yield the floor.
Mr. DURBIN. ... I also express my best wishes to my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle leaving the
Senate at the end of this session. I already made mention
of Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio. So many times over the 10
years that I served in the Senate I walked across the
aisle searching for an ally and found Mike DeWine. Whether
it was a fight to put more efforts into the global AIDS
effort to reduce the deaths around the world or an effort
to reach out and provide assistance to Haiti, a country
which my friend Mike DeWine has adopted, time and time
again he rose to that challenge. Debt reduction in
Africa--so many other issues. His speech today on the
floor was just another indication of the kind of
compassion that he brought to service in the Senate.
Elections come and go but the record that has been
written by my friend Senator Mike DeWine will endure. ...
I wish all of my colleagues who are retiring well as
they begin the next chapters of their careers.
Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell
to several of my friends here in Washington. Too often we
get caught up here in the back-and-forth of politics and
lose sight of the contributions of those with whom we work
every day. It is only at moments such as these, at the end
of a cycle, that we have a moment to reflect on the
contributions of our colleagues. And while we may not
always see eye to eye, this Senate is losing several
admirable contributors who have made many sacrifices to
serve our democracy. ...
A number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
will be departing in January, as well. There is our
colleague from Virginia, Senator Allen, who wears, in my
opinion, the second best pair of boots in the Senate.
There is Senator Santorum of Pennsylvania, whose passion
is admirable and whose energy is always enviable. Also
leaving us is my colleague in the centrist Gang of 14 that
helped bring this Senate back from the abyss; Senator
DeWine of Ohio, who will head back to the Buckeye State
with my respect and admiration; and my friend Senator
Talent from Missouri, with whom I spent many hours in the
Agriculture Committee working to level the playing field
for America's farmers and ranchers. We will miss Senator
Chafee of Rhode Island's independence and his clear voice
for fiscal discipline in Washington. And we will miss
Senator Burns of Montana, who shares my passion for rural
America and who is headed home to Big Sky Country, back to
the Rockies that I know we both miss so much. ...
America, when held to its finest ideals, is more than a
place on the globe or a work in progress. It is the
inspiration to those around the world and here at home to
seek out excellence within themselves and their beliefs.
It has been a pleasure to work alongside each of these
gentlemen, who have helped me as I have found my way,
sometimes literally, through the halls of the Senate, in
the pursuit of these greater ideals that we all share:
security, prosperity, and an America that we leave better
than when we arrived. These ideals will resonate here long
after we all are gone and another generation stands in our
place making the decisions of its day.
Mr. BYRD. ... Mr. President, with the conclusion of the
109th Congress, Senator DeWine will be leaving us.
I do not want to say farewell to him, but to thank him
for being a congenial colleague and an outstanding
Senator, a Senator who truly appreciated this Chamber, its
traditions, and the way it is supposed to work.
For 12 years, he was an effective Senator, a Senator who
built a long, impressive list of legislative
accomplishments on a wide range of issues, largely, I
believe, because of his willingness to reach out, and to
work with Members on this side of the aisle. In a true
bipartisan spirit, he worked with my dear friend, Senator
Kennedy, to increase Federal regulation of tobacco.
He worked with Senator Dodd for a bill to provide health
screening for newborns.
He worked with Senator Paul Wellstone on legislation
that revamped job training programs, and with Senator
Lautenberg on bills to crack down on drunk drivers.
With Senator Clinton, he promoted legislation to ensure
that drug companies do a better job in studying the
effects of their products on children.
For nearly a decade, whether in the majority or the
minority, Senator DeWine cooperated with Senator Kohl in
running the Antitrust Subcommittee on a bipartisan basis,
and in the process, helped provide Americans with cheaper
phone service, more choices on television, and direct
flights home for the holidays.
He teamed up with my colleague from West Virginia,
Senator Rockefeller, in promoting legislation that changed
the Government's emphasis in child custody cases from
preserving family structure to protecting the best
interests of the child.
Indeed, caring for and protecting America's children was
a major focus of his tenure in the Senate, and I applaud
him for it. His concern for children, among other
concerns, led him to successfully push for legislation to
improve school bus safety and tougher child pornography
laws.
I, of course, know Senator DeWine best from his service
on the Senate Appropriations Committee. He chaired the
District of Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee, which I
know from personal experience is no easy chore. It is one
of the most difficult and thankless tasks in the Senate,
and he did it very effectively. One of his objectives in
this position was to reform the District's child welfare
system--and, again, I know from personal experience, just
how difficult and thankless reforming the District's
welfare system can be. Senator DeWine worked at it, and
had some outstanding successes.
Senator DeWine and I worked together to enact and defend
the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act, a trade law
that returns to injured companies and workers the duties
that are collected by Customs on unfairly traded imports.
He also supported the enactment of the Emergency Steel
Loan Guarantee Program--a program that has kept Wheeling-
Pittsburgh Steel in business and over 3,000 people
employed for decades. It is well recognized that, if the
program had not provided Wheeling-Pitt with its loan
guarantee, the company would no longer exist.
I will always remember Senator DeWine as a Senator who
took the risk to help preserve the Senate as it was handed
down to us by the Framers of our Constitution, and all the
great lawmakers who served in this Chamber before us.
Senator DeWine was of the seven Republicans who helped
form the so-called Gang of 14 to help block the majority
leader's determination to use the ``nuclear option'' that
would have destroyed the U.S. Senate as a unique
institution.
I know this effort cost him support from members of his
own party, and from folks back home. It reminds me of the
words of Senator John F. Kennedy, who wrote:
If the American people comprehended the terrible
pressures which discourage acts of political courage,
which drive a Senator to abandon or subdue his conscience,
then they might be less critical of those who take the
easier road--and more appreciative of those still able to
follow the path of courage.
For 12 years Senator DeWine took the path of political
courage.
Mr. President, shortly after coming to this Chamber,
Senator DeWine remarked, ``when you go to the Senate, you
don't know how long you'll be there. So you want to use
your time wisely.'' In his two terms in the Senate,
Senator DeWine used his time wisely and effectively. As he
leaves the Senate, he should take pride in the knowledge
that his presence here may well have saved this sacred
institution, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank him
for it.
I wish him and his wife Fran health, happiness and
never-ending success as they begin the next phase of their
lives and careers. ...
Mr. FEINGOLD. ... Mr. President, I am pleased to pay
tribute to Senator Mike DeWine, who has served Ohio, and
the Senate, with honor and integrity during his 12-year
tenure in this body.
