[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 177 (Thursday, December 8, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KELLY AYOTTE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, New England is in itself a small community. 
We Senators who represent these States band together to fight for our 
urban and rural communities, to protect our borders, and to preserve 
the rich heritage on which our country was founded. For the last 6 
years, one of those partners has been New Hampshire Senator Kelly 
Ayotte. She has diligently sought to represent the Granite State.
  Senator Ayotte and I share a background in law enforcement; as New 
Hampshire's attorney general, she prosecuted many important cases. 
After her election to the U.S. Senate in 2011, Senator Ayotte was 
recognized as one of the most influential women in her party. She has 
taken a practical, New England-style approach in the Senate. Like many 
of us from New England, she has been persistent in her efforts to call 
national attention to the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities and 
particularly hitting hard rural communities in Vermont and New 
Hampshire. She was a partner as we sought to advance and ultimately 
pass the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which should provide 
much needed support for those facing this crippling addiction. Her 
attention to this public health crisis will surely be a cornerstone of 
her Senate legacy.
  I wish Senator Ayotte, her husband, Joseph, and their children well 
in their future endeavors.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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