[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 17 (Thursday, January 30, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1771-S1775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING DAVE HOPPE
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today marks the last day in Congress of
one of the most remarkable people I have had the pleasure of meeting in
my entire life, one of the most decent, clearly one of the most
outstanding individuals, and that is Dave Hoppe, who will be leaving
Congress to go on to some other line of work after today.
We all got to know Dave as chief of staff of Senator Lott. He has
labored in the vineyards of the Senate and the House for 27 years.
Without ego, without a desire to go out and seek public office, like
many of us have done, Dave Hoppe devoted himself to improving America
and to advancing the causes in which he believed by working through
elected officials.
Dave is originally from Wisconsin. He graduated from Notre Dame in
1973. By the way, his birthplace was Baraboo, Wisconsin, which also
happens to be the place where the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey
circus began.
Dave came to Washington after graduating from Notre Dame to have an
impact on his country. As he ends his public service today, there is no
question that he has had an enormous impact on the lives of all
Americans
[[Page S1772]]
through his work both in the House and the Senate.
There was a fascinating article in USA Today back in 1997 about the
impact Dave had on the reauthorization of the IDEA legislation that
year. He had a particular interest in it because his son, Gregory,
suffers from a disability. Dave, raising that son and living with the
disability his son had, had a particular awareness of how to adapt that
legislation to the needs of not only his son but a lot of other
youngsters who found themselves in the same dilemma.
This is a quote from Dave in the article:
Every night when I came home and every morning when I got
up, I saw who it could help.
He was talking about the IDEA reauthorization.
Referring to his son:
I know his horizons are not unlimited, but I want them to
be as great as they can be.
What a marvelous way to put Dave's hopes and aspirations for his son.
Dave and his wife, Karen, met in a carpool 21 years ago as conservative
idealists. He worked for the House Republican study committee and she
for the Heritage Foundation. They were engaged 3 weeks after their
first date and married December 30th, 1976--a truly remarkable family.
I expect others might want to include this USA Today article, but it
is so interesting and so important I ask unanimous consent it be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From USA Today, June 27, 1997]
A Law That Transcends Politics
(By Richard Wolf)
Washington.--Six-year-old Gregory Hoppe climbs up on the
bench installed for him in his father's office and peers out
on the nation's capital.
But this isn't just any office. It's for the chief of staff
to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, perhaps the USA's most
powerful Republican.
And Gregory isn't just any child. The framed Senate roll-
call vote that hangs over his bench attests to that. Still
two weeks shy of his 7th birthday, Gregory already has played
a quiet but crucial role in overhauling the law that guides
special-education policy for 5.6 million disabled children in
America's public schools.
His father, David Hoppe, was the one who worked out the
final agreement between Congress and the Clinton
administration last month. But Gregory, born with Down
syndrome, was the new law's guiding light.
Call it Gregory's Law.
``You had somebody who brought a deep life experience to
the whole process,'' says Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind. ``It's a
piece of legislation with a lot of heart in it.''
The roles played by David and Gregory Hoppe demonstrate the
powerful influence of private lives in public policy. Their
impact on the nation's special-education law is emblematic of
how elected and even non-elected officials work behind the
scenes here, using personal experiences to set the
legislative agenda and guide the political process.
And David Hoppe's role was significant for another reason:
at a time of public dismay over how Washington works--or
doesn't--in the glare of partisan politics and harsh
publicity, he became the rare individual to emerge heralded
by all sides.
``This was a fair, decent, caring soul who was not going to
sell anybody down the river,'' says Robert Silverstein, the
Senate's top Democratic expert on disability issues.
But without Gregory's disability and his dad's doggedness,
President Clinton and Congress still might be embroiled in
emotional debate over the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), signed into law earlier this month.
For two years, the bill had been caught between two
seemingly immovable forces: Leaders of the Republican
revolution, who wanted to help schools cut costs and curtail
classroom disruptions caused by disabled students, and
advocates for the disabled, who wanted expanded educational
opportunities.
It took a deeply religious, conservative Republican and a
highly motivated advocate for the disabled to bring the two
sides together. David Hoppe was both of those. And Gregory
was his inspiration.
``Every night when I cam home and every morning when I got
up, I saw who is could help,'' Hoppe says of his son. ``I
know his horizons are not unlimited, but I want them to be as
great as they can be.''