I am pleased to have worked with him on a wide range of
issues over the years, including reforming children's
health care and Medicaid. We also worked together quite
frequently on other issues of importance to this Nation,
and he has been a valuable colleague on both the Senate
Judiciary Committee and the Senate Select Intelligence
Committee. Although we did not see eye to eye on every
issue, we found common ground on several initiatives
including passing stricter antitrust legislation.
Together with Senator Dick Durbin, we introduced the
Clean Diamonds Act, a bill to ensure that the United
States is not participating in the conflict diamond trade.
This bill would prohibit the importation of diamonds from
countries that fail to implement a clearly articulated
system of controls on rough diamonds. Senator DeWine
believed in the international community's responsibility
to stop the trade in conflict diamonds, and I have been
proud to work with him in that effort.
I also want to take a moment to recognize Senator
DeWine's dedication to honoring fallen service members
from Ohio. By coming to the floor to pay tribute to those
who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has
reminded all of us of the tremendous debt we owe these
brave men and women in uniform.
I thank him for his leadership and his service to Ohio
and our country, and I wish him all the best as he moves
on to begin a new chapter in his distinguished career.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I would like to express my
sincere appreciation to the Senator from Ohio [Mr. DeWine]
for allowing me to intercede for a few moments. Since he
is on the Senate floor and he has been so gracious as to
give me this time--I did not come to the floor and will
not talk long about Senator DeWine, but since he is on the
Senate floor and gave me the time, I wanted to express to
him my grateful appreciation for his service to the
Senate, not just the people of Ohio but the people of this
great country.
One of the great joys I have had as a Member of the
Senate, having been elected 2 years ago, was to serve on
the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee with
Senator DeWine. One of my great joys I had early on as a
Member of this body was to watch him join the Gang of 14
and break the logjams, allowing us to confirm Supreme
Court Justices Alito and Roberts. I worked closely with
him on the pensions bill. Time and again, I saw his
tireless effort on behalf of the best interests of this
country and in particular always the best interests of the
people of Ohio.
To Senator DeWine, not to pander because of his
graciousness in giving me the time but for giving me the
unique chance to express that, we are all very grateful.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I have had the privilege of
being here for the 28th year beginning shortly. I
calculated not long ago that I have served with 261
individuals. I am not about to try and review all of the
many magnificent friendships I am privileged to have
through these years. Indeed, if one looks at the rewards,
of which there are many serving in this historic
institution, the Senate, it is the personal bonds, the
friendships that we so firmly cement and that will last a
lifetime as a consequence of our duties of serving the
United States of America and in our respective States.
We are called ``United States'' Senators. I often
believe it is the first obligation, our Nation, the
Republic for which it stands. ...
I would also like to pay tribute to nine other U.S.
Senators who will retire from the Senate in the coming
days. ...
Now, I would like to take a few moments to salute our
majority leader, Senator Frist, as well as Senators
Chafee, Burns, Santorum, DeWine, Jeffords, Talent, and
Dayton. Each and every one of these U.S. Senators has
served his State and his country with great distinction.
Without a doubt, I could speak at-length in honor of
each of these outstanding individuals. In light of time
constraints, however, and the fact that so many of my
colleagues wish to similarly pay tribute, I shall endeavor
to keep my remarks brief. ...
Senator Mike DeWine has been in public service nearly
his entire adult life. He was an assistant prosecuting
attorney, he has held various State elected positions, he
was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and
most recently, since 1995, he has served the State of Ohio
in the U.S. Senate. I am pleased to have served on the
HELP Committee with Senator DeWine where we worked
together on various children's health issues. There is not
a bigger champion of children's health than Senator
DeWine. Senator DeWine was also an instrumental member
with me on the Gang of 14. Throughout his years in the
Senate, Senator DeWine has proven to be a thoughtful,
highly respected Member who has always been willing to do
what is right. In my view, he is a true statesman. ...
In conclusion, over the years I have served with each of
these 10 Senators, each has not only been a trusted
colleague, each has also been my friend. I will miss
serving with each of them in the Senate but know that each
will continue in public service in some capacity. I wish
each and every one of them well in the years ahead.
Mr. President, I see a number of colleagues here anxious
to speak, and I have taken generously of the time the
Presiding Officer has allowed me to speak.
I yield the floor.
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I say to my neighbor in West
Virginia [Mr. Byrd], my friend and my colleague, first of
all, that the poem he just recited [``Abou Ben Adhem''] is
one that my wife Frances and I learned in the seventh
grade in Yellow Springs. The Senator reciting it brings
back very good memories, not only of the poem but of being
in the seventh grade with my friends.
There will be many things about this Senate that I will
miss, and certainly one that I will miss is having the
opportunity to sit here and to listen to my colleague from
West Virginia as he speaks. It is a great privilege. It is
a great thrill.
I must tell him, however, that there is C-SPAN in
Cedarville, OH. I suspect the library does get the
Congressional Record at Cedarville College and other
places, so I will have the opportunity to listen to him
and read what he has to say. He is a great treasure of
this Senate.
I might also tell my colleague, as I told him personally
yesterday, that I will carry around with me and keep with
me and prize the small Constitution that I know is in his
pocket right now that he gave me. I deeply appreciate
that. And I know he gave one to the Presiding Officer as
well.
One of the first things I did when I came to the Senate
in January 1995 was walk across the hall to see Senator
Byrd. Senator Byrd was kind enough to give me his
``History of the Senate.'' I have cherished that, have
read it. That will be going back with Frances and myself
to Ohio. If I do, I say to my colleague from West
Virginia, do what I hope to do--do a little teaching at
the college level--I am sure those books will certainly
come in very handy.
I thank my colleague for his friendship and for his
great service now beginning this January his ninth term in
the Senate.
One final note. I will tell my colleague, and I don't
know if I have told him this, but my son and my daughter-
in-law and our new granddaughter now live in West
Virginia, so they are constituents of my colleague.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the distinguished Senator
yield?
Mr. DeWINE. I am pleased to yield.
Mr. BYRD. I thank this friend of West Virginia, this
friend of mine. I shall always remember as long as I
live--however long that may be--I shall carry in my heart
a very warm feeling for him. He is our neighbor. He
represents the people of Ohio, our neighbor to the west of
the West Virginia hills. I thank him for his friendship
and for his services to his people. His people are my
people. I wish him well in the days and years ahead
wherever he may serve. May God always bless you, my
friend, and may He always keep you in the palm of His
hand.
