    [Senate Document 115-16]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                                    Jon Kyl

                           U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA

                                    TRIBUTES

                               IN THE CONGRESS OF

                               THE UNITED STATES

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    .
                             TRIBUTES TO HON. JON KYL

    [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                     Jon Kyl

                                                                        S.doc.115-16

                       Courtesy U.S. Senate Historical Office

                                          Tributes

                                    Delivered in Congress

                                           Jon Kyl

                                  United States Congressman

                                          1987-1995

                                    United States Senator

                                          1995-2013

                                    United States Senator

                                          2017-2018

                                        ______

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                                 WASHINGTON : 2021

                                Compiled under the direction

                                           of the

                                 Joint Committee on Printing

                                          CONTENTS
                 Biography.............................................
                                                                          v
                 Letter of Resignation.................................
                                                                        vii
                 Farewell Address......................................
                                                                         ix
                 Proceedings in the Senate:
                    Tributes by Senators:
                        Burr, Richard, of North Carolina...............
                                                                          6
                        Inhofe, James M., of Oklahoma..................
                                                                          5
                        Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
                                                                          4
                        Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                          5
                        McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
                                                                          3
                        Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
                                                                          7
                        Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                          6
                        Thune, John, of South Dakota...................
                                                                          5
                        Warner, Mark R., of Virginia...................
                                                                          5

                                          Biography

                   Arizona Senator Jon Kyl served three terms in the U.S.
                 Senate after previously serving for 8 years in the U.S.
                 House of Representatives. He was elected unanimously by
                 his colleagues in 2008 to serve as Republican whip, the
                 second-highest position in Senate Republican leadership.
                   Senator Kyl served on the Senate Committee on the
                 Judiciary, where he played key roles in the confirmation
                 of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme
                 Court, and of Samuel Alito as Associate Justice. As a
                 member of the Committee on the Judiciary, he also helped
                 write the landmark Crime Victims Rights Act, as well as
                 important provisions of the Patriot Act, the Military
                 Commissions Act, and other antiterrorism laws.
                   As a member of the Committee on Finance, he was the
                 chief advocate of death tax repeal and other progrowth tax
                 policies, including low tax rates on income, capital
                 gains, and dividends. He was also a strong proponent of
                 step-by-step solutions for healthcare reform that can
                 improve access, lower costs, and preserve the sacred
                 doctor-patient relationship.
                   The Wall Street Journal wrote in February 2011 that
                 Senator Kyl ``has made his mark the old fashioned way--by
                 knowing what he is talking about.'' The New York Times, in
                 a February 2012 piece, called Kyl ``the emissary of the
                 Republican leadership, a gatekeeper of conservatism, and a
                 bridge between his party's most ardent conservatives and
                 more pragmatic centrists.'' His command of policy is why
                 national TV news networks often invited him to serve as a
                 commentator on various national issues.
                   TIME magazine recognized Senator Kyl as one the
                 ``World's 100 Most Influential People'' in 2010, and as
                 one of the 10 best Senators in 2006. Capitol Hill's
                 newspaper, The Hill, identified him as one of the ``25
                 hardest working lawmakers.''
                   Before his public service, Kyl practiced law at
                 Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix. In 1985, he served
                 as chairman of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
                   Born in Oakland, Nebraska, Kyl received both his
                 bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Arizona.
                 He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was editor in chief of the
                 Arizona Law Review. He and his wife Caryll have two
                 children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl, and seven
                 grandchildren.

                                    Letter of Resignation

                   Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I am informed that it is
                 necessary for me to insert into the Record of the
                 proceedings the resignation letter that I sent to Governor
                 Doug Ducey of Arizona on December 12, 2018; therefore, I
                 ask unanimous consent that this letter be printed in the
                 Record at this point.
                   There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
                 printed in the Record, as follows:

                                                       U.S. Senate,
                                                      December 12, 2018.
                  Hon. Doug Ducey,
                  Governor of the State of Arizona,
                  Phoenix, Arizona.

                   Dear Governor Ducey: Thank you again for appointing me
                 to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by John
                 McCain's death. It has been an honor and a privilege to
                 again serve the people of Arizona.
                    When I accepted your appointment, I agreed to complete
                 the work of the 115th Congress and then reevaluate
                 continuing to serve. I have concluded that it would be
                 best if I resign so that your new appointee can begin the
                 new term with all other Senators in January 2019 and can
                 serve a full two (potentially four) years.
                    Therefore, I will resign from the U.S. Senate effective
                 11:59 pm EST December 31, 2018.

