[Senate Document 111-34]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 
TRIBUTES TO HON. GEORGE S. LeMIEUX

                                     

                            George S. LeMieux

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES

             [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                           


                                           


                                  George S. LeMieux


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                  George S. LeMieux

                                United States Senator

                                      2009-2011

                                          a
                                           


                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing


                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell to the Senate................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
                                                                      3
                    Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
                                                                     12
                    Conrad, Kent, of North Dakota..................
                                                                      5
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                      8
                    Durbin, Richard, of Illinois...................
                                                                      8
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                      6
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     11
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                      9
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                      5
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      4
                    Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                      5
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Senator George Stephen LeMieux was born in Fort 
             Lauderdale, FL, on May 21, 1969, the only child of George 
             and Karen LeMieux, a building contractor and secretary to 
             the company. He grew up in Coral Springs, FL, and 
             graduated in 1987 from Coral Springs High School.
               George LeMieux graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa 
             in 1991 from Emory University, where he majored in 
             political science. He was selected by his peers to address 
             the graduating class as senior class orator. While earning 
             his college degree, he interned for Congressman E. Clay 
             Shaw, Jr. and U.S. Senator Connie Mack III.
               After college, George LeMieux went on to earn his J.D. 
             cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. 
             At Georgetown he received the Vincent G. Panati Award as 
             the graduate with the highest GPA in criminal law courses. 
             After law school, he joined Gunster, a prominent Florida 
             law firm, resident in the firm's Ft. Lauderdale office.
               George LeMieux and his wife, the former Meike Sigrid 
             Detassis, are the parents of four children: George 
             Maximilian, Taylor Franz, Chase Karlyle, and Madeleine 
             Meike. Max, Taylor, and Chase were born in Tallahassee, 
             FL. Madeleine was born in Washington, DC, while George 
             LeMieux served in the Senate.
               Inspired by President Ronald Reagan, George LeMieux 
             became active in Republican Party politics at a young age, 
             culminating in his election as chairman of the Broward 
             County Republican Party in 2000.
               In 2002 George LeMieux resigned his position with the 
             Republican Party to serve as deputy attorney general for 
             the State of Florida. During his time in the attorney 
             general's office, George LeMieux helped lead an agency of 
             more than 400 attorneys. In 2004, on behalf of the people 
             of Florida, he successfully argued a death penalty case, 
             Florida v. Nixon, before the U.S. Supreme Court, where he 
             obtained a unanimous reversal of the decision by the 
             Supreme Court of Florida.
               In 2006 George LeMieux managed a successful 
             gubernatorial campaign and in 2007 became chief of staff 
             to Governor Charlie Crist. In his year serving as chief of 
             staff, he oversaw the executive office of the Governor 
             including the Governor's legislative agenda, policy 
             initiatives, and the management of the agencies that 
             reported to the Governor.
               In 2008 George returned to the Gunster law firm and was 
             selected by his colleagues to serve as chairman of the 
             firm. In summer 2009, he was called back into public 
             service when Senator Mel Martinez retired before the end 
             of his term.
               On September 10, 2010 George LeMieux was sworn in as 
             Florida's 34th U.S. Senator, and at the age of 41, was the 
             youngest U.S. Senator then serving. During his time in the 
             Senate, George LeMieux was an active member of the Senate 
             Armed Services Committee, the Commerce Committee, and the 
             Special Committee on Aging. In the Senate, he made the 
             debt and deficit his primary focus. He introduced a 
             balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and opposed 
             wasteful earmark spending, helping to lead the effort to 
             ban all earmarks in the 111th Congress.
               While in the Senate, George LeMieux proposed the ``2007 
             Solution,'' a plan to eliminate the deficit by 2013 and 
             cut the national debt nearly in half by 2020. He also saw 
             several of his legislative priorities signed into law, 
             including Medicare antifraud legislation, an export 
             promotion act, tax relief and lending assistance for small 
             businesses, and elimination of the monopoly given to 
             rating agencies to determine the creditworthiness of 
             securities. George LeMieux also successfully offered an 
             amendment to the resolution of ratification to the New 
             START Treaty with Russia, requiring the President to seek 
             negotiations with Russia to secure and reduce tactical 
             nuclear weapons in a verifiable manner.
               For his efforts, George LeMieux received several 
             recognitions including the Spirit of Enterprise Award from 
             the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Tax Fighter Award by the 
             National Tax Limitation Committee, the Friend of the 
             Family Award by the Christian Family Coalition, the 
             Guardian of Small Business Award by the National 
             Federation of Independent Business, and twice received the 
             Taxpayer Hero Award by Citizens Against Government Waste.
               In his farewell speech to the U.S. Senate, George 
             LeMieux described his service in the Senate as the ``honor 
             of his life,'' and quoting President Theodore Roosevelt, 
             said serving in the Senate allowed him to enjoy one of the 
             greatest gifts life has to offer, the opportunity to 
             ``work hard at work worth doing.''
                               Farewell to the Senate
                              Tuesday, December 7, 2010