Mr. DeWINE. I thank my colleague for his very generous
and kind comments. One final comment to say that it was
his great leadership, along with the great leadership of
Senator McCain and others, which allowed us--group is the
word I would prefer--a group of 14 Senators to make an
agreement that I think was in the best interests of the
Senate, and it has proved to be in the best interests of
the Senate, in regard to our judges and how we confirm
them. It has worked so far. My wish for you and my other
colleagues as you go on is that you will continue to keep
that agreement and it will continue to work. That is my
wish.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank the able Senator. I
shall do my best to help fulfill his confidence and
wishes.
Mr. CONRAD. ... Mr. President, I rise today to pay
tribute and recognize the accomplishments of a colleague
who will be leaving the Senate at the end of this term.
Senator Mike DeWine has represented Ohio in the Senate for
12 years. During his tenure, he has been an important
advocate for the interests of the Buckeye State.
Senator DeWine will be remembered for his work on the
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and
particu1arly his success as chairman of the Subcommittee
on Retirement Security and Aging. He was a vital and
constructive member of the conference committee on the
Pension Protection Act, and he illustrated what can be
accomplished when you are willing to work across party
lines on a common goal.
I have also admired Senator DeWine's commitment to our
Nation's children and his efforts to stop teen drug and
alcohol abuse, as well as crack down on tobacco companies'
marketing of their products to children and teens. With
unfailing courage, he took on those in his own party and
other special interests to protect our kids from harmful
tobacco products.
In addition, I believe he has set a good example for all
of us in the Senate in how to honor those from our States
who have fallen in service to our Nation. With deep
admiration, I have listened to Senator DeWine come to the
floor and speak about the lives and families of Ohio
service men and women who have died in Iraq and other
fields of battle. It is clear that he understands and
deeply respects the sacrifices made by our troops and
their families.
Mr. President, for these and many other reasons, I have
been honored to serve with Mike DeWine. I would like to
join my colleagues in wishing the Senator and his family
the best in the future and in paying tribute to his
contributions to the Senate and our Nation. I wish him
well.
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to
one of our esteemed colleagues, Mike DeWine of Ohio. It
has been my special joy and privilege to work closely with
Senator DeWine for the last decade. Since 1997, we have
led the Antitrust Subcommittee, each taking our turns as
chairman and ranking member. Thanks to Mike's honesty,
candor, and cooperative nature, we have forged a
productive bipartisan partnership as we have worked to
promote competition in many vital sectors of our Nation's
economy.
This productive, bipartisan working relationship has
been a hallmark of Senator DeWine's leadership of the
Antitrust Subcommittee since he assumed the chairmanship
of the committee in 1997. From the beginning, he reached
out to me and established our tradition of setting our
agenda jointly, planning our hearings together, and even
sponsoring legislation and writing letters to the
administration jointly. We tackled together such thorny
issues as encouraging competition in telecommunications,
health care, the oil and gas, and airline industries,
investigating dozens of important mergers ranging from
AOL/Time Warner to AT&T/Bell South, and pursuing antitrust
reform legislation. While we have not always agreed on
every issue that came before our subcommittee although I
am happy to say we agreed more often than not--Mike DeWine
and I always agreed that we should put partisanship aside
and accomplishing practical results for the American
people first.
On a personal note, our close working relationship has
caused me to come to know Mike DeWine very well. I have
come to learn that Mike is a sober-minded, hard-working,
and caring person. In my career, I have been privileged to
know and work with a few distinguished Members of this
Chamber whom I can truly call statesmen, leaders, and
friends. Mike DeWine is one of them. He will be missed.
Mrs. CLINTON. ... Finally, I also wish the very best to
my Republican colleagues who will leave the Senate at the
conclusion of this Congress. The Senate, at its best, is a
body that promotes bipartisanship, deliberation, and
cooperation, and the dedication to shared values. It has
been a privilege to work with my departing colleagues on
the other side of the aisle.
Friday, December 8, 2006
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I have a few more minutes
before the 10:30 vote, and I take this time to say a few
words about some of my colleagues who are retiring. We had
a good bit of time yesterday devoted to their tremendous
contributions, and as each of us, the 100 of us, do know
each other pretty well, I have come to the floor to say a
few things about several of the colleagues I have had the
distinct pleasure of working with very closely. ...
Mr. President, I wish to speak about Senator DeWine, my
distinguished colleague from Ohio, a good friend, and a
man whom I have worked very closely with in our capacity
as appropriators. Also, we share a passion for the child
welfare system in this Nation, trying to improve it--of
course, promoting adoption, the notion that there is no
such thing as unwanted children, just unfound families.
I could not but come to the floor and say that Mike
DeWine is literally one of the most compassionate men I
have ever known. That compassion is obvious to anyone who
works closely with him day in and day out. It is not fake.
It is very real. And the spiritual depths of which he and
his wife Fran and their children live their faith--not
just talk about it, not just use it as a shield to protect
them, but as a way to serve others--is quite
extraordinary.
This Senator has seen that in him and his work, side by
side with him. I want my other colleagues to know that if
it were not for Senator Mike DeWine, the District of
Columbia would not have their family court, the country
would not have the stable families legislation he and
Senator Rockefeller pushed through this Chamber at a time
when not that many people understood the consequence of a
foster care system in disrepair and what happens to
children when they get stuck in a system that does not
appreciate their dignity or respect their right to a
family.
Senator DeWine, a family man himself, most certainly
understands that and pushed that legislation through, and
dozens of other pieces of legislation that I had the
privilege to help him with, and to assist him with, and to
watch him lead on. So I am certainly going to miss his
leadership. But I will commit to him my focus on Haiti. I
will never be able to fill his shoes or do the work he has
done, but several of us intend to continue his work with
Haiti, the poorest nation on the Earth, and continue his
great passion, as much as we can, in our time here in the
Senate. ...
To all of our retiring Members, I say thank you. Thank
you for your efforts on behalf of my State when you were
needed and thank you for your service to America.
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, before Senator DeWine leaves
the floor, he was speaking of a loss [Ohio soldiers killed
in Iraq] that he and his family and others are mourning, I
presume in Ohio, where I spent a number of years as an
undergraduate at Ohio State University. I would associate
myself with his remarks in extending our sympathies from
Delaware. We received some devastating news of our own in
Delaware a day or two ago with the news that Army SGT
Keith Fiscus had been killed in action in Iraq at the age
of 26. Our hearts go out to him. I will be talking more
about him later.