                     Respectfully,

                                                           Jon Kyl,
                                                  United States Senator.

                                   Farewell to the Senate
                                Wednesday, December 19, 2018

                   Mr. KYL. . . . Mr. President, the other thing I would
                 like to do this afternoon is to very briefly report to my
                 colleagues and to constituents back home on some things
                 which my predecessor, Senator McCain, was working on at
                 the time of his untimely death and which his staff and I
                 have continued to work on and, in several cases, have
                 brought to successful conclusion. I want people to know
                 about these items and what we have been able to
                 accomplish.
                   I first want to thank the members of his staff who
                 wanted to stay in the service of the government and the
                 State of Arizona and were willing to take a position in my
                 office, as a result of which, we were able to really have
                 a seamless transition from some of the things Senator
                 McCain was working on and my ability to continue to do so.
                   One of the first things of which I was aware but not
                 really aware of the depth that he had taken it is a new
                 relationship in the State of Arizona among the three
                 pillars representing the defense establishment in our
                 country and specifically in the State of Arizona. These
                 are, first of all, our military installations--Arizona is
                 blessed to have a lot of military installations; second,
                 the defense industries--again, Arizona is the home to many
                 important defense industries serving all of our branches
                 of the military; and finally, the communities that support
                 both of those elements of our establishment.
                   As a result, I had the opportunity to meet throughout
                 the State with the groups that Senator McCain had helped
                 to nurture and to create--in particular, a group in Tucson
                 and Southern Arizona, including Yuma, called the Southern
                 Arizona Defense Alliance; in Flagstaff and Northern
                 Arizona, the Northern Arizona Military Affairs Council;
                 and in Central Arizona, Maricopa County and the Phoenix
                 environs, the Mesa Industry and Defense Council.
                   Meeting with the representatives of all three components
                 of our military society and hearing about the successes
                 they had in working with each other and in providing a
                 real synergy that benefited them all just reminded me
                 again of how important Senator McCain's leadership was to
                 the State of Arizona and to our national security.
                   I wanted to mention that today and to let everyone know
                 that I will be passing on to my successor the advice that
                 these councils continue to need to be supported and
                 nurtured by the Senators from the State of Arizona, as
                 well as the Members of the House of Representatives.
                   A second thing that John McCain was involved in as part
                 of his activities as chairman of the Senate Committee on
                 Armed Services was the creation--a couple years ago--in
                 the defense authorization bill of a national commission to
                 advise the Secretary of Defense on the strategy for the
                 United States and to report back to Congress--and
                 specifically the Committee on Armed Services--on their
                 conclusions.
                   This bill created the National Defense Strategy
                 Commission, comprised of 12 members, 3 of whom were
                 appointed by the chairman and the ranking member--each--of
                 the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House
                 Committee on Armed Services.
                   I was privileged to have been appointed by Senator
                 McCain to serve on that Commission, and I did for
                 approximately a year. My service there ended as we
                 finished our report. Before it was signed, while it was
                 still being edited, he passed away, and I was appointed to
                 serve in his stead. So I have had the unique opportunity
                 to both help write the report and then be a member of the
                 Committee on Armed Services, on which he sat, to receive
                 the report and to question the cochairmen of that
                 Commission, Ambassador Eric Edelman and ADM Gary Roughead,
                 Retired.
                   I think the importance of this Commission report
                 reflects what Senator McCain hoped to achieve, and that is
                 a bipartisan consensus, a unanimous report which provides
                 advice to the Secretary of Defense and will provide advice
                 to both the House and the Senate.
                   As I said, there has already been a hearing before the
