[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S878-S880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ADMINISTRATION OF OATH TO RON WYDEN, SENATOR FROM OREGON

  The VICE PRESIDENT. The Chair lays before the Senate the certificate 
of election of the Honorable Ron Wyden as a Senator from the State of 
Oregon.
  Without objection, it will be placed on file and the certificate of 
election will be deemed to have been read and printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the certificate was ordered to be printed 
in the Record, as follows:

  Certificate of Election for Unexpired Term, United States Senator, 
                    State of Oregon, Second Position

     To the President of the Senate of the United States:
       This is to certify that on the 30th day of January, 1996, 
     Ron Wyden was duly chosen by the qualified electors of the 
     State of Oregon a Senator from said State to represent said 
     State in the Senate of the United States for the unexpired 
     term, ending at noon on the 3rd day of January, 1999, to fill 
     the vacancy in the representation from said State in the 
     Senate of the United States caused by the resignation of Bob 
     Packwood.
       Witness: His excellency our Governor, John Kitzhaber and 
     our seal hereto affixed at Salem, Oregon this 2nd day of 
     February, in the year of our Lord 1996.
       By the governor:
                                                John A. Kitzhaber,
                                                         Governor.
                                                    Phil Keisling,
                                               Secretary of State.

  The VICE PRESIDENT. If the Senator-elect will present himself at the 
desk, the Chair will administer the oath of office as required by the 
Constitution and prescribed by law.
  Mr. WYDEN of Oregon, escorted by Mr. Hatfield of Oregon, advanced to 
the desk of the Vice President; the oath, prescribed by law, was 
administered to him by the Vice President; and he subscribed to the 
oath in the official Oath Book.
  [Applause, Senators rising.] 
  
[[Page S879]]

  The VICE PRESIDENT. The minority leader.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I will be very brief. While Senator Wyden 
greets his new colleagues, let me just say how much we appreciate his 
presence and how delighted we are he has now joined our ranks. My wife, 
Linda, and I want to congratulate his wife, Laurie Wyden, and his 
children, Lilly Wyden and Adam Wyden, as they celebrate their father's 
victory, as well.
  We are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve with Senator 
Wyden. We look forward to a long and productive career for him in the 
Senate.
  Let me thank him for all of his good service in the years he has 
already served in the House of Representatives, and let me again 
express our enthusiasm and our congratulations to him personally.
  Let me also congratulate the State of Oregon for the fine way with 
which it conducted the campaign. They may have set a new marker for the 
rest of us and yet another example of democracy at its finest. We will 
look with great interest as other States experiment with mail-in 
balloting. If it will produce the same result as the result in Oregon, 
let me say, I enthusiastically endorse it.
  [Applause, laughter.]
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The senior Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, I am not going to be quite as brief. 
Last week, Oregonians chose Ron Wyden as their new U.S. Senator in a 
special vote-by-mail election. This was a closely contested election 
with Ron Wyden prevailing with 48 percent of the vote.
  Today, Congressman Wyden becomes Senator Wyden. He brings with him 
almost 16 years of service to Oregon in the House of Representatives 
and, more important, he brings a keen intellect and an understanding of 
the important issues facing our State. He also possesses a very gifted 
and able staff, which I am confident will make the transition from the 
House of Representatives to the Senate swiftly and with competence.
  Senator Wyden has proven that he is dedicated to the people of 
Oregon. After spending 2 months campaigning across the State, he has 
now an even better understanding of the unique, independent spirit that 
typifies the citizens of our State. My overall goal throughout my 
entire tenure in the Senate is to improve the quality of life for all 
Oregonians. This is a goal I know is shared by Oregon's new Senator.
  Oregon's independent traditions have often placed our State at the 
cutting edge of democracy. In 1902, voters created the initiative and 
referendum. This process allows citizens to propose new laws or change 
in the State's constitution through an election-ballot measure. This 
change allowed a sharing of power between the State legislature and the 
electorate.
  From 1902 to 1994, voters put 272 initiatives on the ballot, of which 
95 passed and became law. This was a historic change in the political 
process, and soon many other States followed.
  Ninety years later, Oregon continues to take the lead in democratic 
innovations. The special election for the U.S. Senate in which Ron 
Wyden was elected was conducted entirely by mail. From the primary to 
the general, Oregon became the first State to conduct a mail-only 
election to fill a Federal vacancy. This experiment in democracy was a 
dramatic success. Sixty-six percent of Oregon's 1.8 million registered 
voters cast ballots in the general election. By comparison, a 1993 
Texas Senate race only saw a 21-percent turnout. By anybody's count, 
voting by mail has dramatic, positive impact on voter participation.
  Voter turnout has reached dismal proportions in this country. People 
have become disenchanted with the entire political system, and they are 
declining to become involved. A recent national survey by the 
Washington Post, Harvard University, and the Kaiser Family Foundation, 
found a widespread contempt for Government and political leaders. When 
asked how often do you trust the Government in Washington to do the 
right thing, only 25 percent responded that they trust the Government a 
majority of the time.
    
