    [Senate Document 111-22]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

    TRIBUTES TO HON. ROBERT F. BENNETT

                                      Robert F. Bennett

                             U.S. SENATOR FROM UTAH

                                    TRIBUTES

                               IN THE CONGRESS OF

                               THE UNITED STATES

    Robert F. Bennett
    ?

                                          Tributes

                                    Delivered in Congress

                                      Robert F. Bennett

                                    United States Senator

                                          1993-2011

                                              a

                                Compiled under the direction

                                           of the

                                 Joint Committee on Printing
                                          CONTENTS
                 Biography.............................................
                                                                          v
                 Farewell to the Senate................................
                                                                        vii
                 Proceedings in the Senate:
                    Tributes by Senators:
                        Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                          3
                        Baucus, Max, of Montana........................
                                                                         11
                        Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri..............
                                                                          5
                        Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
                                                                         18
                        Carper, Thomas R., of Delaware.................
                                                                         18
                        Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                         12
                        Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                         16
                        Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                         15
                        Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                      6, 15
                        Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                         13
                        Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                         17
                        Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
                                                                         19
                        McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                          8
                        Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
                                                                         20
                        Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                          7
                        Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                          5
                        Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                          7
                                          BIOGRAPHY

                   Former Senator Robert F. Bennett has earned the
                 reputation among his colleagues, constituents, and clients
                 as a pragmatic problem-solver who seeks creative and
                 commonsense solutions to their issues.
                   Robert F. Bennett entered the political arena by
                 managing his father's Senatorial reelection campaign 49
                 years ago, in 1962. Wallace F. Bennett was a U.S. Senator
                 from 1951 to 1974. It was this experience that would later
                 inspire Mr. Bennett to seek public office.
                   In the meantime, he used his strong leadership skills
                 and lessons learned from working as a staffer on Capitol
                 Hill in several successful entrepreneurial pursuits. His
                 greatest triumph in the business world came when he was
                 CEO of Franklin International Institute, now known as
                 Franklin Covey. Mr. Bennett grew the business from 4
                 employees to more than 1,000, and it was listed on the New
                 York Stock Exchange.
                   In 1992, Mr. Bennett followed in his father's footsteps
                 and ran a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate,
                 carrying his businessman-like approach with him to the
                 Hill. He served as a senior member of the Senate Banking
                 Committee and a member of the distinguished Joint Economic
                 Committee, where he was at the center of national economic
                 policy discussions. He also served as the ranking
                 Republican on the Senate Rules Committee.
                   As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
                 Senator Bennett strived to balance fiscal discipline in
                 government while representing the needs of his
                 constituents in the distribution of Federal funds. He also
                 represented the interests of the West as the ranking
                 Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
                 Energy and Water and a member of the Senate Energy and
                 Natural Resources Committee.
                   Senator Bennett was at the forefront of health care
                 reform. He cosponsored the Healthy Americans Act, the
                 first major bipartisan health care legislation in more
                 than a decade. His Healthy Americans Act guaranteed
                 quality, affordable, portable health coverage for every
                 American, cutting health costs by more than $1.2 trillion
                 over the next decade.
                   Mr. Bennett is a graduate of the University of Utah,
                 where he was student body president. He and his wife Joyce
                 are the proud parents of 6 children and have 20
                 grandchildren.
                                   Farewell to the Senate
                                 Thursday, December 9, 2010

