[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S7899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RETIREMENT OF IOWA STATE SENATOR MICHAEL CONNOLLY

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I wish to pay homage to Senator 
Michael Connolly on his retirement from the Iowa Senate after 30 years 
of distinguished public service. Mike admirably represented the 
citizens of Dubuque, IA, for 10 years in the Iowa House and 20 years in 
the Iowa Senate. He combined a passionate love for his community with 
progressive politics and a strong work ethic.
  When Dubuque fell on hard times after the farm crisis of the 1980s 
and a loss of manufacturing jobs, Mike Connolly was there to ensure 
that the State of Iowa was a partner in the economic and cultural 
renaissance of the city. If you visit Dubuque today, you will find one 
of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in the Midwest. That did not 
happen by accident. Senator Connolly and other community leaders formed 
the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, emphasizing the attitude 
that everyone would have to pull together to move the city forward. As 
they say, the proof is in the pudding, and I encourage you, Mr. 
President, and all of my Senate colleagues, to visit this jewel of a 
city on the Upper Mississippi.
  Senator Connolly is an educator by training, and although his 
influence has been feld in most of the education legislation of the 
past three decades, his interests and work have been broad and diverse.
  As chairman of the Transportation Committee, Senator Connolly boosted 
funding to make roads and bridges safer, and developed a new funding 
formula that recognized the need to enhance the transportation network 
linking the State's urban population centers. The construction of four-
lane roads between Dubuque and Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and the Quad 
Cities, has led to economic growth throughout the northeast and east-
central portion of Iowa.
  Senator Connolly also spurred an effort to beautify Iowa's roadways 
through promotion of the Resource Enhancement and Protection--REAP--
program, which included ongoing funding for the Integrated Roadside 
Vegetation Management Program, a partnership between the University of 
Northern Iowa and Iowa counties to plant prairie grasses and flowers 
along the State's thoroughfares. The program pays homage to Senator 
Connolly's father, who was a road laborer with a sixth-grade education 
who worked and saved so his children could receive a college education.
  Senator Connolly also helped modernize Iowa's election laws as 
chairman of the State Government Committee, including passing election 
day voter registration legislation and requiring that paper trails be 
included with electronic voting machines. He used his position on the 
Ways and Means Committee to give working Iowans a tax break by removing 
the sales tax from utility bills.
  He was also a leader in the legislature helping to pass antibullying 
and civil rights legislation that will help protect generations of 
Iowans to come. It would be difficult, indeed, to catalog all of 
Senator Mike Connolly's legislative achievements; suffice it to say he 
has been one of the most dedicated, hard-working and productive members 
in the history of the Iowa General Assembly.
  Iowans, especially those in the greater Dubuque community, will miss 
Mike's leadership. But I know he will continue to be involved in the 
civic life of our State and nation. His wonderful wife Martha has been 
a true partner with him these many years, and his accomplishments are 
hers as well.
  I wish Senator Connolly a long and happy retirement, with plenty of 
time to spend with his accomplished children, Maureen and John. Thank 
you, Mike, and Godspeed.

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