[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11462-S11465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING SENATORIAL SERVICE
Bill Frist
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that today I
honor our distinguished majority leader, Senator Bill Frist. After
serving with Bill for the last 12 years, I have come to know that he is
a fine leader, an accomplished physician and a wonderful person. He is
a man of compassion and conviction who has served our Country and this
body well.
It is only fitting that the majority leader of the U.S. Senate be a
person who has dedicated his life to serving others.
We all know of Bill's remarkable service to people around the world
as a transplant surgeon for over 20 years. We have applauded him on
several occasions as he has embarked on pilgrimages to help bring
needed medical expertise to impoverished countries. We have seen him
fight to secure over $15 billion in Federal funding to fight the spread
of HIV/AIDS in Africa. We have marveled at his dedication to serving
the people of Tennessee. And time and again, we have witnessed him here
on the floor of the U.S. Senate in the middle of the night conducting
the people's business and ensuring the legacy of the Senate continues
in the most professional manner.
I hope everyone understands what a sacrifice it is to take on
leadership duties here in Washington. The Federal Government never
sleeps. When elected representatives come to Washington, they bring
with them the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of each one of their
constituents. Those who take this responsibility seriously spend every
waking moment addressing concerns and working for the people they
represent. That is quite a responsibility to bear. When you add to that
responsibility the duties of being a leader and looking out for the
interests of those you lead, the duties are immense and the sleepless
nights really start to mount. I, for one, am grateful for Bill's
exemplary service and willingness to spend his life looking out for the
interests of others.
Over the last 4 years, as Bill has been majority leader, I have had
several occasions to seek him out and ask for his advice and counsel.
In every instance, he has made himself available. There have been times
when I have been working on issues of great importance to the citizens
of Utah until 1, 2, or even 3 in the morning and, even though the items
we were working on did not impact Bill or his constituents, he and his
staff were gracious enough to stay up and work with me. For that I am
grateful.
As a highly trained physician, Bill has changed the way the Senate
approaches health care policy. As a member of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Senate Finance
Committee, two committees with jurisdiction over health care issues,
Bill has used his insight and training to shape and move
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legislation which greatly improves the health of Americans and the
health care system in general. His skill as a physician has greatly
improved the knowledge of this body and has made the lives of countless
people better.
Tennessee's storied history of capable Senators is long and includes
such names as Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Howard Baker, and, my
good friend, Fred Thompson. These men represented the best of what
America has to offer, and Bill Frist has done much to add to this great
legacy. As majority leader, Bill has shepherded through some very
important legislation, including the Medicare prescription drug benefit
legislation, scores and scores of tax cut legislation for the American
people, legislation to reduce health care disparities among races,
legislation to make health care more affordable and accessible,
legislation to bolster America's defenses against bioterrorism,
legislation to reduce childhood obesity, legislation to prevent
childhood vaccine shortages, and legislation fighting drug abuse.
Bill's willingness to support Federal funding for stem cell research
this year made a huge difference in the national debate. I truly
appreciated Bill's support earlier this year to pass legislation that
would make more embryonic stem cell lines available for Federal
funding. Stem cell research is one of the most important issues we face
today. Stem cell research gives hope to millions of people who have
none. More than 100 million Americans suffer from heart disease,
cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and so
many other life-threatening and life-debilitating diseases. Thanks to
Bill's support, on July 18 of this year, the Senate passed H.R. 810,
the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, by a vote of 63 to 37. H.R. 810
would have allowed Federal funding for stem cell research using stem
cell lines derived under strict ethical requirements from excess in
vitro fertilization embryos, regardless of the date they were derived.
I am grateful to Bill for taking such a bold and courageous stand on
this issue for those suffering from these dreaded diseases and who will
be helped by this research.
In closing, Bill is a consummate family man who cherishes family and
the values family represents. He has been married to his wife Karyn for
22 years and, even as majority leader of the U.S. Senate, he has always
made time for his three sons: Harrison, Jonathan, and Bryan.