               Mr. LeMIEUX. Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to 
             the body with which I have had the privilege of serving 
             for the past 15 months. Being a U.S. Senator, representing 
             18\1/2\ million Floridians, has been the privilege of my 
             lifetime, and now that privilege is coming to an end. As I 
             stand on the floor of the Senate to address my colleagues 
             this one last time, I am both humbled and grateful, 
             humbled by this tremendous institution, by its work, and 
             by the statesmen I have had the opportunity to serve with, 
             who I knew only from afar but now am grateful that I can 
             call those same men and women my colleagues.
               No endeavor worth doing is done alone. And my time here 
             is no exception. In the past 16 months, I have asked the 
             folks who worked with me to try to get 6 years of service 
             out of that time, and they have worked tirelessly to 
             achieve that goal.
               My chief of staff Kerry Feehery, my deputy chief of 
             staff Vivian Myrtetus, my State director Carlos Curbelo, 
             Ben Moncrief, Michael Zehy, Ken Lundberg, Melissa 
             Hernandez, Maureen Jaeger, Danielle Joos, Brian Walsh, 
             Frank Walker, Spencer Wayne, Vennia Francois, Victor 
             Cervino, Taylor Booth, and many others have made our time 
             here worthwhile, and I thank all of them. I especially 
             thank Vivian and Maureen who left their families and gave 
             up precious time with their children to come to Washington 
             to support me in these efforts.
               I am also thankful to the people who work in our State 
             office. Time and time again when I travel around Florida I 
             am greeted by people who have received such a warm 
             reception from the men and women who serve us in Florida 
             and help people deal with problems with the Federal 
             Government. I am grateful for their work.
               Senator McConnell has provided me with opportunities 
             beyond my expectations. He is a great leader, and I am 
             grateful to him. Senators Alexander, Burr, Cornyn, Kyl, 
             McCain, Corker, and many others have taken me under their 
             wings and mentored me, and I am appreciative of them.
               Chairmen Rockefeller and Levin, we have had the 
             opportunity to do great work together in your committees. 
             I thank you for that. Senators Cantwell, Klobuchar, 
             Landrieu, Whitehouse, and Baucus, we have worked together 
             in a commonsense way to pass legislation that is good for 
             the American people, and I am appreciative of your 
             efforts.
               Senator Mel Martinez, who ably held the seat before me, 
             has been generous in his advice and counsel. Senator 
             Nelson and his wife Grace have been warm and welcomed 
             Meike and me to Washington. I am thankful for your 
             courtesy. I thank Governor Crist. He has afforded me 
             tremendous opportunities for public service, and I am 
             grateful.
               I want to say a special thank you to my parents. My 
             grandfather, in 1951, drove his 1949 Pontiac from 
             Waterbury, CT, to Fort Lauderdale, FL, with his wife and 
             five kids piled in the back. He didn't know anybody. He 
             didn't have a job. But he went there to make a better life 
             for his family. He worked in the trades, in construction. 
             He built houses and he taught my father the same thing. 
             And as my father worked in the hot Florida sun, his 
             ambition for his son was that he would one day get to work 
             in air-conditioning. I have achieved that goal and so much 
             more because of their sacrifice. Mom and Dad didn't go to 
             college but they sent me to college and law school, and I 
             will be forever grateful for what they have done for me.
               My most heartfelt appreciation goes to my wife Meike. 
             When I learned of this appointment, I met her at the door 
             of our home in Tallahassee and she was crying. She was not 
             just crying because she was happy; she was crying because 
             she was worried. At the time we had three small sons--Max, 
             Taylor, and Chase, 6, 4, and 2. She knew something that 
             others didn't know--that we were going to have another 
             baby and that baby was born here in Washington, our 
             daughter Madeleine.
               Throughout all of my travels, she has been an unfailing 
             support for me, I love her dearly, and I appreciate her.
               It has been the privilege of my life to serve here, but 
             I would not be fulfilling my charge in my final speech if 
             I did not tell you what weighs on my mind and lays upon my 
             heart about the direction of this country. So what I say 
             to you now is with all due respect, but it is with the 
             candor that it deserves.
               The single greatest threat to the future of our Republic 
             and the prosperity of our people is this Congress' failure 
             to control spending. In my maiden speech, I lamented a 
             world where my children would one day come to me and say 
             they would find an opportunity in another country instead 
             of staying here in America because those opportunities 
             were better there. In 1 year's time that lament has proven 
             to be too optimistic, because the challenge that confronts 
             us will not wait until my children grow up.
               When I came to Congress just 15 months ago, our national 
             debt was $11.7 trillion. Today, it stands at $13.7 
             trillion. It has gone up $2 trillion in 15 months. It took 
             this country 200 years to go $1 trillion in debt. Our 
             interest payment on our debt service is nearly $200 
             billion now. At the end of the decade, when our debt will 
             be nearly $26 trillion, that interest payment will be $900 
             billion.
               When that interest payment is $900 billion, this 
             government will fail. And long before that time the world 
             markets will anticipate that and our markets will crash. 
             This is not hyperbole; it is the truth. Not since World 
             War II has this country faced a greater threat. Not since 