There is a loss that we mourn as well, not the loss of a
life here in the Senate, but the loss of Senator DeWine
who will be returning to Ohio and to other challenges in
the days ahead. Senator DeWine and I were elected to the
House of Representatives in 1982. We came here together
with people such as John McCain, Tom Ridge, John Kasich,
Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Dick Durbin, and John Spratt, a
remarkable freshman class in the House of Representatives.
It was the year we elected a lot of Democrats and not
nearly as many Republicans. Somehow, then, Congressman
DeWine managed to swim against the tide and to be elected
against those odds in Ohio.
He served as a Congressman of distinction, later as the
State's Lieutenant Governor where he trained with George
Voinovich, who served as Governor, and then to be elected
to the Senate. It was my privilege to serve with him in
the House of Representatives and it has been a privilege
to serve with him in the Senate.
On a personal level, I will miss him. I want to say how
much it has been a privilege to serve with my friend from
Ohio, who has a good mind and a good heart, wonderful
family, and is deeply devoted to them and the people of
Ohio, whom we both revere.
Mr. DeWINE. If the Senator will yield.
Mr. CARPER. I do.
Mr. DeWINE. I thank my colleague, who has pointed out to
my colleagues in the Senate that he and I came here
together in the election of 1982 and came to the House in
1983. We have been dear friends ever since. I will miss
working with him. He is someone who I believe exemplifies
what this institution is all about, and that is getting
things done, working in a bipartisan way, making a
difference. He has done that and will continue to do that.
I wish him well.
Mr. CARPER. I appreciate very much those words and the
chance to be a friend of Senator Mike DeWine.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I also will say a word about a
couple of my colleagues who are leaving, and I will be
brief. ...
Mike DeWine and I served together on the Judiciary
Committee. We came together to the Senate at the same time
and I will certainly miss Mike's friendship as well. ...
I know we all move on at some time and that none of us
is irreplaceable. But by the same token, these colleagues
of ours who will be leaving will be missed and they will
be remembered for their great service to the Senate, to
their States, and to the United States of America.
I yield the floor.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I know the hour is late and we
have other speeches to give, but I wanted to comment
briefly to my friend from Ohio. Senator DeWine and I came
to the House of Representatives together in 1982. We have
careers that are similar. He served as Lieutenant Governor
for the State of Ohio, I served as Lieutenant Governor of
the State of Nevada. He served as a Member of the House of
Representatives. I served as a Member of the House of
Representatives. He and I served as Senators. Our
backgrounds are also the same in that we are trial
lawyers. I have heard Senator DeWine speak on a number of
occasions about his days of being a prosecutor.
I also want the record to reflect that I approach my
brief remarks here tonight keeping in mind our days as
trial lawyers, where you could go into a courtroom
representing your client, whether it be the State or an
individual, a corporation or an individual, and you would
give that client your very best, as would your opponent.
But when that trial was over, you shook hands and went on
about your business.
I have also had the same experience as Mike DeWine. I
have lost a statewide election, and I know that is not
pleasant. But I want Mike to know that I admire and
respect the work he has done. His wife has been so
thoughtful and kind to my wife. We all witnessed these
speeches that he has given. Many more people have died in
Iraq and Afghanistan from Ohio than Nevada because it is
such a heavily populated State, and Mike's tenacity in
directing his attention to each of those families is
something that will always be remembered here in the
Senate.
Mike, I want you to know that I want us to have the same
relationship as you leave the Senate as if we were trying
a case, and one won the case and one lost. We would walk
out and shake hands. That is how I feel about you, someone
who has been with me and I with you for 25 years, as
Members of Congress and doing other things; we certainly
have a relationship. I am happy to call Mike DeWine my
friend.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, from time to time over the
last 12 years, new Senators have come up to me as they
have come to the body and asked the question: How do you
do this job? And I usually have responded: Well, what do
you want to be? Do you want to run for President? Do you
want to be on the Sunday shows? Do you want to pass
legislation? A surprising number of them have said they
came here to pass legislation, important legislation for
America that would make a difference. To every single one
who said that, I said: Watch Mike DeWine. Go study Mike
DeWine. The most prodigious, the most effective, the most
extraordinary legislator in my time here in the Senate.
Quiet, effective, a consensus builder. You see by those
who are on the floor here tonight that he has friends on
both sides of the aisle whom he has worked with,
cultivated, and built the kind of relationships that make
a Senator effective.
So I would say to my good friend, the senior Senator
from Ohio, he is a Senator's Senator, the perfect Senator,
the master of the art of making a difference. Farewell.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I join in the chorus of
praise and thanks to my friend--and I mean that; the word
is thrown around here--Mike DeWine. We came to this job
together. My very first memory of Mike and Fran DeWine was
when we were both wearing tuxedos and Fran and Loretta
were in evening gowns, and we were at our first dinner at
the White House with President Ronald Reagan as
Congressmen-elect. The year was 1982. My wife brought her
little handbag, and Fran brought even more to that White
House dinner, that formal dinner that evening. She brought
a basket and in that basket was her brand-new baby who
came with her to the White House dinner. It was the first
time I ever met Mike and Fran. I still have vivid memories
of that moment. I think it was a little daughter in the
basket, if I am not mistaken, who might be up there. She
was on her best behavior then, as she is now.
Another memory I have is when Mike DeWine asked me to
join him on a trip to Haiti. I saw a side of my colleague
from the Senate which many of us have not seen. Fran came
along on the trip with bags full of sporting equipment and
toys and clothes and food, everything they could jam into
this small airplane to bring over to give to some of the
poorest kids in the world. We went to the Cite du Soleil,
the poorest section of Port-au-Prince. If you haven't seen
that poverty, you haven't seen poverty. It is as bad as it
gets. We worked our way back to a little cinderblock
school, the Becky DeWine School, named after Mike and
Fran's late daughter. I watched Mike as he walked through
that school and sat down with these little kids, and each
one of them poured out to him the love and respect and
thanks for all that he had done to provide this basic
little school for them.
That wasn't the end of the day, for sure. We were then
off to an orphanage where we were trying to help a nun, if
I am not mistaken, with a building full of squalling
babies, trying to get a little help so she could take care
of them. Then he took me on a famous road trip where he
wanted to show me one of the rural projects. It knocked
out almost all the fillings in my teeth, it was such a
wonderful road, and we had one of these glorious CODELs
that you read about, bouncing around in a vehicle to go
out and visit people who are at the lowest ranks of
poverty in the world, with babies with red hair from their
anemia and malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. That is
where Mike and Fran DeWine spent their time away from the
Senate. They left a lasting impression and a legacy there.
