[Senate Document 111-29]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]






                  TRIBUTES TO HON. CHRISTOPHER J. DODD



                                 Christopher J. Dodd

                     U.S. SENATOR FROM CONNECTICUT

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES






                                                     S. Doc. 111-29




                                Christopher J. Dodd


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                 Christopher J. Dodd

                              United States Congressman

                                      1975-1981

                                United States Senator

                                      1981-2011






                            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:
                    Akaka, Daniel K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                     19
                    Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                      3
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                     26
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                     17
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                  6, 14
                    Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                  9, 19
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     23
                    Harkin, Tom, of Iowa...........................
                                                                     15
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     25
                    Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
                                                                     30
                    Lautenberg, Frank R., of New Jersey............
                                                                     13
                    Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
                                                                     21
                    Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut...........
                                                                      6
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                      5
                    Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
                                                                     31
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                     11
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                  4, 15
                    Schumer, Charles E., of New York...............
                                                                     14
                    Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
                                                                     27
                    Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                     17
                    Whitehouse, Sheldon, of Rhode Island...........
                                                                     12
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd is chairman and chief 
             executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of 
             America, Inc., which serves as the voice and advocate of 
             the U.S. motion picture, home video, and television 
             industries around the world.
               Appointed in March 2011, Senator Dodd leads the 
             association's efforts to represent the interests of one of 
             the most creative and productive industries in America.
               The major motion picture studios consistently produce 
             and distribute the most sought after and enjoyable 
             entertainment on Earth. Protecting this great American 
             export during a challenging economy and an ever-changing 
             technological landscape is Senator Dodd's highest 
             priority.
               Senator Dodd served in the U.S. Congress representing 
             Connecticut for 36 years--6 years in the House of 
             Representatives and 30 years in the U.S. Senate. Senator 
             Dodd was one of the most widely respected legislators 
             during his years in Congress, earning the trust and 
             admiration of both Democrats and Republicans.
               As a key participant in nearly every major national 
             policy debate over the past three decades, Senator Dodd 
             authored or coauthored major legislation in the areas of 
             education, health, financial services, foreign policy, and 
             election reform. In his last term in the Senate, Senator 
             Dodd enacted several major pieces of legislation. The 
             Senator played a decisive role in writing the significant 
             health care reform bill with the passage of the Patient 
             Protection and Affordable Care Act. And Senator Dodd was 
             the principal author of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform 
             and Consumer Protection Act, crafted in the wake of one of 
             the worst economic downturns in history.
               Senator Dodd is perhaps best known for bringing much-
             needed attention to children's and education issues. He 
             formed the first Children's Caucus in the Senate, authored 
             the first childcare legislation since World War II, and 
             wrote the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has helped 
             ensure that 100 million Americans didn't have to choose 
             between the jobs they need and the families they love.
               A recipient of the Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public 
             Service Award recognizing leadership in foreign policy, 
             and a former senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations 
             Committee, Senator Dodd is a recognized expert on Latin 
             America. During his tenure in Congress he has also 
             traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and Latin America 
             and served as cochair of the United States-India Senate 
             Caucus.
               Senator Dodd's commitment to public service was 
             instilled at an early age by his parents, the late Senator 
             Thomas J. Dodd and Grace Murphy Dodd. Thomas Dodd was the 
             executive trial counsel at the Nuremberg War Crimes 
             Tribunal before he was elected to both the House of 
             Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
               Chris Dodd is the longest serving member of Congress in 
             Connecticut history--having been popularly elected eight 
             times to the Congress. He was also the youngest person 
             elected to the House of Representatives from the Second 
             District of Connecticut, as well as the youngest person 
             elected to the Senate in Connecticut history. In 2007 
             Senator Dodd was a candidate for the Democratic nomination 
             for President.
               Following his graduation from Providence College, 
             Senator Dodd answered John F. Kennedy's call to service 
             and joined the Peace Corps, serving in the Dominican 
             Republic from 1966 to 1968. Upon returning to the United 
             States, Senator Dodd enlisted in the U.S. Army National 
             Guard and Army Reserves. In 1972, he earned a law degree 
             from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of 
             Louisville. He practiced law in New London, CT, before his 
             election to Congress in 1974.
               Chris Dodd was born May 27, 1944, in Willimantic, CT, 
             the fifth of six children. He lives in East Haddam with 
             his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, and their daughters Grace and 
             Christina.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Tuesday, November 30, 2010

