[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S3121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RETIREMENT OF JIM SOURWINE
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, this is a statement I wish I did not have
to make. Jim Sourwine, who has almost 40 years of Federal service,
including more than 30 on the staff of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, will retire this month. He not only served the committee but
the entire Senate as a professional staff member. And when I say
``professional,'' I really mean it with Jim. Always courteous, always
helpful, he is an appropriator's appropriator. He worked for
Republicans and he worked for Democrats, with equal diligence. He
treated every Senator with respect, and we respected him as well.
Mr. SPECTER. I don't know if the Senator from Iowa knows this, but
Jim Sourwine has served almost 100 different members of the
Appropriations Committee during his time in the Senate. Imagine each of
the desks in this Chamber filled with U.S. Senators, and you will have
a sense of the number of committee members Jim served.
Mr. HARKIN. And we all benefited from that service. He understands
the appropriations process better than anyone. New staff could always
look to Jim for institutional knowledge, and count on him to be a
patient teacher of many on both substantive issues an the
appropriations process.
The Senate depended on this expertise. Jim is a master craftsman, the
person we relied on to compile all the spending figures and technical
language and mould it into an appropriations bill. Whether it was
drafting an amendment to the budget resolution; finding a creative
offset to meet an important priority; or organizing and staffing a
hearing on an important labor issue, such as those that we held on the
overtime regulation, Jim Sourwine was the staffer we wanted and needed
by our side.
Mr. SPECTER. Jim came to the Senate in 1972 when he was first
detailed to the committee from the Department of Labor. He found his
place quickly and began responding to what were known as
``Harleygrams''--daily instructions from Harley Dirks, who was Senator
Magnuson's clerk of the Labor, HEW and Related Agencies Subcommittee,
as it was called then.
After Senator Magnuson, Jim served under Senator Schmitt in the 97th
Congress, and then Senator Weicker and Senator Chiles. Since the 101st
Congress, the Senator from Iowa and I have exchanged the gavel on
several occasions. I never miss a chance to mention that I always
prefer to have the gavel in my hand. On this occasion, I should also
say that I prefer to have Jim Sourwine's services on staff as well.
Mr. HARKIN. Jim is the undisputed master at identifying creative
solutions to funding problems. However, we can never forget that the
work he did to support this institution ultimately benefited the
American people, through increased educational and job training
opportunities, greater protections for the Nation's workers or more
affordable and improved health care.
For example, when Jim came to the committee, title I education grants
were funded at $1.6 billion; this year's level is $12.8 billion. Think
of the millions of disadvantaged students who have benefited over the
years from this funding. In 1972, Congress created the basic
educational opportunity grant to provide grant aid that would help low-
income students earn a postsecondary education. The grant program, now
known as Pell grants, provides a maximum award of $4,310 to more than 5
million low- and middle-income students. Millions of students have been
able to earn a postsecondary education because of the extra assistance
they were provided. Jim should feel proud of the role he has played in
each of these programs and so much more.
Mr. SPECTER. I would like to add several other accomplishments of
Congress for which Jim should feel a great sense of pride. In 2002,
Congress completed a doubling of the NIH budget over a 5-year period.
Jim's thorough knowledge of the bill and the budget was instrumental in
securing the doubling. If there was a way to write bill language that
would save money or change a date to free up some cash, Jim knew how to
do it.
When Jim started working at the Department of Labor in 1967, the Job
Corps program was in its infancy, just 3 years old. Today, it is a $1.6
billion enterprise widely touted for its performance standards and
student outcomes, helping more than 60,000 youths each year. After the
Quecreek coal mine accident, I held a hearing in Pennsylvania to look
into the mine safety issues related to that situation. We have held two
mine safety hearings since the Sago and Alma disasters in early 2006.
Jim organized and staffed those hearings. What's more, he helped craft
legislation that I introduced last year which contributed to the
development of the MINER Act. This act passed last year and is now the
law of the land. It is the most significant piece of mine safety
legislation passed in more than 30 years and its effective implantation
will save lives. Jim should feel very good about the work he did to
support that legislation, as well as other worker protection programs.
I believe the Senator from Iowa and I could go on for some time on
all that Jim Sourwine has meant to the Senate Appropriations Committee,
the Senate and the American people. For me, I want him to remember
always what the long hours have done for so many. Jim, best wishes to
you on your retirement. You will be missed.
Mr. HARKIN. Jim, I understand that the round-the-clock hours and
weekend work have made it difficult to catch up on some projects around
the house and get on the golf course. While you might prefer one over
the other, I hope you know that your long and distinguished service to
the Senate has more than earned for you the right to do just that or
nothing at all. I will miss you and your sage counsel. The Senate will
miss you. I wish you all the best on your retirement and thank you for
your service.
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