There is no doubt Bill will be successful in any endeavor he
undertakes as he leaves this great body. He has proven himself time and
again and there is no question in my mind, he will be successful in the
future.
Mr. President, I appreciate the efforts and service of our good
majority leader, Bill Frist. He is a great man, a great patriot, and a
great friend, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to commend our
colleague Mark Dayton, the Senator from Minnesota, for his
distinguished service in the Senate and for his commitment to helping
our country live up to its highest ideals at home and abroad.
Mark's life has been about service to others. Whether as a teacher in
the bowery of New York, a counselor to troubled teens in Boston, an
aide to our beloved Fritz Mondale, or State economic development leader
working to bring quality jobs to his constituents, or a Senator, Mark
Dayton has consistently answered the call of public service throughout
his long and outstanding career.
He has been a champion of the right to quality and affordable health
care for all Americans, and I know how frustrated he has often been by
our inability to make greater progress on this critical domestic issue.
Sadly, it will be harder to get there without him, but I am optimistic
that we will still be able to accomplish it, and I have no doubt that
Mark will continue with his commitment and compassion to help lead the
charge from outside the Senate.
As a Senator, he had an indispensable role in our effort to expand
the availability of prescription drugs. His heart went out to the
senior citizens in Minnesota whose only hope to afford the drugs they
desperately needed was to cross the border into Canada. Fortunately, in
its effort to build a legal fence to keep them out, the drug industry
more than met its match in Senator Mark Dayton. Even my constituents in
Massachusetts loved Mark, as they boarded buses from Boston to
Minnesota to catch the lifesaving bus to Canada and get their medicine.
Mark also has had the courage to stand against the administration
when it launched the tragic and misguided war in Iraq.
He never wavered in the Senate from what he believed was right, and
we will all miss the skill and eloquence, the decency, honor, and
generosity he brought to our Senate debates.
We regret very much that he won't be here with us in the debates
ahead, and we wish him well. Perhaps he will be able to make that
Arctic trek to the North Pole that he had to put on hold when he came
to the Senate 6 years ago. But I know that whatever new course he
chooses, he will continue to be a strong and vital voice in improving
the lives of others.
As Robert Kennedy said, ``Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or
acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he
sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a
million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a
current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and
resistance.''
Throughout his brilliant career, Mark Dayton has sent forth many
ripples of hope, and I'm certain he'll send forth many more in the
years ahead. We'll miss you, Mark.
Senator Dayton
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to a retiring
colleague, Senator Dayton of Minnesota.
Mark Dayton has made a career of public service, in the very best
sense of the term. After graduating from college, he taught public
school in New York City and served as a counselor to teenage runaways
before returning to Minnesota. For 20 years, he served in a variety of
positions in State government in Minnesota, from commissioner of
Economic Development to State auditor.
In the Senate, Mark Dayton has been an independent voice in the
tradition of our former colleague, Paul Wellstone. He eschewed
political expediency and instead relied on his conscience in making
important decisions. For example, he agonized over his vote on the Iraq
war, before ultimately deciding to join the small minority of Senators
who voted against it.
I have worked most closely with Mark on agriculture and other issues
affecting rural Americans. Trhoughout his Senate service, he has been a
strong and consistent voice on behalf of family farmers. He has helped
lead the fight for much needed disaster relief. He has opposed
misguided cuts to commodity and conservation programs. And he has been
a leader in calling for a significant expansion of ethanol and other
renewable fuels that can benefit our rural economies and reduce our
dependence on foreign oil.
Senator Dayton has also been a strong voice on behalf of our troops
and their families at home. He has called for better armor and
equipment. He has insisted on better care for veterans. And he
spearheaded efforts to ensure that soldiers on leave could get all the
way home to visit their loved ones rather than simply being dropped off
at remote cities and asked to pay last-minute air fares to get home.
Mark Dayton has insisted on integrity and honesty in every aspect of
his public life. He has been a true champion for Minnesota. Lucy and I
wish him well as he goes on to other ventures.
lincoln chafee
Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to Senator Lincoln Chafee.
