[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 28 (Thursday, March 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST FOUNDATION SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
immediately proceed to the consideration of Senate Resolution 60, which 
was reported by the Judiciary Committee today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 60) to commend students who have 
     participated in the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Senate 
     Youth Program between 1962 and 1997.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, before I begin my remarks on the sense-
of-the-Senate resolution before us today, I would like to express my 
appreciation to my colleagues, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas 
and Senator Wyden of Oregon, who joined me in introducing this measure 
earlier this week.
  I am also very grateful for the fact that a number of Senators from 
both sides of the aisle have subsequently expressed their support for 
this effort by cosponsoring this resolution.
  I would like to finally thank Senator Hatch and Senator Leahy, the 
chairman and ranking minority members of the Senate Judiciary 
Committee, who have very graciously allowed us to bring this resolution 
to the Senate floor quickly while the 1997 U.S. Senate Youth Program 
delegates are still here in Washington visiting.
  Senate Resolution 60 pays tribute to the 3,600 students who have 
participated in the U.S. Senate Youth Program over the last 35 years.
  Under this program, which has been very successfully administered by 
the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, two students from every State 
of the Nation, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense 
schools abroad are selected to spend a week right here in Washington 
learning about their Federal Government.
  Typically, each year the delegates meet with Senators, 
Representatives, Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet members, White House 
personnel, and other officials, and have the opportunity to ask them 
questions directly and to offer comments or concerns on current events.
  Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of addressing the 1997 
delegates. It was a very enjoyable and memorable event for me for two 
reasons. First, the questions and the comments raised by the delegates 
were both timely and insightful. Their knowledge was impressive and 
their enthusiasm contagious.
  Second, I have the honor and the privilege of being the first Senate 
youth delegate who has gone on to actually serve in the Senate. I still 
remember vividly when I visited Washington, DC, in the spring of 1971, 
more than 25 years ago. We met with various Representatives and 
Senators, including my colleagues, Senator Robert Byrd and Senator 
Strom Thurmond, both of whom I am now privileged to serve with in this 
body. In fact, I brought out my journal and I read my notes on both 
Senators' speeches to us, and it was a wonderful experience to reread 
and relive that week.
  The high point of my visit, however, was the time that I was 
fortunate to spend with Maine's Senator Margaret Chase Smith. She was 
very much an inspiration and a role model for me and countless other 
girls growing up in Maine and young women throughout the Nation who 
aspire to public service.
  While I am the first Senate youth delegate to serve in the Senate, I 
fully expect that there will be other delegates who will serve one day 
in the House, the Senate, on the Supreme Court, in the Cabinet, and 
even as President of the United States.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, which 
recognizes the value of this program, salutes the individual students 
who have participated in it, and commends the William Randolph Hearst 
Foundation for its generous sponsorship over the years.
  At this point, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to 
the resolution appear at this point in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 60), with its preamble, is as follows:

                               S. Res. 60

       Whereas the continued success of our Nation's 
     constitutional democracy is dependent upon our Nation's youth 
     striving toward higher goals;
       Whereas a student's intelligence, determination, 
     perseverance and continued interest in the workings of our 
     Nation's political processes must be nurtured and encouraged;
       Whereas the pursuit of higher education, and participation 
     and interest in the political processes, remain priorities of 
     young citizens around our Nation; and
       Whereas the United States Senate and the William Randolph 
     Hearst Foundation Senate Youth Program have provided high 
     school juniors and seniors who are leaders in education and 
     student government, as well as in their communities, with the 
     opportunity to travel to their Nation's capital and witness 
     the political process, supported solely by private funds with 
     no expense to the Federal Government since the program's 
     inception in 1962: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate hereby congratulate, honor, and 
     pay tribute to the 3,600 exemplary students who have been 
     selected, on their merit, to participate in the William 
     Randolph Hearst Foundation Senate Youth Program between 1962 
     and 1997.

  Ms. COLLINS. I thank the Chair.
  Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. President, I ask unanimous 
consent that I might be able to speak for 10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair.

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