[Senate Document 114-21]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



TRIBUTES TO HON. MARK KIRK

 
                               Mark Kirk

                       U.S. SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS

                                TRIBUTES

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF

                           THE UNITED STATES
                           
                           
                           

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
       

                                      Mark Kirk


                                      Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress

                                      Mark Kirk

                              United States Congressman

                                      2001-2010

                                United States Senator

                                      2010-2017

                                          a
                                           
                                         
                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                             
                                      CONTENTS
                                      
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Boozman, John, of Arkansas.....................
                                                                     18
                    Cardin, Benjamin L., of Maryland...............
                                                                     15
                    Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
                                                                     12
                    Cornyn, John, of Texas.........................
                                                                      9
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                   3, 7
                    Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
                                                                     11
                    Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
                                                                      8
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     14
                    Klobuchar, Amy, of Minnesota...................
                                                                     13
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                      9
                    McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                  5, 14
                    Peters, Gary C., of Michigan...................
                                                                     17
                    Portman, Rob, of Ohio..........................
                                                                     18
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                      8
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Born in Champaign, IL, Senator Kirk graduated from 
             Winnetka's New Trier High School and attended Blackburn 
             College and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico 
             before earning a B.A. (cum laude) in history from Cornell 
             University. Senator Kirk also earned a master's degree 
             from the London School of Economics and a law degree from 
             Georgetown University, and served as an intelligence 
             officer in the Navy Reserve from 1989 until 2013, when he 
             retired with the rank of commander.
               Senator Kirk worked as a staff member for Congressman 
             John Porter before moving to work at the World Bank and 
             later the State Department. He practiced law at Baker & 
             McKenzie before serving as a counsel to the House 
             International Relations Committee. In 2000, Mark was 
             elected to the House of Representatives where he served 
             five terms before his election to the U.S. Senate.
               In January 2012, Senator Kirk suffered an ischemic 
             stroke and underwent surgeries at Northwestern Memorial 
             Hospital to relieve swelling in his brain. After nearly a 
             year of intensive recovery and rehabilitation, Senator 
             Kirk triumphantly returned to work by climbing the 45 
             steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2013. Friends and 
             colleagues from both sides of the aisle cheered as Senator 
             Kirk walked up the Capitol steps. Senator Kirk reflected 
             that his return to the Senate was one of the greatest 
             moments of his life.
               Senator Kirk served on four Senate Committees: 
             Appropriations, Banking, HELP (Health, Education, Labor, 
             and Pensions), and Aging. Senator Kirk was chairman of the 
             Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
             Veterans Affairs as well as the Banking Subcommittee on 
             National Security and International Trade and Finance.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                             Thursday, December 8, 2016

                Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be 
             allowed to have a prop with me.