Says Paul Marchand, director of The Arc, which represents
the mentally retarded: ``He might have been thinking,
`Everything that I do here may someday affect my child, and
if not my child, hundreds of thousands like him.' ''
a strong family that weathers crisis
David and Karen Hoppe met in a car pool 21 years ago as
conservative idealists. He worked for the House Republican
Study Committee, she for the Heritage Foundation think tank.
They were engaged three weeks after their first date and
married Dec. 30, 1976. He would go on to work for a future
vice presidential nominee, Jack Kemp; she would go on to work
for a future vice president, Dan Quayle.
David rose through the Capitol Hill ranks, but Karen quit
when their first child, Katie, was born in 1981. Geoffrey
arrived two years later. The Hoppes--David is 45, Karen, 44--
are devoted parents to both ``big kids,'' as they call them
now. But it was Gregory's arrival in 1990 that gave the
suburban Burke, VA., couple a whole new outlook on life.
The night before Gregory's birth, the Hoppes happened to
pick up a copy of a Sesame Street parents guide featuring a
story on Down syndrome. ``I remember sitting on the edge of
the bed and saying, `I hope we don't have to deal with
anything like this,' ``Karen Hoppe says. They had forgone
pre-natal testing that could have determined Gregory's
disability, caused by an extra chromosome, because they do
not believe in abortion.
The next night, the Sesame Street story came to life. ``He
was four minutes old,'' she recalls. ``They came and told me
right away that they thought he had Down syndrome.''
Those first few minutes in Fairfax Hospital are etched in
the Hoppes' minds. With doctors buzzing around Gregory, the
couple made hasty plans to baptize him, in case he died. But
Gregory was tough; he overcame many of the complications
that accompany Down syndrome births.
Karen reacted emotionally, but her husband was then what he
has been ever since--a rock. ``I got one tear out of David,''
she says, ``and that was it.''
Sen. Coats, Hoppe's boss at the time, recalls getting the
call from the hospital concerning Gregory's obvious
disability. ``I think the birth of Gregory was one of those
defining, life-changing experiences that open people's eyes
to a whole other world,'' he says. ``I don't think unless you
experience that, you can fully identify with that world.''
Today, the pain of that first realization is overwhelmed by
two other emotions common to families of disabled children--
exhaustion and achievement. The physical and mental
challenges can seem never-ending. Gregory didn't walk until
age 2\1/2\, didn't run until last summer, and only now is
learning to jump. Typical of children with Down syndrome, his
cognitive and language skills are significantly delayed.
But just as distinctive is his unconditional love for his
family. While his father helps run the country, Gregory rules
the roost at home. He's a ham, singing and dancing to his
favorite videos. Ask a question, and he taps his temple as if
deep in thought. He speaks in two- and three-world bursts
packed with meaning: ``Throw the ball!'' ``My turn!'' And the
every-welcome, ``Thank you, Mommy.''
Says Karen, ``I wouldn't have missed this for the world.''
personal lives, professional lives
For David Hoppe, plunging into the middle of a two-year-old
battle over the IDEA law was a deeply personal crusade that
made use of his education, experience, philosophy, Catholic
faith and fatherhood.
The law was first enacted in 1975 to guarantee disabled
students equal access to public schools, no matter how
profound their afflictions.
Over the past 20 years, the number of students classified
as disabled has soared to 12.4% of the public-school
population of 44.7 million, including those with behavioral
and emotional problems. About 70% of them are taught in
regular classrooms, alongside non-disabled kids.
The costs are high: more than $32 billion, only $4 billion
of which comes from the federal government.
Since taking control of Congress in 1995, Republicans had
tried to change the law, motivated partly by anecdotes about
students with disabilities causing harm to others. One
teacher in West Virginia wound up in an emergency room;
another in North Carolina broke an arm.
But during the 104th Congress, a deal proved elusive. Not
even Bob Dole, a disability-rights advocate and master deal-
maker, could do it. On his final day as Senate GOP leader
before resigning to run for president last June, Dole
implored his colleagues to pass an IDEA bill.
``Some issues transcend politics, foster a bipartisan
spirit and result in legislation that makes a real and
lasting difference,'' Dole said on the Senate floor.
``Disability has always been one of those issues.'' But not
in 1996.
Enter David Hoppe. Already one of the busiest staffers on
Capitol Hill as Lott's top deputy, he saw the chance to break
the logjam over a law that will guide his son's education
into the next century and ``give kids born 20 years from now
even more opportunities than Greg has.''