             the Civil War has this threat come from within.
               How has Congress arrived at this moment? For the past 40 
             years, Congress has spent more than it could afford. It 
             has borrowed from Social Security and foreign governments, 
             delaying making honest choices and prioritizing on what it 
             should spend. Budgeting in Washington seems to be nothing 
             more than adding to last year's budget. We are funding the 
             priorities of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s without 
             any real evaluation of whether those are still good 
             priorities and certainly not to see whether they are being 
             done efficiently and effectively: It is as if a teenage 
             child received not only all the gifts on their Christmas 
             list this year but the gifts on all their Christmas lists 
             going back to when they were 3.
               It is clear Congress is capable of solving this problem 
             with business as usual. What is needed is across-the-board 
             spending caps to right the ship. An across-the-board 
             spending cap will necessitate oversight and require 
             prioritization. Congress will finally have to do what 
             businesses and families do all across this country: Make 
             tough choices, make ends meet.
               I have proposed such a cap. I have proposed going back 
             to the 2007 level spending across the board. Was our 
             spending in 2007 so austere that we could not live with it 
             just 3 years later? If we did, we would balance the budget 
             in 2013 and we would cut the national debt in half by 2020 
             and you would save America.
               Unlike most problems that Congress addresses, this 
             problem is uniquely solvable by Congress. Congress can't 
             win wars. Only the brave men and women in our military, 
             who we especially remember on this day, December 7, of all 
             those who have served for our country in all of our wars 
             to keep us safe and free, only those men and women can win 
             a war. Congress cannot lead us out of recession. Only job 
             creators and businesses can create jobs. But this problem 
             is solely of Congress' making and uniquely solvable by 
             this body.
               What Congress should do is strengthen its oversight. The 
             lack of oversight in Washington is breathtaking. Evaluate 
             all Federal programs. Keep what works; fix what you 
             should; get rid of the rest. Return the money to the 
             people and use the rest to pay down this cataclysmic debt.
               The recent work of the Debt Commission is a good start, 
             and I commend my Senate colleagues who voted for this 
             measure. It was courageous for them to do so.
               Out-of-control spending is not just a threat because it 
             is unsustainable; it is also changing who we are as 
             Americans. Remember, our Founders told us that the powers 
             delegated to the Federal Government were ``few and 
             defined,'' the powers to the State ``numerous and 
             indefinite,'' extending to ``all the objects which in the 
             course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties and 
             properties of the people.''
               The current size and scope of the Federal Government is 
             corrosive to the American spirit. The good intentions of 
             Members of Congress to solve every real or perceived 
             problem with a new Federal program, and the false light of 
             praise that attaches to the giving away of the people's 
             money, endangers our Republic. Every new program chips 
             away at what it means to be an American, harms our spirit, 
             and replaces our self-reliance with dependency, supplants 
             an opportunity ethic with an entitlement culture. It is at 
             its base un-American.
               It is not the government's role to deliver happiness. 
             Rather, it is its role to stay clear of that path to allow 
             our people to pursue that God-given right.
               What has created our prosperity, after all, is not our 
             government, it is our free market system of capitalism. It 
             is through the healthy cut and thrust of the marketplace 
             that new technologies, new jobs, and new wealth are 
             created. Through that dynamic process some win and some 
             lose, but it allows all of our people, regardless of their 
             race, gender, creed, color, or background the opportunity 
             to succeed or fail. And it ensures for us that unique 
             expression ``only in America'' is not just a refrain from 
             the past but an anthem for the future.
               Can you imagine the tragedy if the downfall of the 
             American experiment was caused by a failure of this 
             Congress to control its spending? The challenge of this 
             generation is before you and it is not beyond your grasp. 
             There is nothing we as Americans cannot do. We have fought 
             imperial Japan and Nazi Germany at the same time and 
             beaten both. We have put a man on the Moon. We have mapped 
             the human genome. And in the spare bedrooms and garages 
             and dorm rooms of our people, our citizens have created 
             the greatest inventions and the greatest businesses the 
             world has ever known, which have employed millions of 
             people and allowed them to pursue their dreams, all in the 
             freest and most open society in the history of man.
               We are that shining city on the hill. We are that beacon 
             of freedom. We are that last best hope for mankind upon 
             which God has shed his grace.
               President Theodore Roosevelt said that one of the 
             greatest gifts that life has to offer is the opportunity 
             to do work that is worth doing. I can't think of a greater 
             gift than the work that lies before you: righteous in its 
             cause, noble in its purpose, and essential for the 
             prosperity of our people.
               I will always cherish the relationships I have gained 
             here and the work we have done together. God bless you, 
             God bless the U.S. Senate, and God bless our great 
             country.
               I yield the floor.
?

