[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 29, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S4239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        OPENING OF THE TOM LANTOS INSTITUTE IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 220.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 220) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate regarding the June 30, 2011, opening of the Tom Lantos 
     Institute in Budapest, Hungary.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my name be 
added as a cosponsor of this important resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. I served with Tom Lantos in the House of Representatives. 
He was one of the finest orators I have ever heard. He was an academic. 
He had a Ph.D. in economics. He was a wonderful Member of Congress. He 
was a survivor of the Holocaust, as was his wife. He was a courageous 
man. He was captured by the Nazis as a teenager on multiple occasions. 
He escaped, was brought back. His blond hair kind of gave him away. But 
he was just a wonderful human being, and I still miss him a great deal.
  I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the 
preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements 
relating to this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 220) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 220

       Whereas the late Congressman Tom Lantos was a champion of 
     human and minority rights in Europe and around the world;
       Whereas Congressman Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to 
     be elected to the United States Congress, was a leading voice 
     on human rights and founding co-chairman of the Congressional 
     Human Rights Caucus, now known as the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
     Caucus;
       Whereas Congressman Lantos always remained a proud 
     Hungarian-American and an active promoter of strong 
     cooperation between the country of his birth and the United 
     States;
       Whereas Congressman Lantos was a tireless advocate for 
     tolerance and moderation, virtues embodied in the stated 
     mission of the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest;
       Whereas the Tom Lantos Institute is a non-profit, non-
     partisan, and independent organization supported by the 
     Government of Hungary and dedicated to the goal of promoting 
     human and minority rights in Central and Eastern Europe;
       Whereas educational programs on human and minority rights 
     will lay the foundation for a more sustainable and inclusive 
     peace; and
       Whereas a strong transatlantic partnership is in the mutual 
     interests of the United States and the countries of Central 
     and Eastern Europe: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
       (1) to recognize and applaud the opening of the Tom Lantos 
     Institute;
       (2) to acknowledge the Government of Hungary for honoring 
     the legacy of Congressman Lantos through its contributions to 
     the Institute;
       (3) to express support for the principles of the Institute, 
     including democracy, pluralism, and human and minority 
     rights;
       (4) to express support for the education of present and 
     future generations in Central and Eastern Europe, which will 
     contribute to regional cooperation, historical 
     reconciliation, and tolerance throughout the Euro-Atlantic 
     region; and
       (5) to encourage the people and the governments of the 
     United States and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe 
     to continue to deepen and broaden their relations.

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