Hoppe came with a rare advantage: knowledge of how to write
laws, drawn from 21 years on Capitol Hill, and knowledge of
how to help the disabled, drawn from nearly seven years as
Gregory's dad.
``I was uniquely placed. I was a conservative, and I had a
child with a disability,'' he says. ``I looked at everything
. . . through a parent's eye: `Let's put Greg in this
situation.' ''
That was easy. In many cases, Gregory already had been
there.
``I was at the meeting where Gregory was given his label,''
Hoppe recalls, with a rare, small show of emotion. That was
in 1995,
[[Page S1773]]
when Gregory was 4 and aging out of preschool. He was labeled
``MR,'' for mild retardation. His father, who knew it was
coming, still took the official designation hard. ``This is a
landmark,'' he says, ``and I knew it was.''
Hoppe's familiarity with the world of the disabled helped
turn theoretical debates into practical ones.
``He made people think about the long-term and child-
specific implications of the policies,'' says Katherine Beh
Neas, senior government relations specialist at the National
Easter Seals Society.
Occasionally during the closed-door negotiations and open
town meetings he organized, Hoppe would mention the
bureaucratic hoops he and Karen had to jump through to get
services for their son. Several times, he interrupted
meetings to take calls from his family--at least once from
Gregory, who wondered when Dad was coming home.
``The perspective of a parent (with a disabled child) would
have been completely missing'' without Hoppe, says Rep.
Matthew Martinez, D-Calif.
Adds Bruce Hunter, director of public affairs for the
American Association of School Administrators: ``Nobody could
say to him the way they could say to other Republicans, `Oh,
you guys just don't care.'''
understanding differing perspectives
What Hoppe found as he waded into the legislative thicket
were school administrators who feared soaring costs,
educators who feared for their safety and advocates for the
disabled who feared losing hard-won rights. ``It was fairly
obvious how emotionally charged the issue was,'' he says.
``You're dealing with vulnerable people.''
The flash point was discipline. Teachers, principals and
school administrators wanted more flexibility to punish
disabled students in much the same way they did others, even
if it meant segregating them or stopping their education.
Advocates for the disabled refused to go along.
Hoppe did not play the Gregory card to sway the
negotiations.
``I'm sure that everybody in that room knew that David had
a disabled kid,'' says Judith Heumann, the Education
Department's assistant secretary of special education and
rehabilitative services. ``But he didn't wear it on his
sleeve.''
Where he wore it was on his computer. When other parents of
disabled children first came to Lott's office last fall to
voice their concerns, they had no idea of his personal
interest. Then they noticed the image of Gregory on his
computer screen.
``I looked over and saw on the screen his little one,''
recounts Madeleine Will, mother of a 25-year-old son with
Down syndrome and a disability activist. She figured she was
imagining things. ``I thought, I'm overtired here and
distraught, but . . . I'm seeing the face of a child with
Down syndrome on that computer.''
Despite his advocacy on behalf of Gregory's interests,
Hoppe never forgot the interests of his other children.
Katie, 16, and Geoff, 13, attend public schools in Virginia
and know well the other side of the disability coin, when
students with behavioral problems disrupt classes or won't
leave them alone. They think disabled students should be
disciplined--but not blamed for all that goes wrong.
``I just don't see the point of people complaining that all
disabilities ruin class,'' says Geoff. Adds Katie: ``The more
we integrate these kids, the more accepting and understanding
people will become with them.''
Out of this stew of colliding interests emerges David
Hoppe's philosophy: ``I believe in limited government,'' he
says. ``But I think government is there to protect rights and
opportunities.''
The IDEA law attempts to do that. The overhaul makes it
easier for schools to discipline disabled students, but
doesn't let states cut off their education. The law also
upgrades teacher training, gives parents a greater role and
improves planning and mediation.
Everyone had to compromise.
``We kind of held our noses and supported it,'' says Sally
McConnell of the National Association of Elementary School
Principals, which wanted the measure to go farther. But, she
adds, ``Emotions run high on this issue, and I think he did a
really good job.''
Ironically, Gregory won't use all his rights. Despite the
law's goal of educating disabled children in the least
restrictive setting, the Hoppes aren't seeking full inclusion
just yet.