               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, first of all, let me express my 
             gratitude to all of the colleagues and other individuals 
             who have come to the Chamber at this moment.
               Everyone who serves in Congress usually recalls two 
             moments in their service: the maiden speech they give 
             shortly after their arrival and their closing remarks. I 
             can't recall what the first speech I gave as a new Member 
             of the House of Representatives 36 years ago was even 
             about. I do, however, recall very vividly that there was 
             no one else in the Chamber when I gave it. It was an empty 
             hall early one evening with the exception of one 
             colleague, Johnny Dent from Pennsylvania. He was sitting 
             in his chair with his trademark dark glasses, listening 
             patiently as I gave my knee-rattling, hand-shaking maiden 
             address. Midway through the speech, he walked up to me and 
             said quietly, ``You know, kid, it is not on the level.'' 
             Well, that was my first speech before the House, and I am 
             deeply honored that so many of you have come out to listen 
             to my closing remarks today so I do not have to speak to 
             an empty Chamber.
               For more than 200 years, a uniquely American story has 
             unfolded here in the Chamber of the U.S. Senate--a 
             fascinating, inspiring, often tumultuous tale of conflict 
             and compromise, reflecting the awesome potential of our 
             still-young democracy and its occasional moments of 
             agonizing frustration.
               For much of my life, this story has intersected with my 
             own in ways that have been both thrilling and humbling. As 
             a 14-year-old boy, I sat in the family gallery of this 
             very Chamber watching as my father took the oath of office 
             as a new Senator. A few years later, in 1962, I sat where 
             these young men and women sit today, serving as a Senate 
             page. John F. Kennedy was President and Lyndon Johnson 
             presided over this body. Eighteen years later, in fall 
             1980, the people of Connecticut gave me the honor of a 
             lifetime when they asked me to give voice to their views, 
             electing me to serve as their U.S. Senator. For the past 
             30 years, I have worked hard to sustain that trust. I am 
             proud of the work I have done, but it is time for my story 
             and that of this institution, which I cherish so much, to 
             diverge. Thus, Mr. President, I rise to give some 
             valedictory remarks as my service as a U.S. Senator from 
             Connecticut comes to a close.
               Now, it is common for retiring Senators to say the 
             following: I will miss the people but not the work. Mr. 
             President, you won't hear that from me. Most assuredly, I 
             will miss the people of the Senate, but I will miss the 
             work as well. Over the years, I have both witnessed and 
             participated in some great debates in this Chamber, 
             moments when statesmen of both parties gathered together 
             in this Hall to weigh the great questions of our time. And 
             while I wish there had been more of those moments, I will 
             always remember the Senate debates on issues such as 
             Central America, the Iraq war, campaign finance reform, 
             securities litigation, health care, and, of course, 
             financial reform.
               When I am home in Connecticut, I see the results of the 
             work we did every day. I see workers coming home from 
             their shifts at Pratt & Whitney, Electric Boat, the 
             Sikorsky helicopter plant--the lifeblood of a defense 
             manufacturing sector so critical to our national security 
             and to the economic well-being of my home State. I see 
             communities preparing for high-speed rail and breaking 
             ground for new community health centers. I see the grants 
             we fought for helping cities and towns to build 
             sustainable communities and promote economic development.
               When I am home, I meet parents who, because of the 
             Family and Medical Leave Act, don't have to choose between 
             keeping their jobs and taking care of their sick children. 
             I visit with elderly folks who no longer have to choose 
             between paying for their prescription drugs and paying for 
             their heat. I hear from consumers who have been victimized 
             by unfair practices on the part of credit card companies 
             and who will no longer be subject to those abuses. And I 
             meet young children as well who, through Early Head Start 
             or access to afterschool programs, have blossomed 
             academically in spite of difficult economic circumstances.
               As proud as I am of the work that has made these stories 
             possible over the last three decades, I am keenly aware, 
             particularly today, that I did not do any of this alone. 
             Until this last Congress, with rare exceptions, every 
             major piece of legislation I authored that became law--
             including the ones I have just mentioned--had a Republican 
             cosponsor as well as support from my Democratic caucus. So 
             to my Democratic and Republican Senate colleagues who 
             joined me in all these efforts over 30 years, I say thank 
             you this afternoon.
               I also want to thank, if I can, the unsung heroes of 
             this institution--the Senate staff and my personal staff. 
             It would be a grievous understatement to simply say they 
             make the trains run on time. Without them, as all of us 
             know, the trains would never leave the station at all--the 
             floor staff, the Cloakroom professionals of both parties, 
             and the hundreds of unknown and unseen people who show up 
             every day in this body to make this critical institution 
             of democracy function. Without them, no Senator could 
             fulfill his or her obligations to the American people.
               Many of my personal staff and committee staff are 
             present in the Senate gallery today. Neither I nor the 
             millions of Americans whose lives you have enriched or 
             whose burdens you have lightened can ever thank you 
             enough. I only hope your time with me has been as 
             fulfilling as my time with you.
               Of course, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the 
             people of Connecticut, whose confidence, patience, and 
             spirit have given my life and its work deep meaning. As 
             rich as our common language is, words cannot even come 
             close to capturing the depth of my affection for and 
             appreciation of the people of the State of Connecticut. 
             For almost four decades--three terms in the House of 
             Representatives, five terms in this Chamber--you have 
             entrusted me to labor on your behalf, and I deeply thank 
             you for that honor.
               And last, my family. My parents are long since deceased, 
             but their guidance, inspiration, and example have never 
             departed. For the past 30 years, I have sat at this very 
             same desk occupied by my father during the 12 years he 
             served in this Chamber. His courage, character, and 
             conviction have been a constant reminder of what it means 
             to be a U.S. Senator. I thank my siblings and their 
             children and other relatives for their enthusiastic 
             support, particularly during the rough patches. From time 
             to time, we all need the safe harbor of family at the 
             darker moments. And to Jackie, Grace, and Christina, who 
             have supported and inspired me every day: You mean more to 
             me than I could ever say in these few short moments. So 
             come January, I am glad I will have more time to say it to 
             you more often. And to Jackie in particular: You have been 
             my anchor to windward in the rough and turbulent waters of 
             public service. When it was the darkest, you were the 
             brightest. I love you more than life.
               As this chapter in my career comes to a close, a new 
             chapter in the Senate's history is beginning. When this 
             body is gaveled to order in January, nearly half of its 
             Members will be in their first term. And even though I 
             could spend hours fondly recalling a lifetime of 
             yesterdays, this new Senate and the Nation must confront a 
             very uncertain tomorrow. So rather than recite a long list 
             of personal memories or to revisit video highlights of my 
             Senate service, I would like to take this brief time, in 
             these few short moments, to offer a few thoughts to those 
             who will write the Senate's next chapter.
               I will begin by stating the sadly obvious. Our electoral 
             system is a mess. Powerful financial interests, free to 
             throw money about with little transparency, have 
             corrupted, in my view, the basic principles underlying our 
             representative democracy. As a result, our political 
             system at the Federal level is completely dysfunctional. 
             Those who were elected to the Senate just a few weeks ago 
             must already begin the unpleasant work of raising money 
             for their reelection 6 years hence. Newly elected Senators 
             will learn that their every legislative maneuver, their 
             every public utterance, and even some of their private 
             deliberations will be fodder for a 24/7 political media 
             industry that seems to favor speculation over analysis and 
             conflict over consensus.
               This explosion of new media brings with it its own 
             benefits and its drawbacks--and it is occurring 
             simultaneously as the presence of traditional media 
             outlets in our Nation is declining. So while the corridors 
             of Congress are crowded with handheld video and cell phone 
             cameras, there is a declining role for newspaper, radio, 
             and network journalists reporting the routine 
             deliberations that are taking place in our subcommittee 
             hearings. Case in point: Ten years ago, 11 or 12 reporters 
             from Connecticut covered the delegation's legislative 
             activities. Today, there is only one doing the same work.
               Meanwhile, intense partisan polarization has raised the 
             stakes in every debate and on every vote, making it 
             difficult to lose with grace and nearly impossible to 
             compromise without cost. Americans' distrust of 
             politicians provides compelling incentives for Senators to 
             distrust each other, to disparage this very institution, 
             and to disengage from the policymaking process.
               These changes have already had their effect on the 
             Senate. The purpose of insulating one-half of the national 
             legislature from the volatile shifts in public mood has 
             been degraded. And while I strongly favor reforming our 
             campaign finance system, revitalizing and rehabilitating 
             our journalistic traditions, and restoring citizen faith 
             in government and politics, I know that wishes won't make 
             it so.
               I have heard some people suggest that the Senate as we 
             know it simply cannot function in such a highly charged 
             political environment; that we should change Senate rules 
             to make it more efficient, more responsive to the public 
             mood--more like the House of Representatives, where the 
             majority can essentially bend the minority to its will. I 
             appreciate the frustrations many have with the slow pace 
             of the legislative process, and I certainly share some of 
             my colleagues' anger with the repetitive use and abuse of 
             the filibuster. Thus, I can understand the temptation to 
             change the rules that make the Senate so unique and 
             simultaneously so terribly frustrating. But whether such a 
             temptation is motivated by a noble desire to speed up the 
             legislative process or by pure political expedience, I 
             believe such changes would be unwise.
               We 100 Senators are but temporary stewards of a unique 
             American institution, founded upon universal principles. 
             The Senate was designed to be different, not simply for 
             the sake of variety but because the Framers believed the 
             Senate could and should be the venue in which statesmen 
             would lift America up to meet its unique challenges.
               As a Senator from the State of Connecticut--and the 
             longest serving one in its history--I take special pride 
             in the role two Connecticut Yankees played in the 
             establishment of this very body. It was Roger Sherman and 
             Oliver Ellsworth, delegates from Connecticut to the 
             Constitutional Convention in 1787, who proposed the idea 
             of a bicameral national legislature. The Connecticut 
             Compromise, as it came to be known, was designed to ensure 
             that no matter which way the political winds blew or how 
             hard the gusts, there would be a place--one place--for 
             every voice to be heard.
               The history of this young democracy, the Framers 
             decided, should not be written solely in the hand of the 
             political majority. In a nation founded in revolution 
             against tyrannical rule which sought to crush dissent, 
             there should be one institution that would always provide 
             a space where dissent was valued and respected. E pluribus 
             unum--out of many, one. And though we would act as one, 
             and should, the Framers believed our political debate 
             should always reflect that in our beliefs and aspirations, 
             we are, in fact, many. In short, our Founders were 
             concerned not only with what we legislated but, just as 
             important, with how we legislated.
               In my years here, I have learned that the appreciation 
             of the Senate's role in our national debate is an acquired 
             taste. Therefore, to my fellow Senators who have never 
             served a day in the minority, I urge you to pause in your 
             enthusiasm to change Senate rules. And to those in the 
             minority who routinely abuse the rules of the Senate to 
             delay or defeat almost any Senate decision, know that you 
             will be equally responsible for undermining the unique 
             value of the Senate--a value, I would argue, that is 
             greater than that which you might assign to the political 
             motivations driving your obstruction.
               So in the end, of course, I would suggest this isn't 
             about the filibuster. What will determine whether this 
             institution works or not, what has always determined 
             whether we fulfill the Framers' highest hopes or justify 
             the cynics' worst fears is not the Senate rules or the 
             calendar or the media; it is whether each of the 100 
             Senators can work together, living up to the incredible 
             honor that comes with this title and the awesome 
             responsibility that comes with this office.
               Politics today seemingly rewards only passion and 
             independence, not deliberation and compromise as well. It 
             has become commonplace to hear candidates for this body 
             campaign on how they are going to Washington to shake 
             things up--all by themselves. May I politely suggest that 
             you are seeking election to the wrong office. The U.S. 
             Senate does not work that way, nor can it, nor should it. 
             Mayors, Governors, and Presidents can sometimes succeed by 
             the sheer force of their will, but there has never been a 
             Senator so persuasive, so charismatic, so clever, or so 
             brilliant that they could make a significant difference 
             while refusing to work with other Members of this body.
               Simply put, Senators cannot ultimately be effective 
             alone.
               As I noted earlier, until last year's health care bill, 
             there had not been a single piece of legislation I had 
             ever passed without a Republican partner.
               Of course, none of those victories came easily. The 
             notion that partisan politics is a new phenomenon, or that 
             partisan politics serve no useful purpose, is just flat 
             wrong.
               From the moment of our founding, America has been 
             engaged in an eternal and often pitched partisan debate. 
             That is no weakness. In fact, it is at the core of our 
             strength as a democracy, and success as a nation.
               Political bipartisanship is a goal, not a process.
               You do not begin the debate with bipartisanship--you 
             arrive there. And you can do so only when determined 
             partisans create consensus--and thus bipartisanship.
               In the end, the difference between a partisan brawl and 
             a passionate, but ultimately productive, debate rests on 
             the personal relationships among those of us who serve 
             here.
               A legislative body that operates on unanimous consent, 
             as we do, cannot function unless the Members trust each 
             other. There is no hope of building that trust unless 
             there is the will to treat each other with respect and 
             civility, and to invest the time it takes to create that 
             trust and strengthen those personal bonds.
               No matter how obnoxious you find a colleague's rhetoric 
             or how odious you find their beliefs, you will need them. 
             And despite what some may insist, you do no injustice to 
             your ideological principles when you seek out common 
             ground. You do no injustice to your political beliefs when 
             you take the time to get to know those who don't share 
             them.
               I have served with several hundred Senators under every 
             partisan configuration imaginable: Republican Presidents 
             and Democratic Presidents, divided government and one 
             party control.
               And as odd as it may sound in the present political 
             environment, in the last three decades I have served here, 
             I cannot recall a single Senate colleague with whom I 
             could not work.
               Sometimes those relationships take time, but then, that 
             is why the Framers gave us 6-year terms: so that Members 
             could build the social capital necessary to make the 
             Senate function.
               Under our Constitution, Senators are given 6 years, but 
             only you can decide how to use them. As one Senator who 
             has witnessed what is possible here, I urge each of you: 
             Take the time to use those years well. I pledge to those 
             of you who have recently arrived, your tenure here will be 
             so much more rewarding.
               More important, you will be vindicating the confidence 
             that the Framers placed in each person who takes the oath 
             of office, as a U.S. Senator, upholding a trust that 
             echoes through the centuries.
               I share the confidence that Roger Sherman, Oliver 
             Ellsworth, and the Framers placed in this body and in its 
             Members. But I am not blind. The Senate today, in the view 
             of many, is not functioning as it can and should.
               I urge you to look around. This moment is difficult, not 
             only for this body, but for the nation it serves. In the 
             end, what matters most in America is not what happens 
             within the walls of this Chamber, but rather the 
             consequences of our decisions across the Nation and around 
             the globe.
               Our economy is struggling, and many of our people are 
             experiencing real hardship--unemployment, home 
             foreclosures, endangered pensions.
               Meanwhile, our Nation faces real challenges: a mounting 
             national debt, energy, immigration, nuclear proliferation, 
             ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and so much 
             more. All these challenges make the internal political and 
             procedural conflicts we face as Senators seem small and 
             petty.
               History calls each of us to lift our eyes above the 
             fleeting controversies of the moment, and to refocus our 
             attention on our common challenge and common purpose.
               By regaining its footing, the Senate can help this 
             Nation to regain confidence, and restore its sense of 
             optimism.
               We must regain that focus. And, most important, we need 
             our confidence back--we need to feel that same optimism 
             that has sustained us through more than two centuries.
               Now, I am not naive. I am aware of the conventional 
             wisdom that predicts gridlock in the Congress.
               But I know both the Democratic and Republican leaders. I 
             know the sitting Members of this Chamber as well. And my 
             confidence is unshaken.
               Why? Because we have been here before. The country has 
             recovered from economic turmoil. Americans have come 
             together to heal deep divides in our Nation and the Senate 
             has led by finding its way through seemingly intractable 
             political division.
               We have proven time and time again that the Senate is 
             capable of meeting the test of history. We have evidenced 
             the wisdom of the Framers who created its unique rules and 
             set the high standards that we must meet.
               After all, no other legislative body grants so much 
             power to each Member, nor does any other legislative body 
             ask so much of each Member.
               Just as the Senate's rules empower each Member to act 
             like a statesman, they also require statesmanship from 
             each of us.
               But these rules are merely requiring from us the kind of 
             leadership that our constituents need from us, that 
             history calls on us to provide in difficult times such as 
             the ones we're encountering.
               Maturity in a time of pettiness, calm in a time of 
             anger, and leadership in a time of uncertainty--that is 
             what the Nation asks of the Senate, and that is what this 
             office demands of us.
               Over the past two centuries, some 1,900 men and women 
             have shared the privilege of serving in this body. Each of 
             us has been granted a temporary, fleeting moment in which 
             to indulge either our political ambition and ideological 
             agenda, or, alternatively, to rise to the challenge and 
             make a constructive mark on our history.
               My moment is now at an end, but to those whose moments 
             are not yet over, and to those whose moments will soon 
             begin, I wish you so much more than good fortune.
               I wish you wisdom. I wish you courage. And I wish for 
             each of you that, one day, when you reflect on your 
             moment, you will know that you have lived up to the 
             tremendous honor and daunting responsibility of being a 
             U.S. Senator.
               To quote St. Paul, ``The time of my departure has come. 
             I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I 
             have kept the faith.''
               So, Mr. President, it is with great pride, deep 
             humility, and incredible gratitude, as a U.S. Senator, 
             that I yield the floor.
               Thank you, Mr. President.
               (Applause, Senators rising.)
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                 CHRISTOPHER J. DODD
                              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. ...
               Senator Chris Dodd has been here a long time--five 
             terms. Children and families are his hallmark and legacy. 
             I have felt privileged to work with him on the 
             Subcommittee on Children and Families. One thing we've 
             focused on together is premature births, but he's also 
             worked on a whole variety of other legislation. We will 
             miss his congeniality, his good humor, and his devotion to 
             the Senate as an institution, making sure it stays unique 
             as a place where we have unlimited debate and unlimited 
             amendments, so the voices of the American people can be 
             heard. ...
               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.

