[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]

 
                      TRIBUTE TO HOWARD METZENBAUM

  Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, as the 103rd Congress draws to a close, 
I want to pay tribute to one of my colleagues on the Judiciary 
Committee who will be retiring at the end of the session, Senator 
Howard Metzenbaum.
  Howard was elected to his first full term in the Senate, as I was, in 
1976. We were both appointed to the Senate Judiciary Committee where we 
have served for 18 years. While we have been on opposite sides of 
issues from time to time, Howard and I came to know and respect one 
another and to better understand the constituencies we represented.
  I do not think there is a Member of the Senate who would not prefer 
to have Howard as an ally rather than an adversary. We all know Howard 
as a fighter. He was tireless and tenacious. A formidable foe, we know 
Howard will go to the mat fighting for the things in which he believes 
so deeply. If you're in the ring with Howard, you know it will be a 10-
round bout. Howard is persistent, sometimes pugnacious, sometimes 
pesky, but always a man of principle.
  From his seat on the Judiciary, Howard can boast a long list of 
legislative accomplishments. But among the achievements of which I know 
he is most proud are his successful efforts to reduce crime in our 
neighborhoods by eliminating guns on our streets. He was a fierce 
opponent of the gun lobby. After years of effort to pass legislation 
requiring a waiting period for the purchase of guns, Howard succeeded 
in enacting the Brady bill, a landmark piece of legislation which he 
authored and I supported. Battling great odds, Howard, Senator 
Feinstein and I worked together in a successful effort to ban the sale 
of certain military style, semiautomatic assault weapons. That bill was 
also enacted into law as part of the 1994 Crime Bill. And Howard was 
successful as well in banning cop killer bullets which earned him 
numerous rewards from major law enforcement organizations. Howard will 
leave knowing he made an enormous contribution to the Senate with an 
impressive legacy to safe streets.
  A man of considerable wealth, Howard chose not to become the 
protector of the privileged, but chose instead to be the protector of 
the less fortunate in our society. He chose to be the defender of the 
defenseless, the voice of the voiceless, the hands of the helpless. 
During his tenure in the Senate, Howard earned a reputation as the 
champion of the poor, the sick, the disadvantaged, the disabled, the 
disenfranchised, the consumer, the worker and women and children. Time 
precludes me from a recitation of Howard's legislative successes in 
helping these groups. Suffice it to say that Howard's name or his 
fingerprints were on every significant piece of legislation to enhance 
the quality of life for the less fortunate in our society. From civil 
rights to worker rights; from consumer protection to protection of the 
environment; from health security to pension security; from child labor 
laws to women's health, Howard was in the vanguard.
  One of reasons that Howard has decided to leave the Senate is to 
spend more time with his family. His love for children is legendary. I 
would like to share with you a personal experience in this regard. In 
1988, I had a fundraiser here in Washington hosted by a number of my 
colleagues to which one of my staff brought his 7-year-old son. It 
didn't take Howard long to greet me and my guests, and then gravitate 
to the child with whom he spent the rest of the evening, entertaining 
him with pictures and stories of his own children and grandchildren.

  Trying to define Senator Metzenbaum is no easy task. He has earned 
many nicknames--the Conscience of the Senate, the Tiger of the Senate, 
Senator No, Senator Can-Do, among others. My staff affectionately 
referred to him as the Senate Ombudsman. That title grew from Howard's 
long and lonely vigil at the end of each session of Congress, checking 
every bill and every amendment under a microscope to ensure that no 
special interest legislation was snuck through the legislative process 
in the final hectic days and hours of a congressional session. As 
Senator Byrd has said of Howard, ``I have often felt that if we did not 
have a Howard Metzenbaum in the Senate we ought to somehow make one.''
  Howard Metzenbaum's retirement from the Senate will leave a void in 
this Chamber that will not soon be filled. He will be sorely missed, 
but he leaves behind a legacy of impressive legislative accomplishments 
as well as many friends and admirers, including this Senator. As we 
walk out the door together, I want to wish Howard and his devoted wife 
Shirley every success and happiness. Enjoy your grandchildren and smell 
the roses!

                          ____________________