[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 HONORING SENATOR DONALD W. RIEGLE, JR.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, the end of the 103d Congress marks the 
end of my first 2 years as a Member of the U.S. Senate. During this 
time, I have had the chance to work with many Senators on different 
issues of national importance.
  Senator Riegle has been a true leader on issues affecting not only 
his State of Michigan, but working families all across the United 
States. Unfortunately, Senator Riegle is retiring this year, and his 
leadership both on the floor on the U.S. Senate and as chairman of the 
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will be profoundly 
missed.
  I do not believe this can be more clearly illustrated than by looking 
at the series of speeches Senator Riegle has made over the last several 
months on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the issue of health care 
reform. Throughout this period, the Senate seemed to have lost itself 
in a myriad of multifarious health care proposals and perplexing 
concepts such as mandatory alliances, purchasing cooperatives and 
preexisting conditions. Yet while all this was going on, there was 
Senator Riegle on the floor of the Senate, reminding us of how the 
numerous flaws of the current health care system are affecting working 
families, persons with disabilities and older Americans.
  I also had the pleasure of working with Senator Riegle on several 
other issues. On insurance redlining, we worked together to produce a 
bill that would end the discriminatory practice of some insurance 
companies denying minority and low-income communities the ability to 
obtain adequate and affordable homeowners insurance which is often a 
prerequisite for securing a home loan. Senator Riegle was also gracious 
enough to allow me to attend and testify before a Banking Committee 
hearing on this issue even though I am not a member of that committee. 
I particularly recall his passionate and obviously heartfelt words at 
that hearing about his lifelong efforts to combat such manifestations 
of racism. As members of the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Force, 
Senator Riegle and I had the opportunity to explore and pursue actions 
that will facilitate the removal and disposal of contaminated sediments 
from the Great Lakes. Senator Riegle has also been an outspoken 
advocate of the working men and women of our country as exemplified by 
his leadership role in supporting legislation to ban the hiring of 
permanent replacement workers and his opposition to the North American 
Free-Trade Agreement which placed the worker of his and other States at 
a competitive disadvantage with workers south of the border.
  Let me close, Mr. President, by again expressing my admiration and 
respect not only for the outstanding career achievements of Senator 
Riegle, but also for the kind and considerable manner that he brought 
with him to the U.S. Senate. Although the citizens of Michigan are 
losing an effective and forceful representative in the Senate, the 
accomplishments of Senator Riegle will certainly not be forgotten 
either by his constituents or those of us who were fortunate enough to 
serve with him in this body.
  I yield the floor.

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