Beginning this fall, Gregory will be in a self-contained
first-grade class for academic subjects with other mildly
retarded kids. He will be mainstreamed a half-hour each
morning and also for art, music and gym. Demanding inclusion
when it might not be best for their child isn't what the law
intends, they say.
Their hopes for Gregory are high. ``I want him to be able
to live by himself, to have a job that he likes, to be able
to go to that job by himself, to sit and have conversations
with people who work where he works . . . to have him
involved with his church,'' Hoppe says. ``My big dreams for
him are things that seem very normal.''
But his value won't be defined by his achievements. Says
Karen Hoppe: ``Greg is a worthwhile individual right now,
just the way he is.''
Celebrating a success story
Gregory Hoppe was heard about but not seen until the Senate
voted 98-1 on May 14 to send the bill to President Clinton.
Then it was time for this coming-out party.
From his vantage point in the vice president's office off
the Senate floor while the votes were being cast, Thomas
Hehir, director of the federal Office of Special Education
Programs, looked outside and saw a child with Down syndrome
walking into the Capitol with his mother.
Only after the vote, when Hehir joined a celebration in
Hoppe's office featuring chocolate-chip cookies made by Karen
and Gregory, did he figure out who that special child was.
``To me, it was kind of symbolic,'' Hehir recalls thinking
at the time.
Three weeks later, the Hoppe family was in the audience on
the White House's South Lawn to watch President Clinton sign
the bill into law.
At Secretary of Education Richard Riley's suggestion,
Clinton invited Hoppe up to the front; he brought Gregory.
Photographs show the two of them just behind Clinton, amid
the usual assortment of politicians. ``Staffers never get in
those kinds of photographs,'' marvels Erik Smulson, an aide
to Sen. James Jeffords, R-Vt., who worked on the new law.
In this case, however, even the lawmakers say it was
justified. ``He was the hero of the ultimate passage of the
bill,'' says Sen. William Frist, R-Tenn. ``He was uniquely
placed, uniquely committed.''
Hoppe sums it up as a dad: ``I think I did something good
for Greg.''
Laws get passed when the politics is personal
Major changes in policy have come about because lawmakers
were affected personally.
Take the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, among the
most far-reaching civil rights laws. Former congressman Tony
Coelho, a California Democrat, says it was easy to win
converts.
``I didn't have any trouble,'' recalls Coelho, whose
epilepsy made him a leading advocate. People ``were already
on board because of personal experiences.''
The same was true last year when three senators with family
stories of mental illness--Pete Domenici, R-N.M., Alan
Simpson, R-Wyo., and Paul Wellstone, D-Minn.--tried to
improve mental health insurance coverage.
The personal touch can be key in turning legislation into
law, personal cause into public crusade:
Vice President Gore has used his sister's death from lung
cancer to push for tobacco regulation.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., whose sister is mentally
retarded and whose son lost a leg to cancer, has been a
leader in health and disability issues.
Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, voted against increasing highway
speed limits after his 22-year-old daughter died in a car
crash.
Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., sponsored an alcohol labeling
bill after losing his daughter, 22, to a drunk driver.
``All of us are touched by different circumstances.'' says
Kennedy. ``It heightens your sensitivity and your awareness
of the issue and how it impacts people.''
Mr. McCONNELL. We will miss Dave Hoppe. Senators come and go. Members
of the staff come and go. Frankly, about most of us, I expect it will
be said we did not in the end have footprints that lasted very long.
But having watched Dave Hoppe and his extraordinary accomplishments
over the years I have known him, I would say he has made an enormous
difference in the life of the Senate and in the life of our Nation.