I am happy we are going to try to continue that legacy
even tonight, I hope, or tomorrow as we bring this session
to an adjournment.
Time and again, when I was up trying to find a vote,
desperately trying to find a vote for global AIDS, for
many other causes, I would look across the aisle and hope
Mike DeWine was sitting right where he is sitting now,
because I knew if I could get over there, I had a chance.
Every time I would sit down with him, Mike would say: This
is going to be tough. He used to always like to say: I am
going to have to pray on this, which meant it was going to
have to be a pretty tough political sell for him and for
his colleagues. He never let me down. More important, he
never let down some of the poorest people on Earth. He
came through every single time.
Mike, you have got the heart of gold that we all dream
about. I have lost a few elections in my time. It is a sad
moment. But as you reflect on your public career and how
much good you have done for so many people, your name and
your legacy will live on. I am honored to count you as a
friend.
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, my heart is full as I
think of Mike DeWine and his service here in the Senate. I
didn't know Mike when I first came here. I didn't know
anything about his visits, I think 13 or 14, to Haiti, his
concern for the poor. He seems to have always been
motivated by a moral compass which never wavered from
those who needed him, and who weren't getting help from
others. It is ironic in the best sense that he and I have
cooperated on so many pieces of legislation that had to do
with children and families and adoption and all kinds of
things. It is ironic because in a sense he followed the
father, Mr. President, of our Presiding Officer, in that
role. You go to Mike's office, Mike would come to this
Senator's office, legislation would appear, it would
pass--and almost invariably get very little attention.
That was not the purpose or the interest of the Senator
from Ohio. He wanted to do good.
I think of his interest in children and I think that is
a moral compass. If you have that in life and you are not
going to let go of that in life, then that fixes you, as
the Senator from Illinois indicated, in the legacy of the
Senate. I also think that his interest in Haiti says more
about him than words can possibly measure. What drives a
man and his wife to go to that country where most of us
have never been? Most of us have the image of it that the
Senator from Illinois described but know not of it
directly by experience. Vacations, free times, are
valuable to Senators and their families. Yet the Senator
from Ohio took his time and went to Haiti, year after
year, and fought for their problems and said not a word to
anybody. I found out about it not from the Senator from
Ohio but from somebody completely different. I found out
more about it and then deepened my knowledge and my
respect for the Senator from Ohio.
Finally, I want to say I have the privilege of serving
with him on the Intelligence Committee. The Intelligence
Committee is serious business. The Senator from Ohio rose
to the peaks of discretion and determination, simply
trying to find the truth. He wasn't out to get anybody, to
punish anybody, to embarrass anybody. He wanted to get the
facts and then from that make his decisions through his
votes.
National security on the one hand, children and all of
their problems--not just education but children with all
of the most complex problems of what happens when you get
to be 18 and you have 3 years to get to be 21. The father
of the Presiding Officer and I worked on that. Virtually
every problem that can afflict children, unattended by
most politicians, was taken to heart by the Senator from
Ohio who had the advantage of many years of being a
prosecutor.
I look upon the Senator from Ohio as absolutely
extraordinary, as the majority leader indicated. He is an
extraordinary Senator, an extraordinarily fine person, a
friend in whom I could put complete and absolute trust,
who only was here to do his work for the people and causes
he cared about--most of all Ohio but then special groups
probably unknown except to his conscience.
I wish you well, sir.
I yield the floor.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I want to say something
about my departing colleagues on the other side of the
aisle. ...
And the departing Senator from Ohio, Senator DeWine,
said some very kind things about his work with me. I, too,
want to comment that working with the Senator when moving
important legislation in the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions was an outstanding
opportunity, again, of bipartisanship. Mike DeWine and
Barbara Mikulski passed the Older Americans Act twice when
it previously had not passed or been reauthorized in 5
years. We did work so constructively with the Committee on
Finance in terms of the recent pension bill.
Again, we worked on many projects related to national
security together.
I thank Senator DeWine not only for his kind words but,
again, his ongoing efforts, always with the tone of utmost
collegiality when he worked with me, and his staff. ...
A lot is said about changing the tone, but when we hit
the right tone we also hit some pretty high notes. I thank
my colleagues and wish them well and Godspeed until we
meet again.
Mr. DODD. ... Mr. President, today I pay tribute to my
departing colleagues who have, for a time, lent their
talents, their convictions, and their hard work to this
distinguished body. I may have had my disagreements with
them, but the end of a term is a time for seeing
colleagues not simply as politicians, but as partners who
have ``toiled, and wrought, and thought with me.'' Each,
in his own way, was distinctive; and each, in his own way,
will be sorely missed. ...
I also want to say farewell to Senator Mike DeWine.
Senator DeWine, a former prosecutor, has had a
distinguished career in Ohio politics. He represented his
district for four terms in the House of Representatives,
and he served as Ohio's Lieutenant Governor for 4 years,
beginning in 1991. Mike DeWine was elected to the Senate
as part of the famous Republican class of 1994 and served
for a total of 12 years. I have had few more valuable
partners on the other side of the aisle.
Senator DeWine and I have been strong opponents of
underage drinking, a social malady that, in the last year
for which we have data, led directly to 3,500 deaths, 2
million injuries, and 1,200 babies born with fetal alcohol
syndrome, not to mention $53 billion in social costs. The
STOP Underage Drinking Act, which I cosponsored with
Senator DeWine, would fund a comprehensive Federal
campaign of research, prevention grants, and media
messages aimed to keep children and young adults alcohol-
free. I am proud to stand with Senator DeWine on such a
critically important issue.
And I am just as proud to have his support on a whole
slew of health initiatives, especially for infants and
children. Because States' variable screening standards
leave many newborns at risk for treatable disorders, we
have worked together to standardize screening across the
Nation so that all newborns have an equal promise of
health, no matter where they are born. Senator DeWine and
I have also worked together for safer pediatric medical
devices. But above all, Senator DeWine worked with me to
secure passage of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children
Act. That legislation provides incentives for the drug
industry that have dramatically increased the number of
drugs tested and labeled for children; as a result, more
than 100 drug labels have been changed to incorporate new
pediatric information.