               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have on many occasions spoken 
             of my affection for my friend Chris Dodd. At the caucus 
             today--the Presiding Officer was there--I indicated very 
             few people have had the opportunity and the challenges in 
             a single Congress as Chris Dodd. He found himself chairman 
             of the Banking Committee at a time when the country was 
             collapsing, the banks were collapsing. Yet he led the way 
             to working with the Republican President to do the so-
             called TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). It was 
             something that was done on a bipartisan basis. There was 
             never a better example in my entire government career of a 
             more cooperative group of Senators, Democrats and 
             Republicans, House and Senate, working together to create 
             something that was badly needed.
               Then we had, of course, many other issues beginning with 
             Wall Street reform. Then, to complicate his life and to 
             add to the challenges in his life--the best friend a man 
             could ever have was Chris Dodd's best friend, Ted 
             Kennedy--Ted Kennedy was stricken very ill. Senator Dodd 
             knew he would not be back to the Senate. Very few people 
             knew that, but he knew that. He, in effect, was chairing 
             two major committees at the same time, the HELP (Health, 
             Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee and the Banking 
             Committee. He did it in a way that is so commendable, so 
             exemplary.
               I have so much, I repeat, affection for Chris Dodd that 
             I am not capable of expressing how deeply I feel about 
             this good man. I will have more to say later, but I did 
             want to take this opportunity, as soon as the Republican 
             leader makes his remarks, to allow his colleague from the 
             State of Connecticut to speak following the two leaders, 
             if that is OK.
               I ask unanimous consent that following the remarks of 
             Senator McConnell, Senator Lieberman be recognized.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
               The Republican leader.

               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, like most Members of this 
             body, I am rarely at a loss for words, but I think we have 
             just had an opportunity to hear one of the most important 
             speeches in the history of the Senate about our 
             beginnings, about our traditions, about what is unique 
             about this institution which makes it different from any 
             other legislative body in the world. I have heard many 
             people discuss that over the years but never anyone so 
             cogently point out why the uniqueness of this institution 
             is so important to our country as the senior Senator from 
             Connecticut has done today. So while we have a huge number 
             of Senators on the floor, I am going to strongly recommend 
             that those who were not here have an opportunity to take a 
             look at his remarks because I think they are an enormously 
             significant and important contribution to this institution 
             and to its future.
               On a personal basis, I want to say to my good friend 
             from Connecticut how much I am going to miss him--his 
             wonderful personality, his ability to talk to anybody--a 
             uniquely effective individual.
               So we bid adieu to the senior Senator from Connecticut 
             and hope our paths will cross again in the future.
               I yield the floor.

               Mr. DODD. I thank the Senator.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

               Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, for 22 years it has been a 
             blessing for me to have served with Chris Dodd in the 
             Senate as my colleague from Connecticut, as my dear 
             friend, as my legislative partner. I am going to miss him 
             a lot, as everybody in this Chamber will. I think when we 
             listened to the words he spoke to us just a few moments 
             ago--how full of wisdom and warmth they were--we knew how 
             much we are going to miss him and how much we should 
             consider what has made him not only our great friend but a 
             truly great Senator.
               Chris mentioned Sherman and Ellsworth, whose pictures 
             are out in the reception area just off the Senate, who 
             crafted the Connecticut Compromise, really created the 
             Senate. I think Chris Dodd, who is the 54th Senator from 
             the State of Connecticut in our history, took this 
             institution that Sherman and Ellsworth created in the 
             Connecticut Compromise and made it work to the great 
             benefit of the people of Connecticut and the people of 
             America.
               To the great benefit of the people of Connecticut and 
             the people of America, Chris Dodd was born to a legacy, an 
             honorable legacy of public service, which he watched, as 
             so many of us did in Connecticut, and, of course, learned 
             from, from his father, Senator Thomas J. Dodd. I could say 
             a lot about Senator Dodd, Sr. He was a prosecutor at the 
             Nuremberg trials, remarkably principled, skillful 
             prosecutor, who became a Member of the Senate.
               I will tell you that as a young man in Connecticut, me, 
             growing up, thinking about a political career, when I 
             heard that Senator Tom Dodd was somewhere within range of 
             where I lived or went to school, I went to listen to him 
             speak. He was a classic orator, an extraordinarily 
             principled man who had a great career in the Senate.
               As we know from the years we have served with Chris, the 
             characteristics I have described of his father were taken 
             and put to extraordinarily good use in the Senate.
               Chris' words were very important, and, as Senator 
             McConnell said, should be studied by all of us and by 
             anyone thinking about coming to the Senate. We all talk 
             about this being an age of hyperpartisanship. But I think 
             that misses the point because, as Chris said, he is a 
             partisan in the best sense of the word. He is a principled 
             partisan. He is passionate about what he believes in. But 
             he knows we come to a point when partisanship ends, and 
             you have to get something done for the public that was 
             good enough to send you here.
               Over and over again, any of us on both sides of the 
             aisle who have watched Chris work a bill know how 
             persistent, how open, how anxious he was to try to find 
             common ground, yes, to compromise because ultimately our 
             work is the art of the possible. Somebody once said to me, 
             ``The futility of the failure to compromise, there is no 
             result from it.'' But if you have a goal, a principled 
             goal, you know you can achieve a significant part of that 
             goal if you can build enough support in this Chamber, and 
             time and time again Chris Dodd did that.
               The other reason I think he did it is because of the 
             truth that he spoke in his remarks, which is that beyond 
             the great debates and the headlines and the sniping back 
             and forth. The Senate, after all, is 100 people who go to 
             work in the same place every day, and your ability to get 
             things done in the Senate, as is true in offices and 
             factories all over America and other places of work, your 
             ability to get things done here is affected, in great 
             measure, by the trust your colleagues have in you and even 
             the extent to which they like you.
               I think, by those standards, Chris Dodd has been totally 
             trustworthy. As we were taught when we grew up in 
             Connecticut politics, his word has been his bond, and his 
             personality has warmed each of us as we have gone through 
             the labors we go through here.
               Chris Dodd has served longer in the Senate than any 
             Senator from Connecticut. So on this day--and he will 
             forgive me a little bit of hyperbole. I would guess, as a 
             matter of friendship and faith, that he has probably 
             accomplished more than any other Senator in the history of 
             the State of Connecticut, and he has done it because he 
             cares about people. When he takes something on, he simply 
             does not quit.
               I just want to tell you one story. In 1989, Chris met a 
             woman named Eva Bunnell at her church in East Haddam, CT. 
             She told him her daughter had been born with a rare brain 
             disease and was fighting for her life in the intensive 
             care unit. But when her husband asked his employer for 
             time off to be with his wife and critically sick infant, 
             he was told to go home and never come back, leaving a 
             family without income or health insurance.
               The story, all too common at the time, is the kind of 
             injustice that has repeatedly moved Chris Dodd to action. 
             He authored, as we know, the Family and Medical Leave Act. 
             He worked, as I said before, on compromises that made it 
             acceptable to a large number of people, stuck with it 
             through two Presidential vetoes, and then finally saw it 
             signed into law by President Clinton in 1993.
               Today, the records will show that more than 50 million 
             people have been able to take time off from work to care 
             for a loved one or give birth to a child without fear of 
             losing their jobs.
               That is a lifetime achievement, but it is only one of 
             many such achievements Chris Dodd has had in the Senate. 
             Senator Reid talked about this last session of his Senate 
             career, extraordinary accomplishments: health care reform, 
             Wall Street reform, the Iran sanctions bill which came out 
             of the Banking Committee, which is, in my opinion, the 
             strongest such bill we have ever passed and the last best 
             hope to avoid the necessity to take military action 
             against Iran. This is the kind of record Chris has built.
               Up until this time, I have been serious, and when you 
             talk about Chris Dodd, it would be wrong to be totally 
             serious because one of the things we are going to miss is 
             that booming laugh and the extraordinary sense of humor. I 
             have had many great laughs with colleagues here. I have 
             probably given too many laughs to colleagues, as I think 
             about it. But I have never laughed louder or more over the 
             years than I have with Chris Dodd.
               Perhaps it is not totally appropriate on the Senate 
             floor, but I have two of his comments, one about me, that 
             I wish to share. I notice the former comedian is here. A 
             while ago, only Chris Dodd would have told an audience 
             here in Washington that he thought enough time had passed 
             in my career that he could reveal that Joe Lieberman 
             actually had not been born Jewish but was born a Baptist 
             and raised a Baptist, and then when I got into politics 
             and saw how many events I would have to go to on Friday 
             night or Saturday, I converted to Judaism to take the 
             Sabbath off. Then Chris said, ``And, you know, I am 
             thinking of converting to Judaism myself but only for the 
             weekends.''
               Another quick quip. As my colleagues in the Senate know, 
             it is our honor to walk our State colleagues down the 
             center aisle in the Senate to be sworn in for a new term. 
             The first time I did that, we walked arm in arm, as we 
             always have. Chris turned to me and said, ``You know, Joe, 
             there are people who are worried that you may be the only 
             person I will ever walk down an aisle with.''
               Well, fortunately, that was not true because, Chris and 
             Jackie got married and had these two wonderful daughters, 
             Grace and Christina, who have provided so much joy and 
             satisfaction and hopefulness to Chris.
               We are going to miss you. I am going to miss you 
             personally. I speak for myself, but I speak, I would bet, 
             for just everybody in this Chamber in saying we feel so 
             close to you that we know our friendship will go on.
               I would say Chris Dodd leaves, to sum up an 
             extraordinary Senate career, having achieved a record of 
             results that benefited the people of Connecticut and 
             America in untold ways. He has a wonderful family with 
             whom he looks forward to spending time, and he has so many 
             great years ahead of him, including, I hope and believe, 
             times when he will again be of service to our country.
               God bless you, Chris, and your family.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.

               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to join with my 
             colleagues in saluting the departure of one of our best, 
             Senator Chris Dodd. I first saw his father, though I did 
             not meet him, when I was a student intern for Senator Paul 
             Douglas of Illinois, who had an office that was next door 
             to Chris Dodd's father's. I saw Senator Thomas Dodd 
             leaving that office and was certainly aware of the great 
             contribution he made to America.
               Little did I know some 16 years later, when I would be a 
             candidate for the House of Representatives, that his son 
             would come to Decatur, IL, to do an event for me in my 
             campaign. It was a smashing success, the biggest turnout 
             ever. I am sure Senator Dodd believes it might have been 
             because of his presence. It also could have been because 
             it was a $1 chicken dinner and people came from miles 
             around. But I was happy to advertise him as the star 
             talent at that event.
               What a great life story. Christopher John Dodd, the 
             fifth of six children of Thomas and Grace Dodd, was born 
             in 1944 with a caul, a thin veil of skin thought to be a 
             sign of good luck, covering his head. The doctor who 
             delivered him told his mother that with this sign of good 
             luck, this baby might grow up to be President, to which 
             Mrs. Dodd replied, ``What is the matter with Franklin 
             Roosevelt?''
               It was a great line, but the truth is, while Grace and 
             Tom Dodd were both ardent New Dealers, they knew America 
             would not depend on one leader forever, not even FDR. They 
             knew and they taught their children they all have an 
             obligation in our own time to try to move America closer 
             to a more perfect union.
               Thomas Dodd, Senator Dodd's father, worked to fulfill 
             that obligation in his time. He chased John Dillinger as 
             an FBI agent, prosecuted war criminals and KKK members as 
             a government lawyer, and served in both the House and 
             Senate. His son Chris followed his father's example, found 
             his way to serve America by serving in the Peace Corps as 
             a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where he lived for 
             2 years in a mountaintop village in a house with a tin 
             roof and no running water or telephone.
               In that village he started a maternity hospital, family 
             planning program, a youth club, and a school. Those were 
             the first installments of what would become, for Chris 
             Dodd, a lifetime of work protecting women and children 
             worldwide.
               Senator Dodd was elected to the Senate in 1980, at the 
             ripe age of 36. He is both the youngest person ever 
             elected to the Senate in Connecticut history and the 
             longest serving, as has been said. Early on, his 
             colleagues recognized his talents and named him one of the 
             three most effective freshman Senators. He has never let 
             up on his efforts to help America and help Connecticut.
               He is a passionate, articulate voice for economic 
             justice, for civil, constitutional, and human rights, and 
             for America's role as a moral leader in the world. He is a 
             champion of fairness, cofounder of the Senate Children's 
             Caucus, lead sponsor, as Senator Lieberman mentioned, in 
             1993, of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which has 
             helped countless millions of Americans.
               He has achieved more in the last 2 years, though, than 
             most Senators achieve in long careers. As chairman of the 
             Senate Banking Committee, he led the fight in the Senate 
             for the most important Wall Street reform since the Great 
             Depression. He picked up the fallen standard from his dear 
             friend Ted Kennedy and helped lead the fight Ted Kennedy 
             always dreamed of for affordable health care for all 
             Americans. For that achievement alone, Chris Dodd has 
             earned a place in history.
               Chris Dodd has, as Eugene O'Neill might say, ``the map 
             of Ireland on his face,'' but he has the promise of 
             America written in his heart. His work in the Senate has 
             made that promise real for millions of Americans. In his 
             office in the Russell Senate Office Building, an office 
             once occupied by his father, are portraits of two 
             Thomases: Thomas Dodd, his father, and another of his 
             heroes, Sir Thomas More.
               I listened to Chris' speech just a moment ago, and I was 
             reminded of what Thomas More wrote in his masterwork, 
             ``Utopia.'' He said:

               If you can't completely eradicate wrong ideas, or deal 
             with inveterate vices as effectively as you could wish, 
             that is no reason for turning your back on public life all 
             together. You wouldn't abandon a ship in a storm just 
             because you couldn't control the winds.

               For 30 years in the Senate, even when he has had to sail 
             through fierce headwinds, Chris Dodd has kept his compass 
             fixed on the ideals that make America both great and good. 
             In doing so, he has made the Senate, Connecticut, and 
             America a better place.
               I am proud to have served with him and call him a 
             friend. I thank him for his efforts that brought me to the 
             House of Representatives so many years ago. I thank him 
             for his service in the Senate and a special thanks to his 
             wonderful family; Jackie, a great friend, and those two 
             great daughters, Grace and Christine, whom I have seen as 
             swimmers at the Senate pool, good health and good luck to 
             the whole family for many more chapters in their lives.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to pay 
             tribute to my dear friend and colleague and, in a very 
             real sense, mentor. I can testify from the experience of 
             the last 2 years to his remarkable contributions to this 
             country.
               I don't believe any other Senator could have navigated 
             the treacherous waters of the Dodd-Frank bill. It was like 
             watching a great conductor conduct a complicated piece of 
             music: knowing when to pause and let tempers cool, knowing 
             when to pick up the tempo, knowing when to come to the 
             final conclusion. It was a virtuoso performance, in 
             keeping with a career of contributing to Connecticut and 
             to this country.
               The most remarkable tribute I have ever heard about this 
             wonderful man was in a very unusual place by a person who 
             honestly probably doesn't know who he is. It was May 21, 
             2010. I was visiting a wounded soldier at Walter Reed Army 
             Hospital, a member of the Second Battalion, 508 Parachute 
             Infantry Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division. He had 
             been wounded around Kandahar by an IED. Fortunately, he 
             was on the road to recovery. We joked for a moment and 
             talked about his experiences, and I turned to his mother, 
             who was sitting there watching her son, her life, her hope 
             make a full recovery, and I said, ``How are you doing?''
               She said to me very simply, ``I am doing fine. You see, 
             I was able to take family medical leave and be with my son 
             while he recuperated.''
               She probably doesn't know who Senator Dodd is or what he 
             did, but she, along with 50 million other Americans, was 
             by the hospital bed of a wounded son or a sick child or an 
             ailing parent. To me, that is the greatest tribute to what 
             Senator Dodd has done.
               There is a great line I recall about Franklin Roosevelt. 
             His cortege was winding its way through Washington. A man 
             was sobbing. A reporter rushed up to him, ``Well, you are 
             so affected. You must have known the President. Did you 
             know the President?''
               He said, ``No, I never knew the President, but he knew 
             me.''
               Chris Dodd knew the people of Connecticut and the people 
             of the United States, and in every moment, he served them 
             with integrity and diligence and honor.
               Chris, to you, to your family--and I say this because 
             your mother is from Westerly, RI, God bless her; and your 
             beloved sister, our dear friends Martha and Bernie, from 
             Rhode Island--as an adopted son of Rhode Island, thank you 
             for your service to the Nation.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

               Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, may I associate myself 
             with the remarks of my distinguished senior Senator and 
             reemphasize our pride in the contacts that Chairman Dodd, 
             Senator Dodd, our friend Chris Dodd, has with Rhode 
             Island.
               I yield the floor.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.

               Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I wish to take a couple 
             of minutes to salute the service of one great Senator, 
             Chris Dodd.
               Chris and I have served together for more than 25 years. 
             When I arrived here--and I was not one of the youngest 
             people to get here at that time, but Chris was someone I 
             knew from other walks of life--I turned to him, as well as 
             my dear friend who used to occupy this seat, Ted Kennedy, 
             for advice and counsel. Sometimes the counseling was 
             better than the advice, but we were younger then.
               Chris Dodd has that incredible personality that gets 
             things done, that presents a leadership position on 
             issues. He has shown incredible patience in the way he 
             dealt with financial reform and with health care. But 
             never, as I saw it, did Chris leave the people who 
             disagreed with him with anger, with a feeling of anger or 
             with anything other than respect and friendship.
               Chris comes from a distinguished family. His father 
             occupied a seat here for a dozen years. Now Senator Chris 
             Dodd has decided to leave the Senate. It was a decision he 
             made with which I totally disagreed. It was bad judgment, 
             I can tell my colleagues that. When I left after 18 years 
             of service, three terms, I decided I had had enough. I 
             left. Good fortune smiled on me, and I came back after 2 
             years, after a 2-year absence, missing being here maybe 
             more than it missed me.
               I remember, as I made my outgoing visits--no, my 
             decisionmaking visits--Chris invited me to his office with 
             Ted Kennedy and a colleague whom we had at the time, Paul 
             Wellstone, now deceased but a wonderful colleague. The 
             three of them sat with me in Chris' office, and Chris 
             tried to talk me out of leaving. I said, ``No, it is a 
             decision I made.'' I began to have misgivings about it, 
             but by then, the die was cast; there were other people who 
             wanted to run for the job. So I left with lots of regrets. 
             I was away from here for a period of time. In 2001 when I 
             left, it was a terrible year--the year of 9/11 and the 
             beginning of a recession and the beginning of war and all 
             of those things. So I tried to play turnaround with Chris, 
             and I talked to Chris about leaving and I said, ``Chris, 
             don't leave. Don't do it.''
               Chris Dodd will leave a void. I think it is obvious that 
             someone will follow, take the reins. It doesn't mean they 
             will ever take his place. I don't think that is possible. 
             Chris Dodd will have left an impression here of decency 
             and honesty and honor and respect on all of us on both 
             sides of the aisle--one of the few times we all agree.
               So I say to Chris and Jackie and your two little girls 
             that we wish you well. Our friendship will endure way past 
             our time serving together.
               Chris, follow my example. Give it a couple of years and 
             get back here, will you? Thank you very much, Chris Dodd, 
             for your wonderful service. We love you, and we will miss 
             you, and we will always think about you.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.

               Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise to speak briefly in 
             honor of our friend and colleague, the senior Senator from 
             Connecticut. I have watched him from the day I came here. 
             We knew each other a little bit when I was in the House. 
             He left the House to go to the Senate, but we had many of 
             the same friends when I came to the House. I always 
             marveled at his abilities.
               For those of us who have served here--I have only been 
             here 12 years--we know the joys and difficulties of 
             legislating in the Senate. We know it is not easy, and we 
             know how satisfying it is. There are very few who reach 
             the acme of how to do it and who devote their lives to it. 
             I guess they are given a title--I don't know if it is 
             official; it is probably not--they are the ``men and women 
             of the Senate.'' We have had two leave us in the last 
             year: Senator Robert Byrd and Senator Ted Kennedy. They 
             were truly men of the Senate. It is not a title bestowed 
             easily or lightly or frequently.
               Chris Dodd is a man of the Senate. He is in the category 
             of Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd in terms of his ability to 
             get things done, his ability as a legislative craftsman, 
             as somebody who is able to combine idealism and 
             practicality, as somebody who is able to sit down with 
             someone, as has been mentioned before, with a totally 
             different viewpoint and get them to compromise and be on 
             his side and be part of the effort he is leading. He is a 
             man of the Senate. He will always be a man of the Senate. 
             I will miss him personally for his guidance and 
             friendship, and I think every one of us will.
               Chris, good luck and Godspeed.