So, Dave, we wish you well and hope we continue to see you in the
future in whatever capacity you may choose to serve. You are the best,
the most kind, decent, honorable person many of us ever had the chance
to meet.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would like to say thank you to the
distinguished assistant majority leader for his comments about my good
friend and our loyal servant over so many years, both in the House and
in the Senate, in the person of Dave Hoppe. The Senator from Kentucky
has had a chance to watch him in our leadership meetings, to hear him
and work with him, and get to know him as a human being. He is quite a
guy.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record
a resume of Dave Hoppe's accomplishments. It is a very interesting
record of not only achievement, but sacrifice for his country as well.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
John David Hoppe
Professional experience: Chief of Staff Senate Republican
Leader, Trent Lott (R-MS) June 2001-Present; Chief of Staff
Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott (R-MS) June 1996-2001;
Staff Director Senate Majority Whip, Trent Lott (R-MS)
January 1995-June 1996;
[[Page S1774]]
Staff Director Republican Conference Secretary, Trent Lott
(R-MS); January 1993-December 1994; Administrative Assistant,
Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) January 1989-December 1992; Vice
President, Government Relations, Heritage Foundation,
September 1988-December 1988; Administrative Assistant,
Honorable Jack Kemp, October 1984-June 1987; Administrative
Assistant, House Republican Whit, Trent Lott (R-MS) January
1981-October 1984; Republican Platform Committee Assistant to
Chairman Trent Lott, January 1984-August 1984; Executive
Director, House Republican Research Committee, January 1979-
December 1980; Republican Platform Committee Assistant to
Vice Chairman Trent Lott, January 1980-July 1980; Consultant,
Hoppe & Associates (political research firm specializing in
tax issues), September 1978-November 1978; Contracted by
National Republican Congressional Committee to provide
special tax research package to over 50-targeted candidates;
and Energy & Environmental Specialist, House Republican Study
Committee, January 1976-August 1978.
Education: The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies, Washington, DC (1973-1976)--Masters
degree, International Relations (May 1976); The Bologna
Center, the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International
Studies, Bologna, Italy (1973-1974)--Certificate; University
of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana (1969-1973)--BA.,
Government, Cum Laude (Concentration in International
Relations); and University Laval, Quebec City, Canada (July-
August 1975)--Masters course work for foreign language
requirement.
Mr. LOTT. Also, I want to call attention to a 1997 USA Today article
on Dave Hoppe which correctly called Dave the critical architect behind
getting the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in
Education (IDEA) Act passed in 1997. The article recounts how much that
act meant personally to Dave and his family, and particularly to his
youngest son, who will benefit from this law in large part because he
was also an inspiration for it. Gregory Hoppe is a special person, and
the USA Today article, which Senator McConnell has already asked to be
printed into the Record, recounts Gregory and Dave's and their family's
remarkable story.
First, let me just comment on some interesting facts about Dave.
While Dave Hoppe has worked for me off and on for over 27 years in the
House and the Senate, he is not from Mississippi as you might expect.
No, he is from Baraboo, WI, which happens to be the birthplace of the
Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus and we have never let Dave
forget that over the years.
He is a graduate of Notre Dame, class of 1973, which has made for
some interesting kidding over the years about athletics, football,
basketball, and bragging rights. But that is just the beginning of his
impressive resume. He went on to study at the Johns Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies and received a master's degree in
International Relations. As part of the Johns Hopkins Program in
Advanced International Studies Dave spent the better part of a year in
Italy. He also did foreign language coursework in Quebec City, Canada,
under the auspices of the University of Laval.
Over his almost three decades in Washington, Dave has served several
different Congressmen, Senators, and organizations, going way back to
when he first came to Washington. From 1976 to 1978 he worked for the
Republican Study Committee in the House of Representatives. He
actually, for a while, had his own firm doing political research called
Hoppe & Associates. Then he started his public service career in
Washington that has covered an amazing number of professional
experiences.
He returned to Capitol Hill in 1979 as the executive director of the
House Republican Research Committee. Later he moved up to be
administrative assistant to the Republican whip in the House when I had
the pleasure of serving in that position. He also worked for me as the
director of the Republican Platform Committee efforts in 1984 when I
was chairman of the Platform Committee. In 1984 he went to work in the
office of Congressman Jack Kemp as the chief of staff and of course was
involved in his Presidential campaign in 1988. Dave then joined the
Heritage Foundation where he served as a vice president. And then went
to work in the Senate as the chief of staff for Senator Dan Coats of
Indiana. In 1994, I was able to tempt him away from Senator Coats to
work for me again as the chief of staff in my position as the Senate
majority whip, then as the majority leader, and finally as the
Republican leader.
In all, this outstanding individual and person has devoted 27 years
to Congress and the American people.
Now, admittedly with some degree of trepidation I suspect, Dave is
going out into the private sector--the real world--to provide for his
two oldest children who are presently attending Notre Dame and for
Gregory who I mentioned earlier. Anyone would be a little anxious about
not knowing exactly what their new role will entail--and after the
financial sacrifices over 27 years he probably will not know what to do
with the extra money he will be earning in the private sector.
But I predict, as in everything else in his life, Dave will be more
than successful, he will be superb at whatever endeavor he takes up
next.
Far too often here, Senators take long, deep bows for our great
public policy achievements and forget all the people who helped us get
to that point: Our wives--in the case of Dave Hoppe, a wonderful lady
named Karen--our families and mothers and fathers who helped raise us;
our constituents who put us on their shoulders and turned an ugly frog
into a prince; the elevator operators, the pages, the floor staff; and
our personal staffs who work long and hard, helping write the speeches,
helping draft the amendments, helping us regain our composure when we
get a little out of control. Then, when they do move on, we forget to
say just a simple thank you and to remind them that they made a
difference in the course of history and in the course of America--in
many cases, just as surely as any Senator ever did.
Dave Hoppe certainly can rest assured that he has made a great
difference in this Government, in the Congress, the House, the Senate,
in politics, in the study of government, and in America. But the best
thing about Dave Hoppe is he believes strongly in his principles, his
ideals, and his faith--in fact, that is how he met his wife Karen. They
were carpooling, and as they were going to work, they found they shared
a lot of common values and views of government and life. Three weeks
later, they were engaged, and then married, and have had three
wonderful children over the years.
So, yes, the best thing about Dave Hoppe is not his educational
background, not his expertise, not his knowledge of the Senate, not all
the things he has worked on--the best thing about Dave is the kind of
human being he is. He is a man who cares deeply about his family and
his country, and he has sacrificed mightily to help make a difference
for his family and for the people of America.
I just wanted to take a few minutes, as Dave enters his last day or
two in the Senate, to express my appreciation for his dedicated service
and for all he has done, and to wish him great success in the future.
But especially, I thank Karen and Katie, Geoffrey, and Gregory for
sharing him with me and the country, and for the work they have done to
help their father do the tireless work Dave has done in turn to make
this nation a better place for all of us. I am delighted to have had an
opportunity to ensure his efforts over the past three decades are
properly recognized before he turns this page and enters the next
chapter of his life.
Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. LOTT. I will be glad to yield to Senator Reid.
Mr. REID. I was in my office and heard the Senator begin his remarks.
I came here as quickly as I could to tell Senator Lott, the
distinguished Senator from Mississippi, what a tremendous person Dave
Hoppe is and has been.
I believe in making deals. I say that in a positive sense.
Legislation is the art of compromise. You have to build a consensus and
make deals. That is not a negative term. And David Hoppe was wonderful
to work with.
I say to the Senator from Mississippi, for the things we were able to
accomplish in the Senate, we always had to go to Dave Hoppe. He was the
go-to guy. I say to the Senator from Mississippi, he had really good
judgment and showed a lot of wisdom by hiring Dave Hoppe. He not only
served the people of the State of Mississippi and this institution but
the country.
I commend the Senator from Mississippi for coming to the floor and
acknowledging another fine public servant. Washington has a lot of
people
[[Page S1775]]
who do good work. But Dave Hoppe is one who does work that is at the
top of the list.
Mr. LOTT. I thank the Senator from Nevada for his comments. He is
right. At those countless meetings we had in the back of the Chamber,
the center aisle, the cloakroom, or in our offices, Dave Hoppe was
always there, committed to his philosophy and principles, but always
equally committed to getting results for the Senate and for the nation.
I yield the floor.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, others have spoken of their impressions and
reflections on Dave Hoppe today, and I would like to take a moment to
add my thoughts.
While our constituents rely on us as their voice and advocate here in
Washington, we rely on our staff to be our voice and advocate. Under
our guidance our staff investigate and learn about the many issues that
confront us; they work with a wide variety of people in all branches of
the government; they give us their best counsel and advice; and they
help us perform a myriad of tasks that are vital to ensuring the
institution of the Senate works well and effectively, and that we give
our best on behalf of the people we serve. Our staffs amplify our work
with our colleagues, our counterparts in the House, the executive
branch, and our constituents.
For over a decade now, Dave has worked for all Senate Republicans in
a variety of positions, in our conference secretary's office, the
majority whip's office, and, for the past 6 years, as chief of staff in
the Republican leader's office. This specialized role isn't for the
faint of heart, and requires a unique blend of skills and attributes.