                   Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, there once was a very
                 strong tradition in the Senate that every new Senator gave
                 a maiden speech, and in that tradition some Senators
                 waited as long as a year before they gave the speech.
                 Then, when the time came, the more senior Senators would
                 gather and take notes and then critique the newcomer on
                 how well he did.
                   Life has changed a good deal. I never gave a maiden
                 speech. I plunged right into the debate when I got here.
                 Now the tradition seems to be to give a farewell speech.
                 So I am grateful to my colleagues who will gather for this
                 occasion as I contemplate saying farewell to the Senate.
                 But I will warn them, this is probably not my last speech.
                 I intend to be heavily involved in the debate over whether
                 we pass a continuing resolution or an omnibus bill.
                   I have a history with the Senate, and it began when I
                 was a teenager as a summer intern. I remember sitting in
                 the gallery and watching Bob Taft prowl across the back of
                 the Senate, watching to make sure things were going
                 according to his desire. He had been the majority leader.
                 He had stepped down from that position because of the
                 cancer he had contracted, but he was still paying
                 attention to this body where he served with such
                 distinction.
                   Lyndon Johnson was sprawled out with his lanky frame at
                 the Democratic leader's desk, and I was watching from the
                 gallery, thinking what an extraordinary place this was.
                   Ten years later, I came back as a staffer, and I served
                 here. I was sitting in my cubicle in the Dirksen Building
                 when word came that John F. Kennedy had been shot in
                 Dallas. We didn't know whether he was dead. We all rushed
                 over to the Senate, where there was a ticker tape back in
                 the back lobby, to see what was happening. I rushed in
                 with the others to see what was there and then looked to
                 see whom I had jostled aside in order to get to see the
                 ticker tape. It was Mike Mansfield. I quietly withdrew,
                 realizing I had done something that was not appropriate on
                 that occasion.
                   I was here in Washington when Martin Luther King gave
                 his ``I Have a Dream'' speech. I was here as a staffer
                 when the historic civil rights bill of 1964 was passed and
                 was involved in the drafting of that bill at a very low
                 kind of level and the conflict that occurred on that
                 occasion.
                   Then I came back into government as the head of the
                 congressional relations function for a Cabinet-level
                 department. I worked with Senator Dirksen in trying to
                 pursue the Nixon administration's goals forward and ran
                 into a bright young Senator from Kansas with a sharp wit
                 named Bob Dole. I had the opportunity of working with
                 Dirksen and Dole and the others in that situation.
                   Watergate came along. I was given the dubious honor of
                 being called to testify by a young Senator from Tennessee
                 named Howard Baker. He assigned me to his staffer, who
                 grilled me for 3 hours under oath--a fellow by the name of
                 Fred Thompson.
                   There are great memories there. I did not realize I
                 would come back to the Senate myself, and as a political
                 junkie, what could be better? I was involved in the
                 debate, I had access to all of the activity, and they even
                 gave me a vote. It was a great time, a great opportunity,
                 and I have enjoyed it immensely and say farewell to it
                 with mixed feelings.
                   What have I learned out of all of this, both that past
                 history and my own history in the Senate? I will not bore
                 you with all of the things I have learned, but I have
                 picked out several I want to highlight here today.
                   One of the first things I learned is that this is,
                 indeed, an extraordinary place filled with extraordinary
                 people. And the caricature we get from the press and the
                 movies and other places that this is filled with people
                 who have self-serving agendas and very low standards of
                 ethics is simply not true. The Senate is filled with
                 people with the highest standard of ethics--we have a few
                 clunkers, I will admit that, but overall the highest
                 standard of ethics the American people could want.
                   If I may dip back into my history to give you this
                 example of how much better the present Senate is than some
                 of the older ones, I remember that when I was prowling the
                 halls in the circumstances I have described, I ran into a
                 friend who was distraught.
                   I said to him, ``What is the problem?''
                   He said, ``I am taking a group of schoolchildren through
                 the Capitol, and I sent a note in to a Senator to ask him
                 if he would come out and speak to them. And he did, and he
                 is drunk. I can't get him to stop and get the
                 schoolchildren back to the tour, and I don't know what to
                 do.''
                   You don't see that kind of behavior in today's Senate.
                   You don't see the kind of casualness toward personal
                 campaign contributions that existed. Why do you think,
                 when they built the Dirksen Building, they put a safe in
                 every Senator's office? It was to hold the cash that would
                 be brought into the office and handed to the Senator. And
                 that was a routine kind of circumstance.
                   One of the things I enjoyed about the renovation of the
                 Dirksen Building was being able to say to the Architect of
                 the Capitol, ``Take the safe out because we don't need it
                 anymore.'' I notice now that I started a trend. If I leave
                 no legacy other than this, it will be that the safes are
                 all coming out of the Dirksen Office Building, and I was
                 the first one to do that.
                   This is an extraordinary place filled with extraordinary
                 people who take their jobs very seriously and deserve the
                 kind of respect that too often they do not get. Everybody
                 says, when they leave this place, they will miss the
                 people. I certainly will. The friendships that have been
                 made here, the lessons I have been taught, and the mentors
                 I have had have all been a major part of it. I will not
                 name names because once I get started in that, I will not
                 be able to quit. But I do recognize the mentors I have had
                 in the leaders, in my senior colleague, Senator Hatch--and
                 I will tell a story about him--and the staff. These are
                 also extraordinary people who go to extraordinary lengths
                 to serve the country. We should acknowledge that and give
                 them the credit they deserve.
                   Senator Hatch gave me this piece of advice. We were
                 talking one night about an issue, and we were on opposite
                 sides. That didn't happen very often. Senator Hatch and I
                 don't confer in advance of a vote very often. We come to
                 our own conclusions, but, both being conservative
                 Republicans, we usually end up in the same place. On this
                 occasion, we were different. Orrin was giving me his full
                 court press. You have all been exposed to Orrin's full
                 court press on an issue.
                   Finally, he said to me, ``Bob, apply the driving home
                 test.''
                   I said, ``All right, what is the driving home test?''
                   He said, ``After this is all over and the lights go out
                 and you go get in your car and you are driving home,
                 thinking back on the day and the votes you cast, the
                 driving home test is, how will you feel driving home if
                 you cast that particular vote?''
                   I said, ``Orrin, that is some of the best advice I ever
                 got.''
                   I voted against him, and I felt great while I was
                 driving home.
                   In sum, that is one of the first things I learned. This
                 is an extraordinary place filled with extraordinary people
                 who are dedicated to the country, dedicated to doing the
                 right thing, and who uphold the highest ethical standards.
                   The next thing I learned is that there are two parties
                 and that there is a difference between the two parties.
                 There are those who say: Oh, there is not a dime's worth
                 of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats;
                 they are the same people who say we are all corrupt. There
                 is a significant difference. The Democrats are the party
                 of government. Going back to their roots with Franklin
                 Roosevelt, they come to the conclusion that if there is a
                 problem, government should solve that problem. The
                 Republicans are the party of free markets, and they come
                 to the conclusion that if there is a problem, it should be
                 left to the markets to solve it. And they are both right.
                 That is the thing I have come to understand here. There
                 are some problems where government is the solution--but
                 not always. There are some problems where free markets do
                 provide the solution--but not always.
                   The tension between those two has run throughout the
                 history of the Republic. You can go all the way back to
                 Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton and the arguments
                 they had as to what the proper role of government should
                 be, whether it should be big government or little
                 government, whether you should have this or that kind of
                 power. It ran through the Constitutional Convention and
                 arguments that occurred there.
                   It is appropriate that those who believe in government
                 should have strong advocates on their side. Those who
                 believe in free markets should have equally strong
                 advocates on their side. And because I believe in free
                 markets, I am a Republican, and I have been happy to be a
                 Republican. I have been careful to stand up for those
                 things I believe, and I have compiled a record that many
                 of my friends on the Democratic side would consider fairly
                 miserable in terms of wisdom on voting. But let us
                 understand in the debate, as we go back and forth between
                 these two concepts, that we do not question the motives or
                 the patriotism of anyone on the other side--or within our
                 own caucuses.
                   I remember an event where someone on the Republican side
                 voted with the Democrats in a way that some on this side
                 felt was betrayal, and there was a sense of, let's punish
                 him, let's do this, that, and the other. Trent Lott taught
                 me this lesson. He said, ``No, the most important vote is
                 the next one. We are going to need his vote the next time.
                 And if we punish him for this last vote, we won't get
                 it.''
                   Yes, there is a difference between the two parties. Yes,
                 we disagree. But if we can disagree in an effort to solve
                 the problems of the country and be willing on occasion to
                 say maybe the other side is right, we will move forward.
                   Let me go back to the Civil Rights Act and that debate.
                 Barry Goldwater was the Republican standard bearer in the
                 year that was passed. Barry Goldwater and many of his
                 colleagues on the Republican side believed that the Civil
                 Rights Act was an unwarranted intrusion on personal
                 liberty, that you were entitled to pick your own
                 associations. And the Democrats--some of them--believed
                 the civil rights bill had to be passed to keep faith with
                 the 14th Amendment and government's role in securing
                 liberty.
                   Everett Dirksen stood in the middle of that fight. The
                 civil rights bill was written in his office. Lyndon
                 Johnson gets historic credit for it, as he deserves, but
                 within this body where the cloture vote determined whether
                 it would pass, the key figure was Everett Dirksen.
                   My father, with me as his chief of staff, was caught in
                 that pressure with the conservatives saying one thing, the
                 liberals saying another, and dad trying to decide which
                 way he would go. I remember a comment he made as he made
                 his decision--and he made his decision to go with Dirksen,
                 vote for the bill, vote for cloture. Being a businessman,
                 he had thought it through. He believed in free markets as
                 well as I do. But he made this comment which I have always
                 held onto as an example of the way you deal with this
                 challenge. He said:

                   You know, I thought about it, and many of these
                 companies that refuse to serve Black people are public
                 companies with their stock available on the stock
                 exchange. So what we are saying is, it is all right for
                 the Black person to own the company but it is not all
                 right for him to patronize it. That is unsustainable.