                 Senate Committee on Armed Services, and I know the House
                 committee is going to invite members of the Commission to
                 brief it as well.
                   It is my hope that the recommendations of this
                 bipartisan Commission will be followed by the Congress and
                 by the President and the Secretary of Defense because I
                 think they represent some very strong conclusions about
                 what is necessary to enhance our national security.
                   A third thing Senator McCain wanted to do as chairman of
                 the Committee on Armed Services was to hold a series of
                 hearings or briefings before the committee that focused on
                 the advances in technology that were having and can have
                 an important impact on our national security--in many
                 cases, on the kinds of things that we acquire in support
                 of our military superiority, things like hypersonics and
                 artificial intelligence, super-advanced computing, cyber
                 technology, and the like.
                   After speaking with the chairman of the Senate Committee
                 on Armed Services now, Senator Inhofe, it is my
                 understanding that he, in fact, has a plan to carry out
                 this legacy of Senator McCain and hold a series of
                 briefings early next year on all of these technological
                 issues so that our Members will be better able to evaluate
                 the kinds of things that will help our military have
                 superiority in the future. I am happy to have had some
                 small part to play in advancing that.
                   There were a couple of other more specific things that
                 Senator McCain didn't work on but which bear his name that
                 I wanted to mention.
                   One, I cosponsored and helped secure passage of S. 2827,
                 which was a bill to reauthorize the Morris K. Udall and
                 Stewart L. Udall Foundation at the University of Arizona.
                 This was something that Senator McCain helped to create
                 and to foster throughout his career. I am also pleased to
                 announce that this legislation names the foundation's
                 environmental conflict resolution center after the late
                 Senator John McCain. I am pleased to make that
                 announcement here.
                   There is one other item that we are continuing to try to
                 accomplish in Senator McCain's name. We are not across the
                 finish line yet, but we hope to get there. That is
                 something called the 21st Century Conservation Service
                 Corps Act, S. 1403. This bill carries the name of Senator
                 McCain, and it was one of his favorite projects. It
                 expands volunteerism in our national parks and public
                 lands.
                   I can tell you that while John McCain came to Arizona
                 having lived in many other places of the world and in the
                 United States, primarily as a result of his service in the
                 Navy, he acquired a love for the State of Arizona which is
                 unequaled among all of us who have been there for a very
                 long time. He loved the beauty of the State, the
                 ruggedness of it, the incredible variety in the flora and
                 fauna. When I would visit John and Cindy's home in the
                 Sedona area, I could always count on being taken on a hike
                 around the perimeter of the property to show me all of the
                 interesting things he had discovered over the last several
                 months, including where the hawks live and where the owls
                 live, and where they found the rattlesnakes, and all of
                 the other things that pleased him to be a part of that
                 environment.
                   So we are hopeful that we can get this Service Corps Act
                 passed, if not in the latter part of this session, at
                 least perhaps early next year.
                   I want my colleagues to know that although Senator
                 McCain passed away in the early part of his Senate term,
                 he was working on a lot of things that his staff and I
                 wanted to continue to move forward, and I am just pleased
                 we have been able to move these items forward and wanted
                 my colleagues to appreciate that, as well as his friends
                 and constituents in the State of Arizona.
                   I thank my colleagues here who helped to make some of
                 these things possible and urge that they continue to focus
                 on the one item of unfinished business that can perhaps be
                 accomplished next year.
                   I conclude by thanking the Governor of the State of
                 Arizona for appointing me to serve for part of the
                 remainder of Senator McCain's term. It has been a great
                 honor and privilege for me to again serve the people of
                 the State of Arizona, particularly to succeed my friend
                 and colleague John McCain.
                   I yield the floor.
    ?