Senator Chafee has served the people of Rhode Island well. He has
distinguished himself in a number of important policy areas, including
strengthening environmental protections and strengthening our national
security.
I most appreciated his efforts to promote fiscal responsibility.
Senator Chafee has been steadfastly committed to sound government
budget policies. While he supported easing tax burdens for families by
ending the marriage tax penalty and increasing the child tax credit, he
had the courage to oppose irresponsible, budget-busting measures that,
while politically popular, have resulted in huge fiscal deficits and an
unsustainable increase in the Federal debt.
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Senator Chafee has also been an unwavering supporter of reinstating
pay-as-you-go constraints on the Federal budget first implemented by
President Bush's father in 1990. Under those rules, any tax cut or
increase in Government spending must be accompanied by an equal
spending cut or revenue increase.
I also appreciated Senator Chafee's commitment to bipartisanship. He
understands that reaching across the aisle and working together more
often than not results in better decisions and better, longer lasting
policy solutions. His efforts were not always appreciated by those in
charge over the last couple of years. But those of us who worked
closely with him know his commitment is genuine and his word is good.
I was pleased to welcome Senator Chafee to the Senate in 1999 when he
was appointed to fill the seat of his late father. I had the pleasure
of working often with John Chafee. We were both members of the Senate
Finance Committee. I was not surprised to find that the son, like his
father, was tough but fair-minded and a man of strong principle.
Senator Chafee brought a unique set of skills to the Senate. A native
Rhode Islander, he earned a B.A. in classics from Brown University and
was captain of the wrestling team. Instead of following immediately in
his father's footsteps, however, he initially worked as a blacksmith at
harness race tracks in the United States and Canada and later in
manufacturing management. These experiences gave him a great deal of
respect for working people and helped him build a strong sense of
independence and plain old common sense.
It is also clear that Senator Chafee never forgets his other
important job. As a father of three school-aged children, he often
reminds his colleagues to consider the impact of our decisions on the
next generation. Whether he is working to preserve fragile wetlands in
his beloved home State, helping strengthen our homeland security, or
preventing massive debts from accruing, he talks often about our
responsibility to our children.
Senator Chafee has served the State of Rhode Island with integrity
and compassion. He will be missed.
conrad burns
Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge my colleague from Montana,
Senator Conrad Burns, who will be leaving this body after serving
Montanans for the past 18 years.
Since our States border one another, Senator Burns and I have had the
opportunity to work together on issues important to our region and the
Nation. Senator Burns has been a strong advocate for the interests of
his State.
In 2002, Senator Burns and I joined forces to create the Bipartisan
Task Force on Tribal Colleges and Universities. One of the goals we set
for the task force was to secure adequate resources on the Federal
level to support and grow these valuable institutions. Senator Burns,
as chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, was a strong
advocate in helping the task force achieve this goal. Under his
leadership, the tribal colleges received some of the largest increases
in Federal funding since their inception. This support has opened the
door of opportunity for thousands of American Indians.
During this past year, we have also worked together on agricultural
disaster assistance legislation. Because both of our States have a
strong agricultural sector in our economy, this issue is very important
to our constituents. The support he has given to agricultural disaster
legislation in both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the full
Senate has been important to our efforts, and I appreciate his strong
support.
Senator Burns was also a valuable member of the ICBM coalition.
During these past years, he and I have worked together to make sure our
Nation has a strong military deterrent to emerging world threats.
Since he arrived in Washington as a Senator only 2 years after I did,
we have watched the debates and policy discussions in this body
together for almost two decades now. During that time we have seen
economic ups and downs, a major change in international power
structure, and the new challenges we face after the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.
Again, Mr. President, I have appreciated the opportunity to work with
Senator Burns and wish him well as he leaves the Senate.
jim jeffords
Mr. President, today I would like to take a moment to recognize my
friend and colleague, Jim Jeffords, who after 32 years of distinguished
service in Congress is retiring to spend more time with his family.
Jim Jeffords' family roots in Vermont can be traced all the way back
to 1794. After attending public schools in Rutland, Jim received his
undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from
Harvard Law School. He served in the U.S. Navy and retired from the
U.S. Naval Reserve.