                   So on this occasion, he sided with the people who
                 believed in government to solve the problem. He voted for
                 the Civil Rights Act, and he got a challenger for his next
                 nomination and the toughest primary he ever had within the
                 party. He overcame that challenger, and he got his fourth
                 term.
                   I made the decision to act in concert with George Bush
                 and my leader, Mitch McConnell, and the Democratic leader,
                 Harry Reid, and the Republican standard bearer, John
                 McCain, to vote in favor of an act of government as
                 opposed to free markets when I supported the Toxic Asset
                 Relief Program (TARP). And I got a challenger as I sought
                 a fourth term, and I was not as successful as my father,
                 so my career was ended. My father never regretted his
                 civil rights vote. I don't regret my TARP vote because it
                 was the right thing to do.
                   For those who say, ``Oh, what a terrible thing it is
                 that your career has ended,'' I go back again to the old
                 Senate and a Senator named Norris Cotton, from New
                 Hampshire. Norris Cotton was a Republican. He used to tell
                 this story:

                   Three fellows were sitting on a bench in New Hampshire
                 in their rocking chairs contemplating what would happen
                 after they had died. The first one said, ``You know, after
                 I die, I want to be buried next to George Washington, the
                 Father of our country. I think it will be a great honor to
                 be buried next to Washington.''
                   The second one said, ``Well, that is fine, but I am more
                 loyal to our State. I want to be buried next to Daniel
                 Webster.''
                   OK. They rocked for a while, and they turned to the
                 third fellow and they said, ``What about you?''
                   He said, ``I want to be buried next to Elizabeth
                 Taylor.''
                   They said, ``But, Joe, Elizabeth Taylor is not dead
                 yet.''
                   He said, ``Neither am I.''

                   I appreciate the opportunity to give this farewell
                 speech and your willingness to come listen to it. But I am
                 not dead yet. The demographers are saying, within the next
                 three or four decades, the number of Americans over the
                 age of 100 will be in the millions. I intend to be one of
                 that number. I have loved being in the Senate. I have
                 loved the association. I have enjoyed hearing about the
                 issues and being in the arena to try to solve them.
                   I do not intend to leave the arena of public debate and
                 public affairs. I simply have changed venues. I am
                 grateful to the Senate and to all my friends for all the
                 things you have taught me. I view the Senate not as the
                 end of my career but as the education and preparation for
                 the next stage.
                   My father lived until he was 95, my mother 96. I only
                 have to beat the demographic laws by a very small
                 percentage to make my goal. I appreciate the opportunity
                 of being here and your courtesy in listening to me here
                 today.

                                          TRIBUTES

                                             TO

                                      ROBERT F. BENNETT
                                  Proceedings in the Senate
                                                 Tuesday, November 30, 2010
                   Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, 16 Senators will retire
                 this year. There is a pretty big turnover in this body,
                 but that is a lot of Senators at once. We are losing an
                 enormous amount of talent, but, of course, we are gaining
                 a lot of talent with the new Senators.
                   I wish to show my respect for those who have served,
                 which I will do in a summary fashion because we are
                 talking about 16 individuals with very complex and
                 distinguished backgrounds.
                   One might ask, what are the characteristics of a
                 Senator? There are a lot of different answers to that,
                 depending on your background and attitude toward politics
                 and government. First, I have always thought that one
                 characteristic of almost every Member of the Senate is
                 that he or she probably was a first grader sitting in the
                 front row, hand in the air waiting to be recognized. This
                 is an eager bunch or you would not have gotten here.
                   Second, it is a group of risk takers. Most people who
                 end up in the Senate get here because a lot of other
                 people who wanted to be Senators were standing around
                 waiting for the right time to run. A lot of people who
                 were elected to the Senate seemed to have no chance of
                 winning at the time they decided to run, but the voters
                 decided differently, and here they are.
                   Third, we are almost all professional and congenial.
                 That is a big help. It is almost a requirement in an
                 organization of 100 individuals who spend almost all their
                 time with one another, who serve in a body that operates
                 by unanimous consent, when just one Senator can bring the
                 whole place to a halt, and whose job basically is to argue
                 about some of the most difficult issues that face the
                 American people. So it helps that almost every Member of
                 the Senate is an especially congenial person.
                   Back in Tennessee, people often say to me it must be
                 rough being in that job. They are awfully mean up there.
                 The truth is, I don't know of a more congenial group than
                 the Members of the Senate. We begin the day in the gym.
                 The next thing you know we are at a Prayer Breakfast, and
                 then we are at a committee hearing. Then we are on the
                 floor voting, and then we have lunch. It goes through the
                 day until 7 or 8 o'clock, or sometimes later. We live
                 together and we get along very well. We know and respect
                 each other.
                   Not long ago, the Presiding Officer (Mr. Udall of New
                 Mexico) and I were having dinner together with our wives.
                 We were lamenting the loss of families who know one
                 another, the way it happened when his father was serving
                 in Congress and when I first came to the Senate to work
                 for Senator Baker. And that's true. We've lost some of
                 that. Still, there is an enormous amount of affection and
                 good will here. You don't always get to be very close
                 friends in this job, but you get to be very good
                 acquaintances, and you learn to respect people for their
                 strengths.
                   Senator Domenici said, when he left, that we don't do a
                 very good job of saying goodbye here. That is true. As one
                 part of saying goodbye, I wish to say at least one good
                 thing about each one of the 16 retiring Senators. Much
                 more could be said about each, of course. Mostly, I am
                 going in alphabetical order.
                    I have known Senator Bob Bennett of Utah the longest.
                 We served together in the Nixon administration. I was in
                 the White House working with Bryce Harlow, and he was in
                 the Department of Transportation. That was in 1969 and
                 1970. What I will remember about Bob Bennett--and most
                 Senators will remember this about his legacy--are his
                 careful expositions of economic issues. He has a
                 background as an entrepreneur and businessman. He served
                 with distinction on the Joint Economic Committee. His
                 expertise in helping us better understand the economy has
                 been valuable. ...
                   It has been my privilege to serve with these 16
                 Senators. We thank them for their service to our country.
                 They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the
                 world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special
                 institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope
                 they will stay in touch with us because they are not just
                 retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
                   I yield the floor.
                                                Wednesday, December 8, 2010
                   Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
                 there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of
                 materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to
                 retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members
                 have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
                 ordered.
                                                 Thursday, December 9, 2010
                   Mr. BOND. Madam President, I am humbled to follow my
                 great, good friend, the eloquent orator, the wonderful
                 Senator from Utah, Mr. Bob Bennett, a man who has been a
                 giant in this Senate, not only terms of height but of
                 intellect. We have followed his lead on many issues. I
                 know the Senate will miss him.