It has been a pleasure to serve and work with Senator
DeWine. I have always admired his ability to put principle
before party, and I am thankful for all of his help, and
most importantly, for his friendship. I wish him and his
wife Frances much happiness in the future.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, as this session draws to a
close, I must take this opportunity to make a few comments
on the outstanding record left behind by our colleague
from Ohio, Senator Mike DeWine.
I have worked closely with Senator DeWine ever since he
came to the Senate. I sit with him on three committees:
the Select Committee on Intelligence; the Judiciary
Committee, where he chaired the Antitrust Subcommittee;
and on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, where he chairs the Retirement Security and
Aging Subcommittee.
I consider Mike to be a Senator's Senator--he is a man
who truly represents his constituents, who studies the
issues, works hard, and does his very, very best to do
what is right. His departure from the Senate is a great
loss to this body and a great loss to Ohio.
The DeWine legacy is considerable.
One of the major focuses of his work, which I admire
greatly, is the protection of children. Senator DeWine has
sponsored numerous pieces of legislation aimed at
protecting children and enabling prosecution of those who
perpetrate acts against children. These include the
Protecting Children Against Crime Act of 2003, which
became law as part of the PROTECT Act, the National Child
Protection Amendments Act of 2000, the Child Abuse
Prevention and Enforcement Act of 1999, and the Protection
Against Sexual Predators Act of 1998. It is significant to
note that Senator DeWine is a founding member and cochair
of the Senate Caucus on Missing, Exploited and Runaway
Children.
The Senator's work to protect children extends beyond
legal issues. He is the author and true leader in the
Senate of legislation to protect children from the horrors
of tobacco abuse by giving the Food and Drug
Administration the authority to regulate it. He has also
taken a leadership role in efforts to stop underage teen
drinking by sponsoring the Sober Truth on Preventing
Underage Drinking Act. The STOP Act has a good chance of
becoming law this year.
But the centerpiece of Mike DeWine's prochild agenda is
his work to incentivize pharmaceutical company testing of
drugs used on children. Mike DeWine showed this whole body
the safety risks children face when they take prescription
medications never studied in the pediatric population. I
can just hear Mike saying now, ``Children are not little
adults.'' And he is right.
He worked across the aisle and across the Capitol to get
the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003 enacted. This
was no easy task. It took grit and determination. He
fought big PhRMA. He did it for the kids. And he won. I am
only sorry he will not be here next year as we work to
reauthorize it.
In his years as a member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Senator DeWine emerged as a leader in the area
of antitrust law and competition policy. Both as the
chairman and the ranking Republican member of the
Antitrust Subcommittee, Mike has played an invaluable role
in each significant legislative change to the antitrust
laws enacted in the past decade.
In addition to his legislative achievements in antitrust
law, Senator DeWine has become known for the
subcommittee's active oversight of the antitrust
enforcement activities of the Department of Justice and
Federal Trade Commission. During the subcommittee's
consideration of numerous individual mergers, his
thoughtful analysis and even-handed approach earned him
considerable respect in the antitrust community as a
tough, but eminently fair, advocate of both consumer
interests and strong competition.
Earlier this year at the American Antitrust Institute's
annual conference, where he and Senator Kohl received an
achievement award for their many contributions to
antitrust law, Senator DeWine commented that:
It's always difficult to find that fine line between
aggressive, healthy competition and destructive or
anticompetitive behavior, but it's our job on the
Antitrust Subcommittee to keep trying, and to promote the
type of competition that helps everyone.
From my perspective, Senator DeWine not only tried but
succeeded admirably in drawing this very difficult line in
a careful and appropriately balanced way. His expertise,
institutional knowledge, and thoughtful analysis will be
sorely missed.
Also of note in discussing Senator DeWine's work on the
Judiciary Committee are his anticrime efforts. Mike has
been a real leader on issues such as the 1998 law, the
Crime Identification Technology Act, which increased
funding for State and local law enforcement by $1.25
billion. His work in anticrime technology continued in
2004, when the Senate adopted his amendment to the
intelligence reform bill that would upgrade the Federal
Bureau of Investigation's computer networks. That bill was
signed into law on December 17, 2004.
Mike has either sponsored or cosponsored a number of
bills to help law enforcement protect Ohio communities,
including the local law enforcement block grant program,
the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, the Rape Kits and
DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act of 2003, and the
Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004.
Mike DeWine's work to protect Ohioans extended into the
compelling field of mental illness treatment as well. In
fact, Senator DeWine is known throughout the country for
his work related to the treatment of mental health in the
criminal justice system, including bills such as the
Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
and America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project.
Another DeWine contribution is the Poison Control Center
Enhancement and Awareness Act, a significant contribution
to public health which established a national toll-free
poison control hotline and provided substantial assistance
to local poison control centers.
Finally and more recently, Senator DeWine authored a
bill to protect children's eyes by restricting their
access to potentially damaging cosmetic contact lenses.
Our new leader, Senator McConnell, said this of Senator
DeWine, and I could not have said it better:
I have never observed a more skillful legislator than he
during my time in the Senate ... You know he is a
formidable force who, when he has made up his mind about
an issue, never lets go. Many bills that have cleared the
Senate in the ten years the Senator from Ohio has been
here have the fingerprints of Mike DeWine. He is truly an
extraordinary legislator.
I echo those sentiments.
Mike DeWine has been an outstanding Member of our body,
a good friend to me, and a superb representative for his
constituents. He and his staff work hard and their work
has yielded incredible benefits for the American people.
It is with great pride that I commend his achievements to
this body, and I thank Mike for all he has done to make
the U.S. Senate a more effective and accomplished body. I
will miss him, as a legislator, as a colleague, and as a
friend. ...
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment
to pay tribute to our colleague from Ohio, Senator Mike
DeWine. Senator DeWine is a truly decent, thoughtful
individual with a deep concern for children and a
refreshing willingness to reach across the aisle. He has
been a solid partner on several of the issues common to
our two States and the region.
In particular, it has been a pleasure to work with
Senator DeWine on issues affecting the Great Lakes, which
are critical for our States' economies and for our
environment. Since 1999, he and I have served as cochairs
of the Great Lakes Task Force and have shared a commitment
to protecting and restoring these national treasures. We
have fought to protect the lakes from invasive species, to
improve water quality, to create a long-term restoration
plan, and to expand public access to the lakes.
Senator DeWine's service here has also been
characterized by his commitment to children and children's
health, and he has been willing to work in a bipartisan
way to make progress. He has worked with Senators Dodd and
Jack Reed to prevent teen suicides and with Senator
Clinton to ensure that drugs given to children are safe
for them. He has sponsored a bill with Senator Kennedy to
allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate
tobacco. As the chair of the District of Columbia
Appropriations Subcommittee, he has also worked to reform
the child welfare system in DC.