I have worked closely with Jim Jeffords for years on the Centrist
Coalition. He is a good friend and someone I could always trust. Jim
has always been independent-minded with a strong sense of integrity, a
real commitment to fiscal responsibility, an unparalleled dedication to
the environment, and a passion for improving education for our
children. During his time in Congress, Jim Jeffords left his mark on
some of the most important legislation this institution has passed,
including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Clean
Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the 2005 highway bill.
In 2001, Jim Jeffords made a historic and difficult decision to
switch his party affiliation to an Independent. He was never afraid to
make tough decisions, and this one was no exception. It took courage to
stand up against the rising tide, knowing that his decision would tip
the balance in the Senate and set us on a new course.
Jim Jeffords embodies what it means to be a good Senator--honesty, a
strong work ethic, courage, dedication, and being true to one's
convictions. He is also thoughtful, modest, and soft spoken. With these
character traits it is hard to believe that he has a black belt in tae
kwon do.
Jim Jeffords has been a true fighter for Vermont. His compassion and
conviction will be missed in the U.S. Senate. I wish Jim and his family
many happy years ahead.
mike dewine
Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute and recognize the
accomplishments of a colleague who will be leaving the Senate at the
end of this term. Senator Mike DeWine has represented Ohio in the
Senate for 12 years. During his tenure, he has been an important
advocate for the interests of the Buckeye State.
Senator DeWine will be remembered for his work on the Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and particu1arly his success
as chairman of the Subcommittee on Retirement Security and Aging. He
was a vital and constructive member of the conference committee on the
Pension Protection Act, and he illustrated what can be accomplished
when you are willing to work across party lines on a common goal.
I have also admired Senator DeWine's commitment to our Nation's
children and his efforts to stop teen drug and alcohol abuse, as well
as crack down on tobacco companies' marketing of their products to
children and teens. With unfailing courage, he took on those in his own
party and other special interests to protect our kids from harmful
tobacco products.
In addition, I believe he has set a good example for all of us in the
Senate in how to honor those from our States who have fallen in service
to our Nation. With deep admiration, I have listened to Senator DeWine
come to the floor and speak about the lives and families of Ohio
service men and women who have died in Iraq and other fields of battle.
It is clear that he understands and deeply respects the sacrifices made
by our troops and their families.
Mr. President, for these and many other reasons, I have been honored
to serve with Mike DeWine. I would like to join my colleagues in
wishing the Senator and his family the best in the future and in paying
tribute to his contributions to the Senate and our Nation. I wish him
well.
MIKE DeWINE
Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to one of our
esteemed colleagues, Mike DeWine of Ohio. It has been my special joy
and privilege to work closely with Senator DeWine for the last decade.
Since 1997,
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we have led the Antitrust Subcommittee, each taking our turns as
chairman and ranking member. Thanks to Mike's honesty, candor, and
cooperative nature, we have forged a productive bipartisan partnership
as we have worked to promote competition in many vital sectors of our
Nation's economy.
This productive, bipartisan working relationship has been a hallmark
of Senator DeWine's leadership of the Antitrust Subcommittee since he
assumed the chairmanship of the committee in 1997. From the beginning,
he reached out to me and established our tradition of setting our
agenda jointly, planning our hearings together, and even sponsoring
legislation and writing letters to the administration jointly. We
tackled together such thorny issues as encouraging competition in
telecommunications, health care, the oil and gas, and airline
industries, investigating dozens of important mergers ranging from AOL/
Time Warner to ATT/Bell South, and pursuing antitrust reform
legislation. While we have not always agreed on every issue that came
before our subcommittee although I am happy to say we agreed more often
than not--Mike DeWine and I always agreed that we should put
partisanship aside and accomplishing practical results for the American
people first.
On a personal note, our close working relationship has caused me to
come to know Mike DeWine very well. I have come learn that Mike is a
sober-minded, hard working, and caring person. In my career, I have
been privileged to know and work with a few distinguished Members of
this Chamber whom I can truly call statesmen, leaders, and friends.