                   Mr. REID. Senator Bennett from Utah is a very dear
                 friend of mine. We have traveled around as Members of the
                 Senate, visiting places all over the world. His wife Joyce
                 is an accomplished artist. She is a flutist. She is well
                 known here and in Utah. Senator Bennett is a very
                 courageous man. What a disappointment he was not
                 reelected. I am not usually giving speeches for my
                 Republican colleagues, but it is a real loss to the
                 country that Senator Bennett will not return to the
                 Senate. He is a very courageous man. He represents the
                 ideals of the State of Utah. He is a very devout member of
                 his church. He is a person who calls his political issues
                 the way he sees them. His having been criticized for
                 supporting his President, a Republican President, on the
                 Toxic Asset Relief Program (TARP) is unfair. This was one
                 of the most important issues we faced in ages in this
                 country, and I think the proof is in the pudding. Of the
                 hundreds of billions of dollars--almost $1 trillion--that
                 were put out for that fund, all but $25 billion is paid
                 back and most of the economists say we will get more than
                 that back from some of the things that were invested in.
                   I admire the public service of Senator Bennett. It has
                 been outstanding. It meets the accomplishments of his
                 father who also served very well in the U.S. Senate. I am
                 going to miss him a great deal. What a wonderful human
                 being. He is an author. He has in the past been a very
                 successful businessman, and I think one of the most
                 accomplished legislators I have had the pleasure to deal
                 with. ... So I am grateful for the friendship of Senator
                 Bennett and Senator Dorgan.

                   Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
                 recognizing Senator Robert Bennett of Utah.
                   I have had the privilege of working with Senator Bennett
                 since I entered the Senate in 1997, 4 years after Senator
                 Bennett began his Senate service. I have admired his
                 enthusiasm and dedication to serving the people of Utah
                 ever since.
                   It was clear that public service was in his blood. From
                 his election as student body president at the University
                 of Utah, to his time in the Utah Army National Guard,
                 Senator Bennett's priority for his entire adult life has
                 been serving the people of his home State.
                   His first taste of real politics came in the 1960s when
                 he helped his father Wallace Bennett win reelection to
                 this very Chamber. While he did not seek office himself
                 until almost 20 years following his father's retirement,
                 he worked in the private sector in Utah, deepening his
                 ties to the State and his devotion to the people of Utah.
                   I have had the privilege of working side by side with
                 Senator Bennett on the Appropriations Committee for many
                 years. I have seen his passion for service, his respect
                 for the Senate, and above all else, his love of Utah.
                   He has managed to stay true to the fiscal principles
                 that he gained as a businessman and CEO, while
                 understanding the need for compromise when it was required
                 of him for the sake of his State and the rest of America.
                   During his tenure here, Utah has become a premiere
                 destination of the West--he has worked for quality
                 education for Utah's children, fought to preserve its
                 natural landscapes, and paved the way for the development
                 of 21st century infrastructure back home.
                   Senator Bennett also made America proud in 2002 when he
                 helped the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics become one of
                 the most successful and safe Olympic games in recent
                 memory.
                   Of course, Senator Bennett and I have not always seen
                 eye to eye on many issues. But my respect for his beliefs
                 has always been deep. In 2008, when America was on the
                 brink of financial collapse, I was moved by his eagerness
                 to reach across the aisle to do what was right for Utah
                 and Illinois, alike. This has always been his character,
                 and the Senate will miss him for it.
                   Senator Bennett leaves us this month in the same way
                 that he has served here for almost 20 years: with dignity
                 and conviction. I am proud to call him a friend, and wish
                 him and his family all the best in the future.
                                                  Friday, December 10, 2010
                   Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
                 our colleagues who are departing the Senate after
                 distinguished service on behalf of their States and on
                 behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with
                 these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and
                 cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them
                 do what they have done so well--represent their States
                 with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda
                 of the Nation forward. ...
                   Bob Bennett and I served together on the Banking
                 Committee. His thoughtful questioning and his deep
                 knowledge of the subjects were critical on so many
                 different issues. I remember when we were trying to get
                 the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act
                 completed so the markets--particularly the markets for
                 large properties--would not freeze up, he was instrumental
                 in getting that done. That is just one example of what he
                 has done throughout a career of public service to the
                 people of Utah and of this Nation. I wish him and Joyce
                 the very best as they continue to serve, as I am sure they
                 will, this Nation and their State of Utah. ...
                   To all of these colleagues and their families, my
                 deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.

                   Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the
                 service of another great Federal employee. This is a
                 tradition that was started by our friend and former
                 colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on
                 that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate
                 the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our
                 colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his
                 great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the
                 colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this
                 Congress. ...
                                                  Monday, December 13, 2010
                   Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we are losing through
                 retirement a number of our most distinguished Members.
                 None of them have I been closer to than the Senator from
                 Utah, Senator Bennett, and I am pleased he is here on the
                 floor today. He made his farewell speech last week, and
                 now I wish to speak about his farewell myself.
                   Over the last 18 years, I have come to rely on Bob's
                 counsel, and today I wish to thank him publicly and
                 personally for being so generous with his candid advice
                 and unfailing good judgment. I simply would not be where I
                 am today without the benefit of Bob's wisdom and
                 friendship, and I am deeply grateful for it.
                   Bob has always been a pretty low-key guy, and he has
                 always preferred working quietly in the background--both
                 rarities in politics today. But as with most everything
                 Bob does, there is a method behind his style. As Bob once
                 put it: ``In Washington, there are two kinds of Senators
                 ... workhorses and show horses. I decided I would be a
                 workhorse.'' Then he went on to explain the difference. He
                 said:

                   Most of the show horses look in the mirror in the
                 morning and see a President looking back at them ... But
                 we haven't elected a bald President in this country since
                 [Dwight] Eisenhower [so] I look in the mirror and realize
                 I don't have the qualifications.

