[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 65 (Monday, May 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4551-S4552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO SENATOR JIM JEFFORDS

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I come to the floor today to pay tribute 
to my friend and my colleague, Jim Jeffords.
  Although he made news and history last year--and it will be widely 
discussed again this week because, of course, it is the anniversary of 
his changing political parties--Jim Jeffords really prefers to be 
outside the limelight, though he has been in the limelight this past 
year. As a result, few people knew much about him before a year ago, 
despite his many accomplishments in Congress and contributions to our 
country during this remarkable career he has had in public service.
  Jim Jeffords grew up in Vermont where the Jeffords family first 
settled during the 1700s.
  After graduating from Yale University, he served in the Navy, on 
active duty for 4 years, from 1956 to 1959. He later served in the 
Naval Reserve, retiring as a captain in 1990.
  Senator Jeffords' late father was a distinguished attorney who served 
as chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. No doubt this influenced 
Senator Jeffords' decision to study law.
  After graduating from Harvard Law School, he returned to Vermont to 
practice. This very quiet, soft-spoken man is a person who has a 
tremendous education: Yale undergraduate degree, Harvard Law School 
degree.
  Within a few years after returning to Vermont to practice law, he was 
elected to the Vermont State Senate and then the attorney generalship 
of that State. From 1975 to 1988, he represented the Green Mountain 
State in the House of Representatives. That is where I first met him. I 
had the opportunity to serve with him in the House of 
Representatives. I was impressed then by his knowledge of the issues 
and his dedication to the public well-being.

  He has served in the Senate since 1989 where he has continued to be a 
strong advocate for dairy farmers and other Vermonters but also someone 
from whom people in Nevada have benefited because of his legislative 
record. He does not focus only on issues dealing with Vermont, even 
though these issues come first. He has been a champion of disabled 
Americans, an outspoken proponent of international environmental 
protection. He is a person who has dealt heavily in education. While 
serving as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
Committee, Senator Jeffords developed a lot of legislation.
  One bill I would like to pinpoint is a bill to allow the importation 
of prescription drugs from other countries in an attempt to help make 
medicine more affordable to Americans. His bill passed overwhelmingly 
in July of 2000 and was ultimately signed into law.
  He has also proposed a ``DrugGap'' program to help low-income 
Medicare recipients get prescription drug coverage. He has worked to 
double funding for the Ryan White CARE Act.
  Senator Jeffords has been a leading supporter of funding for services 
for the developmentally disabled and assisting disabled workers. He has 
been a key cosponsor of hate crimes legislation and antidiscrimination 
legislation.
  He is now chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. 
There his work has been exemplary. He has always been a defender of the 
environment. I have been either chairman or ranking member for the 
Energy and Water Subcommittee of Appropriations for a number of years. 
No matter what we did dealing with renewables, we thought we had done a 
lot; Jim Jeffords wanted more. He always kept us on our toes. We had to 
come forward with something that would show we were doing more than the 
normal for renewable energy. He was visionary, as indicated by the 
energy bill we just passed.
  He has been a defender of the environment. He has fought against the 
Bush administration to roll back protections. Some that come to mind 
are arsenic, allowing toxic levels of arsenic to be in the water, he 
has fought that. He, of course, has fought, along with Senator Boxer, 
to make sure that children are tested for lead poisoning; that the 
water is tested that children drink.
  He has called on President Bush to honor America's commitment to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to include carbon dioxide in laws 
addressing air quality and aggressively enforce laws against polluters.
  Clearly, Jim Jeffords has demonstrated to me and, of course, to the 
people of Nevada that one person can make a difference. If we ever 
think what can one person do, it is a huge world, a big country, we 
come from States with thousands and millions of people in them; what 
difference can one person make. He has certainly shown that one person 
can make a difference. When he announced almost a year ago, on May 24, 
that he would no longer be a Republican, he made a difference. For 
months after, the impact of Senator Jeffords' switch was defined for 
many of us by a changed Senate agenda, changed chairmanships, and a 
return to divided government, some said.
  But it wasn't until about 4 months later that we fully appreciated 
the import of what Senator Jeffords really did. When the attacks of 
September 11 shook our Nation, the service he did for our country 
became very clear.
  Just days after the attacks, Congress, Democrats and Republicans, 
came together to craft an unprecedented response to the terrorist act 
and threats. Together we approved $40 billion in aid to New York and 
Virginia to recover and to help protect the Nation from future threats. 
Roughly 1 month after that, we enacted sweeping antiterrorism 
legislation to improve law enforcement to respond to terrorist threats. 
That was led by Senator Pat Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
  Both of these measures--these are two of many--were incredibly 
important. We passed them swiftly in response to a national emergency. 
Because of what Senator Jeffords did, these measures were balanced and 
reflected the will of all Americans, not just the will of this 
administration. There was a check; there was a balance. That is all 
because of Jim Jeffords. We afforded the President the power to respond 
to a national crisis, preserved important checks on his authority and 
important protections for the civil liberties that make America great.
  Every Senator has a list of issues they consider important which were 
affected by Jim Jeffords' principled and courageous decision last May. 
From protecting national treasures such as the Arctic National Wildlife 
Refuge, ANWR as it is known, to preserving the balance on the Federal 
judiciary, providing a voice for the unemployed, campaign finance 
reform--we could not have done it without him--preserving Social 
Security, he has allowed us to have a platform to talk about the fact 
that we did have a $4.7 trillion surplus 10 years ago. We don't now. We 
are now spending Social Security surpluses. Election reform, Medicare, 
education, he has allowed us to have a voice on these issues and not 
simply ram them down the throats of the Senate.
  For me, his greatest contribution was in preserving the essence of 
democracy, debate, consensus, and representation during an 
unprecedented national crisis.
  Jim Jeffords is my friend. More than my friend, he is someone I will 
always look to for inspiration, knowing that one person, one of us, and 
anyone

[[Page S4552]]

within the sound of my voice, can make a difference. It was a difficult 
decision he made. He did it on a matter of principle. People may not 
agree with what he deems as principled, but he did it because it was 
the right thing to do. That is the story of Jim Jeffords' life, doing 
what he thinks is right.
  This highly educated man is really a common person, a person to whom 
anyone can speak. I am very proud of him and what he did and what he 
has allowed our country to do.
  If the Senator from Kansas wishes to speak on our time, he is welcome 
to do that.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Kansas.
  (The remarks of Mr. Brownback pertaining to the submission of S. Con. 
Res. 114 are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced 
Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bingaman). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mrs. BOXER. What is the pending business?

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