[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 44 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF SENATOR HOWARD METZENBAUM

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to 
an extraordinary person, former Senator Howard Metzenbaum.
  The Honorable Howard Metzenbaum was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He came 
from humble beginnings, ``his father scrapped to make a living, buying 
and selling second hand goods.'' He graduated from Glenville High 
School in Cleveland and later matriculated to Ohio State University 
where he earned both his bachelor degree and a Juris Doctor degree in 
1939 and 1941 respectively.
  Metzenbaum served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1943 to 
1947. He was subsequently elected to the Ohio Senate from 1947 to 1951. 
In addition to his dedication to public service, he also was a savvy 
astute businessman who would later become one of the Senate's 
wealthiest members. It has been noted that if he had not chosen a life 
of committed public service he would have easily become one of 
America's wealthiest businessmen. Metzenbaum said, ``I was born knowing 
how to make money,'' however he was guided by the saying, ``Is it more 
important to have $10 million than $9 million?''
  In 1974, when Senator William B. Saxbe from Ohio resigned from his 
seat to accept the nomination as U.S. attorney general, Governor Jack 
Gilligan appointed Metzenbaum to fill out the remainder of Saxbe's 
term. It was not until 1994 that Senator Metzenbaum retired after 19 
years of service in the United States Senate.
  While in the United States Senate Howard Metzenbaum was an 
instrumental member of the Senate Judiciary committee where he was well 
known as a powerful advocate of antitrust and consumer protection 
issues, as well as a staunch proponent of pro-choice abortion rights. 
He was often referenced as ``Senator No,'' because many of his 
colleagues knew that if he was opposed to a particular measure his 
opposition created a great hindrance to its chances of passing.
  In the Senate, Metzenbaum devised a different method of filibustering 
by introducing multiple amendments to bills in place of terminating a 
piece of legislation by long periods of debate. Senator Metzenbaum 
championed several important pieces of legislation, most notably the 
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which required 
warning periods for large factory closures; the Brady Law, which 
established a waiting period for handgun purchases; and the Howard M. 
Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994 (MEPA) (U.S. Public Law 
103-82), which prohibits federally subsidized adoption agencies from 
delaying or denying child placement on grounds of race or ethnicity. 
Upon his retirement in 1994 the Cleveland Plain Dealer referred to him 
as, ``The last of the ferocious New Deal liberals.''
  After leaving the Senate, the Honorable Howard Metzenbaum served as 
the Chairman of the Consumer Federation of America. In 2005, The United 
States Bankruptcy Courthouse was named in his Honor in Cleveland, Ohio.
  We are all blessed to have known and served our Country with former 
Senator Howard Metzenbaum. It is with great respect and admiration that 
I ask this esteemed body to keep his wife, and four daughters: Barbara 
Sherwood, Susan Hyatt, Shelley Kelman, and Amy Yanowitz in our hearts 
and prayers. May we all rejoice in having known such a great man and 
cherish both his memory and his legacy.