                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                  GEORGE S. LeMIEUX
                              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 George LeMieux of Florida made his focus 
             balancing the budget and controlling the debt. We have not 
             heard the last of George Lemieux, I am sure, in politics. 
             ...
               It has been my privilege to serve with these 16 
             Senators. We thank them for their service to our country. 
             They have had a chance to serve in what we regard as the 
             world's greatest deliberative body; it is a special 
             institution. We will miss their leadership, and we hope 
             they will stay in touch with us because they are not just 
             retiring Senators, they are all our friends.
               I yield the floor.
                                            Wednesday, December 8, 2010
               Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             there be printed as a Senate document a compilation of 
             materials from the Congressional Record in tribute to 
             retiring Members of the 111th Congress, and that Members 
             have until Thursday, December 16, to submit such tributes.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                              Friday, December 10, 2010
               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
             our colleagues who are departing the Senate after 
             distinguished service on behalf of their States and on 
             behalf of the Nation. I have been privileged to work with 
             these individuals, to learn from them, to collaborate and 
             cooperate with them, and to, in some small way, help them 
             do what they have done so well--represent their States 
             with fidelity, with great effort, and to move the agenda 
             of the Nation forward. ...
               Senator George LeMieux and his wife Meike served here 
             for a short period of time but with such distinction, such 
             character, and such concern. I want to salute him. He and 
             I worked together on the Teacher and Principal Improvement 
             Act. He is a brilliant and a decent civil servant. I thank 
             him. ...
               To all of these colleagues and their families, my 
             deepest appreciation and my profoundest respect.

               Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise again to recognize the 
             service of another great Federal employee. This is a 
             tradition that was started by our friend and former 
             colleague, Senator Kaufman, and I am proud to carry on 
             that tradition. But I want to first say that I appreciate 
             the remarks of the Presiding Officer (Mr. Reed) about our 
             colleagues who are leaving this body, and I share his 
             great respect for not only Senator Kaufman but all of the 
             colleagues who are leaving the body at the end of this 
             Congress. ...
                                           Wednesday, December 15, 2010
               Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to 
             recognize our retiring colleague from Florida, Senator 
             George LeMieux.
               Senator LeMieux came to the Senate in September 2009, 
             amid extraordinary economic conditions. When he took 
             office, Floridians were facing historically high rates of 
             unemployment--a trend too common across the country. By 
             November 2009, an estimated 45 percent of home mortgages 
             in Florida were ``upside down,'' meaning affected 
             Floridians owed more on their property than it was worth. 
             Needless to say, there were significant economic 
             challenges facing the incoming junior Senator from 
             Florida.
               It takes uncommon character and dedication to accept 
             appointment to public office, especially in these 
             uncertain times. Senator LeMieux chose to confront our 
             country's economic challenges by serving the people of 
             Florida in the U.S. Senate.
               Since arriving in the Senate, Senator LeMieux has 
             expressed his desire to address our unsustainable fiscal 
             condition--a problem I agree will cripple our country 
             without bipartisan compromise. If we are to address our 
             fiscal challenges, we must work together to craft 
             solutions to our economic challenges.
               In addition to historic economic and fiscal challenges, 
             Senator LeMieux has confronted unexpected environmental 
             challenges. Not long after Senator LeMieux arrived in the 
             Senate, our country saw one of its greatest environmental 
             disasters of all time. For 3 months, oil gushed into the 
             Gulf of Mexico, causing extensive damage to marine life, 
             coastline, and commerce. Senator LeMieux, along with his 
             fellow gulf coast colleagues, worked to secure Federal 
             relief to mitigate the effects of the spill on the coastal 
             region.
               It is not easy to navigate the Federal disaster relief 
             system, especially for a new Senator. I commend Senator 
             LeMieux for his work to protect his fellow Floridians from 
             the effects of the gulf oilspill.
               Despite our political differences, I respect Senator 
             LeMieux' desire to make a difference in the lives of 
             everyday Floridians. I have appreciated the opportunity to 
             work with Senator LeMieux and thank him for his service to 
             our country.

               Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, each year that brings a session 
             of Congress to an end, it has long been a tradition for 
             the Senate to take a moment to say goodbye to those who 
             will not be returning in January for the beginning of the 
             next session of Congress. One of those I know I will miss 
             who will be heading home to Florida as his term concludes 
             is George LeMieux.
               It may surprise a lot of people to learn what a powerful 
             presence George has been in the Senate. Although he did 
             not serve a full term of 6 years, the months he has spent 
             representing Florida have been very productive.
               Simply put, George is an impressive individual who 
             understands the importance of the work we must do to 
             control spending in the years to come and, if we fail to 
             do that, the impact it will have on our Nation and our 
             children as they try to pursue their goals and live the 
             American dream.
               George grew up in Florida and, like me, he came to 
             Washington, DC, for his college studies. I graduated from 
             George Washington University, and George graduated from 
             Georgetown University. When he returned home to begin his 
             career, his attendance at a high school reunion proved to 
             be a turning point in his life when he met a former 
             classmate named Meike who soon became his wife.
               Years later, when an individual of George's talents and 
             abilities was needed to complete the Senate term of Mel 
             Martinez, the Governor knew who would be the right person 
             for the job--George LeMieux. Soon, George was on his way 
             back to Washington, looking forward to the opportunity to 
             use his knowledge, skills, abilities, and professional 
             experience to serve the people of his home State.
               There were some eyebrows raised when he arrived. Some 
             people thought he wasn't the best candidate for the job. 
             Others thought he didn't have the background necessary to 
             be a productive Senator. It didn't take him long before he 
             proved them all wrong.
               George not only hit the ground running, but he proved to 
             be a natural and effective legislator. I don't think I 
             have ever seen anyone who has had such an impact on the 
             Senate after such a short time in office.
               Over the past months, George has not only fulfilled his 
             duties as a Senator, he has taken them to another level as 
             he came up with good ideas for legislation, especially on 
             the need to control spending and reduce the deficit which 
             he has referred to as the ``single greatest threat'' to 
             our future and the prosperity of our people.
               That is the kind of Senator that George has been--
             strong, spirited, focused, and determined to speak out 
             about the consequences that will come from not being good 
             stewards of our Nation's financial resources. His concern 
             about our debt and the world we will leave behind for our 
             children and grandchildren means even more to him today 
             now that his Washington experience includes the addition 
             of a fourth child--his first daughter.
               I don't know what the future holds for you, George, but 
             I do know that we will all be watching with great interest 
             and expectation. You have already established a reputation 
             for hard work that has earned you the friendship of your 
             colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Whatever you decide 
             to do, I am sure you know you can count on us to support 
             and encourage you as you begin the next great adventure of 
             your life. I am hoping it will be as the elected Senator 
             from Florida. You can certainly run on experience. You 
             have done more in months than some do in a career.
               Diana joins in sending our best wishes to you and Meike. 
             You have made a difference in just a few months, and we 
             are sure there is more to come. Keep in touch when you 
             return home. We will always be pleased to hear from you 
             with your thoughts and suggestions about the legislation 
             being considered by the Senate and what we can do to make 
             it better.