Mike DeWine is one of them. He will be missed.
Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the great service
of retiring Senators Paul Sarbanes, Mark Dayton, and James Jeffords.
Senator Sarbanes' service in the Senate stretches back three decades.
First elected in 1977, he had previously served as a Congressman and
before that as a delegate in the Maryland State House. I have been so
grateful to the Senator for his advice and his work in this Chamber.
Senator Sarbanes is the son of immigrants from Laconia, Greece, and
he has often spoken about the pride that he has for his Greek heritage,
as well as the inspiration that he draws from it through his work in
the Senate. His parents instilled in him a reverence for the principles
of democracy and a respect for the values of opportunity and fairness.
He has championed these values throughout his life in public service,
passing important legislation to reform the accounting industry, the
2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, among many other legislative accomplishments.
I want to thank Senator Sarbanes and his dedicated staff for their
extensive and laudable work on the surface transportation
reauthorization bill and in particular for their tireless efforts to
ensure our Nation's transit systems are adequately funded. With so much
congestion on our roads it is critical that we continue to invest in
our trains, buses, ferries, and other modes of transportation to reduce
congestion and reduce travel times. Senator Sarbanes did this work in
his role as ranking member of the Banking Committee, and millions of
people everyday--especially in New York--who ride trains and buses to
and from work should be grateful that we had him on our side for so
many years.
I could stand here for a long time singing the praises and
accomplishments of Senator Sarbanes after a long and distinguished
career in the Senate. I will end by saying this: We will miss him and
he has left his mark on this great Chamber.
I will also express a fond farewell to Senator Dayton.
It has been an honor to serve on the Armed Services Committee with
Senator Dayton.
He has done a wonderful job for the people of Minnesota. In his time
in the Senate Senator Dayton worked hard to live up to the legend of
Senator Wellstone, to honor the values that Senator Wellstone
championed in this body.
One example: I was grateful to Senator Dayton for his support of the
Nontraditional Student Success Act, a piece of legislation to help more
people attend college while working and raising families--to open the
doors of opportunity wider for more and more Americans.
I am grateful to Mark Dayton for his work to honor his values, and I
know he leaves this body having made the people of Minnesota proud.
I will also say a few words about Senator Jeffords.
Senator Jeffords has ably represented Vermonters here in the Congress
for decades. In doing so, he has reflected the independent spirit of
Vermonters, and no more so than when he took the courageous step in
2001 to become an Independent and caucus with the Democrats.
Since that time, I have had the great pleasure of working with
Senator Jeffords on the Environment and Public Works Committee. His
tenure at that committee was a fitting capstone to his career, as he
has long been focused on environmental protection.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Senator Jeffords has
been a strong advocate of renewable energy. In many ways, he has been
ahead of his time. In 1990, he introduced a bill to promote ethanol and
other alternative fuels, and nearly 10 years ago he introduced
legislation to create a 20-percent renewable portfolio standard. During
his tenure first as chairman, and then as ranking member of the EPW
committee, he has been a strong and clear voice for a cleaner
environment.
He has been an ally and a champion of reducing pollution from
powerplants, fighting global warming, and making our buildings more
energy efficient. And he has worked hard to hold the administration to
task for numerous rollbacks of our landmark environmental laws. During
his tenure on the committee, Senator Jeffords has been ably assisted by
a staff led by Ken Connolly and Alison Taylor. I thank them and Senator
Jeffords' entire staff for their assistance to me and my staff.
Unfortunately, I could not attend the final EPW meeting this week,
but I understand that Senator Jeffords announced that he is returning
home to Vermont, and described home as ``the place you can go where
they have to take you in.''
I know that Vermont will welcome Senator Jeffords back with open
arms, and I know that he will always have a home away from home here in
the Senate.
Finally, I also wish the very best to my Republican colleagues who
will leave the Senate at the conclusion of this Congress. The Senate,
at its best, is a body that promotes bipartisanship, deliberation, and
cooperation, and the dedication to shared values. It has been a
privilege to work with my departing colleagues on the other side of the
aisle.
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