[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SENATOR BILL BRADLEY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I pay tribute today to the senior Senator 
from New Jersey, Bill Bradley, who has, unfortunately, decided to 
retire from the Senate after three terms.
  Bill Bradley has brought to the Senate a keen mind and an athlete's 
drive to cut through highly complicated, but vital issues affecting the 
economy of the United States, especially the Tax Code's treatment of 
the middle class, and the need to eliminate the accumulation of 
deductions and special interest provisions which have skewed our tax 
code in multifarious and unfair ways.
  In tackling the most vexing and wide-ranging problems affecting the 
economy, Senator Bradley had a central impact on the Tax Reform Act of 
1986 after 4 years of hard work, perseverance, and studious attention 
to these very difficult issues. Using the springboard of his seat on 
the Finance Committee to grind away at his colleagues and the Senate as 
a whole as to the need for basic reform of the Tax Code, Bill showed 
that he could go the extra mile, and through sheer determination use 
the legislative process in textbook fashion. He produced far-reaching 
proposals on issues that have made a real difference for Americans, 
based on careful study and on convincing the rest of us to stand up, 
pay attention, and support the soundness of his position.
  He has tackled a variety of other tough and central problems facing 
American society, including deficit reduction, pension reform, college 
loan programs, Medicaid reform, and a variety of initiatives in the 
energy area through his active membership on the Senate Energy 
Committee. In addition, he has been extremely industrious as a 
legislator on a wide range of issues in the education field, from 
community-based initiatives involving families, to reform of higher 
education. Bill Bradley has gone much further than legislative 
initiatives, however. He has sponsored a number of enduring seminars 
and special programs for high school and college students and athletes, 
all with a dual focus on effective citizenship and educational 
excellence.
  Senator Bill Bradley added his engaging personality, integrity, and 
studious manner to the mosaic of the Senate, and gave this body another 
dimension. His unique background as a Rhodes Scholar, and as a former 
professional basketball player turned U.S. Senator sent a message to 
our young people that intellectual and athletic excellence need not be 
two competing worlds.
  In all his work in the Senate, Bill has performed with dignity, 
grace, and with great respect for the opportunity that the Senate 
affords for informed debate. Unfortunately, informed debate has not 
always been a great hallmark of recent years in the Senate, and I 
regret that this body will no longer have the benefit of Bill Bradley's 
keen mind and tenacious, yet gentlemanly approach to the issues of our 
day.
  Senator Bradley is a young, vibrant, vigorous man with, God willing, 
a long span of productive years ahead of him. I am pleased to note that 
he has recently been writing and speaking out on a variety of 
fundamental issues concerning the Nation, including race relations; the 
need for a more responsible civil society where grassroots and local 
institutions assume more responsibility for our civic life; on the need 
for campaign finance reform; on the need for economic transformation 
and growth more fairly shared across the full range of economic groups 
in American society; and on the role of faith in the fabric of American 
society. Of particular interest is his comparison of American society 
with a three-legged stool made up of the private sector, government, 
and civil society. Obviously Senator Bradley is correct when he points 
out that our future depends on all three.
  Bill Bradley is an independent, and thoughtful thinker on some of the 
most fundamental issues confronting our Nation.
  Senator Bradley has focused his considerable mental powers well on a 
broad landscape of difficult problems which will trouble our Nation in 
the years ahead.
  The breadth of issues on Bill Bradley's plate clearly shows that he 
intends to make an indelible mark on the continuing American dialogue 
about solutions to these problems, and I, for one, encourage him and 
look forward to his contribution. It would not surprise me to see 
citizen Bill Bradley at the witness table at future Senate hearings 
giving us his views on many fundamental issues.
  I wish Bill and his wife, Ernestine, the best as he departs from this 
latest stopping place in his varied and successful life, knowing that 
there is much more to come, and with the hope that he will return 
frequently to include the Senate in his personal quest for a better 
America.

                          ____________________