In addition to his bipartisan approach, Senator DeWine
has also shown a willingness to take politically difficult
positions when he believes they are the right thing to do.
Last year, for example, he joined a bipartisan group of 14
senators who worked to forge a compromise on judicial
nominations and to save the Senate from the so-called
nuclear option. That step helped to diffuse a tense
situation and to protect the Senate as an institution.
I have great respect for Mike DeWine's integrity, his
commitment to his State, and his willingness to seek
progress over partisanship. I wish him and his wife Fran
well in their future endeavors.
Mr. ENZI. ... As each congressional session draws to a
close, we work as hard as we can to try to tie up all the
loose ends and finish as much of the pending legislation
as we possibly can. As we do, we also take a moment to say
goodbye to some of our colleagues who won't be with us
during the next Congress to share with us their insights,
wisdom and creativity.
As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions, I know I will miss Mike
DeWine when the committee meets to begin its schedule of
activities next year. Mike has always been a particularly
hard-working member of the committee and I know my
colleagues on the committee and I will miss his
perspective and his tireless commitment and his dedication
to the issues affecting children and families.
Working with Mike has been a pleasure. We have a great
deal in common--beginning with our mutual enjoyment of the
old-fashioned ice cream social back home. It is a
tradition for both of our families and our political lives
because it is a great way to get everyone together to talk
about current events while enjoying everyone's favorite
dessert.
No one ever said that politics was an easy career to
follow and, true to form, Mike has had a number of hurdles
placed before him that took some doing for him to
overcome.
He began his career of public service as a county
prosecutor. He took a tough stand against crime and people
noticed. Then he was elected to the Ohio Senate. That led
to a run for a seat in the Congress. He faced a tough
primary fight, but wound up at the top of a field of six
candidates. Then, when the general election was held, he
was elected to serve the people of his district in the
House of Representatives.
In the years to follow, Mike had some more tough
battles. He didn't always win, but he never quit. That
spirit of dedication and commitment of his helped him to
win a seat in the Senate, representing the people of Ohio
he had been fighting for over the years. His election gave
Mike a new forum from which to promote his principles, and
he soon proved himself to be a champion for children and
family values. As bill after bill came to the Senate floor
for our consideration, Mike always gave it a close look to
see if there was something that needed to be added to
increase the protections available to our Nation's
children.
Mike understands well that our children are our most
important resource. If we don't help our Nation's families
do a good job of raising their children, nothing else we
do, no matter how well we do it, will matter much in the
long run.
Some people might be surprised to learn how well Mike
has used his time to work with Members on both sides of
the aisle. To Mike it was just common sense. You never
know how long you will be a Member of the Senate, he would
say, so it makes sense to use your time wisely.
As the chairman of the Senate HELP Committee I can
attest to the fact that he has used his time wisely. He
has been a great addition to the committee because he is
an expert on children's issues and issues affecting older
Americans. I have watched him carefully work on a number
of bills dealing with a wide variety of topics. He always
comes to our meetings well prepared, fully focused, and
committed to making a difference for the people of Ohio
and the rest of the Nation.
Mike is very much a people person, and he and his wife
Fran have made regular trips to Haiti to work with the
poorest of the poor. I have often heard it said that God
must love the poor because he made so many of them.
Fortunately, God also made people like Mike DeWine to
plead their case for them in Washington and work with them
around the world in an effort to make their lives better.
The ice cream social I mentioned earlier has become an
annual tradition and Fran and the friends she recruits are
now famous for their hospitality as they put on what must
be the world's biggest pie and ice cream social.
That is just part of the full schedule Mike and his
family maintain every year here, in Ohio and around the
world taking on the causes he and Fran hold dear. If you
want to know what kind of a year Mike has had, take a look
at his Christmas card. If you do, you will see an amazing
collage of pictures of his family and all that has taken
place in their lives over the past 12 months. It serves to
emphasize his great belief in the importance of family and
family activities. It is a value Diana and I and so many
of our colleagues share.
In the years to come, whenever I think of Mike DeWine, I
know I will think of those Christmas cards, which I hope
to be still receiving, and of the smiles and happiness
reflected on each face in the pictures on that card. They
tell me that Mike and Fran DeWine have learned one of
life's most important lessons. Fame and fortune are all
too often fleeting and evasive things in life. In the end,
and every day, the most important part of our lives has to
do with the strength of our faith, the bonds that tie our
families together, and the friendships we develop along
the way that help us to fully appreciate and enjoy all
that life has to offer.
Mike DeWine is truly blessed to have a family which has
shown themselves to be role models on all three of those
special values. I know I will miss him, but, I also know I
won't forget him and Fran. ...
Ms. SNOWE. ... Mr. President, I rise today to express my
gratitude to Senator Mike DeWine, whose desire to do good
has remained his abiding purpose and life-long
contribution to the people of Ohio, the U.S. Senate, and
his country. The moniker of ``bodyguard of the poor''--
which he has been dubbed by many in his State--speaks
volumes about Senator DeWine's tireless dedication to
enriching and helping others and about his earnest efforts
to defend the defenseless and protect those in need.
With a career in public service spanning more than 30
years, Senator Mike DeWine has more than earned his
reputation as hard-working, honest, compassionate, and
results-oriented. I first got to know Mike when he entered
the House of Representatives the same year as my husband
Jock. I am proud to say we served together in both the
U.S. House and Senate. In the 99th and 101st Congresses,
we both served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
And in the U.S. Senate, we were colleagues on the Select
Committee on Intelligence, where issues of national
security and safety have been more paramount than ever.
America is most fortunate to have had his thoughtful,
considered approach on that committee and on so many other
issues. Jock and I have treasured our long-standing
friendship with Mike and Fran DeWine, and we have enormous
respect for Mike's passion and depth of commitment.
Indeed, he is a serious and deliberative legislative
craftsman who sought to effectively represent his State
and reach across the aisle in the true spirit of the
institution. At no point in time was this more evident
than during last year's debate over judicial nominations
when Mike--a dedicated member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee--joined with me and a dozen of our colleagues to
form the Gang of 14. His courage and leadership helped
broker a compromise that preserved the principles and
traditions of this great institution. His loss diminishes
the Senate at a time when we need more like Mike DeWine--
leaders committed to solutions over sound-bites. I will
deeply miss seeing Mike in the Senate--for he was always a
reminder of the finest ideals of public service.