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

                Mr. KIRK. Mr. President, I rise here in the Chamber to 
             give my last speech in the Senate. I want to describe some 
             experiences I have had that are at the heart of my service 
             in the Congress.
                As a staffer, I worked for the House International 
             Relations Committee and for Chairman Benjamin Gilman. He 
             had been asked by Cardinal John O'Connor of New York to 
             investigate the plight of Catholics in northern Bosnia. 
             From that assignment, I went to northern Bosnia to meet 
             with Bishop Komanic, who started out the meeting in a very 
             difficult fashion.
                He started by saying, ``Am I a human? Am I a human? Am 
             I?''
                I said, ``Yes, you are.''
                He said, ``You foreign delegations always don't do 
             anything for me.''
                I said to Bishop Komanic, ``Please give me one task 
             that I can take on for you.''
                He said, ``If there is one thing I need, it is to get 
             my human rights office head, Father Tomislava Matanovic--
             who was recently captured by a very notorious criminal, 
             the police chief of Prijedor, Bosnia, who was infamous for 
             starting the first concentration camp in Europe after 
             1945.'' It was called the Omarska Camp. The man who ran 
             this place was named Simo Drljaca. He pushed 700 bodies 
             down the shaft of this mine. In this work, he had probably 
             captured the priest I wanted, Tomislava Matanovic.
                When I went back to the States, as a reservist, I 
             ransacked the DOD databases. We found from intelligence 
             reports that we suspected this police chief of Prijedor 
             had been the kidnaper of Tomislava Matanovic. I went to 
             the CIA and asked to meet with this man so I could urge 
             him to give this priest back to me. When Simo Drljaca met 
             with me, he gave me this memento of Serbia. It has the 
             markings of St. George slaying a dragon, with a date of 
             1994, and various Serbian markings.
                After I learned so much about Simo Drljaca, I asked the 
             Clinton administration to make sure they could indict him 
             for war crimes, crimes against humanity, to make sure we 
             could eventually bring him down.
                When the Bosnian secret police brought him to me, he 
             gave me this memento, which I have kept under my desk. He 
             gave that to me hoping maybe he would not get picked up. 
             Luckily, the Clinton administration had decided to pick 
             him up. They had a typically obscure DOD acronym to cover 
             the status of this kind of person. They called them PIFWC, 
             persons indicted for war crimes.
                Eventually we got an operation together to arrest Simo 
             Drljaca, and the British Special Air Service carried it 
             out. When they waited for Simo, they waited by a riverbank 
             for him to do his Sunday fishing with his son.
                An officer had painstakingly memorized the Serbian's 
             arrest record and indictment so he could read it to 
             Drljaca in his British accent. When he started reading the 
             indictment, Drljaca reached down into his fishing tackle 
             box and shot the British arresting officer. Luckily, the 
             British officer did survive, was wearing body armor. When 
             that shot rang out, the security team across from the 
             river put several rounds into Drljaca's chest. He dropped 
             dead right there at the beach.
                After I heard about this, I was so proud to be part of 
             this congressional team and to still be an officer in the 
             U.S. Navy.
                I will say that this institution, and the U.S. military 
             that has given rise from the appropriations we have given, 
             is the greatest force for human dignity that has ever been 
             put forward. I was so proud we brought this monster to 
             justice. The guy who put together the first concentration 
             camp in Europe had been stopped, and he could no longer 
             hurt anyone. This memento has been underneath my desk here 
             in the Senate ever since to remind me of the basic human 
             values that we share so dear--that we have here. I would 
             say the United States is now the greatest force for human 
             dignity that we have ever seen. To make sure those values 
             continue has been at the heart of my service here in the 
             Senate and in the Congress.
                Let me conclude by thanking some critical people.
                I thank Congressman John Porter for hiring me back in 
             1984, when I started my service here in the Congress; 
             Chairman Ben Gilman of New York for putting me on that 
             international committee; the people of the 10th 
             Congressional District of Illinois who first sent me to 
             the House and the people of Illinois who also sent me to 
             represent their State here; all the family and friends who 
             put me here: Karen Garber and Michael Morgan, especially 
             Dodie McCracken, who was always at my side--people who 
             wanted to make sure we had a person of thoughtful, 
             independent values who could serve here in the Congress.
                To conclude, I want to give a message to the people of 
             Illinois. For the people of Illinois, I would say: Take 
             heart, Illinois, that you come from one of the most 
             industrious States in the Union, the fifth largest 
             industrial State.
                Especially after the problems we had with Governor 
             Blagojevich, we have been a little down in the dumps.
                A lot of times, I will pull out my iPhone and ask 
             people in the State the same question: Who invented the 
             iPhone, the cell phone? The answer is, Martin Cooper from 
             Winnetka, IL. On the top of the iPhone is a transmitter, 
             and I remind us that the first cell phone call in the 
             world was made from the 50 yard line of Soldier Field in 
             Chicago. That trillion-dollar industry started right in 
             the middle of our State. That, we should always remember.
                Lots of times when I am giving this speech, I will say: 
             If it weren't for the people of Illinois, a lot of the 
             people you know would be missing teeth, because we 
             invented modern dentistry with GV Black in Jacksonville, 
             and our houses would not be so clean, because we invented 
             the vacuum cleaner.
                People on the southwest side of Chicago say: ``Kirk, 
             tell them that we invented the zipper''--which they did.
                People in Peoria will say, ``Hey, remind them that we 
             invented the electric blanket.'' And they did.
                From the electric blanket to the vacuum cleaner and the 
             cell phone, the people of Illinois have been so 
             innovative.
                Now we have a unique time in history. I can safely say 
             without contradiction here in the Senate that the Chicago 
             Cubs are now the World Series champions. As I have said so 
             many times, any professional baseball team can have a bad 
             century, but we have finally killed the curse of the goat 
             and all the curses that befell our professional baseball 
             team.
                I would say take heart, Illinois. You are so inventive 
             that you produce most of the pumpkins in the country. When 
             we sit down to Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, that is 80 
             percent Illinois.
                Mr. President, with that, I yield the remainder of my 
             time to the victor of the Illinois Senate race, Senator-
             elect Tammy Duckworth.
                                       
                                    
                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                      MARK KIRK
                                      
