[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO RETIRING SENATOR NANCY LANDON KASSEBAUM

  Mr. DODD. Madam President, expectations and reality are rarely one 
and the same. So when our colleague from the State of Kansas, Senator 
Kassebaum, says she never expected to be here in the U.S. Senate, it is 
not surprising that this is where she ended up. But very true to all 
expectations, Madam President, Senator Kassebaum has distinguished 
herself as one of this institution's best and brightest. So it is with 
reluctance that I rise to bid farewell to my dear friend and respected 
colleague.
  Senator Kassebaum has graced the Halls of the U.S. Senate every 
single day of the almost 18 years she has spent here. Never partisan 
and always fair, her leadership of the Committee on Labor and Human 
Resources is exemplary, and it is a joy to serve with her on that body 
as well as on the Committee on Foreign Relations. Indeed, she has 
helped to keep the Senate's spirit of civility alive.
  A leader, independent thinker, and mediator, Senator Kassebaum's 
record of accomplishment is lengthy and impressive. Aside from being 
the first female chair of a major committee in 40 years, she has 
managed to write a health insurance reform bill that has drawn Labor 
and Human Resources Committee consensus around this difficult and often 
controversial issue. She has been indispensable in reauthorizing the 
Ryan White Care Act, a program of great importance to the State of 
Connecticut, and has been a valuable supporter of the Head Start 
Program.
  But Senator Kassebaum's accomplishments have improved the lives of 
those well beyond United States shores. As a member of the Committee on 
Foreign Relations, she was invaluable in facilitating Central American 
peace initiatives and in finding political solutions to the conflict in 
El Salvador. And as chairwoman of the Subcommittee on African Affairs, 
she fought to bring an end to South African apartheid by supporting 
sanctions against that nation; she then facilitated their repeal upon 
the election of President Nelson Mandela.
  And at home in Kansas, Madam President, Senator Kassebaum's 
constituents love her just as much as her Senate colleagues. Her 
overwhelming support at the polls--76 percent in 1984, and 74 percent 
in 1990--reflects Kansans' deep appreciation of her commitment to them. 
She has never wavered from the value her father instilled in her: that 
her roots were always in Kansas.
  Madam President, both Senator Kassebaum and I are the children of 
public servants whose interest in politics and government service was 
nourished throughout our childhoods. To walk alongside Senator 
Kassebaum as both of us follow in our fathers' footsteps has fostered a 
special bond between us. We have served together on two committees, and 
have worked as trusted partners on many important issues. And I realize 
how fulfilling it must be for her, as she leaves this body, to know 
that she has made her father proud.
  Senator Kassebaum is a noble servant of Kansans and all Americans, a 
cherished friend, and a beloved colleague whom I greatly admire. I will 
be sorry to see her leave the Senate, but I am confident that her 
spirit will endure. I wish her the very best as she approaches her 
retirement, and look forward to serving this last year with her.

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