                                          TRIBUTES

                                             TO

                                           JON KYL

                                  Proceedings in the Senate
                                                Thursday, December 13, 2018
                            ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENTS
                   Mr. McCONNELL. 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 115th Congress, and that Members
                 have until Friday, December 21, to submit such tributes.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
                 ordered.
                                                 Tuesday, December 18, 2018
                   Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on another matter, to
                 the untrained eye, it might seem that I have completed my
                 thanks and farewells to all my Republican colleagues who
                 will depart at the end of this Congress, but I would be
                 remiss if I did not also mention the junior Senator from
                 Arizona, our good friend Jon Kyl.
                   When Senator Kyl bid farewell to this body in 2012, it
                 took me quite a while to come to terms with the prospect
                 that we had cast our final votes together. I went through
                 stages of grief. Eventually, I came to acceptance, but, as
                 it turned out, the great State of Arizona was not quite
                 finished with this distinguished leader after all. If Jon
                 had planned on a relaxing, undisturbed post-Senate career,
                 then, his biggest mistake was leaving a record as one of
                 the most earnest and effective legislators this body had
                 seen in recent memory, because when the people of Arizona
                 needed to step in and honor the towering legacy of our
                 friend John McCain through the end of this Congress, his
                 counterpart of 18 years was the natural choice.
                   As the entire Nation mourned the loss of a decorated
                 hero and statesman, Jon Kyl volunteered his even keel and
                 sound judgment to fill the void, and while the Senate may
                 have changed in some small ways in the 6 years since Jon
                 left us, he has likely noticed over the past few months
                 that some things never do. This floor remains the stage
                 for the most important policy challenges facing our
                 country. There is still an urgent need for hard-working
                 public servants with expertise to enter the fray, and he
                 is still the junior Senator from Arizona.
                   From his first day back, Jon has smoothly continued
                 Senator McCain's habit of making an outsized impact for
                 his State. He cast his vote to confirm a well-qualified
                 Supreme Court nominee. He has joined in advancing major
                 legislation, and he has continued his advocacy for
                 improving our Nation's military readiness.
                   As we say good-bye one more time, I know every Member of
                 this body will join me in gratitude that Jon answered the
                 call when his experience and talents were needed.
                   Like the others who have been lucky enough spending 18
                 years with Jon already, I am especially grateful for this
                 opportunity to work alongside such a dear friend. So I
                 want to thank Jon for his abiding commitment to service.
                 We wish him and his wonderful wife Caryll much health and
                 happiness in the years to come.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.

                   Mr. KYL. Madam President, I just want to thank my
                 colleague, the majority leader, for his comments about me.
                   He asked if there were differences between the time that
                 I served before and this most recent time, and I must say
                 that the thing that I have noticed most is the kindness
                 with which I have been treated by my colleagues and by
                 staff--I am talking about colleagues and staff on both
                 sides of the aisle--and by other people who work here at
                 the Capitol, including, most especially, the Capitol
                 Police.
                   I never expected to be welcomed back with that degree of
                 kindness, and I have commented that it might be a nice
                 thing if we could extend that same degree of kindness to
                 each other every day, rather than to just those who come
                 back after a long absence.
                   But I do very much appreciate your comments, Mr. Leader,
                 and most especially your leadership and friendship over
                 the years. Thank you very much.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER [Mr. Kyl]. The Senator from
                 Vermont.

                   Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, before I begin, I would note
                 my long friendship with the Presiding Officer. I was
                 delighted to see him come back to the Senate. I wish him
                 well now as he leaves the Senate. He is always welcome, by
                 both Democrats and Republicans, when he comes back.
                   I realize the Presiding Officer is constrained and
                 cannot respond to whatever I say about him, but I assure
                 him that I will stay within the Senate rules and say only
                 nice things because that is all I know about him. . . .

                   Mr. INHOFE. . . . One of the significant individuals on
                 this report [of the National Defense Strategy Commission]
                 was Senator Kyl from Arizona. The reason I say that is,
                 Senator Kyl, in my opinion and in the opinions of many
                 people, has been historically in the U.S. Senate and has
                 been, perhaps, one of the most--if not the most--
                 knowledgeable of individuals on the threats we face and on
                 our capabilities we have in this country. It is unique
                 that Senator Kyl is on this Commission because, when he
                 got on the Commission, he was not a member of the U.S.
                 Senate. He came back after the death of Senator John
                 McCain and is serving for what appears to be just a short
                 period of time. So he is in the unique position of serving
                 on the Commission and of having been, for many years, in a
                 position to help us meet something we have not met before
                 that is a real challenge. . . .

                   Mr. THUNE. . . . Mr. President, I also want to mention
                 Senator Kyl, who announced he is retiring from the Senate
                 for the second time.
                   Senator Kyl initially retired at the end of the 112th
                 Congress after a distinguished Senate career but stepped
                 up to fill in after we lost Senator McCain earlier this
                 year.
                   Senator Kyl is rightly renowned in this body for his
                 statesmanship and his deep knowledge, and it has been a
                 pleasure having him back in the Senate, even if that was
                 just for this brief time. . . .
                                               Wednesday, December 19, 2018
                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.

