[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 27 (Friday, March 13, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S1959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING SENATOR ABRAHAM RIBICOFF

 Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity 
to talk about a man who served the people of Connecticut and America 
with dignity, honor and great style. Abraham Ribicoff spent most of his 
life in the public service. Before he became a Senator in 1962, he was 
a Congressman, the Governor of Connecticut, and the Secretary of 
Health, Education, and Welfare in the Kennedy administration. He was a 
true leader in the Senate on many issues and his style of leadership 
and public service will be greatly missed.
  During his time in the Senate, Senator Ribicoff served on the 
Government Operations Committee, which was renamed the Governmental 
Affairs Committee during his tenure. He began his service on the 
committee on February 25, 1963 and served as Chairman from 1977 to 
1980.
  As Chairman, Senator Ribicoff oversaw the passage of many initiatives 
we now take for granted in the government. One such bill was the Civil 
Service Reform Act of 1978, which was the first substantive reform of 
the Federal civil service in nearly 100 years. He also helped to enact 
the Ethics in Government Act, which mandates public disclosure for 
high-ranking officials in the three branches of the Federal Government. 
He navigated to passage legislation that created Inspectors General in 
each of the major federal agencies to serve as public watchdogs to 
combat waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs.
  During his tenure as Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ribicoff also 
oversaw the implementation of legislation that established a permanent, 
Cabinet-level Department of Energy in the executive branch. By doing 
so, all of the federal government's major energy programs were brought 
together in one place, including those programs relating to economic 
regulation of energy supply systems. He also worked closely with 
Senator Glenn to help enact the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act, which 
established a more effective framework for international cooperation to 
meet the energy needs of nations. It also ensured that the worldwide 
development of peaceful nuclear activities and the export by any nation 
of nuclear materials, equipment, and nuclear technology intended for 
the use in peaceful nuclear activities did not contribute to 
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
  An area in which Senator Ribicoff and I shared a great interest is 
that of federal regulation and how to make it more effective, and at 
the same time, less burdensome. On July 26, 1975, Senate Resolution 71, 
introduced by Senator Ribicoff and Senator Glenn, was agreed to by the 
Committee. This resolution authorized a study of Federal regulatory 
agencies to be undertaken jointly by the Committee on Commerce and the 
Committee on Government Operations. The first two of these studies 
which the Committee on Government Operations compiled were entitled 
``Study on Federal Regulation: The Regulatory Appointment Process,'' 
and ``Study on Federal Regulation: Congressional Oversight of Executive 
Agencies.'' These two studies set the groundwork for the regulatory 
reform work that the committee undertook at that time and which we 
continue to pursue today.
  I want to acknowledge Senator Ribicoff for having the foresight, some 
twenty years ago, to examine the regulatory process. As I have found 
out this is not an easy task, but well worth the effort. While Senator 
Ribicoff's leadership and public service will be greatly missed, it is 
my hope that we can carry on his pioneering work and establish a better 
and smarter regulatory process.

                          ____________________