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

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                            Thursday, December 16, 2010
               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
             my colleague, the Senator from Florida, George LeMieux, 
             who will be leaving the U.S. Senate before the 112th 
             Congress convenes. I would like to take this moment to 
             thank George for his service, and wish him, his wife 
             Meike, and their four children the very best as they 
             embark on the next chapter of their lives.
               George is a native Floridian who has served as deputy 
             attorney general, and later as Governor Charlie Crist's 
             chief of staff.
               When Senator Mel Martinez retired in 2009, George was 
             appointed to fulfill the remainder of the term. Since then 
             he has worked to help the people of Florida through his 
             work as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 
             the Commerce Committee, and the Special Committee on 
             Aging.
               Though he has only been in the Senate for a short time, 
             Senator LeMieux has been an engaged and hard-working 
             Member of this body. He has emerged as a strong advocate 
             for solving our long-term Federal debt concerns, and a 
             devoted advocate for the people and businesses of his home 
             State of Florida.
               While we did not share the same views on a number of 
             issues, Senator LeMieux proved that he was a man of deep 
             conviction who was not afraid to stand up for what he 
             believed. He spoke often on the floor to advocate for his 
             positions. However, he showed that he was a serious 
             legislator, and leader, on issues of vital importance to 
             our Nation.
               For example, he was the lone Republican to cast a vote 
             in favor of the Small Business Jobs Act. This legislation 
             was designed to expand access to credit, and provide tax 
             incentives, for small businesses. George recognized that 
             these were two things that Florida's businesses 
             desperately needed--much more than partisan gridlock.
               After George leaves the Senate in just a few short 
             weeks, I believe he will be remembered as a public servant 
             who was devoted first and foremost to advancing the 
             interests of the people of his home State, Florida.
               Once again, I would like to thank George for his 
             service, and wish him well as he leaves the Senate. It has 
             been a pleasure working with him.
                                              Friday, December 17, 2010
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a 
             man who has made the most of a short tenure here in the 
             Senate. Shortly after George LeMieux was sworn in last 
             September he said that his goal was to get years of work 
             done in 16 months. I don't think there is any doubt the 
             junior Senator from Florida made good on that promise.
               In his short tenure, George has served the people of 
             Florida with honor, integrity, and purpose. And while he 
             may be leaving us soon, I am certain this will not be the 
             last time we hear from this incredibly gifted man.
               George grew up in Coral Springs, FL, or ``God's 
             country'' as he refers to it. He went on to college at 
             Emory, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta 
             Kappa. As an undergraduate, George interned for 
             Congressman Clay Shaw and Senator Connie Mack. Then it was 
             on to Georgetown for law school and private practice back 
             home in Florida.
               George got his start in local politics as chairman of 
             the Broward County Young Republicans. He then went on to 
             make his own bid for the Florida State House in 1998, 
             knocking on more than 10,000 doors in the heavily 
             Democratic district he was hoping to represent.
               Despite George's own campaign loss, he impressed a lot 
             of Republicans and was elected chairman of the Broward 
             County Republican Party. In 2003, he was asked to serve as 
             deputy attorney general. George answered the call, leaving 
             the law firm he was working in at the time. As deputy 
             attorney general, George was responsible for a team of 400 
             lawyers. He also argued and won a death penalty case that 
             earned a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
               George would go on to serve as the chief of staff to 
             Florida Governor Charlie Crist overseeing the Governor's 
             legislative agenda, policy initiatives, and messaging.
               After a year as chief of staff, George wanted to return 
             home to his young family. ``I've got three little men at 
             home,'' George said at the time, ``and a wife who's a 
             saint.''
               Despite the demands of work, George has always made sure 
             not to lose sight of his first priorities. We have all 
             seen and been touched by the special pride he has for his 
             wife Meike and their three boys; Max, Taylor, and Chase, 
             and their newborn daughter Madeleine.
               After a couple of years of private practice, George got 
             the call again to serve when Mel Martinez announced he was 
             retiring from the Senate.
               From the moment he got here, he was determined to do the 
             best job he could. He wasn't going to be a placeholder or 
             a seat warmer, as he put it. Floridians expected vigorous 
             and principled representation, and that is exactly what 
             they got. At the time of his appointment, George may have 
             been the youngest sitting Member of the Senate, but that 
             didn't stop him from rolling up his sleeves and getting to 
             work. He made an immediate impact by inserting himself 
             into the health care debate as an eloquent and passionate 
             opponent of greater government intervention and an enemy 
             of waste, fraud, and abuse. The first bill he introduced 
             was the Prevent Health Care Fraud Act of 2009, which 
             proposed a more aggressive approach to recovering the 
             billions of dollars that are lost each year to health care 
