[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7837-S7838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO SENATOR HATCH

  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I wish to start here this morning by 
thanking my good friend, Senator Orrin Hatch, who happens to be in the 
Chamber, for his more than four decades of service in the U.S. Senate. 
We have served together in the Senate for 32 years; he was here before 
then.
  I remember that Senator Hatch was first elected to the Senate in 1976 
when I was still serving in the Alabama State Senate. This was his 
first run for public office but more to come.
  Senator Hatch, as we know, is the longest serving Republican Senator 
in U.S. history. He is one of only two sitting U.S. Senators to have 
served during the Presidency of Gerald Ford. He is one of only two 
remaining Republican U.S. Senators who served during the Presidency of 
Jimmy Carter.
  Senator Hatch, as we all know, serves currently as the President pro 
tempore of the U.S. Senate--one of the highest honors in the Senate. He 
has chaired three Senate class A committees during his tenure in the 
Senate, including the Finance Committee, of which he is currently the 
chairman. He has chaired with distinction the Judiciary Committee and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
  Some of his major accomplishments--these are just a few--include

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passage of the historic progrowth, middle-class tax reform, the most 
significant tax reform in a generation. His accomplishments also 
include confirmation right here in the Senate of conservative judges to 
the Federal bench--hundreds and hundreds--including playing an 
instrumental role in the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Antonin 
Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh, as well as, 
as I said, scores, if not hundreds, of district and circuit court 
judges.
  One of Senator Hatch's particularly noteworthy achievements, among 
others, on the Judiciary Committee is the Religious Freedom Restoration 
Act of 1993, a bill he authored and cosponsored with the late Senator 
Ted Kennedy. It was landmark legislation allowing Americans to live, to 
work, and to worship in accordance with their beliefs.
  Senator Hatch's reputation as a statesman and his record of fiscal 
responsibility even earned him the nickname ``Mr. Balanced Budget'' 
from President Reagan.
  Senator Hatch is also widely known for his musical career and film 
appearances. He plays the violin, the piano, and the organ. Think of 
the talent this man has.
  Senator Hatch and his wife, Elaine, have been married for more than 
50 years. They have 6 children, 23 grandchildren, and many great-
grandchildren. Think of a lifetime achievement, and he has, I believe, 
many years left.
  He will be truly missed here in the Senate, and I wish him all the 
best in the next chapter of his life.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. 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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