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                             Thursday, December 1, 2016
               Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on January 3, there will be a 
             new Senate sworn in. Members come down this aisle, to be 
             sworn in over here by the Vice President of the United 
             States, to become Members of the U.S. Senate. It will be 
             the passing of the Senate seat in our State from Senator 
             Mark Kirk to Senator-elect Tammy Duckworth. I would like 
             to say a few words about my colleague Mark Kirk.
               For the last 6 years, Mark and I have had a very 
             positive professional relationship. The night he won the 
             election, I was standing with his opponent Alexi 
             Giannoulias when Alexi made the call to Mark Kirk to 
             congratulate him. Mark asked that I take the phone, and I 
             did.
               He said, ``I want to work with you. I know we just 
             competed against one another in the election, but we now 
             have a responsibility together to represent the State of 
             Illinois,'' and we started a positive working 
             relationship--a relationship based on mutual respect. One 
             of the things we did was to continue a tradition.
               Since 1985, my mentor and colleague in the House, and my 
             predecessor in the Senate, Paul Simon of Illinois, started 
             a Thursday morning breakfast, inviting people from 
             Illinois who were in Washington and those who wish they 
             were from Illinois, to come in for free coffee and donuts 
             at no taxpayer expense. It was an hour-long public meeting 
             so we could talk about what was happening in the Senate 
             and then answer any questions and pose for pictures if 
             they wanted them. I asked Mark Kirk to continue this, even 
             though we were of opposite political faith, and we did, 
             for a long time. We worked together to make sure the 
             people of Illinois felt welcomed. We often took differing 
             views on issues--that is understandable--but we did it in 
             a civil way. People said they thought it was one of the 
             highlights of their trip to see two Senators from two 
             different parties working together. We did--and not just 
             on those Thursday mornings. We found reasons to do it on 
             the floor.
               In the vast majority of cases, when it came to filling 
             Federal judicial vacancies, Mark Kirk and I worked 
             together to agree. Rarely did we disagree on those who 
             needed to be chosen. As a result, we have had a pretty 
             good record of filling vacancies in the State of Illinois.
               Then, of course, it was in 2012 that a disaster struck 
             and Mark Kirk suffered a stroke. It was almost a life-
             ending experience. He is lucky to be alive today. He knows 
             it, and we all know it too. I primarily kept in touch with 
             his staff, and with him, during the course of his 
             rehabilitation after that stroke. It was a calendar year 
             he had to give to rehabilitation, to learn how to walk 
             again and speak again and do the basic things we take for 
             granted. It was an extraordinary show of courage and 
             determination on his part.
               Finally, before he could return to the Senate, I visited 
             with him and saw him some 10 months after the stroke and 
             realized the devastation he weathered and how much he had 
             managed to recover because of his sheer determination. The 
             one thing he told me, though, was that he was determined 
             to come back to the U.S. Senate and walk up those steps 
             right into the Senate Chamber. He was working every single 
             day on treadmills and with rehab experts to reach that day 
             when he could get out of a car and walk up those steps. He 
             asked me if I would ask other Senators to join him--
             especially his close friend Joe Manchin, a Democratic 
             Senator from West Virginia, and we did. That day came and 
             it was an amazing day. He started at the bottom of those 
             steps and worked his way up, all the way into the Senate 
             Chamber, to the applause of his colleagues--Democrats and 
             Republicans--all the way up those steps. We realized what 
             an amazing recovery he had made.
               Our colleague Tim Johnson of the State of South Dakota 
             had gone through a similar devastating experience. Mark 
             Kirk said many times, when he was about to give up, he 
             thought, Tim Johnson got back to the Senate. I can get 
             back there if I work hard enough. He did just that.
               He was an exceptional colleague of mine in the Senate. 
             There were a lot of things we agreed on. One of them was 
             Lake Michigan. As a Congressman from the 10th 
             Congressional District, which is on the shores of Lake 
             Michigan, he was always committed to that lake.
               After the election, when the results didn't come out as 
             he wished, I sat down with him and asked, ``Mark, what do 
             you want me to do in memory of your commitment to public 
             service?''
               He said, ``Do everything you can to protect Lake 
             Michigan.'' I am going to. I asked his successor Tammy 
             Duckworth to join me in that effort, and we will in his 
             name and in his memory.
               I thank him for the service he has given to our State, 
             the service he has given our Nation as an officer in the 
             Navy Reserve, and for the years he put in as a staff 
             member to Congressman John Porter, for the work he did in 
             the House of Representatives representing the 10th 
             Congressional District, and for his term in the U.S. 
             Senate. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve with 
             him. Despite our political differences, I count him as a 
             friend, as an ally, and as a true champion for the State 
             of Illinois.
               I wish my colleague Mark Kirk the very best in his 
             future endeavors.
               Mr. President, I yield the floor.
                                              Tuesday, December 6, 2016
               Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, Senator Mark Kirk has 
             never been one to be intimidated by a challenge. He is 
             willing to work hard even when the going gets tough. He 