                   What Bob failed to point out, of course, is that he has
                 one of the longest resumes in the Senate. So I would like
                 to take a moment today to go through just some of the
                 things he has achieved in a very eventful life.
                   Born in Salt Lake City, Bob was the youngest of Francis
                 and Wallace F. Bennett's five children. Bob learned the
                 value of hard work from his dad and the importance of
                 faith from both his parents. The product of public
                 education, Bob graduated from East High School in Salt
                 Lake City and then went on to attend the University of
                 Utah, where he majored in political science and served as
                 student body president.
                   After college, he served 3 years as chaplain in the Utah
                 Army National Guard. By then, Bob's father had already
                 been a U.S. Senator for a number of years; and after his
                 service Bob joined his dad's Senate reelection campaign in
                 1962. It was a close race, but Bob's father was able to
                 win--and Bob himself was hooked on politics. After working
                 on the campaign, he wasn't much interested in returning to
                 Bennett Paint & Glass, so he packed his bags and moved to
                 Washington, DC.
                   After bouncing around a little as a press secretary in
                 Congress, a corporate researcher working on Federal
                 pension law, and chief administrative assistant for his
                 dad, he took a job as a lobbyist for J.C. Penney.
                   Now, in those days, lobbyists did not make as much money
                 as they do today. But Bob enjoyed the work and the
                 friendships he made, including his friendship with the
                 legendary Bryce Harlow. Bryce ended up becoming more than
                 a friend to Bob, he really became a mentor to him. And
                 when Nixon won the Presidential election in 1968, Bryce
                 pulled Bob aside and gave him some marching orders: ``If I
                 have to give up my cushy corporate job to serve this
                 administration,'' he said, ``so do you. Go get measured
                 for a suit, go over to the Department of Transportation.
                 Show up; you're going to be John Volpe's head of
                 congressional relations.'' And that is exactly what Bob
                 did. Bob will tell you he was proud of his work and
                 experience he gained at DOT. He says no department was
                 more successful. And he has all of the Presidential pens
                 to prove it.
                   At the end of 1971, Bob was ready to leave government
                 and start something new. So he bought the public relations
                 firm Robert Mullen Company and soon unwittingly found
                 himself right in the middle of the Watergate scandal. What
                 Bob didn't know when he bought the firm is that it doubled
                 as a CIA front and that one of its employees had organized
                 the break-in at the center of the Watergate investigation.
                 The unwanted attention ruined Bob's new business and
                 completely changed the course of his career.
                   Howard Hughes was one of Mullen's clients at the time,
                 and he asked Bob to work for him directly in California.
                 Looking for a fresh start, he took the job, and left
                 Washington for the west coast. After that, Bob found
                 success running a company that made day planners and
                 organizers. Under his leadership, the company went from 4
                 employees to over 1,000 employees and more than $80
                 million in sales. And then, in 1992, with Utah Republican
                 Jake Garn retiring from the Senate, Bob decided to fulfill
                 his lifelong dream and follow in his father's footsteps by
                 running for the Senate. After a tough primary, he beat his
                 Democratic opponent and won the election by a 15-point
                 margin. And since entering this Chamber, he has been a
                 central player in some of the most significant legislative
                 efforts the Senate has undertaken over the last two
                 decades.
                   A staunch conservative with a track record of finding
                 common ground on some of the toughest issues, Bob played a
                 central role in the bailout of the Mexican Government
                 during the peso crisis in the 1990s. For his efforts,
                 President Clinton praised him as ``a highly intelligent,
                 old-fashioned conservative who quickly grasped the
                 consequences of inaction and would stick with us
                 throughout the crisis.'' Around the same time, he was also
                 instrumental in the passage of legislation related to the
                 confidentiality of medical records.
                   As someone who has always worked hard to build
                 relationships with Democrats, I knew I could always rely
                 on Bob to find out the pulse of Democrats on an issue. And
                 Democrats could turn to him too. Here is what Senator Reid
                 once said about Bob: ``There is no more honorable Member
                 of this body than Bob Bennett.''
                   Bob and I have found common cause over the years, among
                 other things, in our defense of the First Amendment. I
                 remember being in the trenches together over the flag-
                 burning amendment, which we both opposed. Both of us, of
                 course, also strongly oppose any desecration of the flag.
                 But we agreed that an amendment to the Constitution was
                 not the way to go. In the end, we prevailed. We thought it
                 was a worthy fight to ensure that Congress didn't place
                 any qualifiers on the First Amendment.
                   Over this time, Bob became one of my most trusted
                 colleagues, and that is why, when I was elected Republican
                 leader, I asked him if he would serve as one of my
                 advisers. He is smart and levelheaded, a proven leader, a
                 successful entrepreneur, and when he speaks everyone
                 listens. In addition, he has a remarkable gift of
                 persuasion. Far from the floor is where Bob does his best
                 work. It is a trait he learned from his dad.
                   As Bob once put it:

                   Building a consensus, building relationships where
                 people will trust and do things for you is the hardest
                 work of the Senate, and when it comes to fruition ... it's
                 also the most rewarding work in the Senate.

                   Bob decided long ago to do his best to stay out of the
                 nasty political fights that occur from time to time in
                 Washington. That is one of the reasons you don't ever see
                 him on the Sunday shows. Bob knows that most of the time
                 the media is just looking for that gotcha moment. He is
                 more interested in focusing on what is best for his
                 constituents, whether it is in this Chamber, in committee,
                 or back home.
                   In addition to Bob's role in leadership, he served as
                 the ranking member of the Rules and Administration
                 Committee, as the chairman of the Joint Economic
                 Committee, as the senior member of the Senate Banking
                 Committee, as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on
                 Energy and Water Development and on the Senate
                 Appropriations Committee. He has been involved in nearly
                 every major issue that has come through this Chamber over
                 the past two decades. He has worked hard to fix our
                 economy and health care system, simplify the tax code,
                 reform entitlement programs, and strengthen America's
                 national security at home and abroad.
                   But Bob will tell you his most important job is being a
                 husband. And of course today we also pay tribute to Joyce,
                 who has played such an active role in the life of the
                 Senate family over the years. We will miss them both.
                 Together, they have raised six children and in nearly 50
                 years of marriage, they have certainly seen a lot.
                   When asked about his legacy, Bob has pointed out that it
                 was always his hope to live up to his own father's example
                 of integrity and hard work. Bob, we know that if your dad
                 were here today, he would be so proud of all you have
                 accomplished not only in this Chamber and for our country,
                 but also as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. So
                 it is with a sense of gratitude for all that he has meant
                 to the Senate and to me personally, that I pay tribute to
                 Bob Bennett. It has been an honor to serve with him, and
                 most important to call him a friend. On behalf of the
                 entire Senate family, I want to thank Bob for his service.
                 He will be missed, and we wish him all the best in the
                 next chapter of his life.