               Mr. DODD. Thank you very much.
                                            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. HARKIN. Madam President, in these closing weeks of 
             the 111th Congress, the Senate will be saying goodbye to a 
             number of retiring colleagues. For my part, I will miss 
             them all, but I have to be honest, the most poignant 
             farewell will be to my dear friend, Senator Chris Dodd of 
             Connecticut.
               Chris and I have much in common. We are both proud of 
             our Irish roots. We were both elected to the House of 
             Representatives at the same time, in the famous post-
             Watergate election of 1974. Chris moved over here to the 
             Senate in 1980, and I followed 4 years later. We both ran 
             for President--with similarly unambiguous results. Over 
             the years, we have collaborated on many legislative 
             initiatives, including, most recently, the historic 
             Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act--the health 
             reform bill.
               As we all know, Chris Dodd is almost literally a son of 
             the Senate. With good reason, he is enormously proud of 
             his father, Thomas J. Dodd, who was a lead prosecutor at 
             the Nuremberg trials and served two terms in the Senate, 
             from 1959 to 1971. Chris worked as a Senate page at age 
             16, and was elected to the Senate at age 36. For three 
             decades, Chris has embodied everything that is good about 
             this body: a passion for public service, a sincere desire 
             to reach out across the aisle, a great talent for forging 
             coalitions and bringing people together, and a willingness 
             to work extraordinarily long hours in order to accomplish 
             big and important things.
               Over the decades, Senator Dodd has been a leading 
             champion of working Americans, fighting for safer 
             workplaces, the right to organize, stronger public 
             schools, better access to higher education, and, of 
             course, quality health care as a right not a privilege. He 
             was the author of the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, 
             which for the first time entitled every American to have 
             leave from their job to take care of children or elderly 
             relatives.
               Make no mistake, Senator Dodd is leaving the Senate at 
             the very top of his game. Last year, when Senator Kennedy 
             fell ill, Chris picked up the torch of health care reform. 
             When I became chair of the Health, Education, and Labor 
             Committee, I asked him to continue to take the lead in 
             forging the final bill, which he had led so expertly 
             before, and which will go down in history as one of 
             America's great progressive accomplishments, on a par with 
             Social Security and Medicare.
               Even before final passage of health reform, Senator 
             Dodd, as chair of the Banking Committee, was hard at work 
             crafting yet another historic bill: the most sweeping 
             reform of Wall Street and the banking industry since the 
             Great Depression.
               To be sure, other Senators played important roles in 
             passing health reform and Wall Street reform. But it was 
             Senator Dodd's dogged work and virtuoso skills as a 
             legislator that ultimately won the day. These two landmark 
             laws are a tremendous living legacy to the senior Senator 
             from Connecticut. He has made his mark as one of the great 
             reformers in the history of the U.S. Senate.
               Chris Dodd has accomplished many things during his three 
             decades in this body. But, in my book, the highest 
             accolade is simply that Chris Dodd is a good, generous, 
             and decent person, with a passion for fairness and social 
             justice.
               For me, it has been a great honor to be his friend and 
             colleague for the last 36 years. Our friendship, of 
             course, will continue. But I will miss the day-to-day 
             association with Chris here on the floor, in committee, 
             and elsewhere here on the Hill.
               Paul Wellstone used to say that ``the future belongs to 
             those with passion.'' By that definition, our friend Chris 
             Dodd has a wonderful future ahead of him. No question he 
             is full of passion, passion for doing what is right for 
             the people of this country. But no question, the Senate is 
             losing a giant--one of our most accomplished and respected 
             Members. We are also losing a happy warrior in the mold of 
             FDR and Hubert Humphrey. As the columnist E.J. Dionne has 
             written, ``The happiness quotient in the Senate will 
             definitely drop when [Senator] Dodd leaves.'' I couldn't 
             agree more.
               For 36 years in Congress, Chris Dodd has faithfully 
             served the people of Connecticut and the people of the 
             United States. And there is no doubt that he will pursue 
             new avenues of public service in retirement.
               As I said, I will miss his friendship and counsel here 
             in the Senate. But I wish Chris, his wonderful wife 
             Jackie, and their wonderful young children, Grace and 
             Christina, the very best in the years ahead.
                                              Friday, December 10, 2010
               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. ...
                                           Wednesday, December 15, 2010
               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute 
             and recognize the accomplishments of a colleague and 
             friend who will be retiring from the U.S. Senate at the 
             end of this term. Senator Christopher Dodd has represented 
             Connecticut in Congress for 36 years, and has been an 
             unrelenting advocate for his constituents and working-
             class Americans.
               Senator Dodd has led a very impressive career, and his 
             dedication and love of public service is evident. After 
             graduating from Providence College, he volunteered with 
             the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic for 2 years. 
             Upon returning to the United States, Christopher Dodd 
             enlisted in the Army National Guard and later served in 
             the U.S. Army Reserves. In 1972, he earned a law degree 
             from the University of Louisville School of Law, and 
             practiced law before his election to the U.S. House of 
             Representatives in 1975. In 1981, he became the youngest 
             person to join the U.S. Senate in Connecticut history. 
             Senator Dodd followed in the footsteps of his father, the 
             late Senator Thomas Dodd, being elected to both Chambers 
             of Congress.
               Since his election to Congress, Senator Dodd has served 
             his State and the Nation admirably. He has been a true 
             advocate for our children and their families, forming the 
             Senate's first Children's Caucus. He was a champion and 
             author of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which 
             guarantees working Americans time off if they are ill or 
             need to care for a sick family member or new child. In 
             addition, he has consistently fought to improve and expand 
             the Head Start Program, a critical investment in our 
             Nation's future. Due to his tremendous advocacy of the 
             program, he was named Senator of the Decade by the 
             National Head Start Association.
               Senator Dodd was also one of the key Senators who made 
             passage of health care reform, the Patient Protection and 
             Affordable Care Act, a reality. A close and personal 
             friend of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Dodd 
             worked tirelessly on health reform in the Senate Health, 
             Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and in the full 
             Senate during Senator Kennedy's battle with brain cancer 
             and after his passing. Senator Kennedy, who had been the 
             leader in the Senate on reforming our health care system 
             for several decades, would have been very proud of Senator 
             Dodd and his relentless efforts to reform our Nation's 
             health care system.
               The health care reform law that Senator Dodd helped to 
             craft will expand health insurance coverage to 
             approximately 32 million Americans and create some 
             commonsense rules of the road for the health insurance 
             industry in an effort to clamp down on abusive practices 
             such as jacking up premiums or dropping coverage just when 
             people need it most. It also builds on our current 
             private, employer-based system by expanding coverage, 
             controlling costs, and improving quality, competition, and 
             choices for consumers.
               Senator Dodd is chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, 
             and Urban Affairs Committee. He has been instrumental in 
             working to put our country back on sound economic footing. 
             As we all remember too well, in fall 2008 we faced a 
             financial crisis. Senator Dodd and I and other leaders 
             from both Chambers were called to an emergency meeting in 
             the U.S. Capitol as the Nation's economy teetered on the 
             brink of collapse. At this meeting, the chairman of the 
             Federal Reserve and the Secretary of the Treasury from the 
             previous administration told us they were taking over AIG 
             the next morning. They believed if they did not, there 
             would be a financial collapse. Those were very serious 
             days.
               A few weeks later, the Bush administration proposed 
             virtually unfettered authority for the Treasury Secretary 
             to respond to the financial crisis. Senator Dodd, to his 
             lasting credit, insisted on defining the Treasury's 
             authority, subjecting it to strict oversight, and 
             protecting the taxpayer. He played a key role in improving 
             the legislation, culminating in nonstop negotiations into 
             the middle of a Saturday night in October. When the 
             history of the financial crisis is written, I expect Chris 
             Dodd will be given great credit for responding to the 
             crisis, helping to prevent a Great Depression, and 
             improving the legislation. He played a central role, I 
             believe, in shaping the response so that the ultimate cost 
             to taxpayers will be far lower than originally expected.
               Senator Dodd also took the lead in writing landmark Wall 
             Street reform legislation to help prevent another 
             financial sector collapse. It will allow the government to 
             shut down firms that threaten to crater our economy and 
             ensure that the financial industry, not the taxpayer, is 
             on the hook for any costs. Senator Dodd is owed great 
             thanks for his leadership and hard work on these financial 
             issues during a very difficult time for our Nation.
               These are just a few of the examples of the great work 
             Senator Dodd has done for the country. I would like to 
             close by saying that Senator Dodd's presence will 
             certainly be missed in this Chamber. He has served the 
             people of Connecticut faithfully, and I know that his many 
             contributions will not be forgotten. It has been an honor 
             for me to work with such a compassionate and dedicated 
             Senator, and I wish him and his family the very best.

               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. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell 
             to a number of our friends and colleagues who are ending 
             their service in the Senate. Their contributions are too 
             numerous to mention, therefore I would like to take just a 
             few minutes to highlight some of the memories of the 
             Senators I came to know personally.
               Some of the departing Senators I have served with for 
             decades. Others were here for only part of a term. All of 
             them worked hard for their constituents and our country. 
             ...
               I am proud to express my great appreciation and 
             gratitude for Senator Chris Dodd's service to our country. 
             He brought extraordinary leadership to the Senate that 
             enabled us to make meaningful improvements to the 
             education and economic security of Americans.
               I traveled with Senator Dodd to South America early in 
             my tenure here in the Senate. Although I enjoy traveling, 
             each time I go abroad I worry about my ability to 
             communicate with my foreign hosts. But, on that trip, the 
             language barrier was not an issue because, as I quickly 
             found out, Senator Dodd is fluent in Spanish.
               Senator Dodd recognizes the importance of language 
             skills and cultural knowledge, not only to survive in the 
             world but to prosper in it. I have truly appreciated his 
             great respect for other cultures and passion for learning. 
             Senator Dodd has lent tremendous support to my national 
             foreign language coordination bill, which aims to equip 
             Americans with foreign language skills and knowledge of 
             other cultures. It is just one example of Senator Dodd's 
             outstanding work to provide our children with the 
             knowledge and skills they need to achieve prosperity and 
             economic security.
               I would also like to thank Senator Dodd for his 
             leadership in the 111th Congress. We are making historic 
             and substantial improvements to the health care delivery 
             system and the regulation of our financial system, and 
             neither would have been possible without Senator Dodd's 
             guidance, persistence, good judgment, and support.
               Senator Dodd has been selfless and generous in his 
             efforts to increase access to health care services 
             everywhere in our country, including Hawaii. I am grateful 
             that Senator Dodd has always recognized the unique health 
             care needs and challenges of my home State. His 
             contributions have been vital to the protection of 
             Hawaii's system of employer-provided health insurance and 
             ensuring that health care providers in Hawaii are more 
             capable of meeting the uncompensated costs of providing 
             care for the poor and uninsured.
               I am proud to have served alongside Chairman Dodd on the 
             Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 
             where he has been a tireless leader and an outstanding 
             consumer advocate. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and 
             Consumer Protection Act rightfully bears his name because 
             no one has done more to educate, protect, and empower 
             consumers and investors. Through his support, the act 
             makes significant investments in financial literacy and 
             education, and it provides meaningful disclosures and 
             protections that will allow consumers to make better 
             financial decisions. Americans are now better protected 
             against abusive, predatory, and anticonsumer business 
             practices than they were because of Senator Dodd's 
             unmatched contributions. Senator Dodd is a great champion 
             of consumers, investors, and financial literacy, and I am 
             honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to work 
             together with him on the Banking Committee.
               Since I joined the Senate 20 years ago, Senator Dodd has 
             been a great colleague and ally. More important, he is 
             kind, generous, trustworthy, and a loving family man, and 
             I am proud to call him my brother and my friend. Although 
             I am saddened to bid him farewell today, I wish Senator 
             Dodd well in all of his future endeavors.
               Before I close, I would also like to thank and applaud 
             Senator Dodd's family--Jackie, Grace, and Christina. They 
             have been a source of strength, happiness, and calm for 
             their husband and father.
               Mahalo nui loa, Chris, for your service and friendship. 
             Millie and I send our warmest aloha to you and your 
             family, and we wish you well as you begin this new chapter 
             of your lives together. ...
               In closing, the end of this Congress is bittersweet, 
             with so many talented and dedicated public servants 
             leaving this institution. All of them made a lasting 
             impact on the Senate and on our country. Mahalo nui loa, 
             thank you, for all your work.

               Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, occasionally in the career of 
             a U.S. Senator, one is given the opportunity to shape 
             legislation that will bring historic change to our Nation. 
             The Senators who have seized such opportunities stand 
             among the Senate giants of our lifetime: ``Scoop'' 
             Jackson, Hubert Humphrey, Everett Dirksen, Ted Kennedy.
               As this Congress comes to a close, we must say goodbye 
             to Chris Dodd, a Senator who has seized such 
             opportunities, one whose drive and dedication and wisdom 
             have enabled us to bring great and needed change. Senator 
             Chris Dodd has been a good friend to me. He has been a 
             leader to those who seek an America that is stronger, 
             fairer, and more just.
               Senator Dodd will be rightly remembered for his 
             essential role in the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall 
             Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In the 
             aftermath of a financial crisis that brought the Nation's 
             economy to a halt and threatened a second Great 
             Depression, the need for Wall Street reform was clear, but 
             so were the enormous obstacles to passage. In addition to 
             honest disagreements about how best to proceed, we faced 
             determined opposition from Wall Street, which wanted to 
             maintain a status quo that put profits ahead of economic 
             stability. All of us who participated in the debate over 
             that bill know how complex and difficult it was to craft 
             it, and we all have enormous hopes that this landmark bill 
             will curb the excesses that cost so many Americans their 
             jobs and homes and businesses in the financial crisis.
               History also will mark Senator Dodd's key role in 
             passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 
             a landmark step in the decades-long fight to ensure that 
             every American has access to affordable health care. 
             Taking up the baton for his dear friend, Senator Kennedy, 
             Senator Dodd provided strong and sure leadership, again in 
             the face of obstacles that at times threatened the bill's 
             very survival. Thanks to his dedication, health coverage 
             is more secure and affordable for families who have it, 
             and more accessible to families without it.
               If Senator Dodd had accomplished no other legislative 
             victories than these two, he could rightly claim a place 
             among the Senate's most effective legislators. But Chris 
             Dodd accomplished much more.
               Millions of American families have benefited from his 
             work in enacting the Family and Medical Leave Act. Before 
             this legislation became law in 1993, Americans faced 
             wrenching choices between their responsibilities at home 
             and at work. Despite two Presidential vetoes, Senator Dodd 
             continued fighting until he had succeeded. And today, 
             American workers are able to give their families the time 
             and attention they need without fear of losing their job.
               Families and children have been at the heart of much of 
             his work. The Child Care and Development Block Grant 
             Program, which he fought to establish, has helped millions 
             of low-income families get the childcare they so 
             desperately needed. The Head Start Program has been a 
             career-long priority, and his hard work to ensure that 
             Head Start remains strong has made a huge difference in 
             countless lives.
               His work on behalf of families extends to protecting 
             them from predatory credit card companies. I worked 
             closely with him in the fight for passage of the Credit 
             Card Accountability and Disclosure Act, which provided 
             tough new protections against unfair practices in the 
             credit card industry.
               Part of the reason for Chris Dodd's extraordinarily 
             successful legislative career is that people simply like 
             working with him. He is good natured, open, and 
             nondefensive, willing to listen to differing points of 
             view. His openness is accompanied by an infectious sense 
             of humor that has eased tense moments and helped us all 
             take ourselves a little less seriously, which in turn has 
             helped overcome some mighty serious impasses.
               A common thread runs through all his signature 
             accomplishments. Throughout his career, Chris Dodd has 
             been dedicated to the idea that compassion has a place in 
             this Chamber; that as we do our work, we should keep in 
             mind that real families, with real problems, are looking 
             to us for solutions; and that a Senator, with hard work 
             and resourcefulness and teamwork, can make a difference in 
             the lives of those families.
               As Chris Dodd's Senate career draws to a close, speeches 
             will be given, portraits will be hung, someday statues 
             will be raised, but the ultimate monument to his Senate 
             career will be the mother or father who has time to care 
             for a sick child because of the Family and Medical Leave 
             Act. It will be the parent who doesn't have to choose 
             between putting food on the table or providing health 
             insurance for his children. It will be the child who 
             excels in the classroom because of Head Start. The 
             monuments to Chris Dodd will be the millions of Americans 
             whose lives are safer, more secure, and more prosperous 
             because of the work he has done here. No Senator could ask 
             for more meaningful tributes. I will miss his wisdom and 
             his humor as we conduct business here, but I will continue 
             to value his friendship. I wish him and his wonderful 
             family the happiest of times in all the years to come.
                                              Friday, December 17, 2010
               Mr. ENZI. At the end of each session of Congress it has 
             long been a tradition in the Senate to take a moment to 
             express our appreciation and say goodbye to those who will 
             not be returning in January for the beginning of the next 
             Congress. One of those I know I will miss who will be 
             stepping down to spend more time with his family is Chris 
             Dodd of Connecticut.
               If I could sum up Chris' career in the Senate and the 
             way he lives his life every day with one word, I think 
             that word would be ``passion.'' Simply put, Chris is the 
             most passionate Senator I have ever known or had the 
             opportunity to work with and observe.
               Coming from a well-known political family, Chris must 
             have learned at an early age the difference that it can 
             make. I have always believed it is the key ingredient to 
             any effort and it often means the difference between 
             success and failure. Looking back, the enthusiasm and 
             spirited focus that Chris so clearly brings to every 
             discussion or debate on the Senate floor and in committee 
             has helped him to create alliances and forge agreements 
             that have led to the passage of legislation that might not 
             have crossed the finish line and made it into law if not 
             for him.
               Chris has now served for 30 years in the Senate, and he 
             has a great deal to show for his efforts. His style of 
             leadership, the relationships he has developed with his 
             colleagues, and his pursuit of his legislative priorities 
             have enabled him to make a difference in many ways and 
             have an impact not only in Connecticut but all across the 
             Nation.
               One of the greatest achievements of his career has to be 
             the Family and Medical Leave Act that Chris authored and 
             helped to shepherd through the Senate into law. Thanks to 
             him, whenever it is needed, employees are now able to take 
             some time off to care for their children or ensure that an 
             elderly family member receives some attention and support.
               One more moment that is familiar to us all, was Chris' 
             willingness to step in for our good friend, Senator Ted 
             Kennedy when Ted was in poor health, to help direct the 
             disposition of the health care bill. I am sure it meant a 
             great deal to Ted to know that the effort he was such a 
             vital part of was in such good and capable hands.
               Looking ahead, Chris isn't really going into retirement. 
             He is taking on another challenge full time--raising his 
             family. He started a family later than some, but the 
             passion he has brought to everything in life has clearly 
             been brought to bear on the care and nurturing of his two 
             daughters. As every father knows, it is always the little 
             ladies who have their dads wrapped around their fingers. 
             As they grow up, each new day is another chapter of their 
             lives that is waiting to be written as Mom and Dad share 
             in the wonder and magic their children experience as they 
             discover the world around them.
               Looking back, ever since the day when Chris first 
             arrived in the Senate, he has always loved being around 
             good friends, enjoying a good joke, and sharing a good 
             word or two. That is why it came as no surprise when, 
             during a recent interview he said, ``I don't know of a 
             single colleague that I have served with in 30 years that 
             I couldn't work with.''
               That is why Chris has been such an effective Senator 
             over the years and why, when the day comes when he casts 
             his last vote and heads home to be with his family, we 
             will all miss him.
               Chris, I hope you will keep in touch with us. You and 
             your wife Jackie have a great future in store and I am 
             sure you will enjoy every day together. As I have learned 
             with the birth of each child and grandchild--with another 
             just born--each day you spend with your children is more 
             proof of the wisdom of the old Irish saying--bricks and 
             mortar may make a house but it is the laughter of our 
             children that makes it a home.
               Good luck. God bless.
                                              Monday, December 20, 2010
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to offer some 
             remarks on the departure of my good friend, the senior 
             Senator from Connecticut. After five terms and 30 years in 
             the Senate, Senator Christopher Dodd will be leaving us at 
             the end of this session. He will most certainly be missed.
               Chris was born in Willimantic, CT, in 1944. He was the 
             fifth of six children born to his parents, Grace Mary Dodd 
             and another Connecticut Senator, Thomas J. Dodd. Senator 
             Dodd graduated from Providence College and then spent 2 
             years in the Peace Corps. When he returned to the United 
             States, he enlisted in the Army National Guard and later 
             served in the U.S. Army Reserves. After graduating from 
             the University of Louisville School of Law in 1972, Chris 
             practiced law in New London. However, just 2 years later, 
             he would answer the call to public service. Chris was 
             elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 and has 
             represented the good people of Connecticut in Congress 
             ever since. All told, Senator Dodd spent three terms in 
             the House before coming to the Senate in 1980.
               Throughout his time in the Senate, Chris has been an 
             unwavering presence. He's chaired the Rules Committee and 
             the Banking Committee. He has been among the most 
             prominent members of the HELP and Foreign Relations 
             Committees. Over the years, our paths have crossed 
             numerous times. Of course, most of the time we have been 
             on opposing sides. But, there have been a few times--some 
             significant times--where we have been able to put our 
             differences aside and work together.
               Most recently I worked with Senator Dodd on passing the 
             Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Chris talks often of 
             his service in the Peace Corps and the lessons he learned 
             during that time. As a Senator, he has been a tireless 
             advocate for the Peace Corps Program and for volunteerism 
             in general. In that regard, he and I have much in common. 
             As a young man, I served a full-time mission for the 
             Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I too learned 
             much about the benefits of selfless, volunteer service 
             while serving as a missionary and those 2 years were 
             instrumental in my understanding of the world and 
             instilled me with a desire to serve and help others.
               The Serve America Act was meant to embody these ideals 
             and provide similar opportunities for others. It could 
             have very easily been a purely Democratic endeavor. But, 
             in the end, we were able to work together in drafting and 
             passing this legislation. With Chris' help, the Serve 
             America Act became one of very few bills passed during 
             this Congress with a broad, bipartisan majority here in 
             the Senate. It was, in my opinion, a piece of legislation 
             that represents the best of what both parties have to 
             offer. Fittingly, we named the bill after Chris and our 
             mutual friend, the late Senator Ted Kennedy.
               I want to wish Senator Dodd and his wife Jackie the very 
             best of luck going forward.
                                           Wednesday, December 22, 2010
               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to ask my 
             colleagues to join me today in recognizing the 
             extraordinary leadership and service of our friend, 
             Senator Chris Dodd.
               Senator Dodd has served the Senate with grace, 
             intelligence, and compassion for three decades. The son of 
             a U.S. Senator, he loves this institution and has done 
             everything he could to preserve its best traditions. 
             Senator Dodd has always encouraged all of us to keep our 
             disputes and differences from becoming personal.
               He leaves behind an incredible legacy of accomplishments 
             that have touched the lives of virtually all Americans.
               I will never forget the leadership role he played in 
             helping to pass health care reform last spring--a fitting 
             tribute to his close friend Ted Kennedy, whose vision 
             finally became a reality.
               As chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
             Urban Affairs, Senator Dodd led the effort to pass Wall 
             Street reform legislation. He was a forceful advocate for 
             holding banks accountable for their actions, and we could 
             not have enacted this landmark accomplishment without his 
             leadership.
               Senator Dodd has devoted his career in public service to 
             making life better for our families and our children. I 
             saw this first hand as we worked together to ensure that 
             our children have safe places to go after school. As 
             chairman of the Senate Afterschool Caucus and the founder 
             of the Senate's first Children's Caucus, Senator Dodd 
             worked hard to expand the Head Start Program, to reform 
             the No Child Left Behind Act, and to make college more 
             affordable for students and their families.
               In the face of Presidential vetoes, Senator Dodd 
             dedicated 8 years to enacting the Family and Medical Leave 
             Act, which has helped ensure that 50 million Americans can 
             care for their loved ones during difficult times without 
             fearing for their jobs.
               Senator Dodd is a fluent Spanish speaker and has been 
             the Senate's leading expert on Latin America. I have been 
             proud to work closely with him to reform our Nation's drug 
             certification laws.
               His own years of service in the U.S. Peace Corps 
             inspired Senator Dodd to support and promote President 
             Kennedy's call to service in this Chamber. In the Senate, 
             he has helped expand and modernize the Peace Corps and 
             worked to provide loan forgiveness to Peace Corps 
             volunteers, teachers, and others who devote themselves to 
             public service.
               All of us in the Senate will greatly miss Senator Dodd.

               Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to join my 
             colleagues in paying tribute to Senator Christopher Dodd, 
             a longtime public servant and fellow New Englander whose 
             dedication to advancing the common good with common sense, 
             independence, and a genuine desire to solve problems has 
             served both his constituents of Connecticut as well as his 
             country for 36 years. With trust, comity, and a love for 
             the institution of the Senate, Senator Dodd has for more 
             than three decades contributed to creating a legislative 
             environment where at crucial moments in the life of the 
             greatest deliberative body in human history, the upper 
             Chamber was able to work its will to the lasting benefit 
             of the American people, and we could not be more grateful.
               Indisputably, and as countless colleagues have noted, 
             public service has always been at the center of Senator 
             Dodd's life--literally, as he is the first son of 
             Connecticut to follow his father into the U.S. Senate, and 
             remarkably, for the past 30 years, Senator Dodd has had 
             the privilege of sitting at the same desk used by his 
             father, Senator Thomas Dodd, during his 12 years in the 
             Senate. Chris Dodd's longstanding devotion to the public 
             arena has spanned from his three terms in the U.S. House--
             the last of which I was privileged to serve with him--to 
             his five terms in the U.S. Senate. Senator Dodd earned the 
             lasting gratitude of his constituents and admiration of 
             his colleagues with his stalwart leadership in foreign 
             policy, his vigorous and unwavering battle to enact the 
             Family and Medical Leave Act, and his longstanding 
             stewardship of our Nation's most precious resource--our 
             children.
               On this last point, like many in this Chamber, I cannot 
             begin to justly measure the depth and breadth of the 
             legacy Senator Dodd has forged in safeguarding the most 
             vulnerable in our society. Consider for example the issue 
             of childcare. Time and again, Senator Dodd has battled to 
             ensure both the quality of childcare in America as well as 
             the funding for it, and as he keenly and presciently 
             understood, in this matter, our Nation could not have one 
             without the other.
               An undeniable focus of Senator Dodd's, childcare has 
             unquestionably become one of his crowning achievements and 
             legislative hallmarks--and nowhere was his imprint on the 
             issue greater than during the landmark welfare reform 
             debate in 1995 and 1996. I well recall working with 
             Senator Dodd as we made the case that there was indeed a 
             pivotal link between viable welfare reform and childcare--
             that for families struggling to reduce their dependency on 
             welfare--especially single parents--unaffordable, 
             unavailable, or unreliable childcare was the chief barrier 
             to steady employment, and one that could and should be 
             lessened, if not eliminated.
               That is why I was pleased to join with Senator Dodd on 
             our amendment to add $6 billion in childcare funding to 
             welfare reform legislation, especially at a time when that 
             funding was very much imperiled. Arriving at a consensus 
             required leaders from both parties to jettison their 
             competing and hardened ideologies in favor not just of 
             making dependable childcare more accessible, but in 
             support of welfare reform that would effectively move more 
             Americans from welfare to work. Senator Dodd, as colleague 
             after colleague can attest, heeded his own beliefs that 
             ``you don't begin the debate with bipartisanship--you 
             arrive there. And you can do so only when determined 
             partisans create consensus.'' Because he never lost sight 
             of the primacy of working across the aisle, we were 
             victorious in including the funding we sought in the 
             Senate-passed bill.
               That bipartisan effort to garner concrete results 
             designed to make a difference in the daily lives of the 
             American people was not an isolated instance. Senator Dodd 
             and I collaborated on legislation to support campus-based 
             childcare for low-income mothers trying to further their 
             education, and we authored legislation to help States 
             improve training in early childhood development to make 
             improved childcare more available to more people. With 
             innate New England pragmatism and a desire for solutions, 
             Senator Dodd saw impediments to success that were 
             impinging upon a segment of our society that if only 
             reduced or removed would aid not only families striving to 
             improve their lives, but a Nation seeking to help stem the 
             tide of dependency.
               Ultimately, what occupied Senator Dodd's agenda was the 
             active pursuit of an even better America. We didn't always 
             agree on what that path should be, but where we did find 
             common ground, as in childcare, we cultivated it. That 
             dynamic was at work recently as Senator Dodd and I, as the 
             former chair and current ranking member of the Senate 
             Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 
             collaborated to help the economic engines and catalysts of 
             our economy--America's small businesses, the very 
             enterprises that will lead us out of recession and into 
             recovery.
               During the consideration of what would become the Dodd-
             Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, I 
             truly appreciated Senator Dodd's perseverance in including 
             a provision I authored allowing small businesses to raise 
             concerns over burdensome regulations through small 
             business review panels within the Consumer Financial 
             Protection Bureau. Senator Dodd and I also worked to 
             reduce the regulatory compliance burden for small banks by 
             striking a provision of the bill which would have required 
             these lending institutions to report their transactions to 
             the Federal Government down to each individual ATM.
               This kind of rapport was emblematic of how Senator Dodd 
             viewed good governance. In his valedictory address on the 
             floor of the Senate, he observed that ``in my three 
             decades here, I cannot recall a single Senate colleague 
             with whom I could not work.'' Indeed, Senator Dodd always 
             saw adversaries as potential allies--and foes as unwon 
             friends.
               From the days of his youth, Senator Dodd grew up steeped 
             in the tradition of and respect for the Senate--and an 
             abiding admiration for this venerable institution that 
             runs at its own pace and by its own rules. Instead of 
             exhibiting rancor and a burning desire to win at all 
             costs, Senator Dodd sought instead to build relationships 
             and by doing so, strengthened his capacity for legislating 
             and contributed mightily to the advancement of this 
             esteemed Chamber. Legendary American poet and son of 
             Maine, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, once wrote that ``if 
             you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it.'' 
             Chris Dodd has always aimed high--and met his target--
             leaving a legacy of enormous accomplishment to his 
             constituents in Connecticut and to the American people.
               In closing, let me just extend my personal appreciation 
             to his wife Jackie and their daughters Grace and Christina 
             for sharing Christopher Dodd with us.

               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. ...
               Senator Chris Dodd departs the Senate after nearly three 
             decades faithfully representing the people of Connecticut. 
             From his service in the Peace Corps, the U.S. Army 
             National Guard and Reserves as well as his many years in 
             the U.S. Senate, Senator Dodd's commitment to public 
             service and love for his country have been evident 
             throughout his life.
               Chris was a leader in the Senate, serving as the 
             chairman of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
             Committee, chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee 
             on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics, and 
             chairman of its Children and Families Subcommittee.
               Although we had our differences on various policy 
             issues, I always appreciated his willingness to put 
             partisanship aside to reach consensus when possible in 
             order to improve legislation. For instance, earlier this 
             year when working on the financial reform bill, despite my 
             public opposition to the legislation, Chris worked with me 
             to incorporate my amendments in the final version of the 
             bill. I ultimately voted against the bill, but I am 
             grateful for the efforts he made to include my amendments.
               Today we bid him farewell after 30 years of tireless 
             service in the U.S. 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. ...
               One of Chris Dodd's legacies to the Nation is 
             legislation to ensure that the unique needs of children 
             are addressed in our Nation's response to catastrophic 
             disasters. I was honored to partner with Senator Dodd in 
             helping to pass this legislation. ...
               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.
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