             never shies away from a tough debate, and he always comes 
             prepared. He has been defying the odds for a long time and 
             inspiring others along the way.
               Nearly 5 years ago, Senator Kirk suffered a debilitating 
             stroke--one that threatened to end his Senate service 
             nearly as soon as it had begun. In the blink of an eye, 
             Mark Kirk went from juggling constituent meetings and 
             committee hearings to lying in a hospital bed wondering if 
             he would ever walk again or talk again or read again.
               If Senator Kirk had decided to just quit the Senate and 
             focus on his recovery, no one would have blamed him. But 
             he didn't do that. He never lost hope. He never gave up. 
             He set his sights on getting back to work for the people 
             of Illinois and the Nation. That is exactly what he did.
               We were there to witness his triumph several months 
             later. Cane in hand, a smile on his face, Joe Manchin to 
             one side, Joe Biden to the other, one foot in front of the 
             other, Senator Mark Kirk climbed and climbed and climbed. 
             He ascended each of those 45 Capitol steps to the top of 
             this Chamber as we all cheered him on.
               Mark could rest assured no one was going to let him fall 
             that day. Senator Manchin could rest assured that he 
             wouldn't have to go another day waiting for his buddy to 
             return.
               Days after Mark's stroke, Senator Manchin hopped on a 
             flight to Chicago to check on his friend in person. He saw 
             first hand the many challenges Kirk had to overcome in 
             recovery. But he never doubted Mark's will, determination, 
             or desire to get back to work.
               ``Mark Kirk,'' he said, ``is like the Energizer Bunny. 
             He just keeps going and going and going.''
               Senator Manchin and Senator Kirk might seem like an 
             unconventional pair. One is a Democrat, the other a 
             Republican. The West Virginian is an outdoorsman, the 
             Illinois Senator is a gamer. Senator Manchin is a 
             mountaineer, and Senator Kirk ascends skyscrapers.
               But as the senior Senator from West Virginia put it, 
             they ``just clicked from day one'' and quickly became the 
             best of friends. Now they go boating together. They meet 
             for lunch nearly every Thursday. They support each other. 
             The support of good friends like Senator Manchin has been 
             critical to Senator Kirk's dramatic recovery.
               He has found support in other places, too, including the 
             mailbox. A few weeks after his stroke, Jackson, a 9-year-
             old fellow stroke survivor from Illinois, wrote Senator 
             Kirk to share his own story and some words of 
             encouragement. ``Do not give up on yourself,'' Jackson 
             wrote. ``All the hard work is worth it.''
               ``P.S.,'' he said, ``I think kids should get paid to go 
             to school.''
               The pair quickly became pen pals and even picked up a 
             new joint sport of tower climbing in their rehabilitation.
               Senator Kirk calls Jackson his personal hero. Last year, 
             he invited him to visit Washington and be his guest at the 
             State of the Union. To hear Senator Kirk tell it, he may 
             have never made it back for that address at all without 
             Jackson's support and kind words.
               I know the support he received from his fellow home 
             State Senator didn't go unnoticed either. After Mark's 
             stroke, Senator Durbin visited his staff, offering to help 
             out however he could.
               Senator Kirk's story reminds us that the Senate can be 
             more than just a place of work, it can actually be a 
             family. In his own words, ``The things that divide us in 
             politics are infinitesimal compared with the dignity of 
             our common humanity.'' It is a powerful message, and I 
             think it is one we can all learn from.
               Senator Kirk said that America's men and women in 
             uniform represent ``the greatest force for human dignity 
             on Earth.'' He is right. The work he has done to help us 
             meet the obligation our Nation has to military families 
             and our veterans will endure beyond his term.
               Mark Kirk, a veteran himself, understands the sacrifices 
             our servicemembers and their families make each day on our 
             behalf. He knows they deserve our full support, not only 
             when they are on Active Duty but also after their tours 
             are complete.
               That is why he has worked to help guarantee the quality 
             of health care that our heroes are counting on. It is why 
             he has worked to help eliminate corruption within the VA 
             so that our veterans receive timely care as well.
               He has proven himself as a leader on national security 
             issues too. He understands the value of our alliances and 
             worked to strengthen them, especially with Israel.
               He has a clear-eyed view of our adversaries too and has 
             never been afraid to speak out or take action, from North 
             Korea to Iran. When it comes to Iran specifically, Senator 
             Kirk was the tip of the spear on this issue, bringing 
             attention to the threat of Iran's aggressive behavior and 
             pushing for legislation to help hold Tehran accountable.
               He has long been an advocate for critical Iran sanctions 
             like those extended just this past week, even when the 
             administration pushed back and even when Democratic 
             colleagues pushed back too. He doesn't back down, and 
             thanks to efforts like his, we were able to see the 
             legislation through.
               So, yes, Senator Kirk may be leaving the Senate, but he 
             has cast a long shadow here. He is not done yet. We know 
             he will not stop looking out for our country. We know he 
             will not stop advocating for stroke survivors. We know he 
             is not going to stop. He will just keep going and going 
             and going as he always has.
               Senator Kirk reminds each of us that it is possible to 
             persevere through even the most difficult of obstacles 
             life presents. So, today, we thank him for the impact he 
             has made on this body, for the inspiration he has been to 
             so many, and for the years he has dedicated to serving the 
             people of Illinois.

                Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, let me say at the outset 
             that I took the floor last week and said a few words in 
             tribute and friendship to my colleague, Senator Kirk. I am 
             glad to hear the majority leader's statement this morning. 
             It was spot on, and it captured his public spirit, as well 
             as his personal strength, that has brought him to this 
             moment in history. I have been honored to serve with him 
             for the last 6 years.
                                            Wednesday, December 7, 2016
               Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor our 
             colleagues who are leaving us at the end of this Congress, 
             six individuals who have done a lot to shape how the 
             Senate operates today.
               First I would like to thank my three Republican 
             colleagues who are departing. Thank you not only for your 
             service to our country but your willingness to work with 
             me and other members of my party on a number of issues. 
             
               Mr. President, Senator Mark Kirk took a brave stance on 
             gun violence issues, bucking his party by cosponsoring our 
             amendment to close the terrorist loophole. ...
                                             Thursday, December 8, 2016
                Mr. REED. Mr. President, I want to take an opportunity 
             to salute and thank and commend my colleagues who are 
             departing.
                Mr. President, Senator Kirk, my colleague from 
             Illinois, just finished his remarks.
                Mark and I had the opportunity and the privilege to 
             work on many things together. He is a Navy commander. He 
             never lets me forget that. He always called me Major; I 
             always called him Commander. He served the State of 
             Illinois with great integrity, great energy, and great 
             spirit, and we thank him for that very much.
                Thank you for your service to the Nation in the uniform 
             of the U.S. Navy.
                We also have other colleagues departing: Senator Ayotte 
             from New Hampshire; Senator Boxer of California, Senator 
             Coats of Indiana; as I mentioned, Senator Kirk of 
             Illinois; Senator Mikulski of Maryland; Senator Reid of 
             Nevada; and Senator Vitter of Louisiana. Each has brought 
             passion in their work to best serve their constituents, 
             and the institution of the Senate and the Nation are 
             better for this service. I am better for knowing them, 
             working with them, and having the opportunity to share 
             with them, and I want to thank them for their service. Let 
             me mention a few words with respect to all of these 
             distinguished Senators. ...
                Mr. President, Mark Kirk I have mentioned. I had the 
             privilege, the opportunity, and the pleasure of being able 
             to salute him as he was here. Again, we always greet each 
             other as Major Reed and Commander Kirk, and I see deep 
             symbolism and deep affection in regard to that exchange. I 
             wish him well as he goes forth. ...
                I have been very fortunate. I have had the privilege to 
             serve with these ladies and gentlemen, and I want to thank 
             them for their service.

               Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, for nearly 16 years, Senator 
             Mark Kirk has given voice to his Illinois constituents 
             here in Washington. His long record of service includes 
             work as a congressional staffer, a 24-year career as a 
             naval intelligence officer, a U.S. Congressman, and a U.S. 
             Senator.
               Dedicated to several matters of national and 
             international importance, Senator Kirk has supported a 
             range of legislative efforts during his Senate tenure and 
             has not shied from opposing his party's position. From 
             supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and 
             efforts to repeal ``don't ask, don't tell,'' from his 
             opposition to defunding Planned Parenthood and the 
             blockade of President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, 
             Senator Kirk has emerged as a conservative voice in 
             support of some of the most critical civil rights 
             protections debated today.
               When Senator Kirk returned to the Senate following his 
             traumatic stroke in 2012, he showed his commitment to 
             Illinois' voters. As Senator Kirk begins this new chapter, 
             I wish him the very best.

               Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I know it is always difficult 
             to come to the floor and talk about the departure of our 
             good friends and valued colleagues. The word I have heard 
             mentioned the most this week is ``bittersweet''--people 
             looking forward to the next chapter of their lives but 
             regretting the fact that good friends and valued 
             colleagues are moving on to the next chapter of their 
             lives. Every other December, we find ourselves bidding 
             farewell to some of our most admired and respected 
             Members. Today I wish to speak briefly about four of them, 
             starting with our good friend from New Hampshire, Senator 
             Ayotte. ...
               Finally, Mr. President, I wish to recognize the senior 
             Senator from Illinois, Mark Kirk. If my colleagues have 
             noticed Senator Kirk's interests on the floor, they will 
             notice a trend. In addition to supporting measures that 
             help the people of Illinois, he is laser-focused on 
             keeping America safe. He provides us a declassified 
             situation map that shows us where the U.S. military is 
             engaged in fighting the war on terror in the Middle East 
             and in Africa.
               He is a former member of the U.S. Navy, and so he has 
             worked long and hard to strengthen our military at every 
             turn. He has been a thoughtful and vocal critic of some of 
             our Nation's biggest adversaries, like North Korea and 
             Iran. Mark has never been one to shy away from more 
             sanctions or steeper penalties for those countries if it 
             means the United States will be safer as a result. To put 
             it simply, Mark Kirk is a great patriot.
               We all know his personal story of overcoming a stroke 
             and his great perseverance and fortitude. It really has 
             been an inspiration to watch Mark as he has recovered from 
             that devastating stroke and continued to be an enormously 
             productive Senator on behalf of the State of Illinois.
               It has been a joy to see him turn that difficult 
             circumstance into a rallying cry to help others get the 
             best care and rehabilitation available today.
               So I am personally grateful to Senator Kirk for many 
             things, but in particular I want to mention his strong 
             support of anti-human-trafficking legislation. I joined 
             him in Chicago a few years ago to speak with law 
             enforcement about the connections between organized crime 
             and sex trafficking. Mark has never wavered from his 
             support for important legislation that we passed here this 
             last year called the Justice for Victims of Trafficking 
             Act. He understood right from the beginning that human 
             trafficking was essentially modern-day slavery, targeting, 
             as it did, vulnerable children--typically a child of 12 to 
             14 years old who has run away from home, only to find 
             themselves unable to leave because they have become a 
             victim of slavery. So I am thankful to Senator Kirk for 
             standing up for the victims of human trafficking and 
             taking care of and prioritizing our veterans and service 
             men and women.
               Let me close by saying thank you again to our friends 
             Senator Kirk, Senator Vitter, Senator Coats, and Senator 
             Ayotte for the indelible mark and contributions they made 
             to the Senate and my sincere appreciation for how they 
             have faithfully served our country. I am grateful for 
             their friendship and wish them and their families well as 
             they tackle new ventures ahead.

                Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, when the current Congress is 
             brought to a close with the banging of the gavel, several 
             Members will be departing our Senate community. Whatever 
             they will be doing after closing this chapter of their 
             lives, we wish them well and share with them our great 
             appreciation for their willingness to serve and make a 
             difference over the years.
                Mark Kirk, one of our current Senators from Illinois, 
             has left a mark on the Congress that will not soon be 
             forgotten. He has served with great distinction, and he 
             has made a difference in the Senate.
                Mark's time in Washington began when the people of 
             Illinois voted to send him to the House of 
             Representatives. He represented their interests in that 
             Chamber from 2001 to 2010. In 2010, Mark ran for and won 
             an open Senate seat. When he was sworn in, he brought with 
             him what had earned him the trust and support of the 
             people back home throughout his years in the House--an 
             independent streak and an open mind to everything that 
             drew his interest and captured his attention.
                The statistics of the past 6 years bear that out. 
             Whatever came before the Senate gave Mark reason to review 
             each issue considering the best interests of the people of 
             his State. He wasn't always found exclusively on one side 
             of the aisle or the other when it came time to vote.
                During his years of service in the Senate, two issues 
             that particularly drew his attention were Iran and the 
             treatment of our Nation's veterans. Mark has been focused 
             on Iran and what our Nation should be doing to ensure that 
             Iran's threat to the Middle East and other nations is 
             minimized. He has been tireless in keeping watch over 
             their potential nuclear program. As chairman of the 
             Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
             Veterans Affairs, Mark has focused on ensuring that those 
             veterans who retired from duty with medical issues have 
             received the care they needed to recover and live better, 
             more healthful lives. This was an interest that stemmed 
             from his service in the Navy Reserve from 1989 to 2013 and 
             is yet another way for Mark to make a difference in the 
             lives of those who had served our Nation.
                Before I close, I must recognize the challenge Mark 
             overcame by recovering from a stroke during his Senate 
             service. It was a long and difficult road back to the 
             Senate so he could again represent the people of his home 
             State, but Mark persevered. All told, it took him a year 
             before he was strong enough to return to Washington on a 
             permanent basis.
                One moment I will always remember is the day he came 
             back to the Senate, walking the steps with Vice President 
             Joe Biden and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. The 
             courage, determination, and step-by-step success Mark made 
             in achieving another difficult goal could not have been 
             more clear to those of us who watched him climb the 
             stairs.
                The stroke that affected him physically also had an 
             impact on his personal outlook on life. When he was able, 
             he wrote of his experience, ``I was once a pessimist. I'm 
             not that man anymore. And that change, brought about by 
             misfortune, is the best thing that ever happened to me.''
                I have enjoyed the opportunity to come to know Mark 
             over his Washington years, and I wish he were going to 
             stay with us so we could continue to follow his life as he 
             works on his goals, dreams, ambitions, and efforts to keep 
             us safe.
                Mark, Diana joins me in sending our best wishes and our 
             appreciation for your willingness to serve. You have a 
             record of which you should be very proud--just as proud as 
             we are of you. You leave having made a difference far 
             beyond your years of service.

               Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, on January 3, 2013, Senator 
             Mark Kirk climbed the 45 steps to the U.S. Capitol, 
             triumphantly returning to work after a year of intensive 
             recovery from a stroke. To the cheers of colleagues and 
             friends, he called it one of the greatest moments of his 
             life.
               It was a moment of courage and determination that 
             defined a life dedicated to serving the people of Illinois 
             and of our Nation. From his service in the Navy Reserve as 
             an intelligence officer, to the World Bank, the State 
             Department, the House International Relations Committee, 
             and five terms representing the 10th Congressional 
             District of Illinois, Senator Kirk brought to this Chamber 
             a wealth of experience, wisdom, and commitment.
               I had the pleasure of working alongside Senator Kirk on 
             the Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor, and 
             Pensions, and Aging Committees. His approach to 
             legislating has been in the highest traditions of the 
             Senate: Informed, passionate, and always civil. He looked 
             at the issues before the Senate not through the lens of a 
             political partisan, but rather through the lens of a 
             pragmatic problem solver and consensus builder.
               Senator Kirk has been a valued ally on many fronts. We 
             introduced the REGROW Act to accelerate the development of 
             new therapies for patients living with such diseases as 
             Alzheimer's disease and diabetes and to achieve 
             breakthroughs in stroke recovery. I was proud to be named 
             with him to serve on the Women's and Family Global Health 
             Task Force so that the United States will continue to be a 
             leader in preventing maternal and childhood deaths from 
             treatable causes. We joined together on vital legislation 
             to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists and in 
             addressing our Nation's opioid addiction crisis. He has 
             always had a deep commitment to good government and was a 
             strong voice for accountability through independent, 
             effective inspectors general.
               As chairman and former ranking member of the 
             Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and 
             Veterans Affairs, Senator Kirk has worked tirelessly on 
             behalf of the men and women who serve our country. 
             Following in the tradition of Illinois Senator Everett 
             Dirksen, who helped pass the Civil Rights Act a half 
             century ago, Senator Kirk has been a leader in ensuring 
             the rights of America's LGBT community.
               The past election brought disappointment, but it also 
             revealed character. Senator Kirk ran a vigorous but 
             honorable campaign and never compromised his principles. 
             When the decision went against him, he conceded 
             graciously, reminding Americans that what unites us is far 
             stronger than what divides us.
               It has been an honor to serve with Senator Kirk in the 
             U.S. Senate. It has been a joy to develop our friendship, 
             one I will cherish always. I wish him all the best in the 
             years to come, and I know that he will meet any challenges 
             that lie ahead with the strength and fortitude he brought 
             to those 45 steps of the U.S. Capitol.
                                               Friday, December 9, 2016
                Ms. KLOBUCHAR. ... Madam President, I will close my 
             remarks by turning to some of our retiring Senators and 
             speaking briefly on each one of them. ...
                There are many other Senators whom we wish well to. 
             There is Senator Kirk and the work he has done on the 
             Great Lakes priorities. We have worked on that together, 
             as well as all of his leadership in the area of 
             international relations.