                   Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I too want to say a couple of
                 words about Bob Bennett. We are deeply impressed with his
                 sense of integrity and his commitment to working for
                 basic, sound principles. I might say he made a big
                 impression on me when he came to my office--I think on his
                 own, but maybe he was appointed to do so--to help find a
                 way to make the Senate more relevant and to find ways to
                 change the Senate rules to address some of the frustration
                 a lot of Senators have. People who are watching may
                 wonder, gosh, why do Senators think they are not relevant?
                 I must say that a lot of Senators feel they want to get
                 something done quickly and they are sometimes frustrated
                 with the actions of another Senator who doesn't quite have
                 the same idea. I was impressed with Bob's attitude. He
                 talked to me and asked, ``What can be done, Max? What
                 ideas do you have?'' It was very refreshing. I remember
                 thinking at the time that this will be difficult, and I
                 told him it would be difficult. I didn't tell him how
                 difficult I thought it would be. But I was impressed with
                 his freshness and his desire to help adjust the Senate
                 rules.
                                               Wednesday, December 15, 2010
                   Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to
                 honor a friend and colleague, Senator Bob Bennett, who
                 will be moving on from the Senate after 18 years of
                 service to the people of Utah.
                   Bob has had a long and impressive career. Out of
                 college, he served for several years in the Utah National
                 Guard and worked as a congressional liaison for the
                 Department of Transportation. Turning next to the private
                 sector, he worked for 20 years in public relations and
                 later in the technology field. He put that experience to
                 good use once elected to the Senate, using his high-tech
                 know-how to chair the Senate Special Committee on the Year
                 2000 Technology Problem, serve on the Senate Republican
                 High-Tech Task Force, and work on issues from broadband
                 infrastructure development to cybersecurity.
                   Utah and North Dakota have many things in common. Both
                 are largely rural States with unique needs that often go
                 unrecognized by those who live in densely populated areas.
                 Senator Bennett should be proud that he has been a vocal
                 and consistent supporter of funding for Utah's farmers and
                 ranchers, veterans, rural health care institutions,
                 military installations, and roads, highways, and mass-
                 transit infrastructure. I know that Utah has many reasons
                 to be grateful for what Bob Bennett's hard work on the
                 Appropriations Committee has brought to the State over the
                 years.
                   During his time here, Senator Bennett and I have worked
                 closely on a number of important issues, especially those
                 related to our national defense. As an important member of
                 the Senate ICBM Coalition, Senator Bennett has worked with
                 me to ensure that our Nation preserves both its fleet of
                 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles and the
                 infrastructure required to keep them operational for years
                 into the future. Senator Bennett is also a member of the
                 Senate Tanker Caucus, which has vocally and consistently
                 pushed for the Department of Defense to quickly and fairly
                 select and procure a next-generation aerial refueling
                 tanker to replace the aging KC-135. His advocacy on this
                 issue has been key in the work of the caucus.
                   Finally, of course, and I think most important to Bob,
                 he is a dedicated and outstanding family man. Though I
                 know he will be missed here in the Senate, the new time he
                 will have to spend with his wife Joyce and his six
                 children will certainly be counted among his many
                 blessings. My wife Lucy and I wish Bob and his family many
                 happy years ahead.

                   Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is always a bittersweet
                 moment when the end of a session of Congress draws near
                 and it becomes time for us to say goodbye to those of our
                 colleagues who will be returning home at the end of the
                 year. We know we will miss them when the next session of
                 Congress begins not only for their many contributions to
                 the day-to-day work of the Senate but for their friendship
                 and the good advice they have provided to us for so long
                 as we deliberated issue after issue on the Senate floor.
                   I can't think of anyone who better fits that description
                 than Bob Bennett. Bob was born in Utah, a member of a
                 family who was very active in their community and the
                 government. Bob was therefore blessed with some great role
                 models early on in his life. He soon found he had a talent
                 for business and a great understanding of the needs of
                 businesspeople all over the State and around the Nation.
                 Because of his insights and his ability to promote his
                 good ideas and products, he took his company from a 4-
                 person shop in 1984 to an $82 million company just a few
                 years later with more than 700 newly created staff. With
                 today's economy we can really appreciate that--that is a
                 lot of jobs.
                   From there he decided to take on the challenge of a run
                 for the Senate. As we all know, that first run for the
                 Senate is never easy as it takes more than the vote of a
                 community to make it happen. You have to take your case to
                 every corner of the entire State. That means putting a lot
                 of miles on your car and getting to know people from every
                 city, town, and neighborhood.
                   It wasn't an easy bid for office that brought Bob to
                 Washington. But, in the end, he proved to have what it
                 takes to be a successful candidate. He had a vision for
                 the future of Utah and the United States, a willingness to
                 work hard, and a sense of humor. He took his job and the
                 position he holds of Senator very seriously, but he was
                 never one to take himself too seriously. In fact, he sees
                 his job principally in terms of what he can do to help the
                 people of Utah who elected him.
                   That is why, when he arrived in Washington, he
                 immediately established a reputation as one of the
                 Senate's most influential and sought after conservatives.
                 Like me, he learned at a very young age that it was better
                 to be a workhorse than a show horse because there is no
                 limit to what you can do if you don't care who gets the
                 credit. Bob never cared about getting his share of the
                 credit; he was always too busy working on the next issue
                 and helping to form another compromise agreement to make
                 sure things continued to get done.
                   Bob has left quite a legacy of achievement during his
                 service in the Senate and a big pair of shoes to fill for
                 those who will follow him. The media knows him not for an
                 assortment of catchy one liners but for his ability to
                 provide easily understood, readily accessible explanations
                 about what was going on in the Senate--and why. No one has
                 a better, clearer understanding of the inner workings of
                 the Senate than Bob does. He has been such a valued
                 resource, in fact, that many of us have sought him out
                 more than a time or two just to get his take on things.
                   One of the things I will most remember about Bob is his
                 love of gadgets. He was the first Senator to drive a high-
                 mileage, low-emissions, gasoline-electric hybrid car. His
                 interest stemmed from his awareness of the importance of
                 conserving energy and the need to pursue solutions to our
                 transportation problems that would make good and wise use
                 of our resources.
                   He was also a leader in encouraging the Senate to tackle
                 a very thorny issue--Social Security. Social Security is a
                 lot like the weather: we all complain about it, we all
                 know something needs to be done about it, and we are all
                 sure we will know the right solution when it appears
                 magically on the Senate doorstep. That wasn't what we
                 should do, as Bob saw it. Then again, he was never one to
                 shy away from getting the conversation started on just
                 about anything.
                   In addition, as fellow small businessmen, we both took a
                 great interest in proposals that were offered by both
                 sides that would have caused problems for other small
                 businessmen who were trying to do what they do best--make
                 a profit and create more jobs. Thanks to Bob, our small
                 business community had a champion in the Senate who was
                 willing to take a stand against efforts to make owning and
                 running your own business more difficult than it already
                 is.
                   Those are just a few short snippets of Bob's record and
                 the great success he has been able to achieve for his
                 constituents and for our great Nation. During his service
                 in the Senate, Bob was not only a part of our Nation's
                 history, he helped to write a new chapter of it every day.
                   Before I close, I want to thank Bob for the great gift
                 of his friendship. It has meant a great deal to me ever
                 since that first day that Diana and I drove our van into
                 Washington from Wyoming, unsure of what the future held
                 for us but excited to begin this great new adventure in
                 our lives. Bob made a difference for us from the first
                 time we met him and Joyce, and we will always be grateful
                 for that. We are very proud of them both and the
                 difference they have made over the years in our lives and
                 so many more. Thanks to their efforts together, the future
                 will be a lot better and a more hopeful place for our
                 children and our grandchildren.
                   I don't know what you have planned for the years to
                 come, but one thing I am certain of--we haven't heard the
                 last from you. That is a good thing. You have proven to be
                 a great success at so many things. You have always been an
                 important addition to our debates and deliberations, and
                 you will be missed. It is good to know you will never be
                 more than a phone call away.
                   Good luck in all your future endeavors, my friend. Keep
                 in touch with us, and we will keep in touch with you. God
                 bless.