Indeed, Mike DeWine has represented well the principles
and pride of America's heartland. As the son of parents
who ran a small agricultural business, he learned the
value of diligence and perseverance working in the fields
and in the mill.
He has exemplified that unwavering commitment throughout
his career in public service, whether as a prosecutor,
U.S. Representative, Governor, or U.S. Senator and whether
advocating for children, promoting humanitarian relief,
aiding law enforcement, protecting our natural resources,
spurring job growth, increasing national security through
intelligence improvements, or working to secure balanced
budgets. And he has led many of these efforts through his
active and thorough committee work on Appropriations;
Judiciary; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and
Intelligence.
Above all else, I believe Mike DeWine's essential sense
of humanity, and the personal compass that guided him in
all he did in the Senate, was exemplified by his final
minutes on the Senate floor--which he devoted to speaking
of the soldiers of Ohio who had fallen in service to our
Nation in Iraq. That Senator DeWine sought assurance he
would have this opportunity to honor the troops before the
end of the session is a testament to the compassionate
heart of an exceptional man.
For all of his dedicated service to the people of Ohio
and to this country, undoubtedly, Mike DeWine's most
cherished achievement is his marriage of 39 years to his
wife Fran, their 8 children, and 10 grandchildren. I wish
them--and Mike DeWine--all the best. ...
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute
to the Republican Members of the Senate who will not be
returning in the 110th Congress. Senators George Allen;
Conrad Burns; Lincoln Chafee; Mike DeWine; Dr. Bill Frist;
Rick Santorum; and Jim Talent have served their
constituents with honor and distinction during their
tenure here in the U.S. Senate. All care very deeply for
this great Nation and I hope they will have continued
success in their future endeavors. ...
Majority leader Bill Frist has run the Senate through
difficult and trying times and he has done it well.
Senator Mike DeWine, my neighbor to the north, has
represented the Buckeye State with great distinction and
has committed over 30 years of his life to public service.
Senator George Allen represented the Commonwealth of
Virginia in the U.S. Senate for 6 years, and he worked
closely with me to make America safer by helping usher
through important legislation to arm cargo pilots. Senator
Jim Talent has had a great career in Congress and wrote
the blueprint to the welfare reform bill of 1996. And
Senator Lincoln Chafee has continued the proud legacy set
forth by his father and my friend, Senator John Chafee.
Mr. President, I would like to again commend all of our
departing Republican Senators. I am proud of what they
accomplished here in the U.S. Senate. They will all be
missed, and I wish all of them the very best.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. ... Mr. President, Mike DeWine has spent
more than three decades in service to his State and the
Nation.
Senator DeWine has maintained a reputation of integrity
throughout his service as a State senator, Lieutenant
Governor, four-term Congressman, and U.S. Senator. He has
built a record of service on making our Nation and the
world a better place for future generations.
A father of 8 and grandfather of 10, Senator DeWine is a
devoted family man.
He is a champion of children's causes, always focusing
on protecting their welfare and safety.
Senator DeWine has often reached across party lines to
vote with his heart for issues in which he believes.
His hard work and devotion will be missed by the people
of Ohio, whom I know are grateful for his years of
service. ...
UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT--TRIBUTES TO RETIRING SENATORS
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the tributes to
retiring Senators be printed as a Senate document and that
Senators be permitted to submit tributes until December
27, 2006.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Mr. STEVENS. ... Mr. President, I will always remember
Senator Mike DeWine for his commitment to his family. Mike
pursued his own conscience until the end of his tenure in
this Chamber. That conscience led Mike DeWine to be a
staunch defender for the people of Haiti.
In a time of constant conversation about the importance
of family values and community standards, Mike has led by
example. As a member of a large family, the father of 8,
and grandfather of 10, I admire Mike's ability to balance
the needs of his family with the demands of his position
in the Senate.
The senior Senator from Ohio has also devoted much of
his time and energy to causes often overlooked. Senator
DeWine's tireless work for the people of Haiti
demonstrated his commitment. I believe his commitment to
those who need a defender and protector should be
commended. ...
Monday, January 8, 2007
Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, it is an honor indeed to pay
tribute to a number of fine individuals who I am fortunate
to call not just my colleagues, but also dear friends:
Senators Bill Frist, George Allen, Conrad Burns, Lincoln
Chafee, Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum and Jim Talent. ...
Among the Senate's most effective legislators, Senator
Mike DeWine of Ohio will use his many talents and
expertise to tackle new endeavors. Mike's career is truly
an American success story. As a boy, he learned the values
of hard work and perseverance in the fields and the mill
of his family's small agricultural business in Yellow
Springs, OH. It is those principles that have guided him
throughout a stellar career in public service, in which he
has served as prosecutor, an Ohio State senator, a Member
of the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Lieutenant
Governor.
As a Senator, Mike made his mark in a number of policy
areas. He was a strong proponent of education and
children's health care. In particular, he advocated for
children's hospitals because he understands that these
hospitals are important centers for pediatric research.
During more than a decade of service on the Senate
Intelligence Committee, Mike worked doggedly to
investigate intelligence failures and revamp our
intelligence community. As the chairman of the Retirement
Security and Aging Subcommittee of the HELP Committee, he
focused his efforts on modernizing our Nation's pension
system. And as the first Ohio Senator in six decades to
serve on the Appropriations Committee, Mike was committed
to ensuring that our Nation's first responders have the
resources they need. On the Judiciary Committee, Mike took
the lead on a number of antiterror and anticrime
initiatives, such as the PATRIOT Act, as well as proposals
to curb drunk driving, to help keep all Americans safe.
Perhaps what I admire most about Mike is that this
terrific father of 8, and grandfather of 10, always puts
his family first. As a public servant, Mike has used his
positions to contribute to the greater good, and he has
brilliantly served the people of Ohio throughout his
career. May God bless Mike DeWine, his wife Fran, and
their family for many, many years to come. ...
As these men--Bill Frist, George Allen, Conrad Burns,
Lincoln Chafee, Mike DeWine, Rick Santorum and Jim
Talent--conclude their service in the U.S. Senate, let me
say that I am so proud to have worked with individuals of
such character, strength, and intellect. Our Nation is
grateful for their many contributions. And as they each
will undoubtedly continue to contribute to our country's
greatness, their leadership and vision will be missed here
in the U.S. Senate.