[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
                           

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                         TRIBUTES TO HON. JON KYL


                                           

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                                 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.