                   Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
                 the order for the printing of tributes be modified to
                 provide that Members have until sine die of the 111th
                 Congress, 2d session, to submit tributes and that the
                 order for printing remain in effect.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
                 ordered.
                                                Thursday, December 16, 2010
                   Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
                 a friend and longtime colleague, Senator Bob Bennett who,
                 like me, will be departing from the U.S. Senate in just a
                 couple of weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to
                 wish Bob, Joyce, and the rest of his family the very best
                 as he leaves the Senate and embarks on this new chapter in
                 his life.
                   Since he was first elected to this body in 1992, Bob has
                 well served the people of Utah as their Senator. Bob comes
                 from a long line of individuals dedicated to public
                 service, and it is no surprise that he himself decided to
                 go down that path. Bob's grandfather, Heber J. Grant, was
                 the seventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of
                 Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. Bob's father, Wallace
                 F. Bennett, represented the State of Utah in this very
                 Chamber between 1951 and 1974, serving alongside my
                 father, Tom Dodd.
                   Throughout the time that I have known and worked with
                 him, I have always found Bob to be receptive to the ideas
                 of others and careful and deliberate in his own evaluation
                 of complex policy questions.
                   Of course, that is not to say that Bob Bennett isn't
                 also a determined partisan. Indeed, throughout his three
                 terms here, Bob has been one of the Senate's most
                 consistently conservative voices. But despite that, Bob
                 has frequently reached across the partisan divide to seek
                 out areas of common ground and mutual interest with
                 Democrats.
                   That willingness to engage and cooperate with colleagues
                 has perhaps been most evident in his work on the Senate
                 Banking Committee. Throughout our years of service
                 together on that panel, Bob and I have frequently been
                 among the first to reach out across the aisle and search
                 for solutions to the challenges facing our Nation's
                 financial services sector. From our work together during
                 the savings and loan crisis, to passage of legislation
                 that provides a safety net for our economy in the event of
                 a devastating terrorist attack, we have achieved some
                 important results.
                   Bob chaired and I served as vice chairman of the Y2K
                 Committee, to ensure the integrity of our Nation's
                 financial services sector. More recently, in fall 2008,
                 when the global financial system was on the verge of
                 collapse and our country was standing at the precipice of
                 an economic depression, Bob took a significant political
                 risk by supporting the Emergency Economic Stabilization
                 Act, which established TARP. I realize that this was an
                 incredibly difficult vote for Bob and every other Member
                 of this Chamber at the time.
                   But I am convinced that without elected officials who
                 are willing to cast those kinds of tough, yet necessary
                 votes, this country would be a very different place.
                   So I would like to once again thank Bob for his 18 years
                 of service in this body and for his willingness to listen
                 to and work with colleagues with whom he hasn't always
                 agreed. I would like to once again wish Bob and his family
                 the very best as he leaves the Senate this January.

                   Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in
                 appreciation and admiration of Senator Bob Bennett.
                   Senator Bennett understood the perspectives of America's
                 small business owners. After all, he was one of them. As
                 CEO of Franklin International Institute, Bob grew the
                 company from 4 employees to over 1,000. During his tenure
                 the firm became one of the best-known providers of time
                 management seminars and products, and became listed on the
                 New York Stock Exchange.
                   Reducing obstacles for small business owners has been
                 one of Senator Bennett's top priorities in Washington. In
                 his first 6 months of service, he took to the floor to
                 identify three ways the Federal Government was growing at
                 the expense of the entrepreneur. Those three obstacles--
                 increased regulation, increased taxation, and increased
                 difficulty in capital formation--remain challenges to job
                 creators today, and Bob has never stopped voicing their
                 concerns.
                   Senator Bennett was elected to the U.S. Senate from his
                 beloved State of Utah, which his father, Senator Wallace
                 Bennett, represented for many years. By the time I was
                 elected to the Chamber, Senator Bennett had already been
                 one of the ``wise ones'' in his own right for many years.
                 I have long admired Bob's sincere appreciation and respect
                 for the traditions and history of the Senate--to which he
                 and his father have both contributed tremendously.
                   Throughout his service here in Washington, Bob's family
                 has helped keep him grounded--all 6 children and 20
                 grandchildren. Sandy and I wish the best for Bob and his
                 wife Joyce.
                                                Saturday, December 18, 2010
                   Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, in these closing days of the
                 111th Congress, the Senate will be saying farewell to one
                 of our most seasoned and accomplished Members, respected
                 on both sides of the aisle, Senator Robert Bennett of
                 Utah.
                   Certainly no one in this body doubts Senator Bennett's
                 staunch conservative values and principles, especially on
                 fiscal and regulatory issues. But, throughout his 18 years
                 in this body, Senator Bennett has been a consensus
                 builder, willing to reach across the aisle in order to get
                 important things done for the people of Utah and of the
                 entire United States. Clearly, this thoughtfulness has
                 caused him to lose favor with the more extreme wing of his
                 party, for which he paid a price during the primary
                 election this year. I know I am not alone in mourning the
                 loss of one of the Senate's most thoughtful conservatives.
                   For example, he partnered with Senator Ron Wyden of
                 Oregon in advocating a legislation to provide universal
                 health insurance coverage.
                   In response to the financial crisis of 2008, as a senior
                 member of the Senate Banking Committee, he supported the
                 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. Senator Bennett was
                 widely criticized by those on the right, as was I for the
                 same vote by critics on the left. But he can take great
                 pride in it, because facts are facts: the Troubled Assets
                 Relief Program prevented a total meltdown of our financial
                 system. Almost the entire $700 billion taxpayer investment
                 has been--or soon will be--paid back to the Treasury. In
                 fact, just this week, the Treasury booked a $12 billion
                 profit on its previous $45 billion TARP investment in
                 Citigroup.
                   I have been proud to call Bob Bennett my friend for the
                 last 18 years, and I count myself fortunate to have served
                 with him on the Appropriations Committee. He is a
                 gentleman, a bridge-builder, a person of rock-solid
                 character and integrity.
                   I join with the entire Senate family in wishing Bob and
                 Joyce the very best in the years ahead.

