[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 50 (Monday, April 4, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 412--HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE 
  MARTIN OLAV SABO AS AN OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVANT DEDICATED TO THE 
                STATE OF MINNESOTA AND THE UNITED STATES

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. Franken) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 412

       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo was born on February 28, 1938, in 
     Crosby, North Dakota, and grew up in Alkabo, North Dakota;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo attended Augsburg College in 
     Minneapolis, Minnesota, and graduated in 1959;
       Whereas in 1960, at the age of 22 years, Martin Olav Sabo 
     was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives 
     and at that time, Martin Olav Sabo was the youngest person 
     ever elected to the Minnesota Legislature;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo served in the Minnesota House of 
     Representatives for 18 years, including--
       (1) 4 years as minority leader; and
       (2) 6 years as the first member of the Democratic-Farmer-
     Labor Party to serve as Speaker of the Minnesota House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo fought for the historic 1971 
     ``Minnesota Miracle'' that changed the way schools and 
     localities were funded;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo was first elected to the House of 
     Representatives in 1978 and he served 28 years as a Member of 
     Congress representing the fifth congressional district of 
     Minnesota;
       Whereas in 1979, as a freshman legislator, Martin Olav Sabo 
     was appointed to serve on the Committee on Appropriations of 
     the House of Representatives and he later became Ranking 
     Member of the Subcommittees on Transportation and Homeland 
     Security of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo--
       (1) championed investments in roads and bridges, transit 
     systems, aviation infrastructure, railways, nonmotorized 
     corridors, and other transportation projects, including the 
     first light rail transit line in Minnesota (commonly known as 
     the ``Blue Line''), the Hennepin Avenue bridge, and the 
     Midtown Greenway; and
       (2) provided critical funding--
          (A) to foster economic development initiatives;
          (B) to expand housing opportunities for low- and 
     moderate-income families;
          (C) to protect the environment;
          (D) to support law enforcement;
          (E) to promote agricultural production and research;
          (F) to establish the Department of Homeland Security; 
     and
          (G) to strengthen the Department of Defense;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo served on the Committee on the 
     Budget of the House of Representatives for 8 years, 
     including--
       (1) 2 years as Ranking Member; and
       (2) 2 years as Chairman during the 103rd Congress, a period 
     during which Martin Olav Sabo shepherded through enactment 
     into law on August 10, 1993, the Omnibus Budget 
     Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-66), which many 
     contend paved the way to a balanced budget in 1998, the first 
     balanced budget of the United States since 1969;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo was concerned with the growing 
     disparity between workers at the top of the income ladder and 
     those at the bottom and on October 13, 1993, Martin Olav Sabo 
     introduced H.R. 3278, 103rd Congress, entitled the ``Income 
     Equity Act of 1993'', and Martin Olav Sabo reintroduced that 
     legislation in each subsequent Congress in which he served;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo was a long-time fan of baseball 
     and the Minnesota Twins and wore a Minnesota Twins team 
     uniform each spring as a player on, and the manager of, the 
     Democratic team in the annual congressional baseball game;
       Whereas the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge in Minneapolis, 
     Minnesota, was named after Representative Sabo;
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo retired from the House of 
     Representatives in 2006 and later served as--
       (1) co-chair of the National Transportation Policy Project 
     of the Bipartisan Policy Center; and
       (2) a member of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority; and
       Whereas Martin Olav Sabo will be remembered as a strong, 
     civil legislator with an understated demeanor that earned him 
     the reputation of being able to work on a bipartisan basis to 
     get things done for the fifth congressional district of 
     Minnesota, the State of Minnesota, and the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life and accomplishments of the Honorable 
     Martin Olav Sabo;
       (2) remembers the work that Martin Olav Sabo accomplished 
     to balance the Federal budget, improve transportation and 
     housing, and bring attention to the growing disparity between 
     high- and low-wage earners; and
       (3) recognizes the indelible legacy that Martin Olav Sabo 
     has left on the State of Minnesota and the United States.

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