             waste, fraud, and abuse.
               George has been deeply involved in efforts to raise 
             awareness about the national debt and promoting free 
             trade. He has been involved in Latin American and Cuban 
             policy. And he was a leader on the gulf oilspill.
               He has worked tirelessly to hold BP and the 
             administration accountable for the cleanup and the 
             protection of Florida's beaches. He has been an outspoken 
             critic of the bureaucratic redtape that kept more skimmers 
             from cleaning up the Florida coast. And through his 
             relentless efforts at exposing this lax response, he was 
             able to get dozens of skimmers sent to the Florida coast 
             for cleanup. As George put it at the time, ``We must 
             ensure that BP does not abandon the hard-working families, 
             businesses, and local communities devastated by the spill 
             once the media leaves ...'' After just a few months of on-
             the-job training as a U.S. Senator, George had found his 
             voice in the midst of the largest environmental disaster 
             in U.S. history.
               Upon arriving in this Chamber, George has always 
             maintained a probusiness, antitax, and antiwaste voting 
             record, which has made him the recipient of several 
             awards. In August of this year, George was recognized as 
             the ``Taxpayer Hero'' by Citizens Against Government Waste 
             for his work to expose and end wasteful government 
             spending. The following month, George was honored with the 
             ``Guardian of Small Business'' by the National Federation 
             of Independent Business, as well as the ``Tax Fighter 
             Award'' by the National Tax Limitation Committee.
               While George's impressive tenure in this Chamber has 
             been brief, we enjoyed getting to know him and working 
             with him to advance the best interests of Floridians and 
             all Americans. He has been one of our sharpest and most 
             passionate spokesmen on some of the most important issues 
             we face. He is smart, capable, and willing to work hard. 
             He should be proud of his service. I know I have been 
             proud to call him a colleague and a friend.
               We thank him for his impressive service to this Chamber, 
             the people of Florida, and the Nation. And we wish him and 
             his young family all the best in what I hope will be many 
             years of success and happiness ahead.
               I yield the floor.
                                              Sunday, December 19, 2010
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
             the junior Senator from Florida. Though Senator George 
             LeMieux has only been here a short time, he has been an 
             effective advocate for the good people of Florida. I want 
             to wish him the best of luck.
               Senator LeMieux was born in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He is 
             the son of a building contractor. He grew up in Coral 
             Springs, FL, and attended college at Emory University, 
             earning a degree in political science. George then went on 
             to obtain his law degree from Georgetown University.
               Senator LeMieux' career in public service began when he 
             went to work as deputy attorney general for the State of 
             Florida, a position he held for 2 years. He would later 
             serve as the Florida Governor's chief of staff, overseeing 
             numerous State agencies.
               After his time in the Governor's office, George returned 
             to the private sector and was headed down what had to be a 
             lucrative career path in the private sector at one of 
             Florida's most prestigious law firms. But, he answered the 
             call to public service once again in 2009 when Senator Mel 
             Martinez announced his retirement and Florida was in need 
             of a Senator.
               Since being appointed to the Senate, George has served 
             on the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce Committee, 
             and the Special Committee on Aging. He has had a 
             reputation for being progrowth, probusiness, and a deficit 
             hawk. In fact, he has been one of the few people in the 
             Senate who put their money where their mouth is and 
             actually proposed a plan to address our fiscal problems. 
             Frankly, I think we could use more people like that here 
             in the Senate.
               It is just a difficult fact that, here in the Senate, 
             some are here only for short periods of time. But, every 
             State deserves to be represented in this Chamber. Senator 
             LeMieux answered the call to serve during what has been an 
             extremely difficult time in the Senate. He has done so 
             with dignity and an unwavering commitment to the people of 
             Florida.
               Once again, I want to offer my best wishes for George 
             and his family in all their future endeavors.
                                              Monday, December 20, 2010
               Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, today I would like to honor 
             my distinguished colleague from Florida, Senator George 
             LeMieux, who will be retiring from the Senate at the end 
             of the 111th Congress.
               George has humbly served the people of Florida for many 
             years as deputy attorney general, chief of staff to the 
             Governor, and most recently as a Member of the U.S. 
             Senate. While his time in the Senate might have been 
             short, his list of accomplishments is not. George has 
             proven to be a principled leader that is unafraid to 
             tackle the difficult issues facing our Nation. He has 
             offered thoughtful and proactive solutions to problems 
             that many would rather defer to a future Congress and a 
             future generation. The people of Florida should be proud 
             to have been represented by a man of such dedication and 
             character.
               I am honored to know George and to have worked with him. 
             I would like to thank him for his contributions to the 
             Senate and wish him and his family the best in all of 
             their future endeavors.
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