[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR KEMPTHORNE

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the Junior 
Senator from Idaho, Mr. Kempthorne. My wife, Jane, and I got to know 
Dirk and his wife, Pat, soon after I came to Washington, and they have 
been good friends. Pat and Dirk are simply wonderful people, whose 
warmth and civility make the Senate a better place.
  Dirk Kempthorne has brought his energy and goodwill with him to the 
Senate every day, making it a better place in which to work and, I am 
sure, improving our ability to work together to pass constructive 
legislation. In addition, he has brought tremendous insight and common 
sense to the legislative process. I am proud to have worked with him in 
passing Unfunded Mandates legislation in 1995. This bill, which Senator 
Kempthorne managed on the floor, is an important step forward for 
American small business and its passage could not have been secured 
without his able leadership.
  Whether as a key member of the Small Business Committee, as Chairman 
of the Drinking Water, Fisheries, and Wildlife subcommittee of the 
Environment and Public Works Committee, or as Chairman of the Personnel 
Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, Dirk has brought strong 
leadership and reasoned argument to our public policy debates. He was 
instrumental in initiating the Congressional Commission on Military 
Training. He laid the groundwork for long overdue reforms to the 
Endangered Species Act; reforms that will protect our wildlife without 
unduly tampering with America's traditional commitment to private 
property rights.
  Dirk has decided, in the interests of his family, to leave Washington 
and return to Idaho. While I am certain all of us here will miss him, 
he leaves a weighty record of achievement and will continue to serve as 
a model of Senatorial conduct for years to come. I know the people of 
Idaho will benefit greatly from his coming service as Governor and wish 
him, his wife and children, all the best in their return home.

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