    
  This conclusion paints a grim picture of the democratic future of 
this country, and restoring public trust in Government is the greatest 
challenge confronting each of us who holds elected office. With 
politicians ranking below dog-catchers in public opinion polls, steps 
need to be taken to improve the public's perception of our profession.
  It is my commitment to restoring public confidence in the political 
system that undergirds my support for measures that increase voter 
participation. Citizens will continue to hold our institutions in ill 
repute as long as they remain disillusioned with the system. It is when 
people become a part of the process, when they have a stake in the 
outcome, do they begin to understand and trust their Government.
  Oregon's experience in voting by mail was a success because it 
broadened the base of political participation. The same principle 
undergirded our support for the national voter registration, commonly 
known as motor-voter. That became law during the 103d Congress, and the 
law provides national uniformity in access to the electoral process by 
allowing voter registration through the mail and at government agencies 
and at departments of motor vehicles throughout the country. But Oregon 
preceded this national law. Oregon was one of the first States to 
experiment with motor-voter, and the success we experienced in the 
laboratory of our State convinced me that our innovation was worthy of 
trial on the national level. Motor-voter has increased access to the 
voter registration process. That increased access has benefited both 
political parties, not one over the other.
  The editorial board of the Washington Post yesterday declared that 
Oregon's experiment in vote-by-mail elections was a success. The 
editorial continued stating ``a State with a longstanding reformist 
tradition may thus have pointed the way toward expanded political 
participation and at a moment when voters are so widely described as 
fed up with (and indifferent to) politics.''
  Increasing the number of those who take part in the electoral process 
is critical to ensuring the vitality of democracy. The greatness of our 
Republic was founded on and rooted in a broad base of voter 
participation.
  We are the Government of the people, by the people, and for the 
people, and if the people cease to participate, then our system is in 
danger.
  So I take this occasion to congratulate Ron Wyden in his victory and 
Oregon with experimenting with a new innovation.
  [Applause.]
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, with the oath of office just administered, 
Ron Wyden becomes the 1,827th person to have served in the U.S. Senate. 
And on behalf of Senate Republicans, I welcome our newest colleague to 
the Chamber, and I welcome the many Oregonians who join us in the 
gallery for this occasion.
  Under the Senate rules, Senator Wyden is now our most junior member--
ranking 100th in seniority. That is exactly the same position Senator 
Hatfield from Oregon found himself in when he came to the Senate 29 
years ago last month.
  And I think most of my colleagues would agree with Senator Hatfield, 
who said recently that when he came to this Chamber, he thought the 
seniority system was a bit silly. But the longer he stayed here, the 
more sense it made.
  I know that Senator Wyden  has a great deal of respect for Senator 
Hatfield, and no doubt about it, there is no better guide in explaining 
the Senate rules, procedures, and traditions--many of which are very 
different from the House, where Senator Wyden served for the past 15 
years.
  One of the differences is that in the House there are limits on how 
long Members can speak, while there is no such limit in the Senate. 
Senator Thurmond holds the record, speaking on one occasion for 24 
hours and 18 minutes. And I would suggest to Senator Wyden that is one 
record he might not want to break--especially with all his family and 
friends present today.
  Another tradition here is that for the past many decades, Senators 
have written their name in the drawer of the desks we are assigned here 
on the floor.
  The desk I occupy, for instance, has served as the desk of the 
Republican leader for over half a century. In fact, the first 
Republican leader to sign this 

[[Page S880]]
desk was Senator Charles McNary of Oregon.
  Senator Wyden's desk also has a long history. And I note that the 
last 13 Senators to have occupied it were Republicans, and hope that 
some of that heritage will rub off on Senator Wyden.
  Finally, let me admit that it is no secret that Senate Republicans 
were hoping for different results in Oregon's very close election.
  But I take heart in the fact that even though Senator Wyden is the 
47th Democrat Senator, he is also the fourth Senator in this Chamber to 
have been born in Kansas, and certainly that will help him a lot here.
  Senators Kassebaum, Specter, and myself welcome you to the Kansas 
caucus, Senator Wyden, and we will get back to you later about the time 
and place of our next meeting.
  [Applause.]

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