                Mr. McCONNELL. ... It goes without saying that keeping 
             the Capitol running is a vast undertaking. It requires a 
             passion for service, round-the-clock work, and great 
             sacrifice by everyone employed. The legislative process 
             simply wouldn't be possible without the dedicated work of 
             so many. On behalf of the Senate, I would like to 
             acknowledge their efforts and say thank you to the 
             following:
                To my leadership team for their wise counsel; to our 
             committee chairs and ranking members for so much great 
             work over the past 2 years; to the many colleagues in both 
             parties for working so hard to make this Senate a success; 
             and, to those we are saying farewell to--Senators Coats, 
             Boxer, Mikulski, Reid, Vitter, Kirk, and Ayotte--for your 
             service to our country, I say thank you. ...

               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the 
             junior Senator from Illinois, my good friend Mark Kirk. I 
             know I speak for all of my colleagues in expressing 
             gratitude of his service on behalf of our Nation. When he 
             leaves us in January, we will miss him dearly.
               Senator Kirk was born in Champaign, IL, in 1959 and 
             attended Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude 
             with a bachelor's degree in history. He would later earn a 
             master's degree from the London School of Economics and a 
             law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. His 
             academic background in law and history prepared him for a 
             life in public service.
               Senator Kirk first came to Capitol Hill as a staffer, 
             working for Congressman John Porter of Illinois. He 
             quickly rose through the staff ranks to become Congressman 
             Porter's chief of staff before leaving to take a post at 
             the World Bank and, later, at the State Department.
               While still working on Capitol Hill, Mark also pursued 
             military service, joining the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1989 as 
             an intelligence officer. He was an active member of the 
             Navy Reserve for the next 24 years, retiring from the 
             military with the rank of commander. As a Navy officer, 
             Mark's duties took him to conflict zones across the 
             world--from the forests of former Yugoslavia to the 
             deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. For more 
             than a decade, Mark continued military service while 
             simultaneously working as a Congressman in the House of 
             Representatives.
               While in the House of Representatives, Mark 
             distinguished himself as a prudent member of the 
             Appropriations Committee and an expert on foreign policy 
             issues. In 2010, he was elected to the Senate and quickly 
             set to work the following year championing infrastructure 
             reform that was critical to his home State of Illinois. In 
             2012, Mark faced perhaps his most significant challenge 
             yet when he unexpectedly suffered a stroke that nearly 
             took his life and left the left side of his body severely 
             impaired. Rather than be defeated, Mark channeled all of 
             his energies in working toward recovery, spending 
             countless hours working with physical therapists to regain 
             his ability to walk.
               What motivated Mark most during this difficult period 
             was the desire to continue serving the people of Illinois. 
             Thanks to Mark's unrelenting efforts and the heartfelt 
             prayers of family and friends--including all of his 
             colleagues in the Senate--Mark miraculously recovered and 
             was able to return to his work in the Senate, where he has 
             served out the remainder of his term with the utmost honor 
             and distinction. Senator Kirk offers all of us an 
             unparalleled example of courage amid hardship and grace 
             amid suffering.
               Through his decades of dedicated service to our Nation, 
             both here in Congress and in the military, Senator Kirk 
             represents the very best this Nation has to offer. His 
             integrity, determination, and fortitude in the face of 
             adversity embody the very pinnacle of American virtue. 
             Today I would like to thank him for his courage, his 
             commitment, and his sacrifice. I wish Mark and his family 
             all the best, and I hope that he will continue his service 
             to our Nation in the years to come.

               Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, much of the time here in the 
             Senate, we are engaged in pretty fierce partisan battles. 
             I would like to take a break from that for a moment and 
             talk about the four Republican Senators who will not be 
             back when the 115th Congress convenes next month. While we 
             may have different political philosophies and policy 
             prescriptions, I respect and admire each of them, and I 
             will miss working with all of them. ...
               Mr. President, John Kennedy wrote ``Profiles in 
             Courage'' nearly 50 years ago. But for the last 6 years, 
             we have had yet another profile in courage here in the 
             Senate: the junior Senator from Illinois, Mr. Kirk. In 
             2012, he suffered a devastating ischemic stroke. He had to 
             relearn how to do basic things, like walking. It took a 
             year of intensive physical therapy at the Rehabilitation 
             Institute of Chicago--physical therapy that has been 
             likened to boot camp. When he returned on January 3, 2013, 
             and climbed the 45 steps of the Capitol Building to 
             reenter the Senate, it was a truly inspirational moment 
             none of us will forget.
               Senator Kirk is an Illinois native, from Champaign. He 
             received his B.A. in history from Cornell University, 
             graduating cum laude. He went on to earn a master's degree 
             from the London School of Economics and a law degree from 
             Georgetown University. While he practiced law at the law 
             firm of Baker & McKenzie, most of his adult life has been 
             spent in public service.
               Senator Kirk joined the U.S. Navy Reserve as a direct 
             commission officer in the intelligence career field in 
             1989. He was recalled to Active Duty for the 1999 NATO 
             bombing of Yugoslavia; participated in Operation Northern 
             Watch in Iraq, which enforced the no-fly zone, in 2000; 
             and later served three reserve deployments in Afghanistan. 
             He retired from the Navy Reserve with the rank of 
             commander.
               Senator Kirk worked for Representative John Porter and 
             at the World Bank and the State Department. He came back 
             to the Hill to serve as a counsel to the House 
             International Relations Committee, as it was known at the 
             time. When Representative Porter retired, he successfully 
             ran for the seat of his former boss and went on to win 
             reelection four times. I had the pleasure of serving with 
             both Representative Porter and then-Representative Kirk 
             while I was in the House. Then he was elected to the 
             Senate in 2010, to the seat President Obama previously 
             held.
               During Senator Kirk's 16-year congressional career, he 
             has demonstrated that he puts country above party, most 
             notably by supporting the commonsense assault weapon ban. 
             More recently, he was the first Republican Senator to meet 
             with President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick 
             Garland. He was the first Republican Senator to call for 
             hearings and a vote on this superbly qualified individual, 
             a position applauded by Crain's Chicago Business journal.
               Senator Kirk is a staunch supporter of Israel and has 
             been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that a robust 
             sanctions regime remains in place against Iran if it fails 
             to comply with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan 
             of Action, JCPOA. I have been pleased to work with Senator 
             Kirk on S. 1882, the Nepal Recovery Act. That bill is on 
             the legislative calendar; it would be a fitting tribute to 
             Senator Kirk if the Senate can pass it before the end of 
             the 114th Congress.
               I know that Senator Kirk is justifiably proud of 
             chairing the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military 
             Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. 
             Under his stewardship, Congress is poised to pass record 
             health care funding for our veterans. He serves as the 
             cochair of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, 
             which promotes the economic vitality and environmental 
             health of the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 
             40 million Americans and Canadians. He authored the Great 
             Lakes Restoration Initiative authorization bill and helped 
             to secure $300 million in funding to implement it.
               During the 112th and 113th Congresses, Senator Kirk had 
             an awesome responsibility all Senators appreciate: his 
             desk on the Senate floor--Desk No. 95--was the ``candy 
             desk.'' He kept the desk stocked with sweets made in 
             Illinois such as Mars, Milky Way, Jelly Belly, and 
             Snickers, helping to support an industry that employs over 
             3,000 people in his home State.
               Senator Kirk suffered a life-threatening stroke. It 
             temporarily slowed him down, but he returned to the Senate 
             where his courage, grace, dignity, collegiality, and 
             resolve will continue to inspire all of us long after he 
             departs next month for his next great endeavor. I wish him 
             well.

               Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, as this eventful 114th 
             Congress draws to a close, today I wish to honor a number 
             of our colleagues who will be ending their service in the 
             Senate. I was a newcomer to the Senate at the beginning of 
             this Congress and the only Democrat in the freshman Senate 
             class of 2014. I am eternally grateful for the guidance 
             and wisdom of my fellow Senators, particularly those with 
             decades of experience fighting for the American people. 
             Constituents, colleagues, and historians will recount 
             their accomplishments for years to come, but I will take a 
             few minutes now to convey some brief words of praise and 
             gratitude. ...
               Mr. President, another colleague from the Midwest, 
             Senator Mark Kirk, has served with distinction in the 
             Senate. Like me, Senator Kirk also served as an officer in 
             the U.S. Navy Reserve. We have collaborated on efforts to 
             help veterans suffering from PTSD, protect wildlife 
             habitats and improve water quality in the Great Lakes, 
             extend Medicare coverage for Americans at risk for 
             diabetes, and even establish the Senate Albanian Caucus. I 
             admire the strength and resolve Senator Kirk has exhibited 
             throughout his Senate term and wish him continued success.
               It has been a privilege to work with such talented and 
             committed colleagues. I wish them all the best in this 
             next chapter of their lives and thank them for their work. 
             Thank you.
                       ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS
               Mr. BOOZMAN. 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 114th Congress, and an additional 
             Senate document a compilation of materials from the 
             Congressional Record in tribute to the President of the 
             Senate, Joe Biden, and that Members have until Tuesday, 
             December 20, to submit such tributes.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                  ORDER FOR PRINTING
               Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             any tributes submitted by December 20, 2016, as authorized 
             by the order of December 10, 2016, be printed in the 
             January 3, 2017, Congressional Record of the 114th 
             Congress.

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