[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 SENATOR DAVE DURENBERGER

  Mr. DeConcini. Mr. President, as Senator Dave Durenberger  prepares 
to leave the United States Senate, I want to pay tribute to his 
dedicated service is this body and to wish him well as he moves on to 
new challenges in an already remarkable career.
  Senator Durenberger is the first Republican in Minnesota's history 
ever elected to serve three terms in the United States Senate. In a 
predominantly Democratic state, that is a remarkable achievement. What 
the voters of Minnesota recognized in Dave Durenberger are the same 
qualities that have earned Dave the deep respect of his Senate 
colleagues: intellectual acumen, thoughtfulness, hard work, creativity, 
effectiveness and independence. Dave's willingness to work in a 
bipartisan manner has made him the linchpin who was able to fore 
complicated compromises, thereby clearing the way for enactment of such 
landmark legislation as the Clean Water Act and the Civil rights Act of 
1991. His role as a respected mediator and honest broker led to 
consensus and passage of other major pieces of legislation such as 
enactment of the Motor Voter Bill and Senate passage of Campaign 
Finance Reform. While Campaign Finance Reform was not enacted due to a 
filibuster in the waning days of this session, Dave's role in trying to 
reach a reasonable middle ground is greatly appreciated by those of us 
who understand that enactment of this legislation is central to 
restoring confidence in Congress.
  I can speak first-hand of Dave Durenberger's commitment to sound 
environmental policy. In the mid-1980s, we co-chaired the National 
Water Alliance where we worked with business and grassroots 
organizations to develop responsible and workable policy initiatives to 
address water quality and access issues. But this is only one small 
area of Dave's work on environmental issues. From his seat on the 
Environmental and Public Works Committee, one can see Dave's 
``fingerprints'' on every significant piece of environmental 
legislation passed in the last decade, including Superfund, the Clean 
Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  But I suspect that Senator Durenberger will be best remembered for 
his passionate and tireless efforts to improve our health care delivery 
system and ensure access to care for all Americans. Even before he came 
to the Senate, Dave became involved in the health care issue in 
Minnesota--long before it was on the radar screen for most politicians. 
Together with others in the Twin Cities' business community, he 
initiated a successful experiment in the use of competition and 
consumer choice in health care purchasing.
  Because of Dave's interest and involvement in health care in 
Minnesota, he immediately sought a seat on the Senate Finance Committee 
upon being elected to the Senate in 1978 so he could continue his work 
in this area. As ranking member of the Finance Subcommittee on Medicare 
and Long Term Care, he has played a seminal role in developing health 
care legislation for more than a decade. The knowledge and expertise he 
has developed will not easily nor soon be replaced. His advice and 
counsel on health care issues are sought by Republicans and Democrats 
alike, and his centrist approach to reform is the only realistic way to 
find a responsible solution to this very complicated problem. Like many 
of his colleagues, myself included, I know that Dave is disappointed 
that the 103rd Congress was unable to pass either comprehensive or 
incremental reform. But he was persistent to the very end, working day 
and night with the Mainstream Coalition trying to forge a fair and 
workable reform package. We all owe Dave a debt of gratitude for his 
efforts. I am confident that his untiring efforts on health care will 
provide a solid foundation on which the Members of the 104th Congress 
can build. He has left a legacy in this area of which he can be 
eminently proud.
  Teddy Roosevelt once said that ``real success consists in doing one's 
duty well in the path where one's life is led.'' By that standard, or 
any standard, Dave Durenberger's life in the Senate has been one of 
success and great achievement. As Dave moves on to new challenges, I 
want to pay tribute to his dedicated service in the United States 
Senate and to wish him and his family every success and happiness in 
the years to come. Godspeed, Dave.

                          ____________________