                   Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am going to be here on
                 another matter in a moment, but I wanted to add my thanks
                 to the great work that Senator Kyl has done.
                   I remember coming here as a freshman Senator in early
                 2009, and Jon Kyl was one of the people who was kind
                 enough to take me in. We didn't always agree. I still
                 remember a very famous battle over slots at National
                 Airport. But Jon Kyl has always been someone I have
                 enormous respect for. I think Senators on both sides of
                 the aisle have respect for him, and we very much
                 appreciate his willingness to come back into service,
                 fulfilling part of the tenure of his dear friend, Senator
                 McCain.
                   I know enough about Jon Kyl to know that, shall I say,
                 his livelihood prior to coming back into the Senate was
                 quite good, and his willingness to give that up to serve
                 Arizona and the country is a real tribute to the
                 individual and the patriot he is. We will all miss him,
                 and I wish him all the best going forward.

                   The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.

                   Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I want to add my thanks to my
                 colleague from Arizona. I came to speak on something else,
                 and I will say this: If there is one individual I have
                 tried to emulate since the day I came to the U.S. Senate,
                 it has been Jon Kyl. He represented Arizona well, but,
                 more important, he represented the Kyl name well. Jon, I
                 am grateful that you would come back for this short
                 period. Godspeed as you leave.

                   Mr. REED. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to
                 salute my colleagues who are departing the Senate at the
                 conclusion of the 115th Congress: Bob Corker of Tennessee,
                 Jeff Flake of Arizona, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Heidi Heitkamp
                 of North Dakota, Dean Heller of Nevada, Joe Donnelly of
                 Indiana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bill Nelson of
                 Florida, and Jon Kyl of Arizona. All of these Members have
                 dedicated themselves to serving their constituents, their
                 States, and our country. The institution of the Senate and
                 the Nation as a whole are stronger because of their
                 service and commitment.
                   I have been privileged to serve with each and every one
                 of them and want to spend a few moments thanking each of
                 them for the wisdom and experience they brought to their
                 work and for their friendship. . . .
                   I want to turn my attention to three Members I had the
                 privilege to work with and serve with on the Committee on
                 Armed Services. . . .
                   Finally, I would like to recognize Senator Jon Kyl. I
                 thank Jon for his willingness to serve again following the
                 passing of Senator John McCain.
                   I had the privilege of serving with him in his prior
                 stint in this body. He served for many years in Republican
                 leadership, including as minority whip. He was also a
                 longstanding member of the Committee on Finance. I was not
                 on this committee, but given my advocacy for extending
                 unemployment insurance--for which there was a critical
                 need at the time--I did have a chance to serve with him on
                 the Conference Committee for the Middle Class Tax Relief
                 and Job Creation Act of 2012.
                   It was a pleasure to serve with him. He is a man of
                 principle, a man of great decency and dignity, someone who
                 has honored the Senate with his service, honored Arizona
                 with his service, and makes us all very proud to know him.
                 It was indeed a pleasure to serve, all too briefly, with
                 him as a member of the Committee on Armed Services.
                   I would like to thank him for his service and wish him
                 well as he leaves this body once more. To all my
                 colleagues, I give them my greatest respect and admiration
                 for their service to their States, to the Senate, and to
                 the United States of America.
                   I yield the floor.
                                                  Friday, December 21, 2018
                   Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, December should be the
                 happiest month of the year, as we await Christmas and the
                 New Year, but in the even numbered years, it is
                 bittersweet as we say good-bye to colleagues who will not
                 be returning in the next Congress. While the body often
                 seems to be polarized and contentious to the public that
                 knows us only from media appearances, the fact is that
                 partnership and alliances across the aisle are part of the
                 fabric of the body, and friendships of unlikely allies
                 abound. This is not to say that we don't disagree on
                 issues; we very much do. But we strive for these
                 disagreements never to erode our collegiality.
                   I would like to take this opportunity to thank those
                 with whom I have been proud to serve: Mr. Hatch, our
                 President pro tempore, Mr. Corker, Mr. Flake, and Mr.
                 Heller on my side of the aisle for their distinguished
                 service. To my friend, Mr. Kyl, it has been a pleasure to
                 serve with you again. On the Democrat side of the aisle,
                 Mr. Donnelly, Ms. McCaskill, Mr. Nelson, and especially my
                 dear friend, Ms. Heitkamp, the Senator from North Dakota.
                 Each of these individuals cares deeply for the Nation, for
                 the States they have represented so ably, and for the
                 Senate.