Dave's commitment, dedication, and hard work have generated quiet
appreciation and deep respect from many different Members in the Senate
and House over the years. His ability to faithfully and tirelessly
represent our shared Republican ideas and ideals, working with all
members of our conference to knit them together, is impressive. From
the most major issues of war or impeachment, to the most mundane of
haggling out unanimous consent agreements, his involvement and advice
and leadership on countless issues over his tenure has served all of us
well.
While unflinching in his core beliefs and principles, his willingness
to work with the Democratic counterparts is also noteworthy, for in the
Senate, so often it is partnership, not partisanship, that ensures we
make progress on behalf of the American people. For example, across the
aisle, across the rotunda, and across various ideologies, he took a
major leadership role in improving one of the flagship Federal programs
for disable children. With round-the-clock work, good humor, and grace,
he spearheaded a nearly unanimous Congress to make a program with
worthy goals much more effective and consequential in the lives of
parents and children around the country.
Through all challenges and controversies, though, what strikes me as
admirable about Dave is his deep and authentic humility. Informed by
his faith and essential humanity, Dave has never expressed a sense of
entitlement or arrogance. He has never sought a limelight. He is quick
to share credit, and always willing to take responsibility. Throughout
his 27 years on Capital Hill, over and over again, his example his
inspired not just fellow staffers, but House and Senate Members as
well.
We have all profited from Dave's work here in Congress. His public
service is in the finest tradition expected by our Founding Fathers.
The Senate is a better place for his time here, and I wish him and his
family well as he moves to new opportunities.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I wanted to take a moment to pay my
respects to Dave Hoppe, whose last day in the Senate is today. Dave has
been a friend and counselor to many of us in the Senate, and we will
miss him.
It would be fair to say that Dave Hoppe has been the consummate
Senate staffer. While a strong partisan, he has always been fair. He is
decent. He is respectful and considerate of everyone with whom he comes
in contact, and of the institution as a whole. He understands and
practices the comity that is invaluable in the Senate.
When I look back on the service of Dave Hoppe, I see him as the still
center of the maelstrom. While the chaos that is, on occasion, the
Senate swirled and howled around him, he was calm; his voice never
hurried, never rose. His counsel was sound, very sound; sometimes
tinged with humor, good humor; never malicious or mean spirited. Always
timely, always mindful of the institution, always aware of the
possibilities and the consequences of its actions.
David knows that the Senate, immutable as it is, will go on even
though he is no longer a part of its daily operations. However, those
of us who have worked with him, and will continue to work with him,
know the imprint he has left on the institution, the national policies
he has helped shape, and the example he has set for all in the Senate
to follow.
I join my colleagues in recognizing Dave Hoppe for his achievements
and contributions to the Senate, and sending my best wishes to him and
his family as they begin the next chapter of a remarkable life.
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I have had the good fortune of knowing and
working with Dave Hoppe for the last 9 years. He has been a vital part
of this institution and he will be sorely missed. I first had the
opportunity to know him as chief of staff for Senator Dan Coats.
Senator Coats unfortunately lost Dave when Dave moved over to be chief
of staff for Senator Lott's Republican conference secretary's office,
then his majority whip office and then his majority leader's office.
I had the opportunity to work closely with Dave on an issue that we
both feel passionately about: special education. After 2 years of
failed negotiations, Dave Hoppe almost single-handedly managed to get
this critical legislation authorized. The manner in which Dave
approached this reauthorization and his ultimate success provides a
wonderful example on why Dave was so successful in the Senate. He
managed to bring Republicans and Democrats together by working in a
straightforward, open, and honest manner which allowed Members to feel
confident that their concerns were being thoroughly considered. Dave
has served in both the majority and the minority--always representing
his boss effectively, while also working to ensure that the Senate
accomplished its work.
Dave is esteemed in the Senate for more than the passion and
principles he brought to bear on issues. He is respected first and
foremost for his character as a person and as a leader.
This is an institution that is built on trust. Dave is a person whose
word is his bond. He has been so effective as the leader's chief of
staff for precisely that reason. Members on both sides of the aisle
always knew they could depend on the promises that he gave and relied
on his word without reservation.
It is also remarkable that he wielded such enormous influence without
any trace of pretension or pride. He was accessible to members and
staff alike, serving with grace, good humor and sound counsel.
I will personally miss Dave. He ranks among those men and women of
honor who have shaped the best qualities of the Senate. He made it a
better institution through his service and his character, and we owe
him our gratitude.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I may speak
for up to 20 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________