                   Mr. CARPER. Before Senator Harkin leaves the floor, let
                 me say I am so pleased that I was literally able to be
                 here on the floor and hear you talk about our colleagues.
                 What a wonderful thing to do, to single out Democrats and
                 Republicans and to reflect upon their service to their
                 States and to our country. I had to mention that. ...
                   You mentioned Bob Bennett. He and I served on the
                 Banking Committee for a number of years. In the end, he
                 lost his seat I think because of his willingness to do
                 what we were rewarded for in Delaware, and that is to
                 reach across the aisle and find ways for Republicans and
                 Democrats to do things together. We will certainly miss
                 him.
                                                  Monday, December 20, 2010
                   Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to my
                 distinguished colleague from Utah, Senator Robert Bennett,
                 who will be retiring from the Senate at the end of the
                 111th Congress.
                   I have worked with Bob since coming over to the Senate
                 in 1998. I have also had the privilege of serving on the
                 Senate Energy and Banking Committees with Bob. In fact, we
                 sat next to each other for years in the Banking Committee.
                   He is a man of integrity and devotion. As a young man,
                 he worked as a staffer on Capitol Hill and moved on to
                 become a successful entrepreneur in Washington, DC. In
                 1992, he followed in his father's footsteps and was
                 elected to the U.S. Senate. Over the course of his three
                 consecutive terms in the Senate, Bob has fought hard for
                 our shared conservative values of fiscal discipline,
                 securing our borders, and energy independence.
                   Bob has served the people of Utah proudly as their
                 Senator. His leadership on the Banking Committee and in
                 the Senate will be missed.
                   I am honored to know him and to have worked with him. I
                 would like to thank Bob for his contributions to the
                 Senate and to the country we both love. I wish him and his
                 family the best in all of their future endeavors.
                                               Wednesday, December 22, 2010
                   Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would like to take a
                 few minutes to pay tribute to the 16 Senators who will be
                 departing this body at the end of the year.
                   I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve
                 alongside each of these Senators as colleagues and as
                 friends. All served their States with distinction and gave
                 their constituents strong voices in the world's greatest
                 deliberative body. Senators Evan Bayh, Robert Bennett, Kit
                 Bond, Sam Brownback, Jim Bunning, Roland Burris, Chris
                 Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold, Carte Goodwin, Judd
                 Gregg, Ted Kaufman, George LeMieux, Blanche Lincoln, Arlen
                 Specter, and George Voinovich each left an indelible mark
                 on the Senate, and I wish them well as they take on new
                 challenges and opportunities into the future.
                   I would like to speak briefly about a few of the
                 Senators I knew best and served with in committees to
                 recognize their contributions and accomplishments and
                 share my fond memories of them and the legacies they will
                 leave behind.
                   For nearly two decades, Senator Bob Bennett has
                 honorably served the people of Utah.
                   His career in the U.S. Senate has been marked by his
                 commonsense solutions to many of the most pressing issues
                 facing our country.
                   Before serving in the Senate, Bob was a successful
                 entrepreneur as the CEO of Franklin International
                 Institute. Under his leadership, the business grew from 4
                 employees to more than 1,000 and was listed on the New
                 York Stock Exchange.
                   Bob brought his past experiences running a successful
                 company with him to the Senate. His business sense was
                 certainly an asset that informed his decisions as a U.S.
                 Senator and made him an effective advocate for businesses,
                 large and small, who keep our economy strong. Being a
                 former business owner myself, I valued his pragmatic
                 perspective and ability to get things done.
                   As a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee and a
                 member of the distinguished Joint Economic Committee, Bob
                 has been a leader in many national economic policy
                 decisions.
                   In addition, while serving as the ranking Republican on
                 the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and
                 Water, he has worked to address the critical funding needs
                 our country faces on a wide range of energy- and water-
                 related issues.
                   I am proud to have served with Bob for so many years,
                 and his leadership and kind manner will be sorely missed
                 in the Senate. ...
                   In conclusion, the departing Senators' contributions,
                 their dedicated service, and the issues they championed
                 will be remembered long after their final days in the
                 Senate.
                   I believe I can speak for my fellow Senators when I say
                 that we will all miss our departing friends.

                   Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, when the 111th Congress
                 draws to a close, we will bid farewell to 16 colleagues
                 who have collectively given more than 200 years of service
                 to our Nation through their service in the Senate. These
                 include seven of the Senate's most experienced Members.
                 People like Chris Dodd and Arlen Specter who have each
                 served five terms in the Senate. Kit Bond who has served
                 four terms and Bob Bennett, Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold,
                 and Judd Gregg, who have each served three terms in this
                 Chamber. ...
                   Bob Bennett, one of the most thoughtful among us, who
                 draws wisdom from experience as an entrepreneur as well as
                 from public service, will not be among us. I learned much
                 from Senator Bennett during the period that he served as
                 counselor to the Republican leader and I served as vice
                 chair of the Senate Republican Conference. ...
                   It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with each
                 of the people who will leave this Chamber when we adjourn
                 sine die. Each has made substantial contributions to their
                 States, to the Nation, and to the Senate during their time
                 here.