[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 58 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4520-S4521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DAVID WILLIAMS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the Kentucky 
Senate President, David Williams. He is a master legislator, a fighter 
for the people of Kentucky, and a true friend.
  David has served the people of the 16th Senate District since 1987, 
and has served as Senate President since 2000. In his leadership 
position, he is one of the dominant figures in Kentucky politics. David 
and I have worked together on many issues important to the Commonwealth 
over the years, and I have always been impressed by his knowledge, 
ability, and talent to persuade others. David defends his ideas and his 
principles well, and as a result has positively influenced much of the 
legislation that comes out of the state capital.
  Every Kentuckian benefits from having David Williams as Senate 
President. This year, the Kentucky State

[[Page S4521]]

Senate had a productive and beneficial session under his helm. I ask 
unanimous consent to print in the Record an article that appeared in 
the Lexington Herald-Leader on May 8, 2006, that details his recent 
accomplishments. I ask my fellow Senators to join me in thanking David 
Williams for his service to the people of Kentucky.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    Power Politics Has A New Captain

                            (By Ryan Alessi)

       Frankfort.--For better or for worse, this was Senate 
     President David Williams' General Assembly session.
       Williams, the commanding and strategic-minded Republican 
     from Burkesville, has gradually established himself as the 
     dominant personality in the legislature since taking the helm 
     of the upper chamber six years ago.
       But during this year's session, which wrapped up last 
     month, Williams played multiple starring roles.
       He was the deal maker--adding more money in the budget for 
     the University of Kentucky and ensuring that one of Gov. 
     Ernie Fletcher's priorities, the addition of two school days, 
     was approved.
       He was a facilitator. Just when most everyone thought a 
     seat-belt enforcement bill was dead, Williams tacked the 
     measure--another key priority of Fletcher--on to less 
     controversial legislation, which eventually passed.
       And early in the session, Democrats praised him for 
     allowing bipartisan proposals relating to mine safety and a 
     ban on protests at military funerals.
       He also was a lightning rod for criticism, notably the 
     controversy over the University of the Cumberlands.
       It was Williams who inserted $10 million into the budget 
     for construction of a pharmacy school on the campus of the 
     Baptist-run university in Williamsburg, which is in his 
     Senate district. Another $1 million would go to scholarships 
     at the pharmacy school.
       The revelation about public funds going to a private 
     university sparked some outcries, particularly after the 
     school expelled a student for announcing on a Web site that 
     he is gay. Williams has defended the funding.
       And an ongoing rhetorical feud between Williams and Supreme 
     Court Chief Justice Joseph Lambert provided an interesting 
     sidebar to the legislature's work, as Williams sparked 
     debates about separation of powers between the legislative 
     and judicial branches.
       Throughout the 60-day session, all roads seemed to lead 
     through Williams.
       ``They led through me or over me?'' joked Williams, who at 
     times comes off as affable and self-deprecating, and at 
     others as defiant and argumentative.
       He acknowledged that he tried to approach 2006 differently 
     than recent sessions that digressed into bickering and 
     stalemate among the legislative leaders over key issues--
     especially the budget.
       ``I felt like in the past, I had been drawn into a few 
     confrontations that I shouldn't have gotten into. I don't 
     think it was constructive to the institution,'' Williams 
     said.
       That's not to say he remained above the fray.
       The last week of the session was a particularly grueling 
     test of Williams' restraint. Lawmakers were trying to 
     finalize details of the budget while scrambling to pass the 
     last batch of other bills, including a proposal to lessen the 
     tax burden on certain small businesses.
       As Williams attempted to ram through the Senate's version 
     of that tax-relief plan, Democratic Sen. Tim Shaughnessy 
     vehemently objected, at one point declaring: ``I don't trust 
     you guys.''
       So Williams switched off Shaughnessy's microphone.
       In the end, negotiations between Senate Republicans and 
     House Democrats crumbled on the small-business tax issue--one 
     of a handful of key priorities pegged by both parties that 
     failed.
       But the main goal--passing the state's two-year, $18.1 
     billion spending plan--was achieved. And negotiations between 
     House Democratic and Senate Republican leaders again proved 
     to be a stage for Williams.
       For instance, House Democrats first included $17.5 million 
     in their budget draft to repair a dam on the Kentucky River.
       The Senate stripped that funding in its version.
       During later closed-door negotiations between the two 
     chambers' leaders, Williams was the first to emerge to tell 
     reporters that they had restored the funds and allowed the 
     Kentucky River Authority to use $33 million in additional fee 
     money to fix more dams.
       Senate Republicans often gain the upper hand during such 
     budget negotiations because Williams and Majority Floor 
     Leader Dan Kelly of Springfield usually convey a united 
     front, lawmakers say.
       Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, a Lexington Democrat, said that's 
     because Williams ``controls the party caucus.''
       But Williams noted that it's easier for Senate Republicans 
     to get on the same page because there's just 21 of them, 
     compared to 56 House Democrats.
       ``It would appear to me that the Democratic negotiators 
     generally do not have a unified plan or plan of action. There 
     are about five or six strong personalities,'' he said. ``They 
     don't seem to come to a consensus before they come to the 
     table.''
       Others say that the Senate Republican leaders have a knack 
     for putting their own stamp on just about every key bill.
       ``David and Sen. Kelly are the driving force behind all the 
     legislation that comes out, no matter where it originates,'' 
     said Rep. Stan Lee, a Lexington Republican.
       As a result, many legislators have dubbed Williams the most 
     powerful man in Frankfort, with more effect than even the 
     governor.
       ``David knows what he wants and goes out and gets it. I 
     don't think the governor knows exactly what he wants, and 
     certainly doesn't know how to get it,'' said Scorsone. 
     ``Fletcher's future, in terms of legislative success, is very 
     much in the hands of David Williams.''
       The governor's staff disagreed, saying Fletcher has stood 
     on his own.
       ``Governor Fletcher's record of accomplishments speaks for 
     itself. His style is to build consensus and find areas of 
     common ground with members of the assembly,'' said chief of 
     staff Stan Cave in a statement.
       Williams, who has said he supports Fletcher's re-election 
     bid in '07, is deferential, noting that Fletcher missed a 
     month of the session battling complications from a gallstone 
     and pancreatitis.
       ``It's hard to compare management styles,'' he said. 
     ``Obviously the governor, because of his illness, was not 
     around a lot at crucial times.''
       Williams, meanwhile, rarely missed a cue at those critical 
     points.
       ``I feel I had the most productive session